Paul Tracy was just 5 years old and growing up in Canada when he was given a go kart by his dad, a motorsport enthusiast who had spent some time racing motorcycles in England.
“That weekend, we went out to our local go kart track and we entered our first race—and I actually won. And that was it. That was what I wanted to do all the time,” Tracy says.
So that’s exactly what he did.
When Tracy was 7 to 10 years old, his dad would drop him off at the go kart track in the morning with his go kart, a can of gas, and some money for lunch. His family knew the owners of the track, and they would keep an eye on him.
“I would literally drive that go kart all day long,” Tracy says.
At just 16, Tracy became the youngest-ever Canadian Formula Ford Champion. At 17, he was the winner of the final Can-Am race in series history—making him the youngest winner in Can-Am history.
From racing for Penske Racing, Newman/Haas, Team Kool Green, or Forsythe to competing in the PPG Indy Car World Series, FedEx Championship Series, NASCAR Busch Series, IndyCar Series, Indianapolis 500, or any of the other races, to working as a color commentator on NBC’s IndyCar coverage, or competing on the inaugural season of the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience, Tracy—who is also known by the nicknames “PT” and “The Thrill from West Hill”—hasn’t stopped his involvement in the world of racing since.
“I knew from the first time that I drove a go kart that I loved driving,” he says of what draws him to the sport. “That’s all I wanted to do—drive, drive, drive.”
His career on the track has been illustrious, and, he says, fulfilling.
“For the most part, my career has been fulfilling—every race that I set out wanting to win, I won at,” he says. “I won the championship in 2003. Pretty much every goal that I ever set for myself I achieved.”
In the winter of 1988, Tracy arrived in Scottsdale from Canada to take advantage of the weather and practice at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) and Firebird Raceway.
“I was not at IndyCar level then,” he says. “We had a team out of Canada and we decided to come out here for the winter and practice at Firebird and PIR to get ready for the season. So, I spent the winter out here—and loved it.”
By 1993, he was living full-time in Paradise Valley. He left in 1997, moving to Las Vegas—but by 2011 he was back. He settled in Scottsdale, where he lives today with his girlfriend, Lisa Richardson.
“There’s great shopping, great nightlife, and great dining,” he says of the city. “And, I don’t think there’s any place nicer in the winter.”
Tracy and Richardson also like to hike—they live near Pinnacle Peak and climb it frequently—as well as head to Lake Havasu.
And, they often head out to Apex Motor Club.
“We usually get out there first thing in the morning, get our laps in, then load up and come home in time for lunch.”
Apex Motor Club is a luxury private motorsports country club located in Maricopa where members enjoy facilities and amenities that cater to automotive enthusiasts. The world-class race track features 4.2 miles of multi-configurable racing circuits, set within a country club-like atmosphere. At completion there will be a restaurant, bar, outdoor swimming pool, pro shop, fitness center, karting center, maintenance center, one-on-one racing instruction, and more. There are also 96 trackside private garages, 48 of which open directly into the pits.
“I’ve been involved with them since it was just a concept,” Tracy says. “There’s such a huge motorsports and racing fan base here. There are a lot of people who have expensive sports cars here and there was really no place for them to go and drive in a safe and controlled environment. [Apex Motor Club] is like a golf country club but for cars, and for those who want to drive race cars and not on the street.”
“I’ve been involved with them since it was just a concept,” Tracy says. “There’s such a huge motorsports and racing fan base here. There are a lot of people who have expensive sports cars here and there was really no place for them to go and drive in a safe and controlled environment. [Apex Motor Club] is like a golf country club but for cars, and for those who want to drive race cars and not on the street.”
Speaking of racing, after retiring in 2011 and working in TV since 2014, Tracy returned to the track in 2021 when he competed in the Camping World Superstar Racing Experience, an American stock car racing series officially known as the Camping World SRX Series.
“It was a series that was designed for TV and it was on CBS. It took a bunch of drivers that were mostly semi-retired, like myself. It was a mix of IndyCar and stock car drivers that were in retirement, and it pitted us against mostly unknown local heroes—younger kids. Everybody had the same car, the same set-up. You came to a race track and had five laps of practice, and then we raced. It was six weekends and 18 total races. It was a lot of fun.”
The experience gave him the bug to be back racing.
“I’ve been working TV for the last eight years and I put my driving on the shelf for a long time. After racing SRX this past year, I realized how much I missed it. So, no more TV. I’m going back to racing before I’m too old for it. That’s what my passion has always been, and I hadn’t realized how much I actually missed it.”
This year, Tracy will once again race in the SRX series. And, at the end of this month, he’ll be racing in South American and Mexico with some friends.
“To this day, I love race cars. I love being in the car. I still love driving. … I’ve gotten the bug from being back.”