Bumping incident lands Paul Tracy on probation

The protocol for appealing his case isn't firm, but that didn't preclude Paul Tracy from doing it by the letter.

Literally by the letter.

The Las Vegas resident, upset with being placed on indefinite probation by Championship Auto Racing Teams for bumping Christian Fittipaldi into a spinout during the recent ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix, has rattled off a fax to the CART community to voice his concerns.

Initially, Tracy's tone was conciliatory.

"Although in my mind the contact with Christian comes under the heading 'racing incident', as the driver who was attempting to make a pass, I accept responsibility and offer my apologies to Christian, Newman/Haas Racing (Fittipaldi's team) and their sponsors.

"I also respect CART chief steward Wally Dallenbach's decision and support CART's ongoing efforts to insure competition in the FedEx Championship is disciplined, fair, safe and even."

But with that bit of political correctness out of the way, Tracy grabbed a higher gear. His letter started to resemble his driving style -- a little on the agitated side.

"I do take issue with what seems to me to be CART's arbitrary and inconsistent application of sanctions and penalties," continued the driver of the Team KOOL Green Reynard/Honda.

"If I am to be placed on probation for attempting to pass a car at 35 mph in Detroit, why was no action taken when Christian more or less forced me into a wall while trying to overtake me at Long Beach?"

Tracy was referring to a spectacular incident at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in April, during which he and Fittipaldi clanged wheels, launching Tracy's car high into the air and into a tire barrier.

He went on to mention several cases of questionable driver judgment in recent races, causing crashes far more serious than the one that eliminated Fittipaldi on a tight Detroit street circuit where overtaking is difficult (if not impossible).

After the race, Fittipaldi and his father, Wilson, charged down to the Team KOOL Green compound to initiate a hostile confrontation with Tracy.

"I cite these incidents not because I believe that two, three or four wrongs make a right, but because I think CART should treat every wrong equally," Tracy said.

CART officials had little response to Tracy's missive. In a statement, chief steward Dallenbach deemed that Tracy's action represented "unjustifiable risk or reckless endangerment" and that he would determine the term of Tracy's probation based on his performance during the remainder of the season, starting with Sunday's FedEx Championship Series event at Portland, Ore.

* LVMS: Exotic nitrous oxide-burning machinery will invade the Las Vegas Motor Speedway drag strip this weekend for the Pro Mod Invitational. Qualifying is set for 8 p.m. Friday with eliminations slated Saturday evening at 8. Also scheduled is another round of the National Hot Rod Association/Craftsman ET Racing Series for Pro ET, Sportsman, Street and Motorcycle categories, along with the National Performance Eliminator bracket for cars running quicker than 9.99 seconds. Gates open at 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, military and kids 6-12. Kids 6-under are free. ... In other LVMS action, IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks and Dwarf Cars will be featured Friday at the 1/3-mile clay track. Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing set for 7.

* NASCAR: Winston Cup officials have taken the high road regarding a suspicious yellow flag that was thrown during the latter stages of last Sunday's Miller Lite 400 at Michigan when a piece of debris -- roll bar padding -- was spotted on the track. Jeff Gordon, who was dominating the race, said he saw several drivers throwing objects on the track from inside their cockpits. The late yellow enabled Mark Martin to erase Gordon's lead and win the race. "We have evaluated all of the videotapes and the evidence is inconclusive as far as how the debris got on the race track," Winston Cup director Gary Nelson said in a statement. "While we consider the situation suspicious, there is no conclusive evidence as to how it occurred." ... Busch Series contender Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fined $5,000 for a postrace fistfight with members of Tony Stewart's crew following last week's race at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado. Earnhardt's crew chief Tony Eury Jr. was fined $2,500 and Stewart's chief wrenchman Bryant Frazier $1,000 for their participation in the scrap. ... Former IRL driver Jimmy Kite will attempt to qualify a Jack Roush-prepared Ford Taurus in the Aug. 1 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kite's car owner Andy Evans has pulled the plug on his IRL team to go NASCAR racing. ... Tickets for October's Dura-Lube 500 Winston Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway go on sale Tuesday. Call (800) 638-4253 or (602) 252-2227 for PIR ticket information.

* CART: Las Vegas resident Jimmy Vasser was presented with a Detroit Red Wings home jersey following the Wings' 5-4 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Vasser hosted Detroit players Aaron Ward and Larry Murphy in the Target Ganassi pits at the recent ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix. The jersey bore No. 12, Vasser's car number, but a number the Red Wings have retired. It was worn by Ted Lindsey and hangs from the rafters at Joe Louis Arena. ... "Louie the Lizard" of the popular Budweiser advertising campaign will be featured on the Bud-sponsored champ car driven by Henderson's Richie Hearn at Sunday's Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 at Portland International Raceway. ... Hearn also is profiled on this week's "Inside CART" show on the Fox Television Network.

* IRL: Tony Stewart recorded a fast lap of 183.299 mph in testing at the one-mile, high-banked Dover Downs International Speedway this week, obliterating the prior track record of 155.898 mph set by Rusty Wallace in a Winston Cup stock car last month. Henderson's Sam Schmidt was the slowest of the seven drivers who tested, pushing the Best Western Gold Crown Dallara/Aurora to a top speed of 177.69 mph. ... The Radisson Hotel chain will sponsor the Aug. 14-16 Prep Boys IRL event at Colorado's Pikes Peak International Raceway. ... USAC short-track standout Jason Leffler passed his IRL driver's test at Texas Motor Speedway and will continue to pursue an IRL ride.

* BACKMARKERS: The Rogich Communications Group of Las Vegas is lobbying hard to bring a Formula One race to Las Vegas. The firm sent a letter to county commissioners, urging them to tune in to the June 7 telecast of the Grand Prix of Canada in Montreal. The Rogich Group is aligned with a group of investors bidding on a parcel of land on the south Las Vegas Strip to develop a public golf course and "compatible recreational component." ... If tobacco advertising is banned in the U.S. and Las Vegas were to hold a Formula One race at the south Strip location it could cause a dilemma for the race teams -- 10 of the 11 two-car F1 teams feature some sort of tobacco sponsorship. ... Indianapolis Motor Speedway chief Tony George met with F1 czar Bernie Ecclestone in Europe last week, to discuss the possibility of an F1 event at Indy. ... Veteran Las Vegas short track racer Dick Cobb, an instructor at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is featured in this month's NASCAR Magazine. Cobb's new project is overseeing the pavement racing career of Brendan Gaughan, son of Las Vegas hotel-casino magnate Michael Gaughan. ... Craig Breedlove will not be returning to the northern Nevada desert for an assault on the land speed record anytime in the near future as his sponsorship has dried up.

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