ENGINE TROUBLES; What does Chevy leaving the IRL mean?(Motorsports)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

The Indy Racing League went through its 2004 season with relatively few engine troubles. Series champion Tony Kanaan completed all 3305 laps. All but one of the league's 22 cars finished the punishing 400-mile race at Michigan.

But now there's smoke coming from those engines. Early in November, General Motors announced its plan to withdraw its Chevrolets from the IRL following the 2005 season, and there is speculation Toyota, which is now investing heavily in NASCAR, might follow GM out in 2006. No other auto manufacturers have publicly confirmed their interest in joining the series.

So league decision-makers are facing a crucial six months. Their engine specifications are set only through the 2006 season, which means an answer about 2007 needs to be given to the manufacturers by May 2005 so there is enough lead time to prepare. The IRL's decision is straight-forward yet complex: Stick with the rules, modify them slightly or return to limiting participants to those manufacturers that have a dual-overhead-cam V8 engine in their passenger-car line.

GM officials have stated their desire to see the latter, suggesting it might be enough to bring Chevy back to the series. Toyota might be interested in such a change, too, though no decision has been made. There is no questioning Honda's preference.

"We've told [the IRL] early on that we're not interested in that, and nothing has changed,'' said Robert Clarke, vice president and general manager of Honda Performance Development. (Honda does not have an overhead-cam V8 in its passenger-car lineup, or any V8, for that matter.)

Before anyone gets carried away with possible changes, Brian Barnhart, IRL senior vice president of operations, is mindful that switching is not easy: There are steep costs involved, plus uncertainties regarding reliability.