IRL: Eddie Cheever Thursday Texas practice

Second session practice and pole qualifying for the Casino Magic 500 has been postponed until Friday to allow competitors and Indy Racing Northern Light Series officials to examine engineering data derived during the opening practice session. Similar accidents (involving the G-Force machines of Davey Hamilton and Jimmy Kite) in Turn 4 during practice prompted examinations of right rear suspension components in all Indy Racing chassis. #51 Excite@Home driver Eddie Cheever Jr. posted the eighth fastest lap in his Infiniti-powered Dallara during the first practice session, which was shortened as a result of Davey Hamilton's accident.

Cheever (on the day): "It was a very short session, but the #51 Excite@Home car runs well over the bumps. All we have to do now is take drag out of the car. The character of the track has changed since last year and it has a whole bunch of new nuances to it. The track is a lot bumpier than it was before, but it's nothing to worry or panic about."

(On the postponement of qualifying): "I don't run a G-Force, so I don't really have a problem. The #51 Excite@Home Dallara is okay over the bump - it's no worse than the bump at Charlotte. It's just part of the track. Still, if there's something wrong with the G-Force, then they should stop and fix it. It's just a real pity for the public."