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.