Penske, after a disappointing 1995, used his option and matched Newman/Haas's offer for the 1996 season of a four year contract of $3.5 million annually. Tracy's return was a disappointment as he finished the season with no wins and 13th in the championship. A back injury also forced him to miss two races. 1997 was a roller coaster season, with consecutive wins at Nazareth, Rio de Janeiro and Gateway putting him in the points lead. The season went downhill soon after as he finished 26th or worse in each of the final five events to slip to fifth place in the championship. After a disappointing finish in Toronto, Tracy referred to his car as a "piece of shit" to local media and also said that the Penske chassis was obsolete and that the team should switch tire manufacturers. Penske waited until the end of the season before terminating Tracy for making detrimental remarks about the team and sponsors.