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Eddie Cheever Jr. slumped in a chair Friday and tried to explain the media circus he got drawn into last week following contact with 19-year-old rookie Marco Andretti.

 

Cheever called it unnecessary.

 

"I wasted two days on that," he said. "I was negotiating with GEICO (about a race sponsorship) on one phone while the other (phone) was ringing with people wanting me to talk about (Andretti). 

 

"Was it really worth that?"

 

Cheever understood the intensity that came from the Andretti family. They have been jabbing for years, but not just because he and Mario Andretti made contact during the 1992 Long Beach (Calif.) Grand Prix. He said the elder Andretti circulated a petition to get him thrown out of CART.

 

"(Team owner Chip) Ganassi told him what he could do with his piece of paper," Cheever said.