Cheever Goes For A Rolex
Written by George Katinger · December 3, 2005
As in Grand American Rolex Sports Car racing series. His Cheever Racing will field a Lexus powered Crawford Daytona prototype car, and will be on the grid for the Rolex 24 hours in Daytona on January 26-29.
Speedtv.com: Cheever Racing Unveils Grand-Am Program
motorsport.com: Cheever to hop into Daytona Prototype cockpit
grandamerican.com: Crown Royal Special Reserve Announces Presenting Sponsorship of Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series
The big surprise, at least for me, is that Eddie will be in the cockpit for the entire season along with co-driver Christian Fittipaldi. I guess Eddie’s 10th place finish at the F1 GP Masters race has relit the fires of competition. But at age 47, is there anything left to find behind the wheel besides self gratification? There has to be some benefit to owning your own team, putting one’s self in the driver’s seat chief among them. From his prior actions, you can be sure that if he is not performing up to snuff, Eddie will pull himself from the cockpit before season’s end.
And what of Cheever’s IRL participation next year? Or Cheever’s sponsorship for the Grand Am effort? The team did not comment on the upcoming IRL season, but Eddie had this to offer in the speedtv article:
“As a team owner the Rolex Series rules package is comforting,” Cheever stated. “I appreciate the focus on opening the series to a number of manufacturers and emphasizing controlled costs.”
Tony George, please note the “controlled costs” portion of the comment. I think it’s the end of Eddie’s IRL days, unless he can find a sponsor to fund the Grand Am team as well as the IRL season. With money so scarce, is there much chance of that happening? You tell me.
As for the Grand Am team sponsorship, Cheever Racing will wear the Crown Royal Special Reserve colors next year. Crown Royal previously sponsored the 77 Doran Ford team. Plans on their continued backing of that team were not announced.
Eddie Cheever is to be applauded, he has to be America’s version of another Eddie in international racing, one Eddie Jordan. Both are (were) privateers in a big business environment struggling to compete on marginal budgets. And both very shrewd. You can place your bets now that Eddie will field at least one, maybe two cars in the Indy 500, even if not running the IRL season schedule. After all, will Tony George make it difficult for the 1998 500 winner to run Indy this year as a non IRL team? I think not, due to the lack of teams/cars in Tony’s struggling series. Especially if Eddie brings a Lexus branded engine package with him. It may be Toyota’s way of racing in the one event with meaning in TG’s series, and beating Honda one more time where it counts!
Good luck Eddie, glad to have you racing in whatever series you choose!
How about Crown Royal Special Reserve becoming the series sponsor next year? Good news, or just more pressure on teams and driver’s to behave and walk and talk the corporate line 24/7? Probably both. Ask Kurt Busch his opinion! I’m sure you’ll get a fair balanced and unbiased take on what having a whiskey maker sponsoring your car, team and now entire series means.
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