Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
If it was supposed to be a whole new ballgame for Indy Racing League teams and their new cars at Phoenix International Raceway this year, Roberto Guerrero wants to know why he's seeing the same old score.
"I don't know what everybody is talking about that is so different," said the veteran driver, looking ahead to Sunday's Phoenix 200 (3 p.m., Channel 13) on a challenging track known as the World's Fastest One Mile Oval.
PIR won't be able to make the claim very much longer, as the IRL's new nonturbocharged cars are significantly slower than the state-of-the-art machines being used in the established Championship Auto Racing Teams series.
But Guerrero, who captured the first of his four career CART victories at Phoenix in 1987 starting from the rear of the field, said the new cars (designed to lower costs and make Indy-car racing more affordable) present the same challenges as the old ones, at least at Phoenix.
"To do a really good lap at Phoenix you have to go pretty much wide open through turns 3 and 4, which is the same way that it was last year," said the 1992 Indy 500 polesitter. "You have the same problem that you always have, which is a push in turn 2. The trick is getting rid of that push without making the car loose in 3 and 4.
"It's exactly the same. Every single car I've driven there has been the same and has the same challenges. There is a little more room in the cockpit, but that also makes very little difference. You have a seat that is made for you and the pedals are still where you want them, so that's about it."
Guerrero will drive the Pagan Racing Pennzoil Dallara powered by a Nissan Infiniti engine that has been late arriving to many of its teams. Only five of the 23 entrants at Phoenix will drive Infiniti-powered cars.
Luckily for Henderson resident Sam Schmidt, who will be trying to qualify for his first IRL race this weekend, there seem to be enough Oldsmobile-Aurora engines to go around. Schmidt has been assigned to the second Blueprint Racing Dallara-Aurora as teammate to Jim Guthrie.
"I think we've pretty much set a goal where we'd be ecstatic if we were in the top 15 in practice and qualifying," said Schmidt, who topped out at 167 mph in recent open testing at PIR. "If we're going to get a sponsor, we need to finish the race and give them the most possible exposure."
Veteran driver Scott Sharp had the fastest speed in testing, clicking off a lap of 170.777 mph in the Conseco/AJ Foyt G Force-Aurora.
The Phoenix 200 is round 4 of the 10-race 1996-97 IRL season that began at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last September and will conclude here in October. It will be the second race featuring the new IRL cars, Eddie Cheever having inherited a win from Tony Stewart in the rain-shortened 1997 opener at Walt Disney World.
Backmarkers
While Las Vegas Motor Speedway received rave reviews from the Winston Cup and Busch Series drivers who contested last Sunday's Las Vegas 300, the new Texas Motor Speedway has been under attack from many of NASCAR's top stars. Said Dale Earnhardt in reference to TMS' narrow turn 4 and pit lane: "With this configuration of a race track, I don't want to run here but once (a year)." TMS will host the Interstate Batteries 500 Winston Cup event April 6. ... Last Sunday's Las Vegas 300 on TNN set a NASCAR Busch Series record for viewership. The telecast delivered a 2.8 cable rating and 1,905,000 households, breaking the old marks of 2.6 and 1,419,000 established in 1992. ... Marlboro-Penske's Paul Tracy posted the fastest speed (184 mph) during CART's two-day test at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway this week. ... Big Al, Little Al and Mini Al -- Al Unser Sr., Al Unser Jr. and Junior's son, Al -- will be guests on ABC's Home Improvement Tuesday. ... The L&R Motorsports NASCAR Craftsman Truck Ford driven by Lance Norick sported its new black-and-orange National Hockey League livery at Homestead, Fla., last weekend. The truck features the NHL's "Coolest Game on Earth" logo in additional to the NHL crest. ... Former NBA all-star Brad Daugherty became a winning NASCAR car owner at Homestead, where his rookie driver Kenny Irwin Jr. captured the Florida Dodge Dealers 400 Craftsman Truck event. Daugherty, a long-time NASCAR enthusiast, is co-owner of Irwin's Raybestos Liberty Racing Ford. ...
True story: Winston Cup veteran Morgan Shepherd picked up his first car -- a 1937 Chevy Coach -- for $12.50, two flying squirrels, a gray squirrel and a .20-gauge shotgun. ... Four-time AMA Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath returned to victory circle at the Minneapolis Metrodome last weekend. It was his first victory since leaving Honda for Suzuki during the off-season. ... Las Vegan Wayne Jacks is among the entrants for Sunday's Altamont 200 NASCAR Winston West event at Altamont, Calif. ... Legendary drivers Parnelli Jones, Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser and Bobby Unser have formed the IndyLegends Driving School, billed as a fantasy camp for driving enthusiasts. Call (714) 768-2942 for details. ... Andy Evans, chairman of Professional SportsCar Racing (formerly IMSA) which will move its headquarters to Las Vegas next season, said he will sell his Team Scandia operation to prevent a perceived conflict of interest. ... Robby Gordon tested the Team Sabco Indy Racing League car at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week, reaching speeds of 215 mph. Gordon plans to compete in the May 25 Indy 500 as well as the Winston Cup World 600 at Charlotte on the same day. ... No change in the condition of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver John Nemechek. He remains in a coma in very critical condition after slamming the wall at Homestead, Fla., last Sunday. Donations to help defray the costs of Nemechek's medical bills can be sent to the John Nemechek Trust Fund, Community Bank of Homestead, 28801 S.W. 157th Ave., Homestead, Fla., 33033. ... Jason Jarrett, son of Winston Cup superstar Dale Jarrett, will make his Busch Series debut next Saturday at Hickory, N.C., on the same track where his father and uncle (Ned Jarrett) had their NASCAR baptisms.
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