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NorthernLight IRL: Cheever hitting streets of Atlanta; Foyt keeps pedal to the metal

9 July 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

INDIANAPOLIS - Indy Racing Northern Light Series points leader Eddie Cheever Jr., will take to the streets of Atlanta with his race car on July 12, just three days before the Midas 500 Classic at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

1998 Indianapolis 500 winner Cheever will drive his #51 Excite@Home Indy Race Car Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone on Peachtree Street, one of the busiest streets in downtown Atlanta, on a route that begins at 10 a.m. at Woodruff Park and ends at Lennox Mall.

The drive will be broadcast live by WGST NewsRadio. At the end of the drive, Cheever will sign autographs at Lennox Mall.

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Foyt stays busy with double duty: Dont ever doubt that A.J. Foyt is a hands-on car owner in both the Indy Racing Northern Light Series and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Take a look at his schedule for next week. After the NASCAR Winston Cup race on July 9 at New Hampshire, Foyt will fly to Indianapolis for NASCAR testing July 11-12 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Then Foyt will head to his NASCAR shop in Mooresville, N.C., en route to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Midas 500 Classic Indy Racing Northern Light Series event.

Foyt will be in Atlanta when Indy Racing practice starts July 13. After the Midas 500 Classic on July 15, Foyt will join his Indy Racing team for a private test Monday at Kentucky Speedway, site of The Belterra Resort Indy 300 on Aug. 27.

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Yeley wins match race: Indy Racing Northern Light Series driver J.J. Yeley came out on top in a special match race featuring Indy Racing and NASCAR Winston Cup drivers recently at Kentucky Speedway.

The drivers competed in Legends cars on a quarter-mile asphalt oval built into the frontstretch grass at the new 1.5-mile superspeedway in Sparta, Ky. Yeley held off NASCAR Winston Cup drivers Steve Park and Kenny Wallace over the final laps of the 20-lap event. Indy Racing driver Stephan Gregoire and Winston Cup driver Michael Waltrip also competed in the event but tangled during the race and damaged their cars.

Yeley drives the WorldBestBuy.com/Jonathan Byrds Cafeteria Riley & Scott/Oldsmobile/Firestone in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. He had never driven a Legends car but has many years of experience on short tracks in USAC Sprint and Silver Bullet cars.

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Byrd soaring in driving career: Jonathan Byrd II, oldest son of Indy Racing team owner Jonathan Byrd, is the points leader in the Baby Grand StockCar Series conducted weekly at the Indianapolis Speedrome.

Byrd, 24, has three victories in the series, contested in 2/3-scale size replicas of NASCAR Winston Cup stock cars. The cars are powered by 1,300cc Yamaha motorcycle engines that can produce 140 horsepower and reach speeds of 120 mph.

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.