In the era of the open-wheel racing split in the U.S., Paul Tracy filled the "bad boy" role very well. Don't get me wrong, Tracy could drive and he could win. He did it in an aggressive style that was easily dismissed when he was taking podiums race after race. As the wins were fewer and farther between, his aggressive style became obnoxious. The tipping point was his fisticuffs with Bruno Junqueira in San Jose in 2007.
The decision by Tracy's Forsythe Racing not to join the unified Indy Car Series left him without a ride. There's been talk of finding Tracy a home, but he's been holding out for a top tier team. Maybe Paul should sit this one out. Call me weird, but I'm not wild about the "bad boy" image. In my youth, I loved following tennis. My interest waned when the Bad Boys of Tennis started taking over the gone. A gentleman's game turned nasty.
Don't get me wrong, I like competitive drivers who seek to win. I just don't like guys who will do it regardless of the cost. Plenty of drivers are race to win, but don't hunt down other drivers for physical altercations when things don't go their way. (click here for my article about being a race fan, and see the section called "Drivers").
Danica Patrick started out a novelty. A true driver and fiery woman with the ability to consistently compete and win. It didn't take long for her true colors to come through, especially after a dry streak and some tough incidents. She went for "role model for girl" and "IndyCar poster girl" to "whining also-ran" without an ounce of grace.
The 2008 Indy 500 was her zenith. Danica came to the race with her first win, pegged just the month before in Japan. The win seemed to validate her tenacity, even placing her in the top running for the Indy 500. She spent most of Indy in the top 10. It all fell apart during a pit stop when she got caught up by Ryan Briscoe as they made their way back to the course. Briscoe was likely to blame for the incident, though that wasn't clear at the time.
Patrick was understandably insistent that her team try to get her back out on the track, but a broken rear suspension prevented that. That's when all the years of Bad Girlin' caught up. After exiting the car, she began storming up pit lane with Briscoe clearly in her sights. A "handler" was close in tow until she realized she was not in gear for a walk up pit lane, but Danica kept storming. A tall black man in a grey sport coat sidled up beside her (I later learned it was the head of security), and ushered her over the pit wall, just before reaching Briscoe's car. And, it all happened in full view of the pit camera, catching every huff, stomp and fist curl.
Sure, the league has enjoyed the publicity that Danica has brought it. But, she's become a bit of a liability, much as Tracy had become for the Champ Car series. And, sure, other drivers get upset or use post-race interviews to trash their opponents. But, none do it with the regularity and tenacity of Danica.
Given that there's been talk about getting the League to provide a home for Paul Tracy, it comes down to this for me: Does the IRL need anoher Bad Boy or Bad Girl? Can it afford the liability and potential comparisons to Bad-ism in NASCAR?
If Paul Tracy can put together a ride, given his behavior (and age), more power to him. But, I 'd rather see the League focus on building up the positive images that guys like Tony Kanaan, Helio Castroneves, Ed Carpenter and Sarah Fisher portray for the sport. In the face of incidents and problems, and even in the face of victory, drivers like these seem to live by the phrase author Alex Haley had emblazoned on his personal letterhead: "Praise the
