INDY 500: Cheever Seventh Quickest as Countdown to Qualifying Begins
19 May 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Eddie Cheever Jr. - #51 Excite@Home Indy Race Car
84th Indianapolis 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indy Racing Northern Light Series - Round 4 of 9
Thursday, May 18, 2000 - Notes and Quotes
Thursday Practice: 7th 40.9706 seconds 219.670mph
Indianapolis, IN - 1998 Indianapolis 500 Champion Eddie Cheever Jr. and the #51 Excite@Home Indy Race Team enjoyed another productive day of practice for the 84th running of the Indianapolis 500 scheduled for May 28. Cheever posted the seventh quickest time of the day, touring the venerable 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit in 40.9706 seconds for a top speed of 219.670mph. Jimmy Vasser recorded the fastest lap of the day, marginally quicker than Cheever at 40.5989 seconds (221.681mph). Only one day of practice remains prior to pole qualifying for the "greatest spectacle in racing" on Saturday, May 20.
Cheever: "It was very, very windy out there today. It was probably the worst day for wind that we've had. We did four full tank runs and we're very happy with the #51 Excite@Home Infiniti. The car was a lot better, and we've put almost 500 miles on this engine with absolutely no problems. We didn't really see much point in going out and trying to set a time this afternoon. We're just going to sit down, look at the data, and take it from there tomorrow."
Excite@Home Provides Unprecedented Behind-the-Scenes Access to Eddie Cheever Jr. and the #51 Excite@Home Indy Race Team: Excite@Home (NASDAQ: ATHM), the leader in broadband, is bringing the 84th running of the Indianapolis 500 to racing fans worldwide with amazing behind-the-scenes access to Eddie Cheever Jr. in his quest to win the Indianapolis 500. Beginning today and airing through race day, May 28th, Cheever is giving Excite fans intimate access to "the life of an Indy racer" when he presents a daily first-hand look at what goes into winning the famed Indy 500. Internet users will feel like they are in the driver's seat through this intensely interactive online experience available on narrowband and broadband at http://sports.excite.com.
This exclusive access to Team Cheever, which is a result of Cheever's two-year partnership with Excite@Home, showcases one of the fastest sports in the world, at the largest sporting event of its kind, through Excite@Home's broadband capabilities. Live raceday telemetry streaming from the #51 Excite@Home Indy Car as it tours the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and real time audio of Eddie and the crew as they strategize during the race, will break down the traditional barriers that prevent fans from getting an insider's view of the action. For more information on this unique online experience - which will also include daily diaries, virtual tours of the ARC wind tunnel and the #51 Excite@Home team garage, and live text chats and a post-race webcast with Cheever hosted by Arie Luyendyk - visit http://sports.excite.com.
Primary Sponsorship of the #51 Indy Car comes from Excite@Home. The company is based in Redwood City, California, at the heart of Silicon Valley. Associate Sponsors of Team Cheever include Infiniti, Firestone, Indy Promotional Products, Menards, Bosch, Pennzoil, Sony Disc Manufacturing, and Nancy Flowers Promotions.
Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM) is the leading broadband online service provider, offering residential and commercial broadband services worldwide through the Company's 15,000 mile Internet backbone. The company has a global footprint of 87 million broadband homes under long-term contract. Excite@Home offers consumers broadband services over cable-modem, DSL and wireless connections, and businesses high-speed commercial services with Excite representing the consumer content experience and @Home providing access in local markets through broadband connectivity partners. Excite@Home has approximately 13.5 million cable franchise homes under contract outside of North America and localized versions of the Excite service in 10 leading international markets.
Text provided by Ashleigh Higgins
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