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"Send in the Clowns!"

© Gary Presley

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"Send in the Clowns"

All right, Paul Tracy may have had a beef. Tracy's Team Kool Green entry and Helio Castroneves' Team Penske car came together in the pit lane, but those of us watching on television really didn't have a good view. The camera angle was off, and there was something in the foreground.

In any event, the two banged wheels, and Tracy came away with a bent rear suspension member. That piece couldn't take the pounding, and Tracy ended up in a sandtrap. And then he ended up in front of the TV camera calling CART Chief Steward Chris Kniefel a "clown" because Castroneves wasn't penalized for the pit incident.

That cost the controversial Canadian $50,000. But it wasn't just for running off at the mouth. No, the CART gang tagged on some finger-pointing about on-track and in-pit incidents. I can't remember any of the announcers or officials saying anthing about those incidents during the race, and so you gotta think if Paul had kept his mouth shut, he might still have his $50k.

Here's why the boys at CART HQ think they need fifty large from Paul.

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TRACY FINED $50,000, LOSES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS, PLACED ON PROBATION FOR ACTIONS AT LAGUNA SECA

DETROIT--CART Chief Steward Chris Kneifel announced Monday that Team KOOL Green driver Paul Tracy has been fined $50,000, stripped of three championship points and placed on probation for the final two events of the FedEx Championship Series season for his actions during and following Sunday's Shell 300, feature event of the Honda Grand Prix of Monterey, at Mazda Raceway of Laguna Seca.

Kneifel cited Tracy for rules violations relating to four separate incidents: Unjustifiable risk (CART Rule 8.13), unsafe act (Rule 6.7.28), unsportsmanlike conduct (Rule 1.7.7) and criticism of officials (Rule 1.7.6).

The monetary fine is the largest levied against a FedEx Championship Series driver since Alex Zanardi was fined the identical amount for an on-track infraction at Mid-Ohio in 1998. The loss of the three points drops Tracy from 11th to 12th in the championship with 73 points, leaving him one behind Roberto Moreno of Patrick Racing.

It also marks the second time this season that Tracy has lost championship points and been placed on probation due to his actions. He was penalized two championship points and placed on probation for three road/street course events for unjustifiable risk during July's Molson Indy in Toronto.

"Paul's lack of consideration for the safety of fellow competitors and their crew members on Sunday is a matter of great concern and is not expected of a driver of his caliber at this level of competition," Kneifel said. "In view of his behavior, his language and criticism of the officials does nothing but demean himself and his profession, and we will not tolerate it."