Tracy anxious for return to Indy

Associated Press

Paul Tracy is angry. Still.

The exasperation bubbles close to the surface. Just a little nick and it comes flowing out. On Twitter. In interviews. On the bike he’s used to drop 35 pounds in the last year.

The 41-year-old racing veteran doesn’t quite understand why he’s the winningest open-wheel driver without a full-time ride. Still thinks he edged Helio Castroneves to win the 2002 Indy 500. Wants badly to put together one last run at glory.

“It’s just frustrating to sit back and watch,” Tracy said. “Obviously I know my best years are probably behind me. Obviously I’m not going to be racing forever.”

There’s still time, but not much. Figuring a part-time job is better than no job at all, he eagerly accepted an offer from KV Racing Technology to drive in this year’s Indy 500 and a couple of road races in his native Canada. He finished ninth at the Brickyard last year, his first start at the 2.5-mile oval since his controversial second-place finish in 2002.

It was solid, but not good enough for the competitive Tracy. He’s running out of shots, and he knows it. When team co-owner Jimmy Vassar asked for advice on whom to bring in to call the 500, Tracy didn’t hesitate: Barry Green.

Yes, the same Barry Green that Tracy used to drive for, the same Barry Green that Tracy once got into an altercation with during a race. Green jumped at a chance to serve as the race strategist for the talented if temperamental Tracy.

“I think I remember mostly the good times,” Green said.

Their last race together was not one of them.

Tracy was battling Helio Castroneves for the lead late in the 2002 Indy 500 when the caution light came on. Tracy has long maintained he was ahead of Castroneves at the time. Race officials, however, ruled Castroneves still had the edge, and the affable Brazilian headed to Victory Lane to drink the milk, leaving Tracy fuming.

To be honest, he’s still not over it. In the news release announcing Green’s arrival, Tracy proudly proclaimed, “Barry called every one of my races and called all of my race wins including winning the 2002 Indianapolis 500.”

The wording was intentional. The same release had Tracy pointing out that he and Green had “unfinished business” in the 500.

“Deep down, we know what happened there,” he said.

The duo have legitimate hopes of writing a different ending this time.

Tracy was competitive at Indy last spring, not bad for a driver who hadn’t driven with any sort of regularity since 2007.