Paul Tracy suffered a compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebrae in his lower back while practicing Saturday for The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach that will keep him out of action for approximately three months. Tracy commented, “This is obviously a very unfortunate situation; it’s really a shame because it pretty much ruins the championship for us this year. I’m very disappointed for the whole team because we had gotten off to a great start in Vegas and we were pretty strong here, we were building momentum and just hoping to be fast and consistent the whole year."
"I was coming off Turn 1 and got back on the throttle pretty hard and the car just snapped around, I went head on into the wall and then the car jumped up in the air and then slammed back on the ground. I could tell something was wrong right away. Now I’m just going to go home and rest for a couple of days and then early next week we’ll start figuring out the best recovery options so I can get back in the car as soon as possible. I feel OK right now after all the medication that the doctors gave me, but I’m just sore and stiff and I just need some rest."
Have always liked Tracy. Reminds me a bit of Tony Stewart in terms of his driving style, temper, and body shape ...
Looking forward to IRL and Champ Car getting together in the next two or three years; with luck he'll still be racing then (figure his retirement isn't too far off) and we'll see him back in the true Indy racing fold (and the likes of Bourdais, Tagliani, Servia, etc.).
They keep talking but I am not seeing a move toward consolidation. I really like the fact that Indy is basically an oval series and I think alot of American fans just relate better to that than road courses. After all, it is the Indy 500 that is "The Grandaddy of Them All." So although Indy is adding road courses, I am not sure I am seeing consolidation in the next five years or that it would necessarily be good for the IRL. They pretty much have Champ Car quashed right now as it is.
It seemed at about this time last year that the deal was done; that Champ Car would be no more and that IRL would become the sanctioning body for all indy-type racing. I've heard 3 years as the earliest window for a merger, barring a total collapse of Champ Car. Your 5 year estimate is probable more practical, given the new formulas in place in each camp. Ah well ...
I do think it would be better overall, if they stick to mostly ovals. IRL could use more cars. There are at least two good teams in Champ that would make IRL stronger.
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