Tracy embraces his role as the villain

It was a simple baseball cap with a couple of sponsor logos. But definitely black. And that seemed appropriate as Tracy answered questions about his image as Champ Car's resident bad boy, most notorious instigator, daring renegade and . . .

Well, you get the idea.

"I don't even think about it," Tracy said. "I just try to be myself. I make mistakes, but I do the best job I can do. I don't see myself playing a role."

He has been racing in the series for 17 years and won more times (31) than any other active driver. Yet that only partly explains why he remains arguably Champ Car's most visible driver.

Tracy always seems to be in the middle of mishaps that invariably result in busted race car parts strewed across the track and competitors wanting to get a piece of him.

Exhibit A: last year's San Jose Grand Prix.

The most memorable moment of the entire Champ Car season occurred on Almaden Boulevard when an irate Alex Tagliani went after Tracy for crashing into him. Their scuffle, shown endlessly on ESPN's SportsCenter and still found on YouTube, was a publicity gold mine for a racing series that struggles for attention.

"Now I don't want to say I condone that sort of behavior," said Champ Car CEO and president Steve Johnson, "but that sure got us a lot of exposure. There's always drama surrounding Paul. You never know what's going to happen in any given race with him."

Over the years, Tracy's aggressive racing style has earned him both fans and enemies. He has feuded with other drivers, gotten fined, been placed on probation and once even barred from a race. And even though he has been plagued by bad luck this year and is only 11th in the points race, opponents always need to be aware of where he is on the track. More at San Jose Mercury News