Pennzoil Pagan Racing Preview: Guerrero Ready for Pennzoil 200
13 August 1997
Guerrero Ready for Pennzoil 200 at Loudon When the Indy Racing League (IRL) visits New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend for the Pennzoil 200, it will mark the first race since the 1997 Indianapolis 500 held at a track already familiar to IRL competitors. That is welcome news to Pennzoil Pagan driver Roberto Guerrero, who likes the traditional New England oval known as the "Magic Mile." Guerrero, currently ninth in IRL points, is coming off his strongest performance of the year at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The veteran driver qualified seventh and led 25 laps before being sidelined by an incident on lap 141. Guerrero on... ...returning to New Hampshire International Speedway: "I like it a lot. I'm actually looking forward to going to a place where we don't just run wide-open. At New Hampshire, you have to lift, you have to brake and then you have to feed the power back in. There is a lot more finesse to this race track. It's one of the very few pure ovals we race on. "It's nice to be going back to a race track that we're familiar with. Just to know the surroundings and what to expect make a big difference. Little things, like not knowing how to get to the race track -- they add up at a new track and can wear on you. This takes a lot of the mystery out of it." ...chassis set-up versus horsepower at New Hampshire: "Horsepower is important everywhere, but I think set-up may be more important at this track. Here you drop a lot more RPM in the corners than other places, so you still need the power to get out and down the long straightaways. But, if I can get the Pennzoil car working well, it can be a big advantage." ...gaining confidence from two consecutive strong performances: "Based on our last two races, we now know we are in a position to run up front everywhere we go. When you are running up front consistently, that is when you get the breaks and then you get the win. We've proven we're a front-runner and I like this track. I'm pumped. I'm very excited about this weekend." Guerrero's IRL Record at New Hampshire Event S F LC TL Status Winnings True Value 200 18 6 196 200 Running $57,000 (Aug. 18, 1996) For More Information Contact: Al Larsen Cohn & Wolfe 404-880-5267 al_larsen@cohnwolfe.com