Guerrero Is Forced Out on Second Parade Lap

Roberto Guerrero’s return to racing renown ended before the Indianapolis 500 even started.

Guerrero, from San Juan Capistrano, who set a record by qualifying his Buick Lola at 232.482 m.p.h., banged into the backstretch wall on the second parade lap Sunday and became the first pole-sitter in the 76-year history of the 500 to be forced out before the green flag flew.

“We were warming up the rear tires,” a subdued Guerrero said at his garage. “I gave it a little bit of power and it swapped ends on me. It was the only mistake I made the whole month and it cost me the race.”

It was a bitter disappointment for Guerrero, 33, who was pegged the favorite for Indy based on his record-setting laps all month. He had led the charge past the 230-m.p.h. barrier, achieving speeds that raised concerns about track safety.

Five years ago, Guerrero nearly died after a frightening crash during tire-testing at Indy in September. Four months earlier, he finished second in the 500 after leading a few laps from the end when he stalled in the pits.

That accident left the Colombian driver in a coma for 17 days. Before that, he had been one of Indy’s brightest new stars, finishing second twice in his first four years at the 500. He also had a third- and fourth-place finish before the 1987 accident.

He returned to Indy in 1988 but was knocked out of the race early in an accident at the second turn and had not been a factor in the race until this year, when he won the pole.

Guerrero was as surprised as anyone with the way he was knocked out of the race.

“We were getting all set,” he said. “The warm-up lap never crossed my mind. I didn’t think about it. It happens.”

But it had never happened at the Indy 500.

The shortest previous run by a pole-sitter was in 1958 by Dick Rathmann, who made it into the third turn of the first lap before a spinout knocked him out.