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Wednesday, April 25
One more stop
By Eddie Cheever Jr.
Special to ESPN.com
Atlanta Motor Speedway, like Texas Motor Speedway, is part of the Bruton Smith racing empire. And although Atlanta is fairly different from Texas, it is very similar in one respect: while it is not that exciting when you are by yourself -- even though you are going 216 mph -- it can be one of the most incredibly exciting places to drive in traffic.
|  | | Eddie Cheever Jr. is currently 12th in the IRL standings with 33 points. |
You can go two abreast if you really have to, and you can draft. Drafting is everything. If you lose your drafting partner, you're in trouble, pretty much like at Texas. All of Smith's properties that we race on have that same characteristic. They are kind of like the Indy Racing League's version of Daytona International Speedway, where you have to get in a group and work with that group.
This the first time this season that drafting really comes into play in a major way. Phoenix is different -- it's a short oval. Homestead is a longer oval, but without much banking.
Atlanta has a lot of banking that allows for high speeds. You'll see cars that are all trimmed out -- in other words, they're running with the least amount of downforce that they can. Aerodynamics, horsepower and fuel consumption become very important at Atlanta.
And you have to remember the Atlanta 500 Classic is the forerunner to the Indianapolis 500. I think last year one of the reasons the Ganassi team did so well at Indy is that they spent so little time in the pits. But it was not just because of brilliant pit work -- it was also a result of very good strategy and fuel economy. A lot of people will be working on those two elements at Atlanta in preparation for the Indy 500.
We'll be doing everything possible this weekend to learn as much as we can for Indy. Of course, they are two different tracks, and there is a lot of banking at Atlanta compared to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. However, there are many laps at Indy when you are full throttle, and in Atlanta, you're full throttle the whole time.
Actually, when you're by yourself on the track, it really isn't that hard to be full throttle. When you're in a group of 10, it's very hard to do that.
Right now we're heading into that part of the championship where engine performance plays a very important role. We're going to see who has done their work on engines and who hasn't.
Personally, in terms of Cheever Racing and the No. 51 Excite@Home team, I don't want to make a lot of changes to our Infiniti program after Atlanta, so what we have this weekend is pretty much what we will have engine-wise for the Indianapolis 500.
We have been preparing and programming for the Indy 500 for the last two months. Our focus with the new Infiniti 35A engine has not only been on producing more power, but also on reliability, fuel efficiency and aerodynamics.
There are so many factors that come into play. You need a very strong, fuel-efficient engine in a car that has very little drag. Aerodynamic drag consumes an enormous amount of energy. A car that is not efficient through the air consumes a lot of fuel and horsepower, so improving our aerodynamics is one of the things we are working on.
Basically, I'm telling everyone on the Excite@Home team to consider Atlanta part of the Indianapolis 500. This is a vital event for us. We need more power, better aerodynamics, better pit stops, better driving and more focus as we head into the month of May. Plus, if you kick everybody's ass in Atlanta, they're thinking about you more when you go to Indy.
IRL driver Eddie Cheever Jr. owns and drives the No. 51 Excite@Home Infiniti Indy car. He will be providing a diary to ESPN.com throughout the season. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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