CHAMP CAR - OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS

Meep Meep!

Over the years, Paul Tracy has seen it all. The once chubby Maple Leaf driver was an understudy to legendary Milwaukee race winners -- Ricks Mears (2 wins), Al Unser Jr. (2 wins) and Michael Andretti (5 wins) at Penske and Newman/Haas, with that he learned the special way to tame the Milwaukee Mile. As Andretti demonstrated so many times in the past, there is a special path to get around the one-mile oval -- the outside line is the shortest way to get around, ONLY if you can keep your car stick. Tracy, now the most experienced driver in the Champ Car World Series, used the same line on Saturday to claim his first victory of the season in the Road Runner 225.

Back in 2002, after he was robbed at Indy when the officials handed Helio Castroneves the 500 victory [remember that yellow light controversy?], Tracy stormed through the field a week later in Milwaukee for a very special victory. Three years later, he revisited the victory circle by using the outside groove on the first restart. The Forsythe driver passed pole-sitter Jimmy Vasser on the outside, went on to lead 192 laps and earned his fourth victory at the Milwaukee Mile.

Vasser, the second most experienced driver in the field, knew the short way around the Milwaukee Mile, too. The part owner/driver started from the pole, but Tracy’s bold outside move at the restart was too much for the 1998 race winner. Vasser wound up fifth in the end.

With so many new faces in the Champ Car World Series, and only two oval races on the calendar, veterans such as Tracy and Vasser certainly had the upper hand in this race. However, sophomore A.J. Allmendinger once again showcased his talent. The former Toyota Atlantic champion finished 3.369 seconds behind Tracy – his best Champ Car finish in his young career. As a rookie last year, Allmendinger finished fifth in the Road Runner 225 - and it was only his third Champ Car start.

The biggest loser of the weekend wasn’t Sebastien Bourdais, who struggled to stay on the lead lap because of a pit speed penalty during the race. The biggest loser was his teammate Bruno Junqueira, who was injured a week ago in the Indianapolis 500 thanks to A.J. Foyt IV, who caused the wreck during the race. Junqueira, who was leading in Champ Car standings before the Road Runner 225, will likely miss most of the season, if not all. His replacement Oriol Servia finished a solid third for Newman/Haas, perhaps the super-sub should donate his points to Junqueira?

“The PacifiCare car was going forward, forward, forward and I was just a passenger,” said Servia. “Bruno deserved a win but I tried. We improved the car for the race. I don't think we were the fastest but we kept moving forward and that was important. Maybe if there were 100 more laps I could have gone for the win."

Former Jaguar/Minardi F-1 driver Justin Wilson finished fourth in the race – his third consecutive fourth place finish in 2005.

With the absence of Junqueira, Sebastien Bourdais inherited the top spot in the points standings, he is followed by Mr. Consistent Justin Wilson (-7) and Milwaukee winner Paul Tracy (-8). - Kevin Ma

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