Roberto José Guerrero Isaza (born 16 November 1958) is a

Colombian-American Colombian Americans ( es, Colomboestadounidenses), are Americans who trace their ancestry to Colombia. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of full or partial Colombian descent or to someone who has immigrated to the United St ...

former

race driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

. He participated in 29

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

Grands Prix, debuting on 23 January 1982, becoming the first Colombian to start a Formula One Grand Prix. With no championship points in Formula One and no prospects to drive for a competitive team, Guerrero left at the end of the 1983 season to race in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He had an auspicious beginning to his

Indycar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapolis ...

racing career, winning both CART and

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

rookie of the year honors in 1984. His initial promise was never completely fulfilled, winning only two CART races, both in 1987. Later the same year he had a massive accident which left him in a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...

for 17 days. Of special note were Guerrero's participations in the Indianapolis 500. He came very close to winning outright on two occasions, but bad luck always kept the victory out of his grasp. In

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

he spun off on the pace lap after having qualified on the

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

. Guerrero finished runner up twice, in the top-five five times, and held the qualifying speed record from 1992 through 1996. Guerrero was also selected to participate in the 1988

International Race of Champions International Race of Champions (IROC) was a North American auto racing competition, created by Les Richter, Roger Penske and Mike Phelps, promoted as an equivalent of an American motorsports All-Star Game. Despite its name, the IROC was primar ...

. Guerrero became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1989. He and his wife have three children and reside in

San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for "St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St. ...

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. In recent years Guerrero has returned to racing, but of a different venue. He began off-road racing at the legendary Baja 2000. He has since continued to race in

Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from six continents. The race was founded by Ed Pearl ...

events and guide tours of the Baja Peninsula with Wide Open Baja.

Early racing

Karting

Guerrero began his racing career in 1972 by competing in

kart racing Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on kart circuit, scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are als ...

. From 1972 to 1977 he won two national championships in his native

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. He also finished third in the 1975 Pan American Karting Championship.

Jim Russell Driving School

Guerrero then joined the

Jim Russell Racing School Herbert James Russell (28 May 1920 – 30 March 2019), better known as Jim Russell, was an English racing driver, garage owner and founder of the Jim Russell Racing Driver School. He died on 30 March 2019, shortly after undergoing an operation f ...

in 1977. In the school's six events Guerrero managed to win 5 of the races and finished second in the other race.

Open wheel racing

Formula car racing

British Formula Ford 1600

Guerrero began competing in British Formula Ford 1600 in

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

. He took eight wins during the season.

Formula Three

=British Formula 3

= Guerrero competed in Vandervell British Formula 3 for Angila Cars in an Argo JM3-

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

. He finished 9th in points with 15 points. Guerrero returned to the series in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

with

Argo Racing Cars Argo Racing Cars Ltd. is a British racing constructor founded by Swiss designer Jo Marquart and British mechanic Nick Jordan as part of their Anglia Cars racing team in the 1980s. The company initially constructed a variety of open-wheel cars ...

in an Argo JM6-

. During the season he scored five victories at

Thruxton Circuit The Thruxton Circuit is a motor-racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, about 30 miles north of Southampton. It has hosted motorsport events including the British Touring Car Championship, B ...

(twice),

Cadwell Park Cadwell Park is a motor racing circuit in Lincolnshire, England, south of Louth, owned and operated by MotorSport Vision, a business associated with former racing driver Jonathan Palmer. Sited on former parkland across a steep-sided valley wit ...

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

and

Oulton Park Oulton Park is a hard surfaced track used for motor racing, close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about from Winsford, from Chester city centre, from Northwich and from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection a ...

. He tied for second in points with Kenneth Acheson, each with 95 points.

=European Formula Three

= While competing in

British Formula 3 The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single seate ...

Guerrero competed in European Formula Three. He again drove for Angila Cars in an Argo JM3-

. At the end of the season he scored 2 points to finish in 25th place in the championship.

European Formula Two

In Guerrero began competing in European Formula Two for

Maurer Motorsport Maurer Motorsport is a Swiss auto racing team based in Roggwil. For over ten years the team has been a regular competitor in the ADAC Procar Series. They won the drivers title in 2005 with Mathias Schläppi in a former BTCC works MG ZS with assi ...

in a Maurer MM81- BMW. He won the Jochen Rindt Memorial Trophy at the

. His next best finishes were a pair of 4th-place finishes at the Gran Premio del Mediterraneo at

Enna-Pergusa The Autodromo di Pergusa is an automobile and motorcycle circuit that encircles the only Sicilian natural lake, Pergusa Lake. The circuit is also known as Enna-Pergusa, as the lake is located near the city of Enna. Overview During the 1960s, t ...

and the Gran Premio dell'Adriatico at the Misano Circuit and he finished 7th in the championship with 16 points.

Formula One

Guerrero began competing in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

for

Ensign Racing Ensign was a Formula One constructor from Britain. They participated in 133 grands prix, entering a total of 155 cars. Ensign scored 19 championship points and no podium finishes. The best result was a 4th place at the 1981 Brazilian Grand Pri ...

, beginning the season in a No. 14

Café de Colombia Café de Colombia () was a Colombian based professional road bicycle racing Cycling team active from 1983 to 1990. The team was sponsored by the Colombian coffee growers Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia. History The team came into ex ...

Moda Caribu Moda, MoDA or MODA may refer to: Animals * Moda, a common name of ''Potorous platyops'', the Broad-faced potoroo Geography * Moda, Kadıköy, a quarter in Kadıköy district ofIstanbul, Turkey People * Moda Fincher, a broadcaster and member of ...

Ensign N180B-

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

Cosworth DFV at the season-opening

South African Grand Prix The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard "Dick" Seaman, Richa ...

. He failed to qualify for the event due to Guerrero's

Formula Two Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name retur ...

team Maurer Motorsport and its boss Willy Maurer filing an injunction to Ensign team boss Morris Nunn and as a result Guerrero was withdrawn from the race. An official press report from Nunn stated that Guerrero was "in an inappropriate physical and mental condition to drive." Guerrero returned for the following race, the

Brazilian Grand Prix The Brazilian Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prêmio do Brasil), currently held under the name São Paulo Grand Prix ( pt, Grande Prêmio de São Paulo), is a Formula One championship race which is currently held at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace ...

, in a new Ensign N181. He again failed to qualify for the race. Guerrero qualified for the third race of the season, the

United States Grand Prix West The United States Grand Prix West was a race held at Long Beach, California, as a Formula 5000 race in 1975 and a Formula One World Championship event from 1976 to 1983 held in the same location throughout those years. History There had been a ...

, starting 19th and finished 15th after crashing 27 laps into the race. Ensign skipped the

San Marino Grand Prix The San Marino Grand Prix () was a Formula One championship race which was run at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in the town of Imola, near the Apennine mountains in Italy, between 1981 and 2006. It was named after nearby San ...

due to the

FISA–FOCA war The FISA–FOCA war was a political battle contested throughout the early 1980s by two now defunct representative organizations in Formula One motor racing, the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) and the Formula One Constructo ...

and Guerrero then failed to qualify for the

Belgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix (French language, French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German language, German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula O ...

. At the

Monaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de Monaco) is a Formula One motor racing event held annually on the Circuit de Monaco, in late May or early June. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigiou ...

Ensign's tire supplier Avon withdrew from Formula One and that left the team tireless. The team got some older tires to use for the race, but Guerrero failed to qualify.

Michelin Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...

started supplying tires to the team after Monaco and Guerrero qualified for Michelin's first race for the team, the

Detroit Grand Prix The title of Detroit Grand Prix was applied to the Formula One races held at the Detroit street circuit in Detroit, Michigan, United States of America from 1982 through 1988. History In 1982, the U.S. became the first country to host three Wo ...

, starting in a respectable 11th place. In the race Guerrero was involved in a crash 6 laps into the race and was credited with a 19th-place finish. After that, Guerrero then only failed to qualify at the

Dutch Grand Prix The Dutch Grand Prix ( nl, Grote Prijs van Nederland) is a Formula One motor racing event held at Circuit Zandvoort, North Holland, the Netherlands, from 1950 to 1985 and from 2021 onwards. It was a part of the World Championship from 1952, ...

and the

French Grand Prix The French Grand Prix (french: Grand Prix de France), formerly known as the Grand Prix de l'ACF (Automobile Club de France), is an auto race held as part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One World Championsh ...

. Guerrero scored his best finish of 1982 (and his entire Formula One career) at the

German Grand Prix The German Grand Prix (german: Großer Preis von Deutschland) was a motor race that took place most years since 1926, with 75 races having been held. The race has been held at only three venues throughout its history; the Nürburgring in R ...

with an 8th-place finish. At the season-ending

Caesars Palace Grand Prix The Caesars Palace Grand Prix was a car race held in Las Vegas between 1981 and 1984. For the first two years, the race was part of the Formula One World Championship, before becoming a round of the CART series in 1983. Nissan/Datsun was a pre ...

Guerrero qualified in 15th place. The car's engine then blew in the warm up and Guerrero missed the race. Guerrero was unranked in the championship standings due to the fact that he had scored no points. In

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

Ensign Racing merged with

Theodore Racing Theodore Racing ( zh, t=徳利賽車隊香港) was a Formula One constructor from Hong Kong founded by real estate magnate and millionaire Teddy Yip. They participated in 51 grands prix, entering a total of 64 cars. In the present day Theodor ...

and as a result Guerrero began driving the No. 33

Theodore N183-Ford Cosworth DFV. Guerrero only failed to qualify at the

and became more consistent in finishing races. Despite this Guerrero's best finishes were a pair of 12th-place finishes at the

and the

European Grand Prix The European Grand Prix (also known as the Grand Prix of Europe) was a Formula One event that was introduced during the mid-1980s and was held every year from to , except in . During these years, the European Grand Prix was held in a countr ...

. At the end of the season Guerrero again failed to score points and was as a result unranked in the championship while rookie teammate

Johnny Cecotto Johnny Alberto Cecotto Persello (born 25 January 1956), better known as Johnny Cecotto, is a Venezuelan former professional Grand Prix motorcycle racer and auto racer. He rose to prominence as a teenage prodigy in 1975 when he became the youn ...

managed to get a 6th-place finish and with it 1 point towards the championship for himself and Theodore (although Cecotto failed to qualify four times to Guerrero's single time).

Indy car racing

CART Indycar World Series

Guerrero made his Indy car debut in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

for Bignotti-Carter Racing in the No. 9

Master Mechanic Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

March 84C The March 84C is a highly successful and extremely competitive open-wheel race car, designed by Adrian Newey, and built by March Engineering, to compete in the 1984 IndyCar season. March won 10 out of the 16 races, and took 8 pole positions. Newey's ...

-Cosworth DFX with legendary chief mechanic

George Bignotti George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

serving as Guerrero's chief mechanic. The high point of Guerrero's season was a 2nd-place finish at the

where he also shared the race's rookie of the year award with

Michael Andretti Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART P ...

. Guerrero's best finishes outside of Indianapolis were a pair of 5th-place finishes at the Budweiser Cleveland Grand Prix at

Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport is a public airport on the shore of Lake Erie, in the northeast part of downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It's classified as a general aviation airport and is an FAA designated reliever to Cleveland Ho ...

and the

Michigan 500 The Firestone Indy 400 was an IndyCar Series race held at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. The event was most recently held in 2007. From 1981 to 2001, the event was better-known as the Michigan 500, and was held in high pres ...

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (MIS) is a moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than approximately south of the village of Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is ...

. Guerrero finished out the season 11th in points with 52 points, only one point out of the top ten. Guerrero won the series' rookie of the year award. In

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

Bignotti went into retirement and the team was reorganized as Team Cotter with Guerrero driving their No. 9

True Value In statistics, as opposed to its general use in mathematics, a parameter is any measured quantity of a statistical population that summarises or describes an aspect of the population, such as a mean or a standard deviation. If a population exa ...

March 85C The March 85C is an open-wheel race car, designed by Adrian Newey, and built by March Engineering, to compete in the 1985 IndyCar season. March would win 10 out of the 15 races that season, along with taking 12 pole positions. Newey's March 85C ch ...

-Cosworth DFX. Compared to the previous season 1985 was a disappointment highlighted by a 3rd-place finish at the

and a 4th at the Stroh's 300K at

Laguna Seca Raceway Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and M ...

. The season also saw Guerrero retire out of a race twice while leading, first at the

(due to gearbox issues) and then at the Molson Indy 300 at

Sanair Super Speedway Sanair Super Speedway is a motorsports park with a 0.826-mile (1.33 km) paved triangular oval race track, a quarter-mile dragstrip, a 1/3-mile oval, as well as a 0.12-mile mini-oval and 0.15-mile karting course. It also formerly had a -mile r ...

(due to Guerrero crashing). Guerrero finished the season 17th in points with 34 points. Guerrero returned with Team Cotter in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

to drive their No. 2

Emerson Electronics Emerson Radio Corporation is one of the United States' largest volume consumer electronics distributors and has a recognized trademark in continuous use since 1912. The company designs, markets, and licenses many product lines worldwide, inc ...

March 86C-Cosworth DFX (numbered 5 at Indianapolis only). Guerrero continued his streak of impressive finishes with a 4th place in the race. Guerrero also scored a pair of 2nd-place finishes, first at the Escort Radar Warnings 200 at

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...

and the Miami Indy Challenge 200 at

Tamiami Park Tamiami Park is a public urban park in metropolitan Miami, just south of the Modesto Maidique campus of Florida International University. Background The park was built in the late 1960s on the site of the former ''Tamiami Airport'', which was r ...

. In the latter Guerrero qualified on pole position and led every lap, except the final lap due to running out of fuel and handing the win to

Al Unser Jr. Alfred Unser Jr. (born April 19, 1962), nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior", or simply "Junior", is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. History Unser was born into a racing family in Albuquerque, New Mexic ...

Guerrero finished the season 9th in points with 87 points. In

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

Cotter sold the team to Vince Granatelli (son of former Indy car owner

Andy Granatelli Anthony "Andy" Granatelli (March 18, 1923 – December 29, 2013) was an American businessman, most prominent as the CEO of STP as well as a major figure in automobile racing events. Granatelli was born in Dallas, Texas. Along with his broth ...

) to form

Vince Granatelli Racing Vince Granatelli Racing was an American auto racing team that competed in the CART PPG IndyCar World Series between 1987 and 1991. The team's greatest success came in their first and final seasons, as each year, their driver (Roberto Guerrero in ...

with Guerrero driving the No. 4

STP STP may refer to: Places * São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP) * St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP) * St. Paul Downtown Air ...

March 87C-Cosworth DFX. Guerrero scored his first Indy car win at the Checker 200 at

Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. P ...

. In the race Guerrero originally qualified 3rd, but the car was declared illegal and Guerrero started 22nd (last) to charge his way up through the field to win. At the

Guerrero and Granatelli were one of the few teams to have no issues with March 87C as several teams decided to use year-old 86C models instead. In the race Guerrero qualified 5th and was viewed as among the favorites, along with pole sitter

Mario Andretti Mario Gabriele Andretti (born February 28, 1940) is an Italian-born American former racing driver. One of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsports, Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, t ...

and defending winner

Bobby Rahal Robert Woodward Rahal (born January 10, 1953) is an American former auto racing driver and team owner. As a driver he won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500. He also won the 2004 ...

. In the race Rahal retired after 57 laps due to ignition problems and Guerrero was in 2nd place to Andretti for much of the race. On the 130th lap a wheel came off of

Tony Bettenhausen Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen (September 12, 1916 – May 12, 1961) was an American racing driver, who won the National Championship in 1951 and 1958. Bettenhausen was nicknamed the "Tinley Park Express" in honor of his hometown. He was n ...

's car and it hit the nose of Guerrero's car and went flying into the grandstand and where it killed spectator Lyle Kurtenbach. On lap 177 Andretti started to have electrical troubles and Guerrero took the lead. On lap 182 Guerrero came in for his final pit stop and as he exited his pit stall the engine stalled. Third gear had been damaged earlier in the race by the Bettenhausen incident and the car began to get moving, only to stop just outside the pit lane. This caused Al Unser Sr. to take the lead and get a lap on Guerrero. Guerrero finally got going and unlapped himself on lap 191 and there was a caution on lap 192 for Andretti stopping on the track. On lap 196 the restart came out with six cars between Unser and Guerrero. Guerrero was unable to get by Unser and ended up finishing 2nd to one of the year-old March 86Cs to be pressed into race service.

Near-fatal crash and recovery

After his near-win in Indianapolis, subsequently, Guerrero scored four pole positions at the Miller American 200 in Honor of Rex Mays at the

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectator ...

, the Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 presented by Texaco at

Portland International Raceway Portland International Raceway (PIR) is a motorsport facility in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is part of the Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It lies west of the Delta Park/Vanport ...

, Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland at

, and the Escort Radar Warnings 200 at

. In the latter Guerrero scored his second (and unbeknownst at the time, last) IndyCar victory. Just days after his Mid-Ohio victory, Guerrero was testing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when he crashed and was hit by a tire off of his car. Guerrero was in a coma for seventeen days and did not compete in any more races in 1987. Guerrero finished a career-best 4th in points with 106 points, despite missing the final three races of the season. Guerrero's recovery from his near-fatal accident was documented by IndyCar Medical Director, Dr. Steve Olvey, who said in his biography, ''Rapid Response: My Inside-Story as a Motor-Racing Life-Saver'', that he saved Guerrero's life by lowering the pressure in his brain with injections of medicines that were brand-new to the medical field and were not widely practiced yet. Somehow, his treatment worked and Guerrero's recovery, which only took less than 3 months, led to him studying traumatic brain injuries as his primary focus of study.

Later career

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Guerrero returned with Vince Granatelli Racing and originally drove the No. 2

/'' Dianetics: The Evolution of a Science'' Lola T88/00-Cosworth DFX. At the season-opening Checker 200 at

Guerrero qualified and finished in 2nd place. However, the remainder of the season was mostly a disappointment, such as the

where Guerrero qualified 12th and did not even make it out of second due to being collected by Scott Brayton. The team even attempted to use a year-old March 87C at select races to no avail. Guerrero's only top tens after Indianapolis were the Quaker State 500 at Pocono International Raceway in the Lola and the Bosch Spark Plugs Grand Prix at

Nazareth Speedway Nazareth Speedway was an auto racing facility near Nazareth in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania which operated from 1910 to 2004 in two distinct course configurations. In its early years, it was a dirt twin oval layout. In 1987 it was reo ...

in the March. After starting 10th at Long Beach Guerrero's best start was at Nazareth, where he started 11th. At the end of the season Guerrero finished 12th in points with 40 points, despite skipping two races. Following the 1988 season Guerrero and Granatelli split for

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. Guerrero joined

Alex Morales Motorsports Alex Morales Motorsports was a racing team active in sprint cars and Indycars for several decades. The sprint car team won multiple championships between the 1950s and 1990s while their Indycar team was active from 1975 to 1989, winning three race ...

, who was at the time the factory (and only) team using Alfa Romeo engines. Guerrero drove the No. 21

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

March 89CE- Alfa Romeo Indy V8. The engine ended up being not ready for the start of the season and the team missed the first four races of the year, including the

. Guerrero was even offered to drive an extra car for

Truesports Truesports
Truesports taurtoisemotorsports.com was an automobile racing team founded by

. Guerrero had to decline due to his contract with Alfa Romeo. The team managed to first compete at the Valvoline Detroit Grand Prix on the Streets of Detroit. In the race Guerrero was able to finish 8th. The remainder of the season saw Guerrero score only one additional point due to a 12th-place finish at the Red Roof Inns 200 at

. Guerrero would finish 23rd in points with 6 points. Prior to

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

Morales Motorsports closed down and

Patrick Racing Patrick Racing was an auto racing team in both Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. Patrick Racing was started by Pat Patrick in the 1970s. The team is best known for winning the Indianapolis 500 on three occasions (1973, 1982, 1989), and the I ...

took over the Alfa Romeo project with Guerrero driving the No. 20

Miller Genuine Draft The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the M ...

March 90CA- Alfa Romeo Indy V8. Guerrero managed to qualify for the

, starting 28th and finishing 23rd due to suspension damage. The team then switched to using a

Lola T90/00 The Lola T90/00 is a highly successful open-wheel racing car chassis, designed and built by Lola Cars that competed in the CART open-wheel racing series, for competition in the 1990 season. It was extremely competitive, winning a total of 12 ra ...

starting at the Marlboro 500 at

. In the race Guerrero finished in 5th place. At the end of the season Guerrero finished 16th in the points with 24 points. In

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

Guerrero was replaced by

Danny Sullivan Daniel John Sullivan III (born March 9, 1950), better known as Danny Sullivan, is an American former racing driver. He earned 17 wins in the CART Indy Car World Series, including the 1985 Indianapolis 500. Sullivan won the 1988 CART Champions ...

and was left without a car to drive. At the

Guerrero drove a second car for Patrick Racing in the No. 40 Sharp's Lola T91/00- Alfa Romeo Indy V8. He qualified 28th and finished 30th after being involved in a crash with

Kevin Cogan John Kevin Cogan (born in Culver City, California on March 31, 1956) is a former race car driver who drove in Formula One from to . Driving a RAM Williams in the 1980 Canadian Grand Prix, he failed to qualify, suffering the same result driving ...

on Guerrero's 24th lap. Guerrero then drove three select races for

King Racing King Racing was a racing team which fielded cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as well as in CART and the Indianapolis 500. The team was owned by NHRA drag racing driver Kenny Bernstein. NASCAR For its entire run in NASCAR’s top series, King ...

in the No. 26

Quaker State Quaker State is an American brand of motor oil produced by Shell, the US-based division of Shell plc since 2002,Buick Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...

V6, scoring a best finish of 14th at the Valvoline Detroit Grand Prix on the Streets of Detroit and the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver at the

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Interstate 25. A light r ...

. Guerrero finally drove the No. 50

Fendi Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. ...

Hawaiian Tropic Hawaiian Tropic is an American brand of suntan lotion. Hawaiian Tropic was founded by Ron Rice in 1969. Rice became the largest private manufacturer of sun care products in the United States, until Hawaiian Tropic was acquired by Playtex Produ ...

Lola T91/00-Cosworth DFS at the

Molson Indy Toronto The Grand Prix of Toronto (known for sponsorship reasons as the Honda Indy Toronto) is an annual Indy Car race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was part of the Champ Car World Series from 1986 t ...

Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a publicly owned mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The site includes exhibit, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments ...

, qualifying and finishing in 18th place. Guerrero scored no points for the first time in his CART career and finished 37th in the championship. For

Guerrero drove in a pair of races for the part-time team King Racing, first driving the No. 26

Quaker State Quaker State is an American brand of motor oil produced by Shell, the US-based division of Shell plc since 2002,Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It wa ...

on the

Streets of Long Beach The Grand Prix of Long Beach (known as Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach since 2019 for naming rights reasons) is an IndyCar Series race held on a street circuit in downtown Long Beach, California. Christopher Pook is the founder of the event. It ...

, starting 14th and finishing 13th. At the

King updated Guerrero to a Lola T92/00-Buick V6 and the number was changed to 36 ( Jim Crawford began to drive the No. 26 car). During qualifying Guerrero set a new four-lap track record of 232.482 mph and a new one-lap record of 232.618 mph on the third lap. Guerrero qualified on pole position and became the first part-time driver to qualify on the pole since

Pancho Carter Duane C. Carter Jr. (born June 11, 1950), nicknamed "Pancho", is a retired American race car driver. He is most famous for his participation in CART Indy car races. He won the pole position for the 1985 Indianapolis 500, finished third in the ...

. In the race Guerrero spun out and crashed on the backstretch during the second parade lap and did not even get to start the race, being credited with 33rd (last) place. Guerrero joined

Cliff Woodbury Cliff Woodbury (July 8, 1894 – November 13, 1984) was an American racecar driver. Cliff raced all over the US during one of the most dangerous times in motorsports. Woodbury was born in Chicago, Illinois. He started his career about 1915 ...

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

and Carter in

as drivers who started first in the Indianapolis 500 and finished last; they were later joined by

Greg Ray Gregory Ray (born August 3, 1966) is an American former race car driver. After winning the SCCA national Formula Atlantic championship in 1993, he moved up to the CART-sanctioned Toyota Atlantic series in 1994. In 1997 he made his Indy Racing L ...

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

and

Scott Sharp Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing League. E ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

. Guerrero finished 38th in the championship with 1 point. In

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

King Racing expanded to a full-time schedule with Guerrero driving their No. 40

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrelat ...

Lola T93/00-

Ilmor Ilmor is a British independent high-performance motor racing engineering company. It was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in November 1983. With manufacturing based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, and maintenance offices in Plymouth, Mic ...

- Chevrolet Indy V8 265C. At the

Guerrero qualified 10th and finished 28th after being involved in a crash with

Jeff Andretti Jeff Andretti (born April 14, 1964) is a former American race car driver. He competed in CART, and was the series' Rookie of the Year in 1991. Personal life Jeff is the youngest son of Dee Ann (Hoch) and legendary Italian-born 1969 Indy 500 C ...

after 125 laps. During the year Guerrero and King consistently qualified in the mid-pack, with a best start of 4th at the Valvoline 200 at

. Guerrero's best finish was also a 4th at the New England 200 at

New Hampshire Motor Speedway New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a Oval track racing, oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire, which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1990, as well as the longest-running motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nickna ...

. Following the

Molson Indy Vancouver Molson Indy Vancouver was an annual Champ Car race held in a street circuit near BC Place and running past Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada held in July, August or September from 1990 to 2004. On September 2, 1990, the f ...

Concord Pacific Place Concord Pacific Place is "Canada's biggest master-planned urban community" and is projected to be North America's largest in terms of occupants and area when completed. It is located in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the north shore of False Cre ...

King released Guerrero. Guerrero finished 14th in the championship with 39 points (he was 13th in the championship at the time of his release). In

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

Guerrero could only get a car to drive at the

with Pagan Racing (the same team who owned the car that

crashed into Guerrero the previous year) in their No. 21

Interstate Batteries Interstate Battery System of America, Inc., a.k.a. Interstate Batteries, is a US privately owned battery marketing and distribution company. It markets automotive batteries manufactured by Brookfield Business Partners, Exide Technologies, and o ...

Lola T92/00-Buick V6. The chassis was the same chassis that Guerrero drove in

. Guerrero qualified 20th and finished 33rd (last) due to a crash after 20 laps. He scored no points and tied for 54th in the championship. In

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Guerrero returned with Pagan Racing in their No. 21

Upper Deck The Upper Deck Company, LLC (colloquially as Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated, Ltd. in the UK), founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards. Its headquarters are in Carlsbad, California, United State ...

Reynard 94i The Reynard 94I is an open-wheel racing car designed and built by Reynard Racing Cars that competed in the 1994 and 1995 IndyCar seasons, notable for winning the first CART race it entered. The car continued to be raced in the 1996 and 199 ...

-Ilmor- Mercedes-Benz IC108B. Guerrero first raced at the

Slick 50 200 The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix was an IndyCar Series race held at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, United States. USAC moved the fall race and added a spring race to the newly built Phoenix International Raceway in 196 ...

, starting 25th and finishing 16th. The team then competed in the

, where Guerrero qualified in a respectable 13th place and finished in 12th place. Guerrero finished the season 33rd in the championship with 1 point.

Indy Racing League

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

Guerrero and Pagan Racing began competing full-time in the newly formed Indy Racing League with Guerrero driving the No. 21 WavePhore

-Ford Cosworth XB, with additional sponsorship coming from

Johnny Lightning Johnny Lightning is a brand of diecast model cars launched in 1969 by Topper Corporation (owner of the "Topper Toys" brand), similar to the hugely successful Mattel's Hot Wheels cars. Their claim to fame at that time was that they were extremely ...

(at Disney),

Newscast News broadcasting is the medium of broadcasting various news events and other information via television, radio, or the internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or televis ...

(at Phoenix) and

Pennzoil Pennzoil is an American motor oil brand currently owned by Shell plc. The former Pennzoil Company had been established in 1913 in Pennsylvania, being active in business as an independent firm until it was acquired by Shell in 2002, becoming a bra ...

(at Indianapolis). At the season-opening Indy 200 at Walt Disney World at

Walt Disney World Speedway Walt Disney World Speedway was a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, an ...

Guerrero qualified 2nd and finished 5th. At the

Dura Lube 200 Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has been held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina since the series' inaugural season in 1982. Currently, the track holds two races in the spring (as companion to Rebel 400) na ...

Guerrero qualified 3rd and finished 16th due to a broken cv joint. At the

the team updated to a

Reynard 95i The Reynard 95I is an open-wheel racing car designed and built by Reynard Racing Cars that competed in the 1995 and 1996 IndyCar seasons, notable for winning the first CART race it entered, and later going on to win the constructors' and driv ...

and Guerrero qualified 6th and led for a race-high 47 laps and battled for the win with

Tony Stewart Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed Smoke, is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, current NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing, and current co-owner of the Superstar Racing Experience. He is a ...

Arie Luyendyk Arie Luijendijk (anglicised as Arie Luyendyk; born 21 September 1953), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman," is a Dutch former auto racing driver, and winner of the 1990 and 1997 Indianapolis 500 races. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

, Davy Jones,

Alessandro Zampedri Alessandro Zampedri (born 3 October 1969 in Brescia) is an Italian race car driver. He started three Indianapolis 500s (1995, 1996, and 1997). Racing career Zampedri was seriously injured in the 1996 Indianapolis 500, suffering severe foot and ...

and eventual winner

Buddy Lazier Robert Buddy Lazier (born October 31, 1967) is an American auto racing driver, best known for winning the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and the 2000 Indy Racing League season championship. Lazier began his career in the 1980s by competing in such s ...

. On Guerrero's final pit stop on lap 167 he and Lazier came into the pits. While in the pits the nozzle was connected awkwardly and fuel began to spill out. The car then began to catch fire and Guerrero began to climb out of the car when it was determined to be okay to continue racing. Guerrero fell out of contention and went a lap down. On the final lap of the race, as Lazier and Jones crossed the finish line, Guerrero lost control of his car in turn 4 and took out 4th place Zampedri (who was on the lead lap) and 6th place

Eliseo Salazar Eliseo Salazar Valenzuela (born 14 November 1954) is a Chilean former racing driver. , he is the only Chilean to have participated in a Formula One World Championship. He made his Formula One debut on 15 March 1981, and ultimately contested 37 r ...

(who was two laps down) and caused Zampedri to get airborne and flip. Guerrero came to a rest inside the pit lane, just past the entrance. Guerrero finished 4th in the championship with 237 points. During the 1996 portion of the 1996-1997 season Guerrero continued to drive for Pagan Racing in the No. 21 Pennzoil

-Ford Cosworth XB. At the season-opening True Value 200 at

Guerrero started 18th and finished 6th. Guerrero then drove a

at the Las Vegas 500K at

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is ...

to start 9th and finish a season-best 4th. Starting at the Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway the series began to use a different type of spec car with Guerrero driving the No. 21 Pennzoil Dallara IR7-

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

Infiniti is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989, in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti-branded vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in ...

Q45 for Pagan Racing. The Infiniti engine was usually slower than the competing

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...

engine and Guerrero's best race with the engine was the

Phoenix 200 The Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix was an IndyCar Series race held at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, United States. USAC moved the fall race and added a spring race to the newly built Phoenix International Raceway in 19 ...

, where he started 10th and finished 7th. At the

Guerrero qualified in 19th place and finished 27th after retiring due to a suspension failure after 25 laps with Guerrero running as high as 11th place. Starting with the Samsonite 200 at Pikes Peak International Raceway the team switched to the

Aurora Indy V8. Guerrero's best finish with the Oldsmobile engine came at the Pennzoil 200 at

with a 6th-place finish. At the season-ending Las Vegas 500K at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Guerrero suffered a major accident on lap 201 on the backstretch. Guerrero flipped coming off of turn 2 and flipped into the grass area next to the racetrack. He climbed out of his destroyed car just moments after the accident finished. Guerrero finished the season ranked 7th in points with 221 points. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

Pagan Racing was left without a sponsor when the team's chief mechanic,

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to cent ...

, formed his own team called

Panther Racing Panther Racing was an American open wheel auto racing team. It was one of the oldest continually operating teams in the IndyCar Series. Four years in a row (2008–2011), the team finished second at the Indianapolis 500. Formation The team was f ...

using Pagan's former Pennzoil sponsorship. Guerrero drove the No. 21 Pagan Racing Dallara IR8-Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8. At the season-opening Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway Guerrero qualified 6th and finished 26th after retiring due to a crash after 13 laps. At the

Guerrero won the

Scott Brayton Scott Everts Brayton (February 20, 1959 – May 17, 1996) was an American race car driver on the American open-wheel circuit. He competed in 14 Indianapolis 500s, beginning with the 1981 event. Brayton was killed in practice after qualifying ...

Award for best showing the spirit of the deceased driver. In the race Guerrero started 9th and finished 22nd, 75 laps down. Following the True Value 500 at

Texas Motor Speedway Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...

Pagan released Guerrero. Guerrero then joined Cobb Racing to drive the No. 23 CBR G-Force IR01-Nissan

Q45. Guerrero finished 4th at the Lone Star 500 at

. Guerrero finished 26th in the championship with 83 points. In

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

Guerrero returned with Cobb Racing in the No. 50 Cobb Racing G-Force IR01-Nissan

Q45. Guerrero's best finish of the season was a 13th-place finish at the season-opening Transworld Diversified Services 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway. The team closed down following the

where Guerrero started and finished 25th. After Indianapolis Guerrero was ranked 17th in points. He eventually finished 30th in the championship with 36 points. For

Guerrero managed to get a one-off race for

A. J. Foyt Enterprises A. J. Foyt Racing, officially and historically known as A. J. Foyt Enterprises, is an American racing team in the IndyCar Series and formerly NASCAR. It is owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner, 1972 Daytona 500 winner, 1967 24 Hours of Le ...

in the No. 41

Harrah's Harrah's Entertainment (later named Caesars Entertainment Corporation, previously The Promus Companies) was an American casino and hotel company founded in Reno, Nevada, and based in Paradise, Nevada, that operated over 50 properties and seven go ...

Dallara IR00-Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8. Guerrero was unable to qualify for the race, making it the first time since

that he failed to start the Indianapolis 500. Guerrero later competed in the Belterra Resort Indy 300 at

Kentucky Speedway Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. Before 2008 J ...

for Team Coulson in the No. 40 Team Coulson G-Force GF01-Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8. In the race Guerrero started 25th and finished 23rd after retiring after 48 laps due to engine troubles in what would be his final Indy car race. Guerrero finished the season 44th in the championship with 7 points. In

Guerrero had no team at the beginning of practice for the

Dick Simon Racing Dick Simon Racing was a race team owned by racer Dick Simon that competed in the CART Championship Car series from 1983 to 1995 and the Indy Racing League from 1999 to 2001. CART The team was founded in 1983 when Simon decided to bring his spons ...

then needed a driver for their No. 7

Yellow Transportation Yellow Corporation is an American transportation holding company headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Its subsidiaries include national Less than truckload shipping, less than truckload (LTL) carrier YRC Freight, regional LTL carriers New Pen ...

Dallara IR01-Oldsmobile Aurora Indy V8 after

Stéphan Grégoire Stéphan Grégoire (born May 14, 1969 in Neufchâteau, Vosges) is a French race car driver currently living in Zionsville, Indiana. Gregoire is a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex Sports Car Series, the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Ra ...

left the team. Guerrero eventually managed to qualify the car. On the final day of qualifying Grégoire began driving for

Heritage Motorsports Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physica ...

and bumped Guerrero from the field and Guerrero failed to qualify for the second consecutive year. Guerrero was reported to be searching for a car to drive in the

2002 Indianapolis 500 The 86th Indianapolis race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was the seventh Indianapolis 500 held as part of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series schedule, and was part of the 2002 Indy ...

, although nothing materialized. He eventually retired from racing by 2003.

Stock car racing

International Race of Champions

In 1988 Guerrero was among the drivers chosen to compete in

IROC XII IROC XII was the twelfth year of IROC competition took place in 1988. It saw the use of the Chevrolet Camaro in all races, and continued the format introduced in IROC VIII. Race one took place on the Daytona International Speedway, race two took ...

(International Race of Champions) to be among the drivers to represent CART/PPG World Series (other drivers to represent CART were

, Al Unser Sr. and

) based on his performance in

. Guerrero drove an identical Chevrolet

Camaro The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...

, like all other participants. He missed the season-opening race at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

due to his injuries received the previous year at an Indianapolis Motor Speedway test. Guerrero qualified on the pole position for the second and third races of the season at

Riverside International Raceway Riverside International Raceway (sometimes known as Riverside, RIR, or Riverside Raceway) was a motorsports race track and road course established in the Edgemont area of Riverside County, California, just east of the city limits of Riverside ...

and

. At Riverside Guerrero crashed after 10 laps and finished in 11th place and at Michigan he finished 10th after leading for 4 laps. At the season-ending race at

Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in the town of Dix just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the hom ...

Guerrero started 12th and finished 11th, 10 laps down. At the end of the season Guerrero finished 12th (last) in the championship with 19 points, earning $30,400 for his efforts during the season.

NASCAR

Guerrero attempted to compete in the

NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

during the 2000 season at the

Carquest Auto Parts 300 The Alsco Uniforms 300 is an annual 300-mile (482.803 km) NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina during Memorial Day weekend as a support race for the Coca-Cola 600. The race's origins tra ...

Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

for the

Hispanic Racing Team Hispanic Racing Team was a NASCAR Busch Series team owned by Mike Vasquez, Rudy Rodriguez and former Winston Cup owner Larry Hedrick. The cars were driven by 1992 Indy 500 polesitter Roberto Guerrero, Carlos Contreras, Christian Fittipaldi, and ...

in their No. 72 HRT Motorsports Chevrolet

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

but failed to qualify for the event. He returned during the 2002 season after his Indy car career was finished, again with the Hispanic Racing Team in their No. 09 Ciclon Energy Drink Chevrolet

at the

Aaron's 312 The Ag-Pro 300 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway, a 300-mile race. It is held annually before the NASCAR Cup Series race, the GEICO 500. From its inception in 1992 through 1996, the race was held in the summer, as ...

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

but again failed to qualify for the race.

Announcing

Guerrero served as a TV live race commentator for

SpeedTV Speed was an American sports-oriented cable and satellite television network that was owned by the Fox Sports Media Group division of 21st Century Fox. The network was dedicated to motorsports programming, including auto racing, as well as aut ...

and FOX 3 Latin America broadcasts of the

American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consisted of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The American Le Mans' hea ...

and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series from 2009 to 2013.

Racing record

Complete European Formula Two Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(

)

American Open Wheel racing results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

USAC

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART Indycar World Series

Indy Racing League

Indianapolis 500

NASCAR

(

) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Busch Series

International Race of Champions

(

) (Bold - Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

References

External links

*
Profile at www.grandprix.comWhere Are They Now Article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerrero, Roberto 1958 births Living people Colombian racing drivers Colombian Formula One drivers Ensign Formula One drivers Theodore Formula One drivers European Formula Two Championship drivers Champ Car drivers IndyCar Series drivers Colombian IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indianapolis 500 polesitters Indianapolis 500 Rookies of the Year International Race of Champions drivers Formula Ford drivers Sportspeople from Medellín David Price Racing drivers A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers EuroInternational drivers