Stephan Gregoire aiming to return to Indy

The list of part time getting close to deals for the 2007 Indianapolis 500 continues to grow. Stephan Gregoire, Shane Lewis, and PJ Chesson are all working with potential sponsors and teams, hoping to finalize their deals in the near future.

Chesson is watching the action in St. Petersburg this weekend where he said things were going in a 'positive direction' for an Indy 500 ride. At one time, he thought he had sponsorship for the entire 2007 season, but that deal fell apart at the last minute. “But, I'm not going away,” said Chesson who was collected by his team-mate on the second lap last year to finish 33rd. “I'm going to keep working on it.”

Gregoire has seven Indy 500 starts with a best finish of eighth in 2000. Seen recently at IndyCar Series events giving rides to VIP's in the two-seater, Gregoire said his Indy plans are 'getting closer' to fruition.

Lewis is a sports car veteran that ran his first high speed oval last weekend in the IndyPro Series at Homestead-Miami. After running a solid race, he was knocked out be debris the Pablo Perez accident and finished in 20th position. He is working with the Michael Crawford IPS team in hopes making his rookie debut at the Speedway. Should the budget come together, Crawford will acquire a Panoz chassis from either Rahal Letterman or Ganassi Racing who are now campaigning Dallaras.

Neither Chesson nor Gregoire could speak on their likely team affiliations, with finding the sponsorship their first priority. An Indy only program reportedly requires anywhere from $200,000 to $1,000,000 with the practice time and preparedness being the main arbiter of cost. The Honda engine lease itself is around $100,000 in total cost, with used Panoz running from $80,000 to $120,000.

ORS / CAPSIS International