By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News
August 3, 2006
Champ Car driver Paul Tracy respects what PGA professional David Duval does for a living. Duval feels the same about Tracy.
Next week, Tracy and Duval will be competing against each other for the attention of area sports fans.
The International at Castle Pines Golf Club is scheduled Aug. 10-13, and the Grand Prix of Denver will be Aug. 11-13.
On Wednesday, Tracy and Duval got together to share "driving tips."
In the morning, Tracy and Duval drove a Shelby Cobra 500 around the Pepsi Center parking lot, which is part of the 1.65-mile Grand Prix course. In the afternoon, Tracy and Duval played the 10th and 18th holes at Castle Pines.
"I think, for sure, there are fans that enjoy both sports," Tracy said. "There are a lot of drivers who play golf. I'm not a golfer. It's sort of sad the events are on the same weekend. We'll probably detract a little from each one. A lot of race drivers play golf for relaxation."
Whether the fans cross over between sports is debatable, but the racers and golfers pay attention to one another's sports.
"Golfers probably pay attention to racing more than any other sport," Duval said. "At least the guys I'm playing with always have the races on in their trailers."
Tracy and Duval took turns driving each other around the Pepsi Center parking lot, and Tracy said he reached close to 100 mph. He also did a few "doughnuts" - which Duval enjoyed.
"I could run a little faster than I might if I was driving around the neighborhood, but I could never do what he does," Duval said.
"I don't know how to explain what it was like riding with Paul. To ride along in a car with somebody that knows what he's doing, and entering some of these turns at speeds that you think you are going to go right into the wall, is really cool."
The afternoon visit to Castle Pines could only be described as "cart golf" for Tracy, who hit the ball well but sometimes not too straight.
He had an opportunity to par the 480-yard, par-4 18th hole, but he four-putted from 15 feet.
"I was a little nervous," Tracy said. "I'm glad I hit the ball decently. It mostly was all beginner's luck. I think last time I went and played a couple holes was 2001. I had a chance for par, but the soft game isn't my game, like the week when I punched the guy (Alex Tagliani at the San Jose Grand Prix). I'm not known for being good with the soft touch."
Tracy, though, said he sees similarities between golf and racing.
"What we do takes a high level of concentration for two to four hours," he said. "It's the same in golf. For us, there's not timeouts or breaks, but to compete in any sport, you have to concentrate. The top golfers in the world, David or anybody else, have to concentrate throughout the whole day and calculate what they want to do."
For fans interested in attending the Grand Prix of Denver and the International, an Ultimate Sports Weekend ticket is available that allows access to the second round of the golf tournament, Aug. 11, and action at the Grand Prix on Aug. 12 for $59.
Copyright 2006, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.