CART Series-leader Tracy enjoys spotlight during homecoming

The Toronto native earned the top spot for the Molson Indy.
TORONTO (AP) -- Paul Tracy is soaking up every second of his time in the spotlight.
The CART series leader furthered his homecoming celebration Saturday by earning the top starting spot for the Molson Indy, his first pole on Toronto's temporary street course.
Tracy, a Toronto native nicknamed "The Thrill From West Hill," ran a lap at 58.839 seconds, going 107.378 mph around the winding 1.755-mile course at Exhibition Place.
Then he watched and waited to see if Bruno Junqueira, the provisional polesitter based on his speeds from Friday's session, would best him.
He didn't, and Tracy celebrated by pumping his fist to the screaming crowd, then hoisted the pole-winner's trophy high into the air for his loyal fans to see.
"It's fantastic," he said. "I was out of the car with five minutes to go in the session and I just had to wait.
"That's always hard to do because Bruno and Michel [Jourdain] can put a lap together at any time and with the changing track conditions, you just didn't know."
Disappointing efforts
Junqueira will start second in today's race after running a lap at 106.486 mph and Jourdain qualified third at 106.691.
Both were disappointed with their efforts: Junqueira because the on-and-off again rain prevented him from running a lap in prime track conditions and Jourdain because of alleged blocking from other competitors.
"It was just a really, really frustrating day," Jourdain said.
Their lack of enthusiasm on the podium did nothing to temper Tracy's excitement.
In contention for the first CART championship of his career, the 34-year-old Tracy has had a glorious homecoming all week.
He hosted a red-carpet party at Wayne Gretzky's restaurant on Friday night, arriving with a Playboy Playmate that landed him on the cover of the local papers.
And he held court in the VIP room, where his fellow competitors all toasted him as bouncers fended off would-be crashers.
"I'm trying to teach my two prot & eacute;g & eacute;'s here how to live the life," Tracy said as he placed his arms around Junqueira and Jordan, eliciting a roar of laughter.
Coming out
So shy and withdrawn early in his career, Tracy has apparently finally found his niche and is loving it.
"I've been doing this a long time, and I've been in the shadow of a lot of great stars of our sport," he said. "I'm in that position now because of the years and the experience in the series, so it's my time right now and I am relishing that time."
So much so that a flap with CART leader Chris Pook stemming from last week's race in Cleveland has quickly turned to old news.
Pook was first upset with Tracy because the driver failed to shave and wore shorts to a CART media event.
The tension escalated when the CART CEO confronted Tracy in the pits at Cleveland after a run-in with Jourdain.
Pook had a Friday meeting with representatives from Tracy's Player's/Forsythe team, and said Saturday he had no problems with Tracy.
"He's the star of our series," Pook said. "He's a great driver, a great character. He's exuberant in some of his comments, but he's largely very positive for our series and very showful."
Tracy said it took him a long time to blossom into that role. Once overweight with glasses, he's now physically fit with platinum-bleached hair and the brightest star of the struggling series.
"I like to have fun, I like to say what's on my mind ... but I really enjoy what I do and I have a passion for it," he said. "It didn't come natural for me at first. When I first started racing, I didn't say two words. It's just something you get used to with experience. I have a certain flair for it now."