IRL: Cheever wraps-up testing at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001 - Eddie Cheever Jr. completed 147 of a scheduled 200 laps in a 500-mile simulation Nov. 1 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Cheever Indy Racing conducted a simulation of the Indianapolis 500, complete with pit stops and caution periods, in preparation for the 86th Indianapolis 500 on May 26, 2002.

"We were leading with 40 laps to go, and the electronics failed," Cheever said.

Cheever, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 winner, turned a fast lap of 218.503 mph with a race-day setup on his #51 Cheever Indy Racing Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone. Conditions were not ideal as a southwest wind of 22 mph was present most of the day. Sam Hornish Jr. had the fastest lap of the 2001 race with a 219.830-mph lap.

"We've now done two Indy 500 simulations, which will really help us for next year," Cheever said. "We worked on fuel economy a lot when we were here. We still have a lot of work to do, but we know what direction to go in now.

"Winning this race is about having a good, fast, consistent car. That sounds easy, but it isn't. You can have a very fast car for one bit of the race and a very slow car for another, or a car very bad in traffic. So you've got to be able to compromise."

Overall, Cheever was pleased with the three-day test.

"This is where we should have been at the beginning of the season, unfortunately the (Infiniti) 35A came out so late," Cheever said. "The Infiniti engine is very strong and will only get stronger."

-IRNLS/IMS-