Fascinated by cars since boyhood, at age 16 in 1985 Paul Tracy became the youngest ever Canadian Formula Ford Champion. Tracy worked his way up through the racing ranks and in the United States he won the 1990 Indy Lights Championship, setting a record with nine wins. The following year, he competed in his first CART event at Long Beach, California and at mid-season became a test driver for Team Penske.
His first full year of Champ Car competition came in 1993 and he won five times with his first win coming at Long Beach. Paul Tracy crossed the finish line first at the 2002 Indianapolis 500 but race officials penalized him, dropping him back to second place after a late-race caution flag that appeared at nearly the same time he passed Helio Castroneves for the race lead. That year, he was voted CART’s Most Popular Driver Award.
Paul Tracy's successful career has him number one in victories amongst all active drivers in CART racing and he capped off his 2003 season by winning the overall championship.