Senate Bill 2658
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 (NP) SR 2658
By Senator Webster
12-1859-99 See HR
1 Senate Resolution No.
2 A resolution recognizing April 27, 1999, as
3 Eddie Cheever Day.
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5 WHEREAS, the sport of auto racing is one of the world's
6 most popular spectator sports and is the fastest growing
7 spectator sport in the United States, and
8 WHEREAS, Florida is fortunate to be the home of several
9 renowned speedways, such as Daytona, Orlando, Sebring, and
10 Homestead, as well as numerous short tracks throughout the
11 state, and
12 WHEREAS, the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is known as the
13 greatest spectacle in auto racing and, since its inception in
14 1911, has clearly been recognized as the most prestigious
15 event in the history of the sport, and
16 WHEREAS, the largest crowd at any sporting event in the
17 world in 1998 gathered at Indianapolis to watch the 82nd
18 running of the Indianapolis 500, and
19 WHEREAS, the 1998 Indianapolis 500 was won by Eddie
20 Cheever, a resident of Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida, and
21 WHEREAS, this year, the 1999 Indianapolis 200 at the
22 Walt Disney World Speedway in Lake Buena Vista was also won by
23 Eddie Cheever, and
24 WHEREAS, introduced to racing at an early age, Eddie
25 Cheever had, by the age of twenty, already driven go-karts,
26 Formula Fords, Formula Three cars, Formula Two cars, and
27 Formula One cars, and
28 WHEREAS, Eddie Cheever drove Formula One cars for 12
29 years with numerous podium finishes to his credit before
30 coming to America to begin racing Indy cars in 1990, and
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 (NP) SR 2658
12-1859-99 See HR
1 WHEREAS, after 26 years of racing throughout Europe and
2 the United States, Eddie Cheever needed a new challenge, and
3 WHEREAS, in 1996, with the formation of the Indy Racing
4 League, Cheever decided it was time to take the next step to
5 further his racing career and became the Indy Racing League's
6 first owner/driver, and
7 WHEREAS, Eddie Cheever formed the Team Cheever racing
8 team and based it in Indianapolis, the heart of Indy racing,
9 and
10 WHEREAS, at the beginning of the 1998 season, Cheever
11 established a partnership with Clyde Perlee, publisher and
12 editor-in-chief of West Publishing for 25 years, who brought a
13 strong sense of business strategy and organization to the
14 Cheever racing team, and
15 WHEREAS, in its brief three-year Indy Racing League
16 history, Team Cheever has won the 1999 Indy 200, the 1998 Indy
17 500, and the 1997 Indy 200, and garnered the Rookie of the
18 Year title at the 1997 Indy 500 with Jeff Ward and Rookie of
19 the Year honors for the 1998 Indy Racing League season with
20 Robby Unser, and
21 WHEREAS, with the 1998 Indianapolis win, Eddie Cheever
22 became the first owner/driver to win the Indy 500 since A.J.
23 Foyt won in 1977, and
24 WHEREAS, Team Cheever has an overall team record of
25 eight Top Five finishes and thirteen Top Ten finishes in 3l
26 starts, and
27 WHEREAS, Eddie Cheever has become one of the first bona
28 fide marquee stars in the Indy Racing League, and
29 WHEREAS, it is fitting and appropriate that the Florida
30 Senate recognize Eddie Cheever for his numerous
31 accomplishments in the sport of auto racing, NOW, THEREFORE,
2
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 1999 (NP) SR 2658
12-1859-99 See HR
1 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
2
3 That the Senate of the State of Florida recognizes
4 April 27, 1999, as Eddie Cheever Day in Florida, in honor of
5 Eddie Cheever, winner of the 1998 Indy 500 and two-time winner
6 of the Indy 200, for his many accomplishments in the sport of
7 auto racing.
8 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution,
9 with the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to Eddie
10 Cheever as a tangible token of the sentiments of the Florida
11 Senate.
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