Cheever finding success with new Nissan Infinity engine

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Although so much has gone according to plan for Eddie Cheever, there's no guarantee he'll get to finish what he started.

The only owner-driver in the Indy Racing League has proven that his Nissan Infiniti engine can win. To go from winner to his goal of being the champion will take more than sheer speed, however.

With four races remaining, Cheever is eighth in the standings. But moving up might be a secondary concern for the 1998 Indianapolis 500 champion, racing for the last two months without a sponsor.

"The fact that we are not sponsored is not good," Cheever said. "It is not going to affect our championship, but it is not good.

"There's only so far our company would go. I'd say finishing the season is about the length of what we want to do right now."

Interest in sponsorship has picked up since a victory July 8 at Kansas Motor Speedway, and the man who describes himself as the "senior member" of his racing team knows exactly what he has to do to make his sleek Dallara a worthwhile traveling billboard for somebody's product.

"Win races. I have to win races," he said.

Convinced in 1999 that the Infiniti engine was the future of the series dominated since its inception by the Oldsmobile Aurora, Cheever took a chance on becoming Nissan's point man - and only customer in the IRL. Now, Robbie Buhl also races with Infiniti power.

When things go well with the racing package, Cheever is right near the front. His worst finish this season was ninth in April, in Homestead, Fla. But mechanical problems or crashes have put out of three of nine races.

Cheever is convinced that the Infiniti will win an IRL championship, and hopes he's the driver who takes the celebratory lap. But as an owner-driver, there are other concerns.

"We mortgaged the farm on this," he said. "If this failed, I would be out selling ice cream cones right now."

The need to cut costs originally led him to Nissan for the chance to work directly with the manufacturer. Even though Cheever gave Infiniti its first victory last year, he found himself working almost as hard at convincing Nissan that it not only could compete in the IRL, but win.

The company went through several program managers before luring Bernard Dudot away from Renault to handle its IRL effort. That was good news for Cheever.

"Now they're behind it 100 percent," he said. "It's the most competitive we have been at the midway point of the season."

But to turn potential into big-points results means being careful yet combative on the race track. IRL points leader Sam Hornish Jr. can appreciate Cheever's predicament.

"I know that in the position he's in, he's not going to try to take himself out to hurt my chances of winning the points, and I'm not going to try to take him out," Hornish said.

The 22-year-old driver enjoys the give and take with Cheever, which began last year with a few hand signals that didn't mean hello. But there's a mutual respect between them.

"He's going to race me hard, but he's going to do it fair," Hornish said.

Still, Cheever is fiercely competitive, perhaps belying his quickly graying hair and 43 years. And it doesn't matter if he's in a points race or one that pays off mostly in prestige.

The man who also has raced in Formula One and CART bumped Dale Earnhardt while trying to pass six months ago in an IROC race. Cheever pushed The Intimidator all the way to the bottom of the first turn in Daytona, sending his car into the grass just two days before the seven-time NASCAR champion's death in the season-opening 500.

Earnhardt responded by sending Cheever's car spinning on the cooldown lap. Then, Earnhardt marched with an angry look down pit road to see him, and an embarrassed Cheever admitted he made a mistake.

"This is his sandbox," he said of Daytona, where Earnhardt won a record 34 races.

Cheever also took the blame Sunday for starting a six-car crash during the Harrah's Indy 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

He was running fifth midway through the race when he passed Greg Ray but caught his left rear wheel against Ray's car.

Cheever knows the risk of close racing at such speeds but gives no hint anything will change.

"I like pitting myself against someone," he said. "I love going into the corner two abreast at 200 mph.

"It's like playing chess. I like to say, `OK, it's your move now. What are you going to do?' "