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HOUSTON -- Paul Tracy would like nothing better than to help
teammate Dario Franchitti win the CART FedEx Series championship.
But, as happy as Tracy was to put some pressure on series leader Juan Montoya, pushing the sensational rookie into an uncharacteristic and costly mistake, the Canadian driver wasn't about to give up a victory in Sunday's Texaco Grand Prix of
Houston.
After finishing 12.733 seconds -- nearly a quarter of a lap -- ahead of runner-up Franchitti, Tracy was asked what he would have
done had team owner Barry Green asked him to move aside for his
teammate.
|  | | Paul Tracy pumps his fist after crossing the finish line Sunday to win the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston. It was Tracy's second wins this season and 15th in his CART career. |
Tracy grinned and imitated the sound of radio static, saying, "That's what he would have heard."
Turning serious, Tracy added, "I think Barry realized Dario had a pretty fortunate day and that I was having a really good day. And I wasn't going to pull over to the side of the road."
Franchitti, who came into the 100-lap racing trailing Montoya by 29 points and now is just 13 behind with two races remaining, agreed that letting Tracy stay out front was the right thing to do.
"It was not a day for team orders," the 26-year-old Scotsman said. "Paul was dominant. Maybe if I was right on his gearbox, we'd have talked about it."
The victory was sweet vindication for Tracy, who last year in the inaugural Houston race nearly crashed Franchitti and did put himself into the wall as the two battled for the lead in a race that Franchitti went on to win.
After being handed the trophy -- a gold-covered cowboy boot -- for winning Sunday, Tracy said, "I'd hate to say any place owes me one, but I'd have to say I stuck that boot right there in my rear last year."
This time, Tracy controlled most of the race, leading all but three laps on the tight 1.527-mile, 10-turn temporary street circuit after taking over the top spot for the first time on lap 13.
It was the third time this season the Team Kool Green drivers have finished 1-2 on a temporary street circuit, but the first time Tracy has been the one in front.
The 30-year-old Tracy now has two wins this season -- having won
on the one-mile oval in Milwaukee in June -- and 15 in his CART
career.
The first two laps were run under a yellow flag because the
leaders were not lined up properly, but Montoya easily led after
the green flag finally waved for the start of lap three.
The 23-year-old Colombian driver, who has won seven of 18 races
this season while failing to finish just four times, appeared to be
in cruise control as he tried to extend his points lead to 44,
which would have clinched the series title.
He built a lead of 2.229 seconds over Tracy by the end of lap 12
on the circuit winding around the downtown George R. Brown
Convention Center.
But, as Montoya neared the flagstand on the next lap, Helio
Castro-Neves, who had been running 19th in the 26-car field, slid
into one of the concrete barriers lining the course in the last
turn, a 90-degree left-hander.
Despite waving yellow flags, Montoya's Honda-powered Reynard
sailed around that corner. His right front ran over the left rear
of Castro-Neves' car, breaking the wheel and ending Montoya's race
in frustration.
"It was just a miscommunication," Montoya said. "Nobody told
me. I saw the yellow, but I thought somebody had just gone off or
something. It was a full-course caution, but they told me to stay
out and I turned the corner and he was right there in the middle of
the track."
That caution was a two-fold break for Franchitti, who started
fourth, but had slipped back into the pack because of a deflating
right rear tire.
The full-course yellow allowed the Scotsman to pit for fresh
tires. He fell all the way to 19th, but moved steadily forward
after the green flag came out on lap 19.
Taking advantage of the fuel fill-up during that early stop,
Franchitti was actually able to lead laps 49 through 51, passing
Tracy as the latter warmed up his new tries following his only pit
stop of the race on lap 48.
Franchitti pitted again on lap 51, giving the lead back to Tracy
for good. But the Scotsman was able to work his way back to second,
taking the runner-up spot on lap 83 in a daring pass of Christian
Fittipaldi that was nearly disastrous.
As he dived past Fittipaldi's Swift-Ford, Franchitti banged into
the other car, tearing off a winglet from the left rear of his car.
Team engineers said that cost Franchitti valuable downforce on the
rear of the car, but he was able to soldier on to the finish.
"You have to take risks sometimes," Franchitti said. "You
just can't wait for things to come for you."
As for the points race, which will continue Oct. 17 in
Australia, he said, "Anything can happen now. Look at today, for
example. It's going to be interesting."
Michael Andretti, who took over third place when Newman-Haas
teammate Fittipaldi had to pit for fuel on lap 98, finished there,
followed by Max Papis, Bryan Herta, Mauricio Gugelmin, Fittipaldi
and Richie Hearn, the only drivers on the lead lap.
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AUDIO/VIDEO
 Paul Tracy makes it a Kool day in Houston with his second CART victory of the season.
avi: 1299 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Juan Montoya makes an early exit in Houston.
avi: 2308 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Paul Tracy talks about his victory.
wav: 99 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Dario Franchitti speaks about picking up points on Montoya.
wav: 80 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Juan Montoya is disappointed about his early exit.
wav: 95 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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