This isn’t PBR. You can’t build this series up with a foundation of personalties the way he used bulls and riders to market the PBR. That level of success won’t fund Indy.

The household names become such by achieving in the face of competition… not by being one of 5 drivers with a car that could pull it off.

Mario, Unser, Mears and the other Indy greats were legends because they achieved success in a sport that spectators marveled at. Both the danger and the ground breaking speed made their achievements matter.

Tracy had value in a racing series in the 90′s when fearlessness was necessary to win the race. He had value when nerve and fearlessness were the limit to your speed. He doesn’t have value when speed is limited by the pedal hitting the floor.

The only time he ever did anything significant in racing is when he was pounding on no-talent hacks and bag-of-bolt teams in those 18 car fields in Chump Car. Put him and Bourdais in a series with actual talent, and they look like the mediocre drivers they are. Bourdais looked like a spaz in F1 and will be no factor in Indy Cars either now.

Tracy got his ass fired from the best teams he raced with. And he has done next-to-nothing in his career in the Indy 500. His Indy 500 record is a joke.

He’s old. He hasn’t raced full-time in years. He rarely has been competitive lately in his spot-duty. He couldnt’ even qualify at Indy last year. And he’s an ass.

Lets move on from this hot bag of gas. Along with Scheckter, they are two of the most overrated drivers to ever set foot in a Indy Car.

Potential Sponsor: We’re interested in “The Twitter”. Do you do much with that?

Paul: Of course, holmes. I’ve got over 10,000 followers. If you sign me, every one of them will buy three of your product, guaranteed.

PS: Wow! That’s super! Let’s just pull up your page here, and see what you’ve been saying!

Paul: Um…OK…

PS: Well…um, looks like you’ve been picking petty fights with other drivers here?

Paul: Yeah, those guys are all p*****s.

PS: Um, sure. And here you’re belittling a couple of fans? And dropping 6 F-bombs?

Paul: What can I say? I gotta be me.

PS: Oh, I see. In that case, don’t call us, we’ll call you.

He is now a pathetic, whiny, childish, immature has been who can’t accept that he is where he is-rideless-not because of Randy Bernard or anyone else, but himself. Sadly, his latest diatribe shows that he still doesn’t get it.

We all have our own personal “Spiro Agnew” moments when we open mouth before inserting thought.

For what it’s worth, I like Paul. I think he’s entertaining on and off the track and I want to see him in the series full time because I think it would be good for the show and I think he deserves to walk away from the sport on his terms.

That said… While it would be better for publicity’s sake had Bernard chosen his words more carefully, I do not blame him one bit for what he said or what effect (if any) that it had on Tracy’s apparently fallen-through sponsorship deal. That Bernard has been as diplomatic as he has (even when “slamming” Paul) in the face of Tracy’s constant grousing and apparent disregard for the facts surrounding the $5 million offer is fairly impressive, I think.

Paul Tracy has gotten a raw deal more than once over the course of his career; Forsythe’s bruised ego leaving him without a ride, the KV team last year giving him a broken car on pole day and withdrawing his bump day time, arguably at the 2002 Indy 500, there are others…
This occurance, though, will not be added to that list.

The truth is that none of the drivers (minus Danica) put people in the seats (or in front of the tube) and that’s why they hired a marketing guy like RBernard.

No one–insurance or not–plans on paying anyone 5 million. So that’s not real money to begin with.