Tracy to NASCAR

full throttle · 9 Dec 2003, 17:52 (Ref:807646)

Just got word that Tracy is bailing to Rousch NASCAR. Might have to stick a fork in CART/OWRS if this is true. Apparently Rousch press conference set-up for tomorrow, which is coincidentally (??) the same day that CART board will decide on OWRS proposal.

This is a rumour, but comes from goods sources.

Fogelhund · 9 Dec 2003, 17:56 (Ref:807649)

While it would be very disappointing on a number of levels, it hardly would signal the end of CART/OWRS. CART has managed to continue after previous years champions have left for other pastures.

full throttle · 9 Dec 2003, 18:07 (Ref:807660)

I would suggest that in light of the current situation, past events are irrelevant. This series is on life-support currently. Tracy was the one 'name' remaining and a fierce stalwart of the series. If he thinks the situation is unworkable, then even diehard CART fans such as myself really have to take a hard look. I can't believe it's come to this point either. I thought for sure they would work something out.

Even if the asset sale takes place, can you honestly say that you believe there will be no legal entanglements over charges of asset dumping? Right or wrong, the delay will kill 2004.

Sad...

Jay · 9 Dec 2003, 18:19 (Ref:807671)

Yup, I heard those rumours a while ago...before the OWRS Plan A fell through... Paul really does seem to have an interest in Nascar, and it was looking pretty likely he'd be there next year... at the same time, he's become pretty good friends with one Nascar team owner (probably the one you mentioned - I don't remember names) and there's a lot of uncertainty around CART, so perhaps that has motivated him to make the jump earlier.

That said, it is a complete aside, and unrelated to what happens with CART's assets.

One thing has long been certain, and that is that CART is NOT on life support, but rather is completely dead. There's nothing left. All that can happen now is someone else coming along and picking up the pieces..and that's what will happen.

2004 will be a challenge for open-wheel road racing fans, but I am confident that the demand is there - especially among people with money to make big-time open-wheel racing in North America a success again.

full throttle · 9 Dec 2003, 18:27 (Ref:807677)

Agreed Jay. My point was not that the issues are related, but that the timing and number of body-blows are too much for OWRS or CART to bear at the moment. Open Wheel racing (the real stuff, not IRL..) will ultimately survive because people like me will pay to see it done correctly.

Cheers...

gttouring · 9 Dec 2003, 19:02 (Ref:807713)

Tracy is a hot head- and in nascar's bump and run world there will be one or two more pit scuffles, and Tracy will be part of them
this is gonna be good, or NASCAR Wrestling Federation

gaines · 9 Dec 2003, 19:24 (Ref:807732)

I don't know if Roush has any available rides in any series in NASCAR and is having problems getting sponsors for the Cup cars he has. The press conference is to announce that his number 16 NASCAR entry has National Guard and Subway as new sponsors for 2004. He doesn't have any room for another driver. He doesn't have an available Busch or Truck series ride. I'd say this is a false rumor. PT is friends with Richard Childress who just filled his last open Cup and Busch rides this past week. I don't see PT in NASCAR next year unless he pulls off a Busch deal with a lesser team. The rides just aren't there. If he does drive for Childress it would be in the IRL where Childress wants to start a team. We'll have to wait and see. I believe we'll see OWRS with poster boy Tracy if CART sells out soon, if it takes very long he won't have any choice but find a ride somewhere else.

GP Racer · 9 Dec 2003, 21:01 (Ref:807778)

I would hate to see him go, but he has to look after his own interests. Like gttouring said, he would probably do very well in the bump and run world of NASCAR. It suits his overly aggressive driving style to a tee. CART would be losing the only driver with real name recognition they have, and that would really hurt the series. The other driver's are not exactly household names.

sgjb · 9 Dec 2003, 21:13 (Ref:807786)

Paul is contracted to Forsythe for next year. If this rumor is true it would surely mean the owrs people do not believe they will be pulling off their purchase. Gerry Forsythe, if he believes they will be around for 2004 would clearly not allow the star of the series to leave. He knows the value of Paul racing in Cart. I hope this rumor is false as it will send the clearest message yet as to what is happening.

Liz · 9 Dec 2003, 21:40 (Ref:807812)

The last I heard, which was Friday, PT was doing PR in Las Vegas for Champ Cars.

That would seem to be an odd thing for a person who was committed to NA$CAR to be doing.

I think this is wishful thinking on the part of the "CART [or whatever we're going to call it next week] is Dead" crowd and I do not believe it.

fordtc87 · 10 Dec 2003, 02:24 (Ref:807965)

I guess I would love to know what the "Good Sources" are. Why don't we just kill CART ourselves. Give us a link or at least some proof. Hey if Tracy ends up in NASCAR it beats IRL and he is too old for F1. Plus he can handle his own against Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch.

suzmac · 10 Dec 2003, 04:21 (Ref:808013)

I say see ya later!!! There is more to CART than Paul Tracy that's for sure!! Just because he won the championship doesn't mean that CART won't survive without him. Personally I am tired of hearing his name already!! That's just my opinion!

Dov · 10 Dec 2003, 04:30 (Ref:808019)

Hearing PT's name is not as bad as hearing Michael Shumacher's!

GP Racer · 10 Dec 2003, 15:27 (Ref:808389)

Let's leave TGF out of it now!

I don't think CART can afford to lose there "star" at a time like this suzmac, especially to NASCAR, uuugh!. All hands are needed to save this thing, and PT has that thing called name recognition that the other drivers in the series can't match.

climb · 10 Dec 2003, 15:56 (Ref:808421)

From another slant, Having drivers captured by Nascar should make a series more attractive to north-american drivers.
In different conditions for CART, thsi would be positive, now, well...

GP Racer · 10 Dec 2003, 17:11 (Ref:808501)

Maybe climb, but NASCAR is taking to many of North America's best drivers, open wheel guys included.

Personally I think it makes the series look weak if its #1 driver leaves at a time like this.

BootsOntheSide · 10 Dec 2003, 18:48 (Ref:808567)

Everyone, including the most die-hard CART-ophiles, will have long accepted that F1 is a much bigegr series, in terms of its allrue to drivers. But being reminded of the NASCAR juggernaut is something of a shame.

As an aside, isn't it amazing how many non-Americans are involved in NASCAR now? Christian Fitiapldi, Hideo Fukuyama (sp?), Ron Fellows on the roads, and now Paul. Wouldn't surprise me if oval veterans like Brack, Papis and Kanaan consider it in the near future.

BootsOntheSide · 10 Dec 2003, 18:49 (Ref:808569)

Everyone, including the most die-hard CART-ophiles, will have long accepted that F1 is a much bigegr series, in terms of its allure to drivers - indeed, it's usually seen as a positive when F1 plucks a CART star. But being reminded of the NASCAR juggernaut and its dominance in the US is something of a shame.

As an aside, isn't it amazing how many non-Americans are involved in NASCAR now? Christian Fitiapldi, Hideo Fukuyama (sp?), Ron Fellows on the roads, and now Paul. Wouldn't surprise me if oval veterans like Brack, Papis and Kanaan consider it in the near future.

sgw2 · 10 Dec 2003, 19:00 (Ref:808578)

climb,

NASCAR has nabbed many tob drivers who in Europe would no doubt have been on the F1 ladder:

Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Kurt Bush, and now JJ Yehley.

Several others have been nabbed from CART/IRL OW on their down side of careers with Roby Gordon and John Andretti leading the list. Paul Tracy would join this list.

Think of it at DTM, but now Europe wide, more popular than F1, and not only grabbing drivers past their prime after F1, but guys just breaking in and moving up like Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkinen (sp.). That is what NASCAR is like.

To drivers in North America NASCAR is the big time, the guys who get on TV 40 weeks a year, who are house hold names to casual fans, and who are even courted by politicians, every bit as much as Football (Soccer in Europe) players.

NASCAR now is so big that it even tops F1 in sponsorship. Think about that for a moment. There are two dozen drivers making salaries in the $5M range. And a top NASCAR team now spends more money for a single car entry than a two car team in IRL or three car team in CART, before you even add in the driver salary.

It is a wonder that as many teams and drivers have stayed in OW as it is. To a guy like Paul Tracy NASCAR is potential $5M salary for the next ten years or so, combined with as much in your face TV time as an ego his size could ever ask for. Not only that, the rough driving he gets criticized for in OW is at times AOK in NASCAR.

The biggest horror seeing PT going to NASCAR would be for Canadian fans of OW, as his move could infect the so far resistant Canadian racing fan base with NASCAR fever, marginalizing OW and road racing as much as has happened in the US.

full throttle · 10 Dec 2003, 19:05 (Ref:808582)

sgw:

Much of what you say is true, however I think your a bit optimistic to say that NASCAR sponsorship/budgets exceed F1. Didn't Ferrari, Willams, McLaren spend in excess of 150-200 mil each a couple years ago?

Liz · 10 Dec 2003, 19:36 (Ref:808601)

My signature says it all ...

Tim Northcutt · 10 Dec 2003, 19:47 (Ref:808609)

In the Indy Star, I read this past summer that the actual racing budgets for F-1 teams are in some cases hundreds of times larger than anything else that races on the planet...

Williams and McLaren have racing budgets in the range of $250-300 million, and Ferrari is somewhere between $300 mil. and $400 mil.

I also know from an article last Sept. around the USGP that the lowest F-1 budget is Minardi -- at $55 million...

Roush Racing's total budget to operate is probably close to Minardi's...but only because they run 5 NASCAR competitors, a few BGN cars at select venues, and two Craftsman Truck teams out of that stable....

Guys are jumping to NASCAR because the paychecks are seriously big...period....plus the endorsement elements that go along with that contract....

I'll bet Robby Gordon is making twice the cash he made in CART....

Let's face it...there are 20 seats in F-1....there are 43 per race in NASCAR....plus that many in BGN...plus that many in the Trucks...

One of the big criticisms that has come up in that sport is that the Trucks and the BGN cars are costing almost as much as a NASCAR team to run, when both were supposed to be less expensive opportuntities for up-and-comers to develop their skills before joining the big boys...

ONE NOTE:

A brash guy like Paul Tracy will never make it in NASCAR...you need drafting partners to succeed there, and until the others "accept" you, they won't hook up with you at all....every time he tries to make a pass or a move, he'll be hung out to dry and the rest of the conga line drafting the leaders will shuffle him to the back...

He has the talent to race there...no doubt about it...as does Fittipaldi, Robby Gordon, John Andretti, Casey Mears and others...but they seldom get help when they need it to make the final passes at the front of the pack....

full throttle · 10 Dec 2003, 20:03 (Ref:808622)

All true Tim, however from Tracy's point of view, he's now got his CART championship and even in the best case scenario the next year or two in open wheel will be a struggle. So why not take the bucks and take a shot at something new? For a guy in on the downside of his career (no... i'm not slamming him, just a reality of the business) why not take a shot at trying to make it where others have failed?
And the previous post about the Canadian factor makes alot of sense from the NASCAR marketing side. NASCAR doesn't have many new markets readily available, but Canada would be a huge one. I may not like the France's business style, but they are smart and one phone call to any NASCAR owner from the 'big man' would open the door and wallet for Tracy....

macdaddy · 10 Dec 2003, 20:10 (Ref:808627)

I remember reading an article, sometime within the last year or so, which stated that France had absolutely no intention of venturing into Canada.

That, and the fact that we have no big ovals!

Tim Northcutt · 10 Dec 2003, 20:18 (Ref:808633)

I agree with you, full throttle.....

and I don't blame two guys who I watch grow up on race tracks...Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart...for going there early in their careers...

Why not make the big $$$ if someone will pay it????

One Other Note:

Boris Said, on "WindTunnel" last summer right around Watkins Glen or Sears Point on the NASCAR schedule, said flat-out up front that he would jump to NASCAR in a milli-second full time if he got an offer to do so....

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