IRL: Pikes Peak: Cheever Racing race notes

Cheever finishes eighth as both Red Bull Cheever Racing cars take checkered at Pikes Peak.

Eddie Cheever Jr. took the checkered flag in eighth place at Pikes Peak International Raceway, in a race that was stopped on lap 34 for 51 minutes due to rain and hail. Tomas Scheckter finished 16th, marking the first time this season that both Red Bull Cheever Racing cars were running at the finish of a race.

The Radisson Indy 225 was the third time this season that Cheever finished eighth or better. His best finish was fifth at the Indy 500. Cheever is currently 12th in the driver point standings.

Tomas Scheckter struggled with a lack of grip for the entire race, dropping back from his ninth-place starting position to finish 16th. It was the second finish of the season for Scheckter, who finished sixth at the season opener in Miami. Scheckter is currently 17th in the driver point standings.

Eddie Cheever Jr. on Race
"That was a long race. We have to be pleased to be leaving Pikes Peak with no crashed cars in our transporters. It will give us more time to be better prepared for Richmond. The car was fast for about 20 laps on a new set of tires, but I couldn't maintain it all the way through. I think we could have used more downforce in the car. At least we finished, and the Infiniti engines ran well. This is the most difficult it was to drive the car all year."

Tomas Scheckter on Race
"I am just glad we brought the Red Bull Infiniti home in one piece. I was a second off the pace and it was oversteering. It was the hardest race I have ever done. I have won races with people all over me that have been easier to drive than this race. It was just hard to keep the car in a straight line. Every corner was a different episode. The last five laps seemed like 30. I learned the hard side of oval racing today. I went to Phoenix and had no problems, and I went to Nazareth and no problems. Here it was very confusing."

Race Information
Next on the Indy Racing League schedule is the Saturday night race at Richmond International Raceway on June 29. The SunTrust Indy Challenge will be televised live on ESPN.

Red Bull Cheever Racing, based in Indianapolis, is the brainchild of 1998 Indy 500 champion Eddie Cheever Jr. A leader in American motorsports, the Indy Racing League team is built on Cheever's experience in Formula One, sports cars and open-wheel oval racing. Corporate and technical partnerships with the world's leading energy drink Red Bull, Nissan North America's Infiniti Division, TWR Group, and Lincoln Financial Group greatly enhance the team's resources and technology. For more information, visit www.cheeverindyracing.com.

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