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Northern Light IRL: Infiniti Celebrates Best Season Ever in 2000 Indy Racing Series

14 November 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Gardena, Calif. -- The Infiniti Indy project has come of age in 2000, as the Infiniti V8 racing engine made its first trip to winner's circle and became a regular frontrunner in the Indy Racing Northern Light Series.

"It has been an outstanding year for us," said Steve Kight, director of marketing, Infiniti Division, who celebrated the program's accomplishments at the 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series Awards Ceremony in Indianapolis on Nov. 11.

Leading the Infiniti effort to success in 2000 was Eddie Cheever Jr., with Team Cheever, and Steve Knapp and Robbie Buhl, with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Both teams were honored at the awards ceremony Saturday evening for their top-ten standing in the Northern Light Championship.

Working with these two top-level teams, Infiniti enjoyed a successful year in America's premier open-wheel, oval-track series. Using engines prepared by Ed Pink Racing Engines, of Van Nuys, Calif., Infiniti won its first Indy race, led six of the nine races, and placed in the top-five in five races. In fact, Infiniti had a best finish of 11th or better in every race this season.

Finishing third in the championship, Team Cheever's strategy was simple: have a car that could run up front, and be there to challenge for victory in the final ten laps of each race.

The plan worked with the Excite@Home Infiniti battling in the top three in every race this season--most of the time for the lead. The result was a dominating victory by Eddie Cheever Jr. at Pikes Peak International Raceway, and four other top-five finishes at Orlando, Indianapolis, Kentucky and Texas.

"The Infiniti went from being just a participant to a winning powerplant that finished in the top three of the championship," said Cheever, about the 2000 season. "The victory in June was a definite highlight, and important enough to warrant a trip to Japan to satisfy the growing Japanese interest in Nissan's winning American progam."

Joining the Infiniti camp midway through the season, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing first used the powerplant at the Indianapolis 500 with the last minute entry of Steve Knapp. Knapp finished the grueling 500-mile race, paving the way for the team's lead driver, Robbie Buhl, to take over the Infiniti machine starting at the June Texas event.

Once outfitted with the Infiniti Indy engine, Buhl earned Infiniti's best qualifying effort of second at Pikes Peak, led the Pikes Peak and Texas races, and scored a best finish of sixth at Atlanta on his way to earning eighth in the championship.

"We were really happy with everything when we first switched over to Infiniti engines," said Robbie Buhl, who co-owns Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with Eric DeBord and Infiniti Dealer Dennis Reinbold. "Working hand-in-hand with Frank Honsowetz and his group is an ideal experience. It is not a program that is sitting still."

Over the four-year history of the Infiniti Indy project the mantra of the experienced design team, led by Frank Honsowetz, has always been, "Head Down, Work Hard." By following this philosophy the program has steadily moved forward; this season producing more top-five and top-ten finishes than ever before.

"We went into this season focusing on reliability, winning our first race, and placing high in the championship," said Frank Honsowetz, manager, Infiniti Motorsports. "We did those things and have come to be more competitive than ever in this series. We will continue to build on that next year."

Highlights from the Indy Racing Northern Light Series Awards Ceremony will be televised from 5 to 6 p.m. (EST) Nov. 14 on ESPN2.

Text Provided By Heather Handley

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