This series will highlight the Indianapolis 500 chances of some of the one-race "specials" in the field. These teams are defined as limited-race enterprises with Indianapolis as their focus and any other races as a bonus. Indianapolis has always brought together interesting pairings of drivers and teams, and this year's event will be no different. First in the series is Paul Tracy.
Paul Tracy competed in his first Indianapolis 500 since 2002 last year, his first of six starts for KV Racing Technology and A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Unlike the 2002 event, where Tracy contended for a victory, he was never a huge factor in 2009, but did manage to salvage a ninth place finish.
Tracy was actually KV's second best driver in the event, as Townsend Bell, another driver with a one-race deal, pulled off a very impressive fourth place finish. As far as Indy 500 specials went, however, KV had the two best, and even put both in the top 10. Only a first-turn incident on the first lap that took out Mario Moraes put a damper on KV's day.
Tracy will have his former team owner, Barry Green, on board as race strategist this year. Keep in mind that the pairing nearly won the 2002 event, only to have the victory kept away from them after an unsuccessful appeal regarding the timing of Tracy's pass of Helio Castroneves in relation to the caution lights.
Tracy is still a monumental talent, who posted some decent finishes last year for KV - three top 10 finishes, including a sixth at Edmonton. Though Tracy hasn't won a race in nearly three years, dating back to the 2007 Champ Car event at Cleveland, he still believes he can win the 500. "I'm going to Sport Clips to get a hair cut," Tracy wrote on Twitter. "Need to look my best to put my face on the Borg Warner." He also told the press that he has lost a substantial amount of weight, an important factor that can give the car an extra tenth of a second around the track, according to team owner Jimmy Vasser.
As for KV, it is widely recognized as having some of the better cars in the sport, although some of the other drivers on the team are not yet up to par with Tracy's skill. Moraes' two top-10s are the best results for the team thus far in 2010, though new driver Takuma Sato has had some strong runs before bad luck ended his days. If anybody can put a KV car in victory lane at Indy, though, it should be Tracy - he has the discipline to win races, something no other KV driver has done yet.
Chances of winning the Indianapolis 500: B
Chances of leading the Indianapolis 500 specials: A-
Showing posts with label Barry Green. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barry Green. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tracy, KVRT Go Green At Indy
Driver Paul Tracy and the No. 15 KV Racing Technology team will have a decidedly Green flair at this year's Indianapolis 500 - Barry Green, that is.
Tracy's former CART team owner will assume the role of race strategist on the No. 15 Geico Dallara-Honda at this year's 500, reuniting a pairing that won six CART races between 1998 and 2002, as well as claiming an unofficial 500 victory in 2002.
When team owner Jimmy Vasser could not promise Tracy the same level of individual commitment to his car as he gave last year, Vasser asked the Canadian to explore new possibilities for a strategist. The choice was clear and immediate, and Green was announced in his new role today.
This will be the first that open-wheel racing has seen of Green since the end of the 2002 season, after which he sold his operation to Michael Andretti and Kim Green. The former Team Green now operates four full-time cars as Andretti Autosport.
It was actually the "unofficial" 500 victory with Tracy in 2002 that forced Green to sell his team and abandon the sport. On lap 198, Tracy passed Helio Castroneves as Buddy Lazier and Laurent Redon crashed. Because of a dispute over when the caution lights went on, Castroneves was reawarded the lead and the victory. An expensive protest followed. Some replays showed Tracy clearly ahead of Castroneves as the lights went on; the committee in charge disagreed, perhaps (as some claim) because the IRL did not want a CART team to win its biggest race once again. It was the cost of this protest that helped drive Green out of the sport.
Meanwhile, Tracy stuck by his guns in CART, selling "REAL Indy 500 Winner" shirts for the remainder of the year and winning the final series title under the CART name in 2003.
Tracy will be making his seventh 500 start if he qualifies. His teammates at Indianapolis will be Takuma Sato, E.J. Viso, and Mario Moraes. Viso and Moraes will be making their third 500 starts, and Sato will be making his 500 debut. Sato has raced at Indy before, in Formula 1, where he finished third in 2004. It was Sato's only F1 podium finish.
Tracy's former CART team owner will assume the role of race strategist on the No. 15 Geico Dallara-Honda at this year's 500, reuniting a pairing that won six CART races between 1998 and 2002, as well as claiming an unofficial 500 victory in 2002.
When team owner Jimmy Vasser could not promise Tracy the same level of individual commitment to his car as he gave last year, Vasser asked the Canadian to explore new possibilities for a strategist. The choice was clear and immediate, and Green was announced in his new role today.
This will be the first that open-wheel racing has seen of Green since the end of the 2002 season, after which he sold his operation to Michael Andretti and Kim Green. The former Team Green now operates four full-time cars as Andretti Autosport.
It was actually the "unofficial" 500 victory with Tracy in 2002 that forced Green to sell his team and abandon the sport. On lap 198, Tracy passed Helio Castroneves as Buddy Lazier and Laurent Redon crashed. Because of a dispute over when the caution lights went on, Castroneves was reawarded the lead and the victory. An expensive protest followed. Some replays showed Tracy clearly ahead of Castroneves as the lights went on; the committee in charge disagreed, perhaps (as some claim) because the IRL did not want a CART team to win its biggest race once again. It was the cost of this protest that helped drive Green out of the sport.
Meanwhile, Tracy stuck by his guns in CART, selling "REAL Indy 500 Winner" shirts for the remainder of the year and winning the final series title under the CART name in 2003.
Tracy will be making his seventh 500 start if he qualifies. His teammates at Indianapolis will be Takuma Sato, E.J. Viso, and Mario Moraes. Viso and Moraes will be making their third 500 starts, and Sato will be making his 500 debut. Sato has raced at Indy before, in Formula 1, where he finished third in 2004. It was Sato's only F1 podium finish.
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