Change has Cheever looking to rebound

Indianopolis February 6, 2003; The AP reported that the tumultuous season that Eddie Cheever Jr. went through in 2002 convinced the longtime racer it was time to make some major changes in his team and his life.

"We have changed just about everything on the team -- the structure, a lot of the people and the driver," the Indy Racing League owner-driver said in an interview with The Associated Press.

After a career that began when he was a teenager and has spanned stints in Formula One, CART and the IRL, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner is ready to get out of the cockpit.

Other than driving in May at Indy, Cheever said he is "99 percent sure" he is going to leave that chore to Buddy Rice for the rest of the 15-race IRL season, which begins March 2 at Homestead, Fla.

"There is a possibility we might have a second car with somebody else driving sometime this year, but that's not a priority," Cheever said.

What is a priority for him and the team is for Red Bull Cheever Racing "to get back in the winner's circle and not repeat the disastrous season we had last year."

A year ago, Cheever hired Tomas Scheckter, then 21 and son of former Formula One world champion Jody Scheckter.

The relationship between owner and driver hit a snag almost immediately when Scheckter put both of them into a wall in the opener in Homestead.

Scheckter won later in the season in Michigan, on a day when Rice made his first start for Cheever and the trio swept the podium. But he managed only two other top 10s and continued to crash on a regular basis.

The relationship disintegrated and Scheckter left the team with three races remaining, leaving the driving to Cheever and Rice.

Cheever finished the year with seven top-10s and was 10th in the points, while the 27-year-old Rice fit in with Cheever's program and managed two top-fives and four top-10s in five starts.

That showing gave Cheever the confidence to make Rice the on-track focus of the team.

"Buddy is now the leader of this team," Cheever said. "We decided that if we want to achieve the results we are looking for, we need to put all our efforts into his program.

"Since I'm spending more and more time on the business side of things, I see the need for a young and dedicated driver for our team, and Buddy fits that mold."

Rice, like Cheever a native of Phoenix, said, "This is exactly where I want to be.

"As an American driver moving through the ladder system, it has been a roller coaster ride. This is everything I've been waiting for and I can't wait to get the season started," he said.

There are a lot of other changes to the team, though.

Max Jones, a former Trans-Am star, joined the Cheever operation in December as managing director. Cheever joined with fellow IRL team owner John Menard to form Menard Cheever Technologies to provide engineering and development strategies for his team and Team Menard. And Cheever and Rice are getting acclimated to the all-new Dallara chassis and Chevrolet engine.

Both drivers got into the new car for the first time this week during the IRL's open test days at Phoenix International Raceway.

Cheever said it was the first time he has driven a race car since the IRL season ended in October.

"Since then, I've worked nonstop setting up two new companies and taking care of business," Cheever said. "My goals here are twofold. First, I am there to help Buddy and the crew get up to speed with the new Dallara-Chevrolet package. I need to massage all the new pieces into place to build the team into the force it needs to be to win races.

"Second, as a driver, this is the first test in preparation for my only race this year."

Cheever said that once the team gets into the season and is organized and working the way he likes -- perhaps by late March -- he will be able to spend more time preparing for his shot at winning another Indy 500.

Win or lose, if that turns out to be his last race, Cheever said he will have no regrets.

"There's a season for everything," he said. "I've raced just about everything that I've ever dreamed about and I no longer have the time or the passion to do the whole season with the enthusiasm that is required.

"Besides, I've been spending too much time in meetings to really think about being in the car. I've taken on too much responsibility."