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INDY 500: Fifth-Place Finish Highlights Infiniti's Trouble-Free Day At Indianapolis 500

29 May 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Infiniti driver Eddie Cheever Jr. finished fifth in the Indianapolis 500, marking the best finish ever for the engine supplier at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With both Infiniti entries taking the checkered flag under power -- Eddie Cheever Jr. in fifth and Steve Knapp in 19th -- Infiniti has finished every race this season in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series.

"We have made a quantum leap with this program," said Frank Honsowetz, manager, Infiniti Motorsports. "Both Infiniti engines were running at the end of the 500 miles, which is a monumental improvement over last year. We have been there at the end of every race this year, which I think answers the question of reliability."

1998 Indianapolis 500 champion Eddie Cheever Jr. ran in the top-ten for most of the 200-lap race with his No. 51 Excite@Home Dallara-Infiniti-Firestone. Starting tenth, Cheever placed as high as second on his way to a fifth place finish. He consistently turned quick laps, recording the third fastest race lap on the final lap of the event.

"We could have won if we had not had a few little moments," said Cheever about his 11th Indianapolis 500 race. "I lost half a lap (on lap 131) when I changed gears from fifth to sixth and all I had was a bunch of nuetral. I thought the race was over, but I put it in gear, it vibrated a little bit, and something inside decided to fix itself.

"The Infiniti engine was superb today." continued Cheever, who switched to the Infiniti engine in April 1999. "We tried hard to break it--I ran it as fast as I could and it did very, very well. The Infiniti is here. It won't be long before everybody is going to want to be running an Infiniti."

Infiniti newcomer, Steve Knapp, drove a clean race in the No. 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Infiniti. Driving his first race since being injured last year at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Knapp improved on his 27th starting position by finishing 19th.

"It was a good car. It was balanced after our first couple of stops when I found the weight jacker number that it needed," said Knapp, the 1998 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. "Our plan was to run a lot of downforce, but it just bit us in the end. It would have been a good setup if the sun was out. Whether it looked like it from the outside, I was driving my heart out."

The Indy Racing Northern Light Series continues in two weeks with the Casino Magic 500 in Fort Worth, Texas on June 10. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Robbie Buhl, who is currently second in the championship standings, will join fifth-place points runner Eddie Cheever Jr. in using the Infiniti Indy powerplant at the Texas Motor Speedway.

Text provided by Heather Handley

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