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NorthernLight IRL: Cheever aims to extend points lead at Atlanta's Midas 500 Classic

14 July 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Hampton, GA - #51 Excite@Home driver Eddie Cheever Jr. enters the seventh round of the 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series, the Midas 500 Classic at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as the championship leader, but the Indy Racing veteran doesn't feel any added pressure.

"It just so happens that we're leading the championship, but it's not going to change the way I drive," explains Cheever, who moved into the Indy Racing points lead following his June 18th victory at Pikes Peak International Raceway. "If a car is in front of me, I want to pass it. I try to get the most out of race car every time I'm on the track, and I leave the other decisions up to the guys in the pits. I drive instinctively, but I've reached a point in my life where my testosterone level is just about equal to my talent level."

"In the past, I was too combative - if a driver looked at me the wrong way, I'd focus on him in the race," admits Cheever. "I'm not going to change the way I drive - why should I, when it's working well? - but I've learned a lot in twenty-five years of racing. Right now, I believe that what's ahead of me is going to be even better than what's behind me. With the support of Excite@Home and Infiniti, we have the assets to make a very strong run for the championship."

Cheever's victory at the Radisson Indy 200 - his fourth career Indy Racing win, and the first victory for the #51 Excite@Home team and the Infiniti Indy engine - propelled the 1998 Indianapolis 500 Champion into first place in the Indy Racing standings with 176 points, ahead of Buddy Lazier with 168 points. Cheever, who has finished in the top ten in five of six Indy Racing events this season, has also led four of the six rounds of 2000 competition.

The Midas 500 Classic will be televised live on ESPN at 8:00pm EDT on July 15. MBNA Pole qualifying will be shown on ESPN2 at 8:00pm EDT on July 14.

Primary Sponsorship of the #51 Indy Car comes from Excite@Home. The company is based in Redwood City, California, at the heart of Silicon Valley. Associate Sponsors of Team Cheever include Infiniti, Firestone, Indy Promotional Products, Menards, Bosch, and Pennzoil.

Excite@Home (Nasdaq: ATHM) is the leading broadband online service provider, offering residential and commercial broadband services worldwide through the Company's 15,000 mile Internet backbone. The company has a global footprint of 87 million broadband homes under long-term contract. Excite@Home offers consumers broadband services over cable-modem, DSL and wireless connections, and businesses high-speed commercial services with Excite representing the consumer content experience and @Home providing access in local markets through broadband connectivity partners. Excite@Home has approximately 13.5 million cable franchise homes under contract outside of North America and localized versions of the Excite service in 10 leading international markets.

Text provided by Ashleigh Higgins

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