Crawford Hits 233 m.p.h.; Guerrero 230

Jim Crawford and Roberto Guerrero showed the eye-popping speeds they ran during private tests in March were no fluke.

The King Motorsports teammates, driving Buick-powered cars, took turns breaking the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s unofficial one-lap track record Monday.

Guerrero twice topped 230 m.p.h. and had a fast lap of 230.432 m.p.h. in the morning. Crawford shattered that mark three hours later with a lap at 232.198 and finished minutes before the track closed with an astonishing 233.433 m.p.h.

It was a mostly cool and overcast practice for the May 24 Indy 500.

“It’s a beautiful day again . . . beautiful as far as speed,” said Guerrero, 31, a native of Colombia who is now a U.S. citizen living in San Juan Capistrano. “Of course, it’s 100% dependent on the weather, and it was very similar to the conditions in March.”

It was in March that Guerrero and Crawford gave a preview of what is now expected to be the fastest Indy 500 in history. Guerrero was clocked at 230.279 m.p.h. in offseason testing. Crawford was also unofficially over 230 then.

Michael Andretti, the defending Indy-car national champion, also went over 230 on Monday with a top lap of 230.852 m.p.h. just over an hour before the track closed for the day. Mario Andretti had a fast lap of 229.504.

The fastest 33 cars during qualifications May 9-10 and May 16-17 will start the race. Only speeds recorded during qualifications or the race are considered official.

Guerrero was Indy runner-up to Rick Mears in 1984 and to Al Unser in 1987. Later in 1987, during private testing at the Speedway, he sustained severe injuries in a crash and has finished no better than 23rd since then.

Crawford, 44, a native of Scotland, has driven in six previous Indy races with a best finish of sixth in 1988.