IRL: Eddie Cheever Practice Notes and Quotes, Orlando
28 January 2000
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Two-time Indy 200 winner, Eddie Cheever, Jr. end the first day of Practice
for this Saturday's Delphi Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway with the
12th fastest time. Cheever, an Orlando resident, clocked the 1-mile
tri-oval in his new #51 Team Cheever Riley & Scott/Firestone/Infiniti in
21.976 seconds at an average speed of 163.800 mph.
"(On the day) We left here earlier this month with questions about the engine. They've been answered. Now, with just a few days in the Riley & Scott, we are sorting out what to do with the Riley & Scott chassis. It is interesting to see Lazier's fast time (21.500/ 2nd overall). We are still trying to figure out how the Firestones work with the Car that works with the track. Not the best position to be in. (On the colder temperatures) Our cars are extremely sensitive to the slightest change whether it be the outside temperatures, the track, the tires, anything... But that is what makes our racing so competitive as our crews have the technology to adapt quickly to make the necessary changes to enhance the car's performance, lap in and lap out. I probably have more computers on board my car that give me feedback on each move I make than the first Apollo space craft had for its launch to the moon. I could read data for two days from what a 45-minute test session reveals! (On the track) I think the Walt Disney World Speedway is the hardest short oval we run on. You are never happy. It is a matter of finding the compromise that will allow you to make it through the 200 miles. As a tri-oval each one of the corners is very different. Turn One is very tight; Turn Two is like a roller coaster and Turn Three, a quick dogleg. You as a driver and your team as the car's technicians have to be "conservatively aggressive" to find the setup that will keep you "unhappily comfortable" for the whole race. The last thing you want to be is going 175mph into a corner with your back end slipping out from under you." (On the Infiniti engine) Our first focus last year with the engine program was on horsepower and sometimes that came at the price of efficiency. We are now focusing on reliability and being able to run a solid 500-mile race. Our whole team and the Infiniti group have worked very hard on the engines development and I am really looking forward to the 35A that we should have our hands on in the next few weeks. Infiniti-Nissan is a very proud company and has a history of winning races. I have no doubt that we will races this year."
TOP TIMES OF THE DAY
1. Gregoire 21.266
2. Lazier 21.500
3. Sharp 21.503
4. Buhl 21.561
5. Ward 21.616
6. Hollansworth 21.734
7. Calkins 21.783
8. Unser, Jr. 21.876
9. Carlson 21.917
10. Goodyear 21.922
11. Beechler 21.949
12. Cheever, Jr. 21.976
TELEVISION COVERAGE
The Delphi Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway will be televised live on ABC on Saturday, January 29th at noon (EST). "Indy Racing 2Day" will debut at 11:30am January 29th on ESPN2. ESPN2 will also televise Pole Qualifying at 1:30pm Friday, January 28th.
Text provided by Team Cheever
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