Cheever

We've reached a critical point in the brief history -- and a significant moment for the future -- of Red Bull Cheever Racing. It's a complicated decision, one that will be felt for years to come.

Which engine do we use in 2003?

All of the teams in the Indy Racing League are facing this decision -- or have made it already. Our engine manufacturer, Infiniti, has decided to end its IRL program after the 2002 season. Two other engine manufacturers -- Toyota and Honda -- will join the IRL next season to compete against Chevrolet. All three have superb engines, making the decision even more difficult.

Marlboro Team Penske has formed a partnership with Toyota. Pennzoil Panther Racing will continue to field the strong Chevy engine. We're talking with all three manufacturers, considering all the complicated issues involved, and moving carefully toward a final decision, a process many other IRL teams already have completed.

What engine manufacturer should you align yourself with? Which one would be willing to go to the same lengths that Toyota will to achieve success? Do we go with Toyota, and try to beat Roger Penske with his own weapon? Do we go with Honda, which has a great racing heritage but is relatively new to the IRL? Or do we go with Chevy, which is established and very successful in the IRL and will throw all of its weight behind the effort to beat Toyota and Honda?

The engine choice is going to be the hardest of all our decisions during the offseason. In fact, ever since Nissan announced it would end its Infiniti program at the end of this season, we have been carefully surveying the situation and weighing our options.

It's not only an engine we are looking for, but also a technical partnership with a manufacturer. It's no longer a question, as it used to be, of having a little bit better engine. Aerodynamics are very important. How the engine fits into the car and everything works together is an integral part of speed. The technical backing of Honda or Toyota or General Motors plays a very important role in how well that engine works.

Our choice, though, is more complicated than the one faced by other teams. Our technical partner, Tom Walkinshaw Racing, is extremely pleased -- as I am -- with the performance of the Infiniti engine. TWR would like to rebadge -- find another manufacturer to put its name on the Infiniti engine -- for the 2003 season. They are negotiating with several manufacturers to rebadge the engine. If that doesn't work, we'll choose among one of the three available manufacturers.

As you can see, it's a complicated process. We're likely to be one of the last teams in the IRL to make our engine choice for '03 because of our desire to continue our technical relationship with TWR. We're running out of time, but we're confident we'll make the correct decision. Just as other teams carefully weigh the options of the three manufacturers, so do we. Our future rides on this choice. Likewise for our competitors.

As the IRL continues to grow from a promotional aspect, manufacturers will continue to put more money into it. Motorsports are driven by the engine manufacturers, and it will become even moreso when 2003 arrives. The key will be the relationship that engine manufacturers have with their teams. This is serious business to all three manufacturers. It's going to be very interesting to see how all three compete and play off each other and what formula they come up with to win races.

The teams are an integral part to their plan. You're not going to have a factory team -- for example, a Chevy team in which Chevy builds the car and hires the drivers. Chevy has to use existing teams. That's what makes the IRL a bit different from other forms of open-wheel racing. That's also what makes this decision so critical for all of us.

Can you imagine the fervor in Japan -- the world significance -- of Toyota or Honda winning the Indy 500 next May? A Japanese auto manufacturer has never won the world's most important auto race. With all three of these large and powerful companies in the Indy 500, the race becomes profound for all of them. The marketing departments of these companies are going to put their might behind publicizing and promoting their engines and their teams. All three will put everything they have into future IRL seasons. That will have a snowball effect on the success of the IRL.

Our mission now is to find the perfect partner. And sticking to that snowball.

IRL driver Eddie Cheever Jr. owns and drives the No. 51 Red Bull Cheever Racing Infiniti car. He provides a diary to ESPN.com throughout the season. Cheever's team Web site can be found at www.cheeverindyracing.com.