Chevrolet might need to move quickly with its possible Cosworth engine program to keep two-time Indy Racing League champion Sam Hornish Jr. in its camp for the 2004 season and beyond. Hornish, whose three-year contract with Panther Racing expires at season’s end, said his future will be shaped in August. “I’ll know soon, but no sooner than the beginning of August and no longer than the end of August,” he said before Saturday’s SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. That’s a window that coincides with a possible Cosworth debut in an IRL race. Chevy tested the engine June 19 at Chicagoland Speedway but has not applied to the IRL for a change (due to its relative lack of power against the Toyotas and Hondas). Chevy officials aren’t saying what their plans are, much less what their time schedule might be. Some competitors believe a Cosworth engine or two could race by the end of July, but they doubt enough can be prepared for all five Chevy teams by the end of the season. IRL officials have said it’s an all-or-nothing move for Chevy. Hornish said he knows the parameters of Panther’s contract extension offer. Team co-owner John Barnes can’t predict if it will be enough to keep Hornish from jumping to a Toyota or Honda team — or even a NASCAR team — and he’s not fretting over it, either. “Sam knows what this team is about and if he wants to stay, he’ll stay,” Barnes said. “If he doesn’t, that’s fine, we’ll move on. But at this point, we can’t worry about it.”( Indianapolis Star )(6-30-2003)
