FOR PRICE, LIFE ISN'T THE PITS.

Byline: Bill Schlotter Daily News Staff Writer

When Paul Tracy pulls his Team KOOL Green racer into the pits during today's Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, Northridge product Steve Price will be jumping over the wall to change his left-front tire.

Price, 35, a 1980 Monroe High School grad who now lives near Indianapolis, is the second mechanic on Tracy's car. He got into auto racing after spending the early days of his career as an aerospace machinist at Rocketdyne in Canoga Park and Sheffield Manufacturing in Simi Valley.

Price's first paying job in racing came in 1994 when he was asked to be the mechanic for a Sports Car Club of America team that went on to win an amateur championship. Soon after, he was on the phone with A.J. Foyt, who contracted him to work on his CART team.

He's been with one CART team or another ever since, coming to Team KOOL Green this past season.

Price said he has no regrets about his career choice.

``At first, it seemed kind of odd to go from aerospace to race cars,'' he said. ``I didn't honestly think I would go this far with it. But now it's my life and I wouldn't trade it.''

Indy Lights: Pasadena's Mark Hotchkis won the Indy Lights race.

Early on in the event, racers Oriol Servia and Sergio Paese collided, Servia's racer going airborne over the top of Paese and into the infield.

Neither racer was hurt, but the two ended up sparring NASCAR-style in the infield.

Driver Brian Cunningham was slightly hurt in the accident when he was hit in the head by flying debris. The impact cracked his driving helmet and Cunningham had to leave the race to be checked by track medical officials. He was fine, but had a severe headache.

Paese was fined $10,000 and suspended from the Indy Lights series for a year as a result of the incident. The severity of the punishment was required because Paese was already on probation for earlier infractions.