By Erik Tomas // Raceline
Paul Tracy should get a performance bonus from ChampCar for almost single handedly making their races required watching.
PT’s crashing, bashing and fighting his way into more TV sports packages and water-cooler discussions than ever before. Up against NASCAR most weekends, ChampCar wouldn’t get a sniff if they crapped their pants!
Tracy’s fighting with fellow canuck Tagliani! He’s scrapping with old nemesis Bourdais, continuing a long bitter feud! Ring the bell for round 3! Helmets still on, pushing, shoving, swearing! Pay-back Paul declares!
“You wanna fight? Take the helmet off! The French guys like to scrap with their skid-lids still attached!”, Paul hisses. Cocky? Wreckless? Yes, and ChampCar has penalized Tracy for it.
I never advocate anarchy. Rules are rules. But entertaining? Absolutely! Make no mistake, after they toss the book at “The Thrill from West Hill”, ChampCar smiles!
As drag racing showman John Force often declares, “If you can’t win, be spectacular!” Tracy’s crashed in half of the first 10 races this season. He’s not going to stop Sebastein Bourdais from winning a 3rd-straight championship, so he’s being spectacular! NASCAR’s a snooze-fest unless Tony Stewart’s ticking people off.
Tracy’s doing the same thing for ChampCar. While Tracy’s driving skills are far superior to the hockey skills of another Toronto entertainer, PT reminds me of Eddie Shack.
For those too young to remember, Ed was the Leafs major “S”-disturber during their cup years in the 60’s. “Clear the Track! Here come’s Shack!” Eddie always started something to get the crowd into the game. Flying off the bench to attack Habs enforcer John Ferguson was his # 1 act.
The fans ate it up! Tracy has the same effect. If the Montreal Grand Prix promoters aren’t all over this to help sell tickets, they need lessons in promotion! Buy a ticket and see who Tracy can piss off this week! Listen for the boo’ing during the introductions. Or is that cheering? Something else I’m liking: A.J Allmendinger. 4th win in Denver and this feisty little American is waking up the key U.S fan base that not all race cars have fenders.
He’s winning, he’s tough, quick-witted and colourful. His fiancé Lynn is gorgeous, and she just happens to be Canadian. And don’t look now, but we’re about to get a “Rahal” back in the series. Graham, Bobby’s kid, is only 17, talks like he’s 37, is deadly fast and smart, and yes, he’s another budding American star! He’ll test soon with Newman-Haas and get an offer to run their big cars next year. If they don’t, RuSport will. The new Panoz DP-01 car debuts next year, former F-1 Minardi owner Paul Stoddart is in for 2 more cars, with some Atlantic teams and others outside the series looking to sign up for the less expensive machinery and racing.
Something else I like: optimism. There’s a lot of it around the ChampCar World Series these days, and it’s infectious! For those who think the Toronto event is old and tired and needs to die,and I heard that after July’s Grand Prix, wake up and smell the new cup of coffee brewing! It might just be spectacular!Keep your electronic notes, questions and comments coming for The NEW Griddly Headz E-Mail Bag! Same address:erik@raceline.ca
If your note is chosen E-Mail-of-the-Week, you win a NASCAR BOARD GAME , the hot, new dice-tossing challenge!
Until next week, talk to ya’ll on Raceline Radio! ET.
Sunday August 20th, 2006
ChampCar Montreal preview with last year’s winner Oriol Servia. Ron Fellows returns to preview his American LeMans Series Labour Day Weekend run at Mosport Toronto.
Plus more listener notes, comments and questions from the Griddly-Headz E-Mail Bag with a chance to win a Griddly-Headz NASCAR board game!
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