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NorhternLight IRL: Cheever, Buhl take Infiniti to the top in practice at Pikes Peak

17 June 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
FOUNTAIN, Colo.- Eddie Cheever Jr. and Robbie Buhl recorded the top two practice speeds Friday for Sunday's Radisson Indy 200 and both are on the verge of setting Indy Racing Northern Light Series history.

If either driver wins the pole in Saturday's MBNA Pole qualifying at Pikes Peak International Raceway, it will be a first for a Nissan Infiniti-powered car in the Northern Light Series. It would be the same for the race Sunday.

Cheever, 1998 Indy 500 champion, turned a lap of 20.772 seconds, 173.310 mph on the one-mile PPIR oval in his #51T Excite@Home Indy Race Car Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone. Buhl, who won the season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway using an Oldsmobile engine, produced a lap of 20.834, 172.794 mph in the Team Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G Force/Infiniti/Firestone car.

Cheever added an exclamation point to the day by chalking up the third fastest speed of the day in his primary #51 Infiniti-powered car with a lap of 172.654.

"It's only for bragging rights," Cheever said about his duel with Buhl, who switched to an Infiniti after the Indianapolis 500. "I couldn't stand to be slower than Robbie."

Both Cheever and Buhl are more concerned with winning on Sunday than snatching Infiniti's first pole. Cheever pointed out that historically the Infiniti has done better in the race than in qualifying because of its torque.

"We're going to concentrate on having a fast car on race day," Buhl said. "The torque of the engine, I believe, is the strength of this engine."

Third fastest driver on the day was the first Oldsmobile-powered car driven by Eliseo Salazar. The Chilean turned a lap of 20.916, 172.117 mph in his Rio A.J. Foyt Racing G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone.

Rounding out the top five were 1999 series champion and defending Radisson 200 winner Greg Ray at 20.917, 172.109 mph in his Conseco/Quaker State/Menards Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone and Donnie Beechler at 20.936, 171.953 in his Cahill Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone.

Northern Light Series points leader Buddy Lazier ended the day in 13th in his Delta Faucet/Coors Light/Tae-Bo/Hemelgarn Racing Dallara/Oldsmobile/Firestone machine with a lap of 21.051, 171.013.

Al Unser Jr., making his Indy Racing debut at PPIR, ended the day in seventh. Unser Jr. turned a lap of 20.963, 171.731 in his Galles ECR Racing Tickets.com Starz Encore Superpak G Force/Oldsmobile/Firestone car. Qualifying for the Radisson Indy 200 is Saturday. The run for the MBNA Pole begins at 2:30 EDT. The Radisson Indy 200 gets the green flag Sunday at 4 p.m. EDT.

Text provided by Eric Powell

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.