Paul Tracy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Tracy |
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Tracy at the 2018 ABC Supply 500
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| Nationality |  Canadian |
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| Born | Paul Anthony Tracy December 17, 1968 Scarborough, Ontario, Canada |
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| IndyCar Series | |||||||
| Years active | 2002, 2008–2011 | ||||||
| Teams | Team Green Vision Racing A. J. Foyt Enterprises KV Racing Technology Dragon Racing Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
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| Starts | 20 | ||||||
| Best finish | 22nd in 2009 | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 1986 1988–90 1991–2003 2004–07 2006–07, 12 2013–14, 16 |
Can-Am Series American Racing Series CART Champ Car World Series Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Stadium Super Trucks |
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| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1990 2003 |
American Racing Series CART/Champ Car World Series |
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| Awards | |||||||
| 1990 1993 1999 2000 |
Bruce McLaren Trophy Most Improved Driver All-Star Team All-Star Team |
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 6 races run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 76th (2006) | ||||||
| First race | 2006 Hershey's Kissables 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2006 Ameriquest 300 (Fontana) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 84th (2008) | ||||||
| First race | 2008 Chevy Silverado 350K (Texas) | ||||||
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Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian professional auto racing driver. He competed in major open-wheel racing series like the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series.
Paul started kart racing at age five and quickly became very good. By sixteen, he was racing cars. He finished third in the 1985 Formula Ford 1600 championship and was named Rookie of the Year. He became the youngest Canadian Formula Ford champion that year. The next year, he was the youngest winner in the Can-Am racing series. From 1988 to 1990, he raced in the American Racing Series, winning the championship in 1990 with nine victories.
Tracy's career in CART began in 1991. He drove for Penske Racing and later Newman/Haas Racing. He won many races, including five in 1993 and three in 1994. In 2003, he won his first and only CART series title with seven wins.
After CART became the Champ Car World Series (CCWS), Paul continued to win races in 2004 and 2005. His final Champ Car win was in 2007. After the CCWS and IndyCar Series joined together, he raced part-time for several teams. Paul also competed in NASCAR stock car races, sports car racing, and other series like Stadium Super Trucks.
He was known as "The Thrill from West Hill" because of his exciting driving style. He also worked as a race analyst for TV channels like Sportsnet and NBCSN. Paul Tracy is a member of the Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame and the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Start in Racing
Paul Tracy was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, on December 17, 1968. He grew up in a working-class area near Toronto. His father, Tony Tracy, was a house painter from Northern Ireland. Paul's mother, Vivienne, was from England.
Paul got his first mini-bike at age four and a small go-kart at five. His father's painting business helped fund his racing. Paul drove karts every weekend in Canada and the United States. He learned a lot about go-karting from driver Scott Goodyear. When he was 12, he moved from junior to senior karting. Paul won the Canadian Senior Karting Championship twice.
At 15, Paul stopped karting. His father had Scott Goodyear teach him how to drive and set up race cars. At 16, he started car racing. He finished third in the Formula Ford 1600 Championship in 1985, winning one race. He became the youngest Canadian Formula Ford champion that year.
In 1986, he moved to Formula 2000. He finished fourth overall with one win. Paul also raced in the Porsche Challenge Series. He impressed Canadian driver Horst Kroll, who offered him a spot in the 1986 Can-Am Series final race. Paul won that race from the pole position, becoming the youngest Can-Am winner ever at 17.
American Open-Wheel Racing Career
Early CART Years (1991–1997)
Paul Tracy got a test with Truesports in 1990, but they didn't sign him because he was too young for their sponsor. His father rented a car from Dale Coyne Racing for Paul's first CART race in Long Beach.
Penske Racing owner Roger Penske was impressed by Paul. He offered Paul a five-year testing contract. Paul moved to Pennsylvania and started a fitness program. He tested cars for champions Emerson Fittipaldi and Rick Mears. In August 1991, Paul raced for Penske in the Michigan 500. He crashed and broke his lower left leg. After therapy, he raced in the last two events of the season.
In 1992, Paul raced eleven times for Penske. He finished fourth in Phoenix and second in Detroit and Mid-Ohio. He also got his first CART pole position at Road America. He finished 12th in the championship.
For the 1993 season, Paul raced full-time for Penske. He won his first CART race at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. He then won two more races in a row in Cleveland and Toronto. He won two more races later that season, finishing third in the drivers' standings.
In 1994, Paul continued with Penske. He won the Detroit Grand Prix and two more races later in the season. He finished third overall again.
In 1995, Paul moved to Newman/Haas Racing. He won two races, including the Australian Indy Car Grand Prix. He finished sixth in the standings. He then returned to Penske for the 1996 championship. During practice for a race in Michigan, he had a big accident and broke a vertebra. He finished 13th in the championship.
Paul stayed with Penske for the 1997 season. He won three races in a row: Nazareth, Rio, and Gateway. He was fifth in the final standings. However, he criticized the car's performance, which led Penske to release him from his contract.
CART/Champ Car Success (1998–2007)
In 1998, Paul joined Team Green. He had several accidents but finished in the top ten seven times. He was suspended from the first race of the next season due to multiple incidents.
He continued with Team Green in 1999. He won two races, including the Miller Lite 225 in Milwaukee. He finished third in the championship. In 2000, he won three more races and led the championship for a while. He finished fifth overall.
Paul's performance dropped in 2001 and 2002. He went on a fitness program and lost weight. In 2002, he won one race in Milwaukee. He also made his Indy Racing League (IRL) debut at the 2002 Indianapolis 500. He finished second, but he believes he won the race.
In 2003, Paul joined Forsythe Racing. He won the first three races of the season, becoming the first Champ Car driver since 1971 to do so. He won his first CART championship with seven victories. He also became the first Canadian driver to win two Canadian races in the same year.
When CART became the Champ Car World Series (CCWS) in 2004, Paul continued with Forsythe. He won two races and finished fourth overall. In 2005, he won two more races and finished fourth again.
In 2006, Paul had three second-place finishes. He was involved in some physical arguments with other drivers, including Alex Tagliani and Sébastien Bourdais. He broke his right shoulder blade in an ATV accident before the final race. In 2007, he won one more race in Cleveland.
IndyCar Series (2008–2011)
After the CCWS and IRL merged in 2008, Paul raced part-time in the IndyCar Series. He competed in the final Champ Car race in Long Beach, finishing 11th. He also raced in Edmonton, finishing fourth.
In 2009, he entered six races, mostly with KV Racing Technology. He finished ninth in the Indianapolis 500 and sixth in Edmonton. He continued part-time in 2010, racing in six events. He did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500 that year.
In 2011, Paul was supposed to race full-time, but sponsorship issues prevented it. He raced in six events with Dragon Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. He was involved in a big accident at the final race in Las Vegas, where driver Dan Wheldon sadly passed away. Paul decided to stop racing after this event.
Other Racing Adventures
Paul Tracy also explored other types of racing. In 1994, he tested a Benetton Formula F1 car but declined a contract because it didn't guarantee racing or good pay.
He competed in the Rolex Sports Car Series from 2005 to 2013, including the 24 Hours of Daytona several times. He achieved a third-place finish in Mexico City in 2006 and Montreal in 2012.
Paul also raced in NASCAR's Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) in 2006 and the Craftsman Truck Series in 2008. He had a best finish of 24th in the Busch Series.
From 2013 to 2016, he raced in the Stadium Super Trucks series, finishing as high as fourth. In 2019, he competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race in Australia. In 2023, he won a NASCAR Brasil Series race, his first auto racing victory since 2007. He also raced in the 2024 Bathurst 12 Hour, finishing second in his class.
Driving Style
Paul Tracy was known for his aggressive driving style. He was nicknamed "The Thrill" because of it. He was very good at controlling his car, even sliding it into turns. Fans knew he would try daring moves on the track. Over time, he learned to control his aggressiveness better, leading to fewer accidents.
Personal Life
Paul Tracy has been married three times and has two children from his first marriage. He is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. He enjoys collecting power boats, classic cars, and motorcycles.
Images for kids
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Tracy at the 2018 ABC Supply 500
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Tracy driving for Penske at the 1991 Monterey Grand Prix
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Tracy competing in the 2002 Sure for Men Rockingham 500
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Tracy finished second in the 2002 Indianapolis 500, a result he disputes.
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Tracy driving in the 2005 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
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Sébastien Bourdais and Tracy were involved in a physical alteration after colliding on the final lap of the 2006 Grand Prix of Denver.
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Tracy during pre-season testing for the 2007 Champ Car season
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Tracy competed in the final Champ Car race, the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
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Tracy driving for KV Racing Technology at the 2009 Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
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See also
In Spanish: Paul Tracy para niños
