Cheever Racing

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Team Cheever's 2002 Dallara IR-02 on display at Hangar-7 in 2019. Austria190626 002 (48190416852).jpg
Team Cheever's 2002 Dallara IR-02 on display at Hangar-7 in 2019.
Patrick Carpentier driving for Cheever Racing at Twin Ring Motegi in 2005. Patrick Carpentier Red Bull 83.jpg
Patrick Carpentier driving for Cheever Racing at Twin Ring Motegi in 2005.

Cheever Racing was an auto racing team founded in 1996 by Eddie Cheever as Team Cheever in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. They fielded a car for Cheever for much of its existence, but occasionally ran two cars, almost always for the Indianapolis 500. The team won the 1998 Indianapolis 500 with Cheever driving and then switched to Infiniti engines and gained sponsorship from Excite for 2000. The team continued to be moderately successful and gained Infiniti's first series win. When Infiniti left the series in 2003 the team, which by then was sponsored by Red Bull switched to Chevrolet engines and then switched to Toyota in 2005, after Chevrolet's departure. Despite some of the most talented drivers in the league, a long string of bad luck and underpowered engines rendered the team little more than mid-pack. With no sponsor for the 2006 season, Eddie decided to trim the team to a single car and return to the cockpit as both a cost-cutting move and to seize the opportunity to return to racing before he felt he got too old to be competitive. Cheever only committed to drive until the Indianapolis 500 but continued until the 8th race of the season. The IRL operation shut down after the Kansas Speedway race when it could not find a sponsor or pay driver to continue.

Contents

Cheever Racing's Coyote-Pontiac Grand-Am car at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2008. Cheever Racing Coyote Pontiac.JPG
Cheever Racing's Coyote-Pontiac Grand-Am car at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2008.

Cheever Racing also ran a Daytona Prototype car in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. In 2007 Cheever purchased the intellectual property rights to the Fabcar chassis and has renewed its development and begun offering the chassis to other teams in the series. [1] The car was subsequently renamed the Coyote chassis, in tribute to the racing cars built in the 1970s by A. J. Foyt Enterprises. [2] Cheever Racing did not field any entries for the 2009 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

In 2006, Cheever also founded an Indy Pro Series team. In 2006, its car was driven by Chris Festa. Their driver for the 2007 season was Richard Antinucci, Eddie's nephew; Antinucci captured two wins on a part-time schedule.

Drivers who have driven for Cheever

IRL IndyCar Series

Indy Pro Series

Grand Am

Racing results

Complete IRL IndyCar Series results

(key)

YearChassisEngineTyresDriversNo.1234567891011121314151617Pts PosPos
1996–1997 NHA LSV WDW PHX INDY TXS PPIR CLT NHA2 LSV2
Lola T95/00 Menard V6 t G Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 5115253rd230
G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 112236469*21
Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Ward 52330th69
1998 WDW PHX INDY TXS NHA DOV CLT PPIR ATL TXS LSV
Dallara IR8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 G Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 5124101*2691620832559th222
Flag of the United States.svg Robby Unser 521116th176
G-Force GF01B59111216216
1999 WDWPHXCLT INDY TXSPPIRATLDOVPPIRLSVTXS
Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 G Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 51117C 1 7th222
Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 1816462111174
Oldsmobile Aurora V8 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Wim Eyckmans 522345th7
2000 WDWPHXLSV INDY TXSPPIRATLKTYTXS
Riley & Scott Mk VII Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 513103rd257
Dallara IR-00115912142
Flag of the United States.svg Ross Cheever 52DNQNC
2001 PHXHMSATL INDY TXSPPIRRIRKANNSHKTYGATCHITXS
Dallara IR-01 Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 511992426126131*152143188th261
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Scott Goodyear 523248th1
2002 HMSPHXFONNAZ INDY TXSPPIRRIRKANNSH MCH KTYGATCHITXS
Dallara IR-02 Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 5125152075198141662211105810th280
Flag of South Africa.svg Tomas Scheckter 52624242126*17*16415*131*22Wth14th210
Flag of the United States.svg Buddy Rice 49622nd140
53212
Flag of Italy.svg Max Papis 2343rd16
Flag of the United States.svg Robby McGehee 1321st142
2003 HMSPHXMOT INDY TXSPPIRRIRKANNSHMCHGATKTYNAZCHIFONTXS
Dallara IR-03 Chevrolet Indy V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Buddy Rice 521691311149919181114111016th229
Flag of the United States.svg Alex Barron 7102017th216
2004 HMSPHXMOT INDY TXSRIRKANNSHMILMCHKTYPPIRNAZCHIFONTXS
Dallara IR-04 Chevrolet Indy V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Alex Barron 511641212322101771111101212181412th310
Flag of the United States.svg Ed Carpenter 52121922312116142211148112011122116th245
2005 HMSPHXSTPMOT INDY TXSRIRKANNSHMILMCHKTYPPIRSNMCHIWGLFON
Dallara IR-05 Toyota Indy V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Alex Barron 518131019131461315811418321171411th329
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Patrick Carpentier 83798132116314379121049101510th376
2006 HMS STP MOT INDY WGLTXSRIRKANNSHMILMCHKTYSNMCHI
Dallara IR-05 Honda HI6R V8 F Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever 511011131717141419th114
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomáš Enge 1932nd12
Flag of Italy.svg Max Papis 521427th16
  1. ^ The 1999 VisionAire 500K at Charlotte was cancelled after 79 laps due to spectator fatalities.

Complete Indy Pro Series results

(key)

YearCarDriversNo.12345678910111213141516D.C.Points
2006 Dallara-Nissan HMS STP INDY WGL IMS NSH MIL KTY SNM CHI
Flag of the United States.svg Chris Festa 511668414159Wth858th205
2007 Dallara-Nissan HMS STP INDY MIL IMS IOW WGL NSH MOH KTY SNM CHI
Flag of the United States.svg Richard Antinucci 511915968512115th273

IndyCar wins

#SeasonDateSanctionTrack / RaceNo.Winning DriverChassisEngineTireGridLaps Led
1 1996-97 January 25 IRL Walt Disney World Speedway (O)51 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 Goodyear 54
2 1998 May 24IRL Indianapolis 500 (O)51 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever (2) Dallara IR8Oldsmobile Aurora V8Goodyear1776
3 1999 January 24IRL Walt Disney World Speedway (O)51 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever (3)Dallara IR9Oldsmobile Aurora V8Goodyear1340
4 2000 June 18IRL Pikes Peak International Raceway (O)51 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever (4)Dallara IR-00 Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 Firestone 1039
5 2001 July 8IRL Kansas Speedway (O)51 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Cheever (5)Dallara IR-01Infiniti VRH35ADE V8Firestone2104
6 2002 July 28IRL Michigan International Speedway (O)52 Flag of South Africa.svg Tomas Scheckter (R)Dallara IR-02Infiniti VRH35ADE V8FirestonePole122

References

  1. Braun, Travis. Cheever Racing to Offer Fabcar Chassis to Others Archived 2011-09-26 at the Wayback Machine , AutoWeek, September 19, 2007
  2. Cheever Group Revives A.J. Foyt's Coyote Chassis Brand Archived December 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , A.J. Foyt Racing News Releases, January 3, 2008