- Paul Tracy returns to IRL IndyCar Series action with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.
- Graham Rahal will also be in action, driving for Sarah Fisher.
- Tracy's deal is for two races; Rahal's, at this point, is for one race only.
INDIANAPOLIS — Veteran Paul Tracy and promising youngster Graham Rahal will be back in IRL IndyCar action this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
Tracy, 41, will also race in the next event on the calendar, at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, for Dreyer & Reinbold in place of Mike Conway, still sidelined with injuries he suffered in a crash during the Indianapolis 500 in May.
Saturday night's race will be the fourth this year with Sarah Fisher Racing for Rahal, 21, son of 1986 Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal.
Tracy, of Scarborough, Ontario, won 31 races and secured the championship in 2003 in the Champ Car World Series (formerly CART), rival to the Indy Racing League. He has not had a regular, full-time ride since the two leagues merged at the beginning of the 2008 season when team owner John Forsythe did not join the merged series.
His best showing in IRL competition was in the 2002 Indy 500, driving for Barry Green, when he finished a controversial 2nd. Tracy passed winner Helio Castroneves on the final lap, but the pass was disallowed because officials ruled the caution flag had waved, fixing the drivers' positions.
Tracy failed to qualify for this year's 500 in a KV Racing Technology entry. He finished 14th last month at Watkins Glen International driving for Dreyer & Reinbold.
Rahal, who moved up to the Champ Car series at 18 in 2007, drove for the highly regarded Newman-Haas Racing team for three years before and after the merger. Rahal won two IRL events in 2009.
His ride with the team ended when McDonald's ended its sponsorship at the end of 2009, and Rahal raced in the second, third and fourth races of the season with Fisher's team. He drove for the team his father co-owned with television celebrity David Letterman at Indy, qualifying 7th and finishing 12th.
Rahal returned to Newman-Haas for six of the season's final eight races, but did not have a ride for Saturday night's 300-miler at the 1.5-mile Kentucky track until he and Fisher put together a deal.
Inside Line says: Both are quality entries in terms of driver pedigree and fan interest. — David Green, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
jeremy_c says:
06:17 AM, 09/02/2010
Paul Tracy the most sorry excuse for a race car driver. He is grossly over-weight and has a bad attitude. Almost everyone in the industry hates him for his dangerous and reckless driving. He has caused many crashes and it is disappointing that CART/IRL does not kick him out. This guy is pathetic.