Tracy Confirmed for Long Beach

Written by: Robin Miller
Date: 04/17/2008 - 05:24 PM
Location: Long Beach, Calif.

Champ Car’s final go-around Sunday will also be Paul Tracy’s swan song with Gerry Forsythe but at least the four-time winner of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach gets to race.

“I’m driving at Long Beach for Gerry, yes, we finally got everything worked out,” said Tracy on Thursday afternoon. “But this is the last race I’ll be driving for him.”

The 2003 CART champion has been in limbo so far in 2008 as his manager and attorney tried to come to some kind of understanding with Forsythe, PT’s employer since 2003. Because the longtime CART loyalist declined to field a car in the unified open wheel series, it’s left the series winningest driver a spectator.

Tracy’s name was on the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach entry list despite the fact he hasn’t spoken with Forsythe directly since just after Christmas and nobody in the Forsythe Racing camp was sure of anything, except that David Martinez would be in one of their cars this weekend. It’s believed Forsythe paid P.T. his back salary earlier this week, so they agreed to go forward one last time.  

“We haven’t resolved our differences in the issues of my contract, but we’ve decided to do it in a business-like manner after Sunday’s race,” said the 39-year-old veteran, who is supposed to make $2,5 million this year—the third of his five-year contract.

“I’m open to do anything after this race and I want to run at Indianapolis for sure,” he continued. “I don’t have a sponsor because Monster (energy drink) is too far along in this year’s budget—but they’re looking at next year so I’m hoping I can get something going.

“But right now I just want to try and win the last Champ Car race.”