CHAMP CAR: Injury Sidelines Tracy from Season Finale

Written by: Robin Miller Indianapolis, Ind. – 11/6/2006

Paul Tracy has ruled himself out of the Champ Car finale this weekend at Mexico City.

"I'm not going to be able to make it," said the 37-year-old veteran who fractured his right scapula on October 28 after falling off his ATV. "I got an MRI over the weekend and there's some bleeding around the fracture and it's also real swollen.

"So I'm back to where I was 10 days ago. I was dying over the weekend before I got a shot to relief the pain and I might be able to start the race but Dr. (Terry) Trammell said as bumpy as that track is it wouldn't be pleasant.

"I was riding my bike 30 miles a day last week before I started lifting too much weight in therapy last Thursday and that really set me back. I feel bad for my guys but I think we'll all be better off if I just let this thing heal."

It's the second non-racing related injury in the 15-year career of the 2003 CART champion and this will only be the third time he's failed to start a race. He broke his foot in a go-kart back in 1995 but never missed a race.

In 1996, he missed the Michigan 500 after breaking his neck in practice and, in 1999, he had to sit out the season opener at Homestead, Fla. after being suspended for rough driving. From then on, PT made 136 consecutive starts, the seventh-longest streak in Champ Car history

"Like I said, I'm disappointed the season had to end like this but I'm not sorry to see this season end because it's been pretty shitty," said Tracy, winless in 2006 and currently fifth in the point standings.

"I'm just going to rest up and wait for our new car. I'll come to Indianapolis, take my crew out to dinner, make a seat and get ready for 2007."

Forsythe Racing will field Buddy Rice and David Martinez and not run a third car like it had planned.