Paul Tracy is playing team roulette ahead of the Indy 500, but he has good reason. Tracy, who is in a bit of an odd team and sponsorship situation, will step away from his Dragon Racing car and into a car owned by Dreyer & Reinbold’s for the Indy 500. And it’s all in the name of honoring obligations put together long before the 2011 Indianapolis 500.
Indy 500: Paul Tracy Honors Contract, Switches Teams
The complicated deal came together in March and April as Tracy signed with Reinbold on a limited basis that included the Indy 500 before Dragon Racing inked him to a five-race deal. Never one to go back on his word, Tracy kept his pledge and will run with Reinbold’s team at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Reinbold offered the 43-year-old former Champ Car champion a full-month, fully-funded program for Indy, the biggest _ and most expensive race _ of the season. That one-off contract, signed in March, allowed Tracy to continue shopping his limited sponsorship to another team for as many races as he could get.
Dragon Racing, the team owned by Roger Penske’s youngest son, and Sam Schmidt Motorsports teamed up to give Tracy the five-race deal a few weeks later, and suddenly the nonconformist Tracy found himself in the position of honoring both deals.
Early practice sessions have been positive for Tracy, though he’s a step behind some of the quickest cars. On Monday, Tracy turned in a fastest-lap of 223.780 mph, good for 12th on the day but a full two miles per hour behind Alex Tagliani.
For more on the race, stay with our 2011 Indy 500 StoryStream. Be sure to head over to Pop Off Valve for all things IndyCar, including the three excellent Indy 500 resources: The Indy 500 experience, Indy 500 traditions and the history of the Indy 500 and the Brickyard.
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