As the Forsythe Championship Racing big rig blared its horn and confetti fell on top of second-place finisher Mario Dominguez’s head, mechanics of the Forsythe team were shaking their heads 100 feet away.
Backing into the pit area was Paul Tracy’s wrecked car, draped in a yellow tarp. The right front tire was hanging limply and the chassis destroyed.
After leading by as much as 13 seconds over eventual winner Sebastien Bourdais, Tracy crashed in turn four of lap 62 after brushing the turn-three wall.
“I just threw it away,” Tracy said, adding a driver he was trying to lap had become an obstacle. “I was frustrated because Timo Glock wouldn’t let me past for about five laps in a row, and race control wouldn’t make him pull over. When I got close to him I’d lose downforce on my front wings, so I couldn’t get close enough to pass. I clipped the inside of the corner at turn three, and that threw me into the outside wall. There’s not much else to say.”
Dominguez was restrained in talking about his podium finish and said he felt sorry for his teammate.
“It was really his race,” Dominguez said of Tracy. “He ran quickly all weekend and he was first and it’s very unfortunate.”
Gone with the removal of shards of metal and body frame are Tracy’s best hopes for winning the Champ Car World Series title. Bourdais holds a commanding 53-point lead over second-place Tracy.
“I’m sure he’s very upset, but PT (Tracy) is a winner and he’s proven that,” Dominguez said. “I’m sure he’ll come back with the next race. That’s the type of guy he is.”
After the crash, paramedics Mike Young and Dave Hollander approached Tracy to treat him, but Tracy shoved Young aside and ran off the track.
“I let him go. I know Paul; he was OK,” Hollander said. “He said he was fine, and he’s out of here. He was very angry.”
Director of medical affairs Chris Pinderski said the usual procedure for treating drivers after a crash such as Tracy’s involves an assessment of the injuries.
After the crash, Tracy fled to his motor home and was on his way to the airport before Bourdais took the checkered flag.
Bourdais said he felt for what happened to Tracy, but he also used the crash as a reminder of what not to do with a lead.
“Great champions, they all make mistakes, and a street course like that – it doesn’t take very much,” he said.
Bryan Chu can be reached at 303-820-1979 or bchu@denverpost.com.
