tgrep 'VP < (/^V/ < /^rac[ei]/)' | more
There is no flag for "return the VP", so you have to write a pattern like the one above that matches the whole VP containing race. The parentheses are important: The string below returns nothing.
tgrep 'VP < /^V/ < /^rac[ei]/' | more
This is because it specifies a VP that immediately dominates a V node and the word race. The correct string (above) specifies a VP node that immediately dominates a V node which in turn dominates the word race.