Pennzoil Pagan Race Report: Roberto Guerrero at the Indy 500
27 May 1997
Guerrero's Day Ends Early at Indy Pennzoil Pagan driver Roberto Guerrero's day ended early at the Indianapolis 500 on Tuesday following a chain reaction mishap on lap 23. Guerrero, who was 14th at the time, sustained damage to the nose and right front of his Pennzoil Dallara after the incident that also involved the machines of Steve Kinser, Eliseo Salazar and Mark Dismore. Guerrero started the race in 19th position and had moved to 14th prior to the rain delay Monday, which forced the final 185 laps to be completed Tuesday. The Pagan Racing team slaved over the car for 75 minutes in an attempt to return Guerrero to action. But after repairs were made and he returned to the 2.5 mile oval, they found the car to be damaged beyond repair and parked it after one lap. Guerrero finished his 13th trip to Indianapolis in 27th position. "I don't really know what happened. It was just a chain reaction, and unfortunately it sidelined us," said Guerrero. "The team worked very hard to try to get the car back out there, but it was too badly damaged. What we need to do now is start focusing on Texas." The Pennzoil Pagan team will now travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for the True Value 500k on June 7, under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway. For more information Contact: Al Larsen Cohn & Wolfe (404) 880-5267 al_larsen@cohnwolfe.com