Tracy resigned to missing IRL opener
Paul Tracy says he has resigned himself to missing the IRL IndyCar Series opener at Homestead next weekend, and admits that the only open wheel race he currently has lined up is the Champ Car finale at Long Beach
The 2003 Champ Car champion has been without a drive since his Forsythe team decided not to join the merged IndyCar Series, and is still waiting to be released from his contract with the squad.
Forsythe announced last month that they could not secure sufficient sponsorship to run competitively in IndyCar, so would disband after a one-off appearance at Long Beach,where the Champ Car machinery would be used for a final time.
"My options right now are pretty limited," Tracy told Indianapolis radio station 1070 The Fan.
"I've got to sort my contract situation out with Forsythe and we haven't been able to achieve that yet.
"I could get in a car right now and do it, but it's not going to happen by (Homestead) next week. As of right now, the only time I know I'm going to be in a car is at Long Beach, and from there I don't know. I'd like to be in an IndyCar, I'd like to be in a good car and to have the opportunity to run at Indy.
"I'm under contract to Forsythe and obviously I can't go out and start talking to other teams while I'm under contract. I've yet to even be able to get hold of (team owner) Gerry (Forsythe) or (team boss) Neil (Micklewright) to get an answer on that. So that's where we stand."
Tracy is keen to secure a drive with one of the current top IndyCar teams, but knows that this is now unlikely.
"The three top teams right now - Andretti-Green, Ganassi and Penske - are full, so of my first three choices there's probably a 95 percent chance they're not going to happen," he said.
"As of right now, I haven't really had any talks with any other teams. Obviously there is interest, but it's going to take budget and sponsorship. These cars aren't cheap to run."
He revealed that he has a potential Grand-Am outing with former Champ Car rival Alex Tagliani lined up, and is keen to find a drive for the NASCAR Nationwide Series' Montreal event, should he be forced to sit out the IndyCar season.
"Alex Tagliani has got some things happening with a Grand-Am car and he'd like me to team up with him and do some races," Tracy said.
"Right now, I don't have any options in an IndyCar, but there are some options to do some stuff in Grand-Am and hopefully do some Nationwide races, like the race in Canada.
"With my contract I can race other stuff, but I'd like to go IndyCar racing, and I can't get an answer out of my team."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Top Comments
Hamilton accepts blame for incident with Albon in F1 Brazilian GP
Ferrari drivers called to F1 stewards over Brazilian GP collision
Will Alonso's Indy failure end the age of versatility?
The multi-faceted improvements that have allowed McLaren to challenge Red Bull
Vasseur: Hamilton's arrival proves Ferrari is on the right track
Explained: How the Haas-Toyota F1 alliance is actually going to work
Benched Katsuta sets goals for WRC return at Central European Rally
When McLaren conquered F1 and the Indy 500
The lasting legacy of Reynard’s IndyCar revolution
When Indycar’s mistimed experiment briefly beat F1 at Silverstone
How the wider motorsport world reacted to Senna’s death
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
