Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian-American former professional

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

driver who competed in CART, the

Champ Car World Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...

and the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

. He is known by the nicknames "PT" and "the Thrill from West Hill". He was a color commentator on NBC's IndyCar coverage from 2014 to 2021. Since 2021, he competes full time in the

Superstar Racing Experience Superstar Racing Experience (SRX), officially known as the Camping World SRX Series, is an American stock car racing series founded by Tony Stewart, Ray Evernham, Sandy Montag and George Pyne. The formation of the series was announced on July 13, ...

Racing career

Early years

Fascinated by cars since boyhood, Tracy raced go-karts at

Goodwood Kartways Goodwood Kartways is a multiple configuration karting centre located in Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada. The facility spans 20 acres of land and features just shy of one kilometre of racing surface with a 10-turn road course. Since 1994 the facility has ...

near his hometown until he was 16. At age 16, in 1985, he became the youngest ever Canadian Formula Ford Champion. He was also the winner of the final Can-Am race in series history at the age of 17; in that same race, he achieved the record of the youngest winner in Can-Am history. In 1988 Tracy raced in the New Zealand Formula Pacific series driving a Graeme Lawrence entered Ralt RT4, his best result was to win both races and the round at Timaru Raceway. Tracy worked his way up through the North American open-wheel feeder series' culminating with winning the

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

American Racing Series Championship, and in the process set a record for single-season wins with nine.

Penske and Newman/Haas years

The following year, Tracy competed in his first IndyCar event at

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, renting a vehicle from

Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) is an American professional open-wheel racing team that currently competes in the IndyCar Series. The team was founded in 1984 and is owned by former driver Dale Coyne. From 1995 to 2000, the team was known as Payton-Coyn ...

for $105,000. Noticed by Roger Penske, at mid-season, he became a test driver for

Penske Racing Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona, the organizati ...

. In his first race for the team at

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

he crashed and broke his left leg. He recovered and raced twice more for the team during the season. He was scheduled to start a selected number of races for Penske in 1992 and ended up starting 11 races, many of them as a substitute driver for the injured

Rick Mears Rick Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is a retired American race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (1 ...

. Mears announced his retirement after the 1992 season and Tracy replaced him in the #4 car. His first full year of IndyCar competition came in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

, where he won five times with his first win coming at

and the others at

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Road America and

Laguna Seca Laguna Seca may refer to: * Laguna Seca Formation, a geologic formation in California * Laguna Seca (Mexico), see Convention of London * Laguna Seca (Santa Clara County), a seasonal lake in California * Laguna Seca, Texas, United States * Rancho ...

. Tracy led the series in laps led and was voted the most improved driver by his peers. The 1994 season started slowly for Tracy as he scored just two points in the first four races. He rebounded from his poor start and finished on the podium in eight of the final twelve races with victories at

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, Nazareth, and

. His third-place showing in the points gave Penske a sweep of the top three slots with

Al Unser Jr. Alfred Unser Jr. (born April 19, 1962), nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior", or simply "Junior", is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. History Unser was born into a racing family in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ...

winning the title and

Emerson Fittipaldi Emerson Fittipaldi (; born 12 December 1946) is a Brazilian former automobile racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the Indianapolis 500 twice each and the CART championship once. Moving up from Formula Two, Fittip ...

second. After Penske decided to return to running a two-car team for 1995, Penske attempted to transfer Tracy's contract to Bettenhausen Motorsports, however, Tracy's father discovered a clause in his original contract that it could not be assigned, putting Penske in a bind. Tracy tested for Benetton at

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has h ...

in 1994, setting a faster time than Benetton drivers

JJ Lehto Jyrki Juhani Järvilehto (; born 31 January 1966), better known as "JJ Lehto", is a Finnish racing driver. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1995 and 2005. He is also a former Formula One driver. He was a protégé of Finnish 1982 Formula ...

and

Jos Verstappen Johannes Franciscus Verstappen (; born 4 March 1972) is a former (Formula One) racing driver. Verstappen was the German Formula Three champion and Masters of Formula Three winner in 1993. In Formula 1, Verstappen raced for seven different te ...

had managed for that year's

Portuguese Grand Prix The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...

, and was only 0.7 sec off of

Gerhard Berger Gerhard Berger (born 27 August 1959) is an Austrian former Formula One racing driver. He competed in Formula One for 14 seasons, twice finishing 3rd overall in the championship ( and ), both times driving for Ferrari. He won ten Grands Prix, ach ...

's pole time for the same race. Tracy was only offered a restrictive contract with few guarantees and ultimately decided to stay in North America. Tracy was permitted to sign with

Newman/Haas Racing Newman/Haas Racing was an auto racing team that competed in the CART and the IndyCar Series from 1983 to 2011. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed as a partnership between actor, automotive enth ...

for the 1995 season for $1.5 million, with Penske holding an option after that year, where he won two races ( Australia and

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

) and finished 6th in the championship. Penske, after a disappointing 1995, used his option and matched Newman/Haas's offer for the 1996 season of a four-year contract of $3.5 million annually. Tracy's return was a disappointment as he finished the season with no wins and 13th in the championship. A back injury also forced him to miss two races.

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

was a roller-coaster season, with consecutive wins at Nazareth,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

and Gateway putting him in the points lead. The season went downhill soon after as he finished 26th or worse in each of the final five events to slip to fifth place in the championship. After a disappointing finish in Toronto, Tracy referred to his car as a "piece of shit" to local media and also said that the Penske chassis was obsolete and that the team should switch tire manufacturers. Penske waited until the end of the season before terminating Tracy for making detrimental remarks about the team and sponsors.

Team Green years

Tracy was signed by Team Kool Green for the 1998 season. The year was a struggle for the team and Tracy personally, as he finished no better than fifth in any race and ended up a disappointing 13th in the championship. The low point of the year came in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

when he crashed out of second place after colliding with his teammate Dario Franchitti, leading to an altercation with team owner

Barry Green Barry Green is an American orchestral and solo double bass player and teacher. He was the principal bassist for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A contemporary of people such as Gary Karr, he has developed and publicized his own method for doubl ...

when Tracy returned to the pits. He had a chance at redemption and a million-dollar purse in the last race of the season, the Marlboro 500, but while leading the race under caution 3 laps from the finish, he spun off the track while attempting to warm up his tires for the restart. Barry Green commented, "That just sums up our season." Several on and off-track incidents during the year earned him the wrath of CART officials and he was excluded from the 1999 season opener. Although he missed the first race, Tracy still had a very successful season as he recorded seven podium finishes and had victories at

and

. He finished third in the championship. The 2000 season was also a success for Tracy as he won at

, Road America and

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

and finished fifth in the championship. Tracy sat on the pole for the

Michigan 500 The Firestone Indy 400 was an IndyCar Series race held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The event was most recently held in 2007. From 1981 to 2001, the event was better-known as the Michigan 500, and was held in high pre ...

with a new track record speed of . Tracy's fourth year with Team Green in 2001 was one of the worst of his career as he went winless and finished 14th in the championship. 2002 was another year of struggle for Tracy. He did win a race at

but failed to finish 10 of 19 races and was 11th in the championship. With Team Green, Tracy returned to the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

in 2002 for the first time since

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

. A late-race caution flag for a crash appeared at nearly the same time he passed

Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He has won the Indianapolis 500 a record-equalling four times: in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021. He won the 2021 24 Hours of Daytona with Wa ...

for what would have been the race lead. Team Green protested the result but the official investigation put the determination of the leader of the race as the sole discretion of the race officials. Tracy and Barry Green contended that the decision was made to stop a CART driver beating the regulars of the rival

Indy Racing League The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

, which was run by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner

Tony George Anton Hulman "Tony" George (born December 30, 1959) is the former Chairman, President, and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities ...

Forsythe years

During the 2002 CART season, Team Green was purchased by Tracy's long-time rival

Michael Andretti Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART PP ...

, who intended to move the team to the IRL, and had sold 7-Eleven a sponsorship based on Tracy staying with the team. Not wanting to drive what he referred to as "crapwagons," Tracy instead opted to join the Player's Forsythe team for the 2003 season. Tracy had one of the best seasons in CART history, becoming the first driver in 32 years to win the first three races of a season with victories in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, Monterrey, and

. Perhaps the highlight of Tracy's career was at the 2003 Molson Indy Toronto, where he led all 112 laps. Tracy also won

Mid-Ohio Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regi ...

, and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, and led 658 laps, earned six poles, and ten podiums on the way to his first-ever championship. Due to revised Canadian Tobacco laws,

Player's John Player & Sons, most often known simply as Player's, was a tobacco and cigarette manufacturer based in Nottingham, England. In 1901, the company merged with other companies to form The Imperial Tobacco Company to face competition from US ma ...

could not return as a sponsor for the following season. At the same time, CART went bankrupt and its assets were auctioned off in an

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

court by Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Gentilozzi, and Tracy's team owner Gerald Forsythe. The lack of sponsor money certainly did not help the team and Tracy was unable to defend his championship in 2004. He finished fourth in the series, with wins at

and

. The 2005 season started strong for Tracy. He led the points standings after five races, winning at

and

. Bad luck and mistakes characterized the rest of his season, however. He was leading at

when he ran out of fuel and crashed on his own while leading at

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. A hard crash with

Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais (born 28 February 1979) is a French professional racing driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, having won 37 races. He won four successive championships u ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

ended his championship hopes. Tracy finished fourth in the standings for the second year in a row. In May 2006, it was announced that Tracy had re-signed with Forsythe Racing for an additional five seasons. During the San Jose Grand Prix, Tracy made a mistake entering a turn and went off the track into a run-off area. As he rejoined the track, he pulled into the path of

Alex Tagliani Alexandre Tagliani (; born October 18, 1973), nicknamed "Tag", is a Canadian professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series, driving the No. 18 Chevrolet Camaro for 22 Racing. Tagliani has competed in a variety ...

's unsighted

Team Australia Team Australia was an auto racing team competing in the V8 Supercars and Champ Car World Series. It was created in early 2005 when two Australian businessmen Craig Gore and John Fish bought into Derrick Walker's Walker Racing operation. After ...

car as it rounded the blind corner, causing a collision that destroyed the front end of Tagliani's car and took both drivers out of the race. After the crash, Tagliani angrily confronted Tracy in the pits and demanded that he pay for the damage. Tracy then warned Tagliani not to touch him, but the latter persisted and eventually, the two men came to blows before being separated by Champ Car officials. Tracy noted that Tagliani was still wearing his helmet during the scuffle. Both men were fined, while Tracy was put on probation for three races and lost seven points. During the next race in

, Tracy and French

Newman-Haas Newman/Haas Racing was an auto racing team that competed in the CART and the IndyCar Series from 1983 to 2011. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed as a partnership between actor, automotive enth ...

driver

, while fighting for second on the last lap, collided in a turn after Tracy attempted to pass. Bourdais shoved Tracy, who then took off his helmet and threatened to fight, and Bourdais walked away. Tracy was docked three points in the championship and was fined US$25,000. Bourdais demanded that Tracy be suspended, since he felt that Tracy had cost him several points that he could have used to widen his lead in the points standings over Tracy's teammate, A. J. Allmendinger. Tracy criticized Bourdais for not confronting him after the incident: "Too bad he wouldn't take his helmet off, then we really would have settled things. But French guys always keep their helmets on". Tracy downplayed the remarks, claiming they were a joke.Bourdais suggests "welcome" for Tracy
Canadian Press/TSN.ca, August 24, 2006 Bourdais fired back at Tracy, saying: "I guess I'm not a

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

player and I didn't see him taking his helmet off either. I guess if he wants to fight someone, he is in the wrong sport." Tagliani added: "I said he (Tracy) should wear a straitjacket because that's the only thing that could keep him under control. And Sébastien said he can't drive with that on, so maybe it's the only thing that could keep him out of trouble". Bourdais, Tagliani, and Quebec driver

Andrew Ranger Andrew Ranger (born November 20, 1986) is a Canadian professional racing driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Pinty's Series, driving the No. 27 for Paillé Course//Racing. Ranger is a veteran of the Pinty's Series, having claimed 28 wins ...

asked for the crowd to boo Tracy at the next race in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, on the weekend of August 26. During the warm-ups and qualifying sessions in Montreal, the crowd at

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing circuit in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. It has previously hosted the FIA World Sportscar ...

booed Tracy loudly. However, during the traditional drivers' presentation before the race, Tracy wore a mask resembling that of

Blue Demon Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known by the ring name Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican film actor and ''luchador enmascarado'' (Spanish for masked professional wrestler). Blue Demo ...

and a Quebec flag as a cape while doing

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

gestures, and the fans began to warm up to him. Tracy finished the rain-delayed race in the second position behind Bourdais on the following Monday. Fans cheered for Tracy as he wore a Quebec flag on the podium. In November 2006, Tracy was injured while riding an ATV, but a rumor started that he had jumped a sand trap in a

golf cart A golf cart (alternatively known as a golf buggy or golf car) is a small motorized vehicle designed originally to carry two golfers and their golf clubs around a golf course with less effort than walking. Over time, variants were introduced ...

. Tracy denied the rumor and stated that he does not even own a golf cart. In January 2007, Tracy vowed to win the 2007 Champ Car title. However, on April 14 during a practice session at

, he crashed into a concrete barrier and suffered a fractured vertebra which forced him to miss the race and the next one in

. In late May, he was given the green light by doctors to return into action for the race in Portland on June 10.

IndyCar Series career

Following the unification of open-wheel racing in North America, Forsythe announced that he would not be moving on to race in the IRL-sanctioned

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, but initially refused to release Tracy from his contract, forcing the parties into litigation. The delay meant Tracy was unable to find a full-time ride for the season, only appearing for Forsythe in the Champ Car sanctioned 2008 race at Long Beach and for a Subway-sponsored

Vision Racing Vision Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League founded in 2005 when Tony George purchased the assets of the defunct Kelley Racing and hired his stepson Ed Carpenter to be the driver. The team has previously raced in the Izod IndyCa ...

Walker Racing Walker Racing was a racing team founded by Derrick Walker in 1991 racing originally in the CART Championship Car series. It last competed in the United SportsCar Championship under the name of Team Falken Tire until Falken Tire pulled out of no ...

joint effort in the

Rexall Edmonton Indy The Edmonton Indy was a round of the IndyCar Series held at a temporary circuit set up at the Edmonton City Centre Airport near the downtown area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was formerly called the ''Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton'' and was ...

, finishing 4th. Tracy drove a limited schedule for KV Racing Technology sponsored by Geico Insurance, finishing 9th in the

, and also ran races at Milwaukee (for

A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt Racing, officially and historically known as A. J. Foyt Enterprises, is an American racing team in the IndyCar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 1972 Daytona 500 winner, 1967 24 Hours of Le ...

), Edmonton, Toronto, Mid-Ohio, and Watkins Glen. In 2010, Tracy would attempt 6 races, three with KV Racing and three with

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is an automotive racing organization that competes in the IndyCar Series and Nitro Rallycross. The team is owned by Indianapolis BMW, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Mini, and Subaru dealer Dennis Reinbold. Off the track, Dreyer ...

. Tracy's best was a 6th at Edmonton with KV, he failed to qualify for the

. The following year, Tracy announced he would return to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the 23 WIX Filters car for the

2011 Indianapolis 500 The 95th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 29, 2011. The race was part of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The track opened for practice on May 14 and time trials were held from Ma ...

. Tracy would make six more starts with Jay Penske's

Dragon Racing Dragon Racing (formerly Luczo-Dragon Racing) is an American auto racing team that is involved in many areas of motorsport. Dragon Racing was founded in 2007 by Jay Penske and Stephen J. Luczo. The team competed in the IndyCar Series from 200 ...

in 2011, racing the number 8

Make A Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headquar ...

/ARMA Energy car at Long Beach, Texas, Toronto, and Edmonton. Tracy also raced for Dragon in the

2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship The 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship was the scheduled final race of the 2011 IZOD IndyCar series. It was to be run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada USA on October 16, 2011, and was scheduled for 200 laps around the facility ...

in Las Vegas, where he was involved in the 15 car pileup on Lap 11 that resulted in the death of

Dan Wheldon Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Green Racing (AGR). He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 and 2011, and was co-winner ...

. Tracy announced he would retire from open-wheel racing following the accident.

Other racing

Tracy dabbled in the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

, and attempted to gain a full-season contract in 2007. However, after poor results in the first three Busch races, Tracy reconsidered and stayed in Champ Car. Tracy also competed in one Camping World Truck Series race in 2008 at

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24 ...

, where he finished 20th for Germain Racing. In July 2013, Tracy ran in the

Stadium Super Trucks The Stadium Super Trucks (SST), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR driver Robby Gordon in 2013. Sanctioned by the United State ...

, making his debut at Toronto.

Personal

Tracy has been married three times and has two children. He resides in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. On July 16, 2015, Tracy announced via his Instagram that he had become a citizen of the United States while maintaining his citizenship of Canada. He is nicknamed "The Thrill from West Hill" for his connection to

West Hill, Toronto West Hill is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the eastern end of the city, in the suburb of Scarborough. It is roughly bounded by Scarborough Golf Club Road and a branch of Highland Creek on the west, the CNR railwa ...

. Tracy has also dabbled as a professional downhill mountain bike racer. He raced for Yeti Bicycles and made appearances in the pro class at famous bike races such as the legendary Kamikaze at Mammoth mountain. Penske developed a special upside-down suspension fork for

Yeti Cycles Yeti Cycles is an American bicycle manufacturer located in Golden, Colorado. Early history Yeti Cycles was founded in 1985 by John Parker in California, when mountain biking was gaining in popularity. Parker was a welder who built movie sets in ...

and Tracy. Kaiser Aerospace in partnership with Yeti Cycles built one of the first thermoplastic carbon fiber bicycles for Tracy at $500,000.

Trivia

Tracy appeared as an on-screen extra in an episode of ''

The Littlest Hobo ''The Littlest Hobo'' is a Canadian television series (French title: ''Le Vagabond'') based upon a 1958 well-known film of the same name directed by Charles R. Rondeau. The series first aired from 1963 to 1965 in syndication, and was revived fo ...

'' titled "Torque" (1985, Season 6).

Motorsports results

Career summary

American open–wheel racing results

( key)

American Racing Series

CART / Champ Car

IndyCar Series

: ''¹ Run on same day.'' : ''² Non-points-paying, exhibition race.'' : ''³ The Las Vegas Indy 300 was abandoned after

died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11.''

Indianapolis 500

Sports car racing

Can-Am

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)

24 Hours of Daytona

NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Busch Series

Craftsman Truck Series

Stadium Super Trucks

( key) (Bold – Pole position. ''Italics'' – Fastest qualifier. * – Most laps led.)

Superstar Racing Experience

( key) * – Most laps led. ¹ – Heat 1 winner. ² – Heat 2 winner. Season still in progress

References

External links

*
IndyCar Driver Page

Driver Database
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tracy, Paul 1968 births 24 Hours of Daytona drivers Champ Car champions Champ Car drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indy Lights champions Indy Lights drivers IndyCar Series drivers Living people Motorsport announcers NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from Ontario Rolex Sports Car Series drivers Sportspeople from Scarborough, Toronto Stadium Super Trucks drivers Dale Coyne Racing drivers Team Penske drivers Newman/Haas Racing drivers Andretti Autosport drivers Forsythe Racing drivers Dragon Racing drivers Meyer Shank Racing drivers Action Express Racing drivers Dreyer & Reinbold Racing drivers Vision Racing drivers Walker Racing drivers KV Racing Technology drivers A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers