Paul Tracy: Join the wave!

I’m not a huge Paul Tracy fan.

I really liked him when he first joined Roger Penske’s team in 1992, and I liked him up until he joined Newman-Haas in 1995.  Since then, I find his attitude polarizing and difficult to swallow.

And that is exactly why PT needs to be in the IndyCar Series full time starting in 2010.

IndyCar needs the types of personalities that people remember, the types of personalities that actually make people care.  Love him or hate him, you know who he is and you are forced to watch him. I’m not a big fan of Paul Tracy, but when he is on the track, I’m watching him. I know where he is at all times, and I sure as hell know who his sponsor is. I can also tell you that PT was sponsored by Mobil 1 in 1992, Marlboro from 1993-94 and 1996-97, Budweiser in 1995-96, Kool Cigarattes from 1997-02, etc.

There have been many drivers over the years who have been fan favorites but have struggled to find the funding necessarily to run in today’s Series.  Grassroots efforts have been made, mostly half-heartedly, to make sponsors see that the fans want these drivers in the Series.  The fan efforts to get Sarah Fisher into a full-time ride come to mind right away.  However, these efforts usually fall short because taking time to send messages just, in the end, doesn’t seem like much of a priority in today’s time.

However, the effort required to let Paul Tracy’s sponsors know how we feel is minimal at best.  Paul already has a great personal sponsor in Monster Energy drinks, but it’s time for the IndyCar Nation to unite, stand up, and let Monster know why they should pony up for Paul to have a full-time ride next year.

To make your voice known, simply go to Paul’s page on the Monster Energy Site — http://www.monsterenergy.com/web/athletes-paul-tracy — and drop a quick line supporting Paul and Monster Energy in the 2010 IndyCar Series.  You only get a short space for the shout-out, about half of a tweet — but since you were going to tweet about going to the gym anyway, why not take a couple more seconds and join our cause?

Thanks so much to all the people who have already backed this effort and to all the people who can still join in and make a difference!