In an exclusive interview with me, Paul Tracy dished on everything from wearing wrestling masks to being Brett Favre’s doppelganger, or not. Here are some highlights from the interview. There’s more to come in Friday’s edition of the Quad-City Times and in the Race Trax podcast.
Paul Tracy almost won the 2002 Indianapolis 500, or did win it, depending on who you ask. He’ll start the 93rd Indianapolis 500 from the inside of Row 5 on May 24.
I think so because I think anything can happen in the race. Our race setup is good. We went out on race trim on Sunday. I started in race trim, and the car is really fast and easy to drive. The team is running good. It’s not a brand-new team. They’ve had this year with Mario (Moraes), who’s an inexperienced driver, but the car is fast. Is it going to be easy? No. But in the course of a 500-mile race a lot can change, and we just need to be there at the end.
What does IndyCar have to do to draw more fans?
I think they need to have more stars in the show. They can’t just lean on Danica all the time. Granted she’s a big star. But you can’t just use that as your only card. They have some big stars in the series, but a lot of people don’t know them. I’ve been in the sport now for almost 20 years, and people know me. Old fans know me and the young kids know me. I kind of cross the whole spectrum of fan base. I have kids as fans, whether that’s because their parents like them or because I have a Monster Energy hat, and they think Monster Energy Drink is cool. I have young to old. They’ve just only got a few select drivers. Ninety percent of the guys, I’m not trying to say they’re not good drivers, but nobody knows who they are. They’re hard to market.
You once called these cars crapwagons, but they are going to change the car in a couple of years, what improvements should they make?
I think they can make them a nicer car. They’re not the prettiest looking car. They’re not very sophisticated. They’re kind of big and bulky and heavy. The Champ Car was a much more superior car, both the Panoz and the Lola. I can only compare the only track that I’ve run at in both these cars was Edmonton, and the Champ Car there is 4 seconds a lap faster than the IRL car. That’s a lot of time on a 2½ mile temporary track. That’s about the difference between a Champ Car and a Formula One car. Then you’ve got the back part of the grid, guys like (Marty) Roth are 5 to 6 seconds slower than the fastest guys. This car was only geared toward racing on ovals and it’s not really geared toward road course racing. It know they made it heavy and heavy duty, so hopefully the next car can be a bit more modernized.
What happened to the wrestling mask and cape? Where’d they come from?
I have the real mask. The mask I wore was a replica of some famous Mexican wrestler. He saw me on TV. His dad was a famous wrestler and his grandfather was and he was the third generation. His name was Blue Demon. I wore it in Montreal because the fans were booing me and going crazy at me because of the whole Tagliani incident. I just thought it would be kind of funny. I was sort of trying to egg them on a little more. But it actually sort of turned them around, and they got to like me. I actually have the real mask from the guy signed by him.
How much of a role do rivalries play in racing? Do you think that’s part of the reason why IndyCar isn’t as popular, because everyone seems to like each other?
You can’t just have everyone liking each other and loving to be there and having nothing to say about anything. If I have to wear the black hat then I’ll wear the black hat. There’s got to be a Dale Sr. or a Jimmie Johnson or a Jeff Gordon. Tony Stewart wears the black hat every once in awhile even though he’s very well liked. But he’s not afraid to say what he feels. I’ve been doing this long enough that if people want to know something they can just ask me.
Rivalries are good because that’s what piques people’s interest. Whether it’s teams rivalries or athlete rivalries. That’s what it takes to get things popular, and I understand that.
You said you already felt like the guy who made the game winning goal when you made that pass at Indy in 2002 (above). Who did you pretend to be when you were growing up doing that?
I played hockey when I was a kid and always played hockey in the driveway. There’s a lot of athletes I admire, but I guess probably they’re all current-day guys. I’m a huge fan of Brett Favre, and it’s also because he kind of looks like me. I think it’s kind of cool that he’s doing what he wants to do. He doesn’t really care what other people think. I think it’s kind of cool.
I get asked every day by somebody at the gym. You know, “You look like Brett Favre.” Some people ask, “you know, you look like Paul Tracy,” I say, “No, I’m Brett Favre.” They go, “Really? I thought you were bigger than that.” He’s taller than me. He’s probably 6 foot.
Paul Tracy will talk with Nate Bloomquist this week. Do you have a question for Paul? Post it in the comments
Do you have any questions for the 2002 Indianapolis 500 winner, ahem, I mean, the runner up? I will conduct an interview with the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion this week.
If you have any questions you would like me to ask him please post a comment.
I will post excerpts from the interview in a future blog entry.
Tracy has qualified inside the fifth row for the 93rd Indianapolis 500, which takes place May 24.
If you’re talking about IndyCar racing, you’re likely talking about Danica Patrick. This year is no different. So, what did Danica have to say before starting her fifth Indianapolis 500?
Danica Patrick will compete in her fifth Indianapolis 500 on May 24. (AP photo)
Here’s some excerpts from Tuesday’s teleconference:
On qualifying…
Every year is challenging. But, I think you still have a lot of the leaders at the front of the field as you did four years ago. It’s always been pretty tough. Yeah, there are a lot more drivers, and I think there are going to be more knocking on that top-11 door maybe more so than before.
Hopefully we don’t have to worry about that and we get in that first day and we have a good qualifying run on the first one and it’s good enough to put us in the top 11 and in the front row.
On her confidence for Indy…
I’ve even had people at Kansas say, people close to me, fans are always encouraging, but people that really get a feeling for things. I think you might win this race.
Here we are at Indy. I have to tell you a funny story. I got a fortune cookie at the track. We went out to dinner in Kansas at this sort of Asian sushi place. I’m reading it right now because I hung it up. I had two fortunes in there, to start with. I didn’t realize it had a second one. When I turned it over, it says, ‘A four-wheeled adventure will soon bring you happiness.’ So that’s in a fortune cookie, right? That’s got to be great.
On Michael Andretti calling race strategy for her…
I don’t think it’s a matter of Mike choosing to pay more attention to me; it was a matter of the team using up all of the resources efficiently and well. Over the last couple of years, we’ve lost personnel here and there, been able to fill in the blanks. And Mike has been one of those guys that’s bounced around from car to car, offered his advice on what was going on, what he would do, playing sort of race strategist for all the drivers.
So it was an idea that went around the table. Mike took the job, and he said he buckled under a little bit of peer pressure for it. But it makes sense. He’s been around it so much. He still keeps an eye on everybody else, but while we’re out there on the track and in the cars, he’s on the Boost Mobile car. That’s just what the decision was for this year.
On why she has had success at Indy…
I don’t really know. I like it here. I enjoy it. I embrace the month. I have a lot of fun. What exactly makes me good here or whatever is subjective anyway I think if I do good or not.
I don’t really know. The first year I came here, I took the advice from all the people around me, the people that have been here the most. The advice was to respect the track, to be patient, and I do that. So, you know, maybe that’s part of it.
On her Kentucky Derby hat…
My derby hat (laughter)? I was running some low downforce because it was very uncomfortable. Like when you’re sitting down at the table there, at the event, I had to look up so far that I had a headache from getting past the brim of my hat. I wouldn’t describe it as a comfy setup.
About the less hot-headed Danica…
Is it OK, do you think? Do you think this is OK that I’m a little bit more calm?
I hope I’m not boring anybody (laughter).
I’ve learned from the past. Look, the emotional Danica is still there, but there’s a time and a place. The time and place is not every weekend. So it’s just easier. I think I always felt in the past like I had to prove to people that I cared and that I wasn’t happy being fifth or 12th or something by being mad. It just doesn’t really pay off, and it turns people off. It’s a lot easier and a lot more fun to be relaxed. It’s all bunnies and rainbows around here (laughter).
Is Kyle Busch NASCAR's best 24-year-old? Probably not.
Anyone who watched Saturday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway knows that Kyle Busch won on his birthday.
That’s all nice and sweet and all. But what I want to know is on his 24th birthday, where does he rank. After all, we of the ESPN-this-the-greatest-game-or-athlete-ever-because-we-just-watched-it generation need to know.
Seriously. Is he the best ever, so far, for someone his age?
Here’s where he ranks among the greats when they were 24. I did the research for you. You’ll thank me later. Or not.
Dale Earnhardt Turned 24: April 29, 1975 Cup wins: 0 What he’s got on Shrub: Earnhardt turned 24 in his rookie season. So there really isn’t enough data here to make a valid comparison. But I’ll try anyway. Kyle Busch is in his fifth season. By the time Earnhardt was in his fifth full season, 1984, he had 11 wins. Busch has 15 wins in Sprint Cup. Two years later, Earnhardt won his first of seven championships.
Richard Petty Turned 24: July 2, 1961 Cup wins: 5 What he’s got on Shrub: At age 24, the King already had a runner-up finish in the Cup standings. The best Shrub has done is fifth (2007). In 1960 Petty finished a distant second to Rex White despite three victories. Four years later, in 1964, Petty won his first of seven titles. At age 24, the end of the 1961 season, he had a ridiculous career stat: 63 top-10 finishes in 102 starts and 40 top-fives. Busch has 76 top-10s, but in 58 more starts.
Jeff Gordon
Turned 24: Aug. 4, 1995 Sprint Cup wins: 7 What he’s got on Shrub: Won his first of four championships this season. He dominated with seven wins and eight poles, possibly intimidating the Intimidator. While Wonderboy has lost some wonder over the years, he’s higher in the points standings than Busch because he is way more consistent.
In short. Shrub has got a ways to go. But his future looks promising, as if you didn’t know that already. Is he the greatest? Talk to me when he’s won a championship. Then maybe he’ll be in the group picture.
NASCAR fans might soon get some extra enjoyment out of Sundays. They’ll see their taxpayer dollars at work.
But the U.S. government would be wise to stop that sort of foolhardiness. It, after all, knows a thing or two about wasteful spending.
While GM and the rest of the Big three skid closer to bankruptcy, the government likely will step to prevent the tremendous blow to the economy.
But as Uncle Sam fills the auto industry’s tanks with cash, the Big Three will spend hundreds of millions of dollars at NASCAR race tracks. The car companies long have claimed that wins on Sundays meant car sales on Mondays. Perhaps my Internets are broken, but I have yet to find a survey that proves that. Car companies likely justify the colossal expense of motorsports because spending money there always has worked in the past.
But in today’s economy that’s not a good enough reason. The “it always worked in the past” line of thinking is the same logic that allowed mega banks to crash and burn and left the government to — knock on wood — clean up the mess.
U.S. car sales are about the only thing that has fallen faster than the housing market. And the drop comes coincidentally, or not if you’re a conspiracy theorist, at a time when NASCAR runs a car in which the only difference between Fords, Dodges and a Chevys are the stickers on the hoods.
Racing used to be a sound investment for the Big Three. You can’t beat 4 hours of network TV with big company logos flying past, sometimes in the lead at 180 mph. That’s not to mention the hokey, but market-research friendly ads that run during the races.
Today the money just isn’t there. For as much as fans might want to buy a Ford Fusion or Chevy Malibu after seeing one in Victory Lane, they can’t afford it. Until that changes, spending millions on NASCAR while having to cut millions of jobs isn’t right.
There is a solution. After all the U.S. car manufacturers have done for NASCAR, it’s time for the sport to return the favor. Send the marketing, engine and research and development costs to the France family. With a multi-billion dollar TV deal and sold-out races every weekend for the past 15 years, they can foot the bill.
Call it a NASCAR bailout.
Why not give Kyle Busch haters what they want. They’re right. Shrub should go away… to Formula One.
He’d be perfect there, and Sunday’s win in Las Vegas proved it.
And with a group announcing last week it would run an all-American team in Formula One in the 2010 season, Busch has a perfect opportunity.
Busch should join the USF1 team. If the equipment is up to snuff, he would dominate.
The Gibbs Racing driver has mastered road-course racing, so turning right shouldn’t be a problem. And on Sunday he showed his great car control and maneuvered from the back of the pack all the way to the front for a victory.
Kyle Busch would be a perfect fit in a Formula One car. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)
Car control is a key to success in Formula One. In the super technologically advanced sport it’s not necessarily how fast you can make the car go, but it’s more about how well you can handle corners.
F1 cars can go from 0 to 60 in less than a heartbeat, but it’s how quickly they can go from 200 to 0 that makes them even more impressive. Busch could handle that kind of challenge with ease.
Beyond his skill in the car, Busch would provide a boost outside it, too.
He would provide the stodgy, sometimes Euro trash F1 with some much-needed character.
The Las Vegas native would fit in nicely on the casino-lined streets of Monte Carlo and likely would make rivals elsewhere faster than you can say Fernando Alonso.
But for Busch to tackle the legendary road courses of Europe, USF1 would have to pony up NASCAR-sized coin. And the team has said it will run on a $64 million budget next year, which doesn’t even begin cover McLaren’s FIA fines some seasons.
But it would be money well spent for USF1, which hasn’t announced a sponsorship or backers yet, although it claims to have those things. With Busch in tow, they’d likely have multinational companies beating down their doors to get a piece of the shrub. While F1 barely is a speck on the sports radar in the U.S., it’s a bump draft away from soccer’s popularity elsewhere.
If he did succeed, Busch could become a national hero. The last guy from the U.S. to win an F1 title was a little driver from Nazareth, Pa., named Mario Andretti, who won in 1978. How’d things work out for him?
In these difficult economic times a safe bet is hard to come by. But I’d be the house on Busch striking it big in F1.
When Matt Kenseth won the Sprint Cup title a few years back, he took plenty of heat for being too boring.
He droned along, racking up enough top-10 finishes to win the title, but had only one win all season. The criticism had to sting a bit. Because after all, a driver gets paid to win races, not cruise along amassing 7th- and 9th-place finishes.
With his win in Sunday’s Auto Club 500, Kenseth is on a mission.
Matt Kenseth is out to prove his back-to-back wins and his points title in 2003 aren't flukes.
While all the attention focuses on Jimmie Johnson going for his fourth consecutive title, and Carl Edwards trying to chase him, and Tony Stewart starting over, and Kyle Busch’s “Wild thing” style, Kenseth lurks.
Just like the quiet Midwestern guy you’d run into at the Farm and Fleet, Kenseth doesn’t really intimidate most.
But he should. The Wisconsinite has shown tenacity ever since he came up through the ranks at local tracks in the Northwoods.
His back-to-back wins aren’t a fluke. He’ll be in the Chase this year, in the mix for the title. You can bet your Work ‘n’ Sport boots on it.
The greater drama in Sunday’s Daytona 500, other than when the rain was going to show up was the Brian Vickers vs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. who wrecked who saga.
Junior might have deliberately knocked Vickers out of the way, thus creating the huge chain-reaction wreck that always hangs over superspeedways as long as restrictor plates are involved like a rain cloud. Despite that, Vickers is guilty of an indefensible crime — blocking.
There is no excuse for blocking. And to qualify for the free pass, Vickers blocked Junior.
When Earnhardt stepped out, Vickers followed, and clearly blocked, forcing Junior almost to the grass. What followed after, whether Junior deliberately wrecked Vickers, or simply slid up the track as he tried to get back in line, we’ll never know.
So, in some ways, Vickers got what he deserved. It’s just too bad he took half the front-runners with him.
I won’t root for a bad economy.
Newspaper employees, of all people, certainly shouldn’t be in favor of a recession.
But the recent downturn might actually bring some good news for NASCAR fans.
NASCAR should have quite a title chase on its hands this season because sponsorship dollars have dried up. The lack of money has forced the circuit to ban testing in season, thus creating a more level playing field.
The lack of money has forced incompetent, low-budget operations to fold, or merge with slightly more competent teams. This possibly could create more teams with a chance to compete for victories.
Outside of the history, would anyone really miss the perpetual backmarker Petty cars?
Juan Pablo Montoya is a great addition to NASCAR, but he isn’t worth watching in lackluster equipment with Ganassi Racing.
Without Dale Earnhardt Jr., DEI was little more than a museum.
Does anyone really even know who drives for Bill Davis Racing?
But mix some of these teams together, and then you might have something worth watching. You might actually see drivers who have the skill compete for something better than just a top-20 spot. In the past NASCAR has been dominated by three teams.
But with so many teams forced to pool resources together, more could join the fray.
Don’t think of the recession as a downer that might suck the life out of NASCAR. Think of it as an opportunity for new blood.
To put some content here, go to Site Admin -> Appearance/Presentation -> Widgets -> Select "Right Sidebar" -> Click "Show" -> Click on "Add" on one of the widgets on the left side -> Click "Save changes" -> Done
I played hockey when I was a kid and always played hockey in the driveway. There’s a lot of athletes I admire, but I guess probably they’re all current-day guys. I’m a huge fan of Brett Favre, and it’s also because he kind of looks like me. I think it’s kind of cool that he’s doing what he wants to do. He doesn’t really care what other people think. I think it’s kind of cool.