INDY RACING: Northern Light Series Weekly Notebook
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 28, 2001
Teams prepare for Chevy 500
INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2001 - 1998 Indianapolis 500 champion Eddie Cheever Jr. turned laps Sept. 26 on the repaved Texas Motor Speedway in preparation for the season-finale Chevy 500 Oct. 6. The 1.5-mile superspeedway was completely resurfaced after Indy Racing's last visit to the track on June 16.
"When they resurfaced the speedway, we decided to come and test," said Cheever, who drives the #51 Cheever Indy Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone. "We went quicker today than the last time we were here.
"We came to Texas to work on aerodynamics and air resistance. With the new asphalt being so smooth, we are trying to take all the resistance out of the car that we can. The cooler temperatures like today create a higher amount of downforce and drag. Reducing resistance will be important to run good in the race. We always try to learn tricks to cheat physics."
With one victory this season, Cheever is eighth in the point standing just 36 points out of a top-five finish.
Indy Racing drivers Buzz Calkins and Robbie Buhl plan to test Sept. 28 on the 1.5-mile superspeedway.
***
A good deal: Special ticket promotions still are available for the Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 6. Beginning Sept. 30, fans can clip a coupon in the Dallas Morning News Sports Day section for free admission to MBNA Pole qualifying on Friday, Oct. 5.
The Nabisco Family Four Pack offers discount coupons in hundreds of participating grocery retailers in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Coupons will be located on store shelves near Nabisco products. The Pack includes four grandstand tickets, four hot dogs and four Cokes for $79.99, a retail value of over $200. Fans must present two Nabisco cookie or cracker product UPC codes to purchase the Nabisco Family Four Pack at the Texas Motor Speedway ticket office.
Tickets for the Chevy 500 are available online at
www.texasmotorspeedway.com
***
New viewpoint: Indy Racing driver and former F1 competitor Eddie Cheever
Jr. will see racing from a different view Sunday, Sept. 30, at the SAP
United States Grand Prix. Instead of being in the driver's seat, Cheever
will be the color analyst alongside Bob Jenkins in the ABC broadcast
booth.
Cheever competed in the Formula One World Championship from
1978-1989. He holds the record for the most Formula One starts by an
American at 132.
The SAP U.S. Grand Prix is the first ABC telecast of a Formula
One race since the early 1990s. This event will be the first time
Cheever has been in the broadcast booth for an entire race. "On Board
With Eddie Cheever" is a regular segment on "Indy Racing 2Day," the
pre-race show for all Indy Racing Northern Light Series events.
***
A.J. Foyt and co. on the go: A.J. Foyt's Indy Racing drivers Eliseo
Salazar and Donnie Beechler signed autographs Sept. 27 at the Harrah's
in Metropolis, Ill., to kick off the week-long festivities celebrating
the grand opening of the gaming facility, located about 80 miles north
of Nashville.
While the drivers keep a tight schedule, their car owner seems to be in
even more demand. Foyt will be in Kansas Sept. 27 overseeing his Winston
Cup team's practice session. He then will travel to Indianapolis the
next day to watch his grandson A.J. Foyt IV attempt to qualify the No.
14 Conseco/Craftsman/Harrah's Beast/Gaerte entry for A.J. Foyt's
Hulman-Hoosier 100 USAC Silver Bullet race at the Indianapolis State
Fairgrounds. After the Sept. 28 race, Foyt will return to Kansas
Speedway to watch his son, Larry, race in the NASCAR Busch Series event
on Sept. 29. He will stay in Kansas City, Kan. to watch his driver Ron
Hornaday compete in the NASCAR Winston Cup event on Sept. 30.
***
A helping hand: Greg Ray and Texas Motor Speedway employees joined the
ABC Radio Group in Dallas-Fort Worth Sept. 17 to raise $280,000 for The
American Red Cross.
1999 Indy Racing League Champion Ray, speedway general manager Eddie
Gossage, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver David Starr and other
speedway employees participated in the "Change the World" Day fundraiser
to hand out American flags and race tickets to thousands of citizens who
made donations at the 13-hour event.
"This is exactly the kind of thing we should all be doing," said
Gossage. "Everyone wants to find a way to help the victims of the
recent tragedies in New York and Washington D.C. We brought more than
20,000 American flags to give away. We also brought tickets for the
Oct. 5th and 6th Silverado 350 truck race and the Chevy 500 Indy car
event for those who made a donation. We have a great group of employees
who volunteered their time to work this event with our official radio
stations, and I believe each of them have really enjoyed being part of
this."
The "Change the World" Day event held at the Grapevine Mills Mall is the
second "drive through" donation event organized by the ABC Radio Group,
which includes Newstalk 820 WBAP, 96.3 KSCS, ESPN 103.3 FM, Memories
96.7 and AM 620 Radio Disney.
***
Hot laps: 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series champion Sam Hornish
Jr., Kelley Racing driver Mark Dismore and Walker Racing driver Sarah
Fisher will sign autographs from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (EST) Sept. 29 in
the east parking lot of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame
Museum. ... A collection of memorabilia gathered by Firestone Racing
will be auctioned on eBay through Sept. 29. Proceeds will benefit High
Hopes, a Nashville facility for special needs children. The items
include an autographed script from the TV show "ER" and Firestone Racing
jackets signed by racing legends such as Al Unser Jr., A.J. Foyt and
Johnny Rutherford. ... The Racing For Kids visit to the Children's
Medical Center in Dallas has been rescheduled for Thursday, Oct. 4 at 2
p.m. (CDT). Indy Racing driver and Racing For Kids national spokespman
Robbie Buhl will visit with patients and give each child a autograph
card and Racing For Kids hat and pin. ... The Indiana Sports Alumni Golf
Classic at eagle Creek Golf Club in Indianapolis will benefit the Davey
Hamilton Recovery Fund. Sponsorships for the Oct. 16 event range from
$400 to $15,000. For more information, contact Impact Sports at (317)
955-2800. ... Indy Racing driver Robby McGehee visited 40 second-graders
Sept. 27 at Amy Beverland School in Indianapolis as part of the
"Gumballs and Watermelons" program. McGehee is a spokesman for the Think
First Foundation, a national organization committed to the prevention of
brain and spinal-cord injuries through education. ... Tony George,
president and chief executive officer of the Indy Racing League and the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and his wife, Laura, will serve as honorary
co-chairs for the first annual Christel House "Evening of Angels" Sept.
27 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis. 1998 Indianapolis 500
winner Eddie Cheever Jr. will represent the Indy Racing League at the
charitable event. He will be joined by some of the top names in Formula
One, including Bernie Ecclestone of F1; Sauber team owner Peter Sauber,
and drivers Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Räikkonen; Benetton drivers Giancarlo
Fisichella and Jenson Button; and F1 enthusiast and actor Antonio
Sabato, Jr.
Text provided by Paul Kelly
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit
The Racing Photo Museum and the
Visions of Speed Art Gallery.