IndyCar
IRL: Robby McGehee Auctions Car
Robby McGehee, driver of the ...
Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 5:47 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Robby McGehee, driver of the #55 Energizer Motorsports entry on the Pep Boys Indy Racing League circuit, today announced that his primary car from the 1999 season -- nicknamed "Ernie" -- has been posted for sale on the Internet trading site hosted by E-bay.
The team reached the decision to sell the car following several recent Internet sales of racing-related items, including IRL driver Jeff Ward's Yahoo-sponsored entry just this past week.
"There seems to be a lot of interest in racing collectibles that feature visible and popular sponsors," said McGehee, "and our car, with the Energizer graphics, certainly falls into that category."
"Ernie" features a unique and illustrious history, as well. It was a brand new 1997 Dallara chassis when originally purchased by A.J. Foyt. Foyt sold it to Greg Ray for his rookie IRL effort in 1998, when Ray qualified on the front row at the Indy 500, and narrowly lost a thrilling shootout for the victory at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks later.
This year, McGehee piloted the car to a fifth-place finish at Indy -- where he was named the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year -- and led 17 laps at the "Monster Mile" in Dover as an IRL rookie.
"We talked about selling 'Bert' -- our backup car -- but felt that 'Ernie' offered greater historical value to collectors," said the 26-year-old McGehee, runner-up in the season-long Sprint PCS Rookie of the Year battle for 1999. "In only three years, this car has been owned by A.J. Foyt, who is arguably the greatest racer of all time; Greg Ray, this year's Indy Racing League champion; and the 1999 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. That's pretty amazing when you think about it."
Black in color and sporting the number 55, "Ernie" prominently features the bright red and yellow graphics and logo of Energizer, as well as a large pink Energizer Bunny on each side of the engine cowling. While the exact mileage is not documented all the way back to 1997, McGehee is certain that it is well below 20,000 miles.
"You could call it the equivalent of highway mileage, driving at high speeds for long stretches," noted McGehee, "so I guess that would ma it a real cream puff."
Those interested in bidding for "Ernie" may do so on the E-bay website at http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=184675094.
The minimum bid is $150,000, and the car is offered for sale until October 31.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article CHAMPCAR/CART: FedEx Championship Series Happenings, 10/20/99
Next article CHAMPCAR/CART: Wally Dallenbach Interview 1999-10-21
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Jeff Ward
Third annual Global Rallycross Washington DC returns to RFK Stadium July 29-30
Global Rallycross
Global Rallycross
Washington, DC
Third annual Global Rallycross Washington DC returns to RFK Stadium July 29-30
Two-wheeled superstar makes a splash at Daytona
Global Rallycross
Global Rallycross
GRC: Daytona
Two-wheeled superstar makes a splash at Daytona
Eriksson dominates second Daytona final
Global Rallycross
Global Rallycross
GRC: Daytona
Eriksson dominates second Daytona final
Latest news
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Phoenix II
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
32 min
Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after 2026 Phoenix II
Kyle Larson reacts as points lead completely vanishes in costly Phoenix wreck
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
50 min
Kyle Larson reacts as points lead completely vanishes in costly Phoenix wreck
Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup Phoenix II
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup Phoenix II
Tyler Reddick wins Phoenix NASCAR Cup thriller as Kyle Larson crashes
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
1 h
Tyler Reddick wins Phoenix NASCAR Cup thriller as Kyle Larson crashes
Feature
Discover prime content
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe