Paul Tracy Secured Indy 500 Deal with Dreyer

Controversial Canadian racer Paul Tracy has once again managed to put himself in a cockpit for the Indy 500 race. For the 2011 edition of the famous race, Tracy will compete for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, a team for whom he raced on one occasion last year.

“Obviously it feels great to be back with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing,” said Tracy, who spent the entire winter trying to put together a full-time programme in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series. Instead, he only got to secure an entry in the Indy 500 race, one that will hopefully get him some more races further down the road this year.

“It's been a chaotic winter, but it's good to have the deal stowed away with a competitive programme lined up with [sponsor] WIX Filters and DRR for the Indianapolis 500,” added the Canadian driver.

“It's great to be with a team like DRR, they have quality equipment and a solid engineering group with Larry Curry. It's a relief to have this deal done from that standpoint.”

Dreyer & Reinbold has already set up a 2-car operation for the upcoming IndyCar Series, due to kick off this weekend at St Petersburg, comprising Justin Wilson and Ana Beatriz. With Tracy's addition, this means the team will tackle the Indy 500 race in May with 3 cars.

As far as the 2003 Champ Car champion goes, Tracy will undoubtedly try to wash away his poor performance at the Indy 500 last year, when he failed to qualify for the race while driving for KV Racing Technology. His personal best at the Brickyard dates back to 2002, when he took the runner-up spot when racing for Andretti Autosport.