LAS VEGAS -- The Paul Tracy who will start today's Champ Car World Series Vegas Grand Prix on the front row is a far cry from the brash kid who came out of Scarborough 16 years ago.
He would dare anyone to either get in his way or try to block him as he flung his 800 horsepower car around race tracks across the globe.
While Tracy would still just as soon punt a competitor into a wall than shake hands after being beaten in a race, the 38-year-old 2003 series champion said yesterday that his focus in 2007 -- the first year of a new open ended contract with Forsythe Championship Racing -- is to keep an eye on the big prize.
"My whole off season has been geared to winning the championship back this season," he said.
NASCAR ON HOLD
That meant that Tracy had to put his fledgling NASCAR career on hold and cancel a bunch of Rolex Grand Am events he was scheduled to race this season.
"Last season I just spread myself too thin," he said.
"I did the NASCAR races and the sports car races and it hurt my Champ Car effort."
Part of the distraction was a decision he made early in 2006 to buy a home in Florida while keeping his place in Las Vegas, so he could be close to NASCAR teams that might come calling on Champ Car's most successful active driver.
"It sounded like a good idea at the time," Tracy said.
"But all the going back and forth was really wearing.
"Since we've moved back to Vegas full time I feel a lot better."
It also allowed him the time to get back to his rigid exercise regimen, which he admitted took a beating when he was on the road more than off last season.
Tracy is down several pounds -- he won't say how many -- from last year and said that he is at a time in his life where he can be more reflective than impetuous in the way he goes about doing his job.
"The contract with Jerry (Forsythe) pays me enough that I can do most anything I want and he told me that (the contract) will last as long as I want to keep racing Champ Car," he said.
"So I feel really good about where I am at this stage of my life."
Tracy admits, though, that it gets his Irish up when it is suggested his age is becoming a factor in the latter stages of his stellar career.
"Sure I hear those remarks that I'm too old," he said. "But then I go out and qualifying my car on the front row on a brand new race track in a brand new car.
"So, no, I think that shows I am a long way from finished."
Team Australia's Will Power will start beside Tracy today after a blistering lap of one minute, 17:629 seconds earned him the pole position in the inaugural event.
Tracy's Friday provisional pole time of 1:19:734 guaranteed him a front-row spot.
Dutch rookie Robert Doorbos will start third today for Minardi Team USA and Montreal native Alex Tagliani will start fourth after an impressive lap of 1:18:850.
Three-time defending series champion Sebastien Bourdais crashed during final qualifying and will start 16th today.