Las Vegas, NV (April 30, 2009) – In less than a week, 2003 Champ Car champion Paul Tracy will return to the scene of heartbreak. Seven years removed from a decision that sent him home without the Borg-Warner Trophy, Tracy will arrive in Indianapolis to look his past in the eye and conquer it.
Thanks to GEICO and KV Racing Technology, Tracy will get another shot at claiming what he believes is his; an Indy 500 win.
Long Beach marked the venue for his announcement on April 17th, which seems appropriate given his history there. Tracy cruised the paddock area as if he were at home. But why shouldn’t he? He raced there for eighteen consecutive years and notched his first CART win at Long Beach in 1993. He recorded four total wins (1993, 2000, 2003 and 2004) at the seaside circuit and counts it as one of his favorite venues.
Tracy’s return to Indy is historic, as he vowed to never again step foot in the legendary speedway after the 2002 outcome. He is aggressive, out-spoken and often times colorful, but one cannot comprehend his internal drive. Indy is special to ‘PT’ and he was even going to drive his own motorhome from his residence in Las Vegas to Indianapolis Motor Speedway before being convinced otherwise.
Aside from the necessary training to prepare him physically for the race, Tracy’s days have been riddled with interviews, photo shoots and media productions. Tracy departed on a red-eye flight in Las Vegas on Sunday night that arrived in Washington, DC, at 7:00 AM on Monday morning. He participated in a photo shoot and video production for GEICO before returning to the airport and traveling back to Las Vegas on a 5:30 PM flight.
The remainder of Tracy’s week has been filled with teleconferences, more photo shoots and interviews, including a shoot with RACER magazine, for which he will be keeping a daily blog, at his Las Vegas home. Capping off his week will be an appearance on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain on May 3rd at 9:00 PM (ET).
Tracy is nothing if not focused and amid the chaos he has found peace on his bike and in his physical training regimen. It also helps that his close friend Jimmy Vasser is co-owner of KV Racing Technology and is there to offer him support above and beyond the race track. At one-point fierce competitors, Tracy and Vasser have always maintained a close friendship, along with GEICO’s NASCAR driver Max Papis. Busy with his own NASCAR schedule during the month of May, Papis has said that he will be on-hand in Indy to offer support to his friend/teammate.
If ever there were a time when the stars were aligned, it would be now. Friends and supporters surround Tracy, and with GEICO and KV Racing Technology backing his effort he is going to have the opportunity to do great things in the month of May.
“Indy is important to me because I feel like I won the race in 2002, but a decision was made otherwise,” Tracy said. “I look around my home and it’s the one trophy that has escaped me, so I am looking forward to returning to the 500 and taking another shot at it. People close to me know my passion for the history of racing and it’s no secret that the Indy 500 is the biggest race in the world, so a win for me, GEICO and KV Racing is our goal.”
Tracy walks and talks with resounding confidence, but deep down inside there is a fire burning. He is a champion. He is tops in nearly every category. But there is still one more thing out there and it awaits him in Speedway, Indiana.
For more information about GEICO Racing, please visit www.geicogarage.com. For more information about Paul Tracy, please visit www.paultracy.com. For more information about KV Racing Technology, please visit www.kvracingtechnology.com.
From Doug Barnette / Player Management International, Inc.
