FORT WORTH, Texas -- From 1997 through 2002, Chevrolet won 66 of 68 races and six straight Indy Racing League championships. General Motors had virtually no competition until Nissan finally found victory lane twice before bailing at the end of 2002.

But there's been a major shift in the IndyCar power structure this year, leaving Chevrolet with nothing but memories and unhappy teams.

Toyota and Honda left Championship Auto Racing Teams for Tony George's all-oval series in 2003 and have basically put the Bow Tie Brigade on the trailer.

Toyota teams led all 200 laps in Saturday night's Bombardier 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, won by Al Unser Jr., and in five races Chevy-powered drivers haven't led a lap.

Sam Hornish Jr., who won the last two IRL titles for Chevrolet, is no longer a factor because he's so under-horsepowered. His season highlight was running sixth at last month's Indianapolis 500 before his engine expired. On Saturday evening, he battled much of the 200 laps with a couple Hondas and Toyotas before being relegated to 11th at the finish.

"Our goal tonight was to finish on the lead lap but we couldn't even do that," Hornish said.

Buddy Lazier, the '96 Indy winner and 2000 IRL champ, can't see the front of the pack anymore until they come around to lap his Chevy.

"It's like peddling a bicycle uphill, all the time, and you know going into the race you have absolutely no shot," said Lazier before finishing three laps down in 14th place.

The five full-time Chevy teams (Panther, Menard, Hemelgarn, Cheever and Dryer & Reinbold) and six drivers (Hornish, Vitor Meira, Lazier, Buddy Rice, Sarah Fisher, and Robbie Buhl) tried to mask their disappointment earlier this season, saying things like, "Chevy is working hard, we'll have some new parts by May, things are going to get better."

But that party line is dead. Just like Chevy. The only sound emoting from these teams today is a cry for help.

"We need relief now. Not next year. Not in 2005. Now," said Eddie Cheever, who won Indy in '98 for Chevy before giving Nissan its initial IRL win in 2001 and now is back with GM. "General Motors is looking at every opportunity out there but they've got to show us some progress."

And here's where the story gets good.

	Hornish Jr.'s Chevy hasn't been anywhere near Victory Lane this year.

As reported last weekend on RPM.ESPN.com, General Motors has approached Cosworth about trying to revive its IRL program. Ford, which powers every engine in CART this year and is also a presenting sponsor of the Champ Car series, owns Cosworth.

"Yes, GM has talked to us but it's not a done deal yet," said Bernard Ferguson, commercial director of Cosworth Racing. "They've got a problem and we've got an engine."

Cosworth has a 3.5-liter normally-aspirated IRL engine up and running on its dynamometer because, a couple years ago, CART announced it was changing its engine specs to the IRL's.

"We're not spending 24 hours developing it and and we're not there yet but we've had it on the dyno and we think it would be competitive with the people currently competing in the IRL," Ferguson said.

A test is planned later this month for Hornish's team with a Cosworth.

Of course, the IRL still has to OK any and all changes to Chevrolet's configuration.

"We need the final drawings and then we need to know if they have the capability to supply all the Chevy teams," said IRL vice president of competition Brian Barnhart. "These things don't happen overnight.

"But Cosworth submitted engines for the IRL in 2003 and 2004 and they do appear to be the best option."

Barnhart said the IRL would have no problem with Cosworth's motor replacing Chevy's. Neither did Toyota and Honda.

"The more competition the better. Bring 'em on," said Lee White, president of Toyota Racing Development. "We need General Motors to stay in this series so we have no problem with Cosworth. We've raced them before."

Honda's Robert Clarke, whose company is in partnership with Ilmor Engineering, agreed. "We need Chevrolet to be competitive."

The only unhappy people were a few CART owners who felt their $1.3 million engine lease to Ford might somehow be funnelled to Cosworth for its IRL effort.

"We're owned by Ford but we're an individual business as well and we have to exist. We have to chase every opportunity we can," Ferguson said. "We've been the longest supporter of CART and this isn't a CART vs. IRL deal.

"We don't see any conflict whatsoever."

Roger Penske went to the IRL, Bobby Rahal and Honda reunited and now Ford might indirectly help try to save Chevrolet.

Auto racing always makes for strange bedfellows.