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Byline: CURT CAVIN
Vitor Meira said that open-wheel racing's unification has gone so smoothly over the past year that he seldom thinks about it. But then, he has a ride in the IndyCar Series.
Other veteran drivers still do not, and Paul Tracy is one of them.
Not only is Tracy the most recognizable driver left out of the Indy Racing League's absorption of the Champ Car World Series, but he also has the magnetic personality to bring this homogenization of fan bases together.
Long equal parts hero and villain, the 2003 Champ Car champion, along with four-time winner Sebastien Bourdais, represents almost everything that was interesting about the final days of the once-great series. And, like Bourdaisrumored to be working on a possible return to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing should he fail to keep his Scuderia Toro Rosso Formula One rideTracy still has his eyes on the United States' top open-wheel series.
Tracy lost his last full-time ride when Forsythe Racing decided not to make the transition to the IRL after unification. He caught a one-race ride with Vision Racing in Edmonton and finished an impressive fourth, but Tony George's team could not extend the sponsorship program with Subway.
The latest best chance for Tracy to return full-time is with KV Racing Technology, a team that recently signed second-year IndyCar driver Mario Moraes, who is 20, because of his sponsorship backing.