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Open Wheel Champion To RCR
March 30, 2004
1:48 PM EST (1848 GMT)
Mooresville, NC - Canadian open wheel star Paul Tracy announced plans Tuesday for NASCAR Busch Series competition in 2004.
Tracy, 2003 CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) champion, will run a limited schedule for Richard Childress racing in the NASCAR Busch Series in the second half of 2004 with plans for a full-time 2005 schedule. Tracy, who has been in the rumor mills since his trip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during a January testing weekend, credits this switch to concerns over the immediate future of current series, CART, who has been battling the Indy Racing League (IRL), since a January court ruling that awarded the series assets to the OWRS (Open Wheel Racing Series) organization.
“I’m very happy,” said Tracy. “You never know [with these things] but I believed that a future in NASCAR will allow for a much further expansion of my abilities over the IRL. I’m glad to see that Richard (Childress) shared in my vision and has allowed me to compete in his equipment.”
On his open wheel future he said, “I’m going to finish out the year with [Forsythe Racing], yes. I went to Gerald [Forsythe] before I made my decision and he said that he understood my feelings and supported my decision to get into NASCAR.”
Childress, owner for Nextel Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, and Johnny Sauter, plans to field a third car for Tracy in the NASCAR Busch Series along side drivers Ron Hornaday and Clint Bowyer. “We’re glad to have a driver of Paul’s caliber joining our team,” said Childress. “With his talent at car control we feel that the NASCAR Busch Series will fit him perfectly while he gets the handle on stockcars.”
At press time a sponsor was yet to be announced, but rumors have it that the Canadian Labatts company has been in talks with Richard Childress Racing and an announcement will be made Thursday.
March 30, 2004
1:48 PM EST (1848 GMT)
Mooresville, NC - Canadian open wheel star Paul Tracy announced plans Tuesday for NASCAR Busch Series competition in 2004.
Tracy, 2003 CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) champion, will run a limited schedule for Richard Childress racing in the NASCAR Busch Series in the second half of 2004 with plans for a full-time 2005 schedule. Tracy, who has been in the rumor mills since his trip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during a January testing weekend, credits this switch to concerns over the immediate future of current series, CART, who has been battling the Indy Racing League (IRL), since a January court ruling that awarded the series assets to the OWRS (Open Wheel Racing Series) organization.
“I’m very happy,” said Tracy. “You never know [with these things] but I believed that a future in NASCAR will allow for a much further expansion of my abilities over the IRL. I’m glad to see that Richard (Childress) shared in my vision and has allowed me to compete in his equipment.”
On his open wheel future he said, “I’m going to finish out the year with [Forsythe Racing], yes. I went to Gerald [Forsythe] before I made my decision and he said that he understood my feelings and supported my decision to get into NASCAR.”
Childress, owner for Nextel Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, and Johnny Sauter, plans to field a third car for Tracy in the NASCAR Busch Series along side drivers Ron Hornaday and Clint Bowyer. “We’re glad to have a driver of Paul’s caliber joining our team,” said Childress. “With his talent at car control we feel that the NASCAR Busch Series will fit him perfectly while he gets the handle on stockcars.”
At press time a sponsor was yet to be announced, but rumors have it that the Canadian Labatts company has been in talks with Richard Childress Racing and an announcement will be made Thursday.