Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Guthrie returns to Phoenix site of only IRL rookie win

Friday, March 20, 1998 | 9:26 a.m.

BRIAN HILDERBRAND is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His motor sports column appears Fridays. He can be reached on the Internet at bh@lasvegassun.com. For the latest in the world of auto racing, check out the SUN Racing web site at http://www. lasvegassun.com/sports/racing/

Jim Guthrie provided the racing world with one of the great stories of 1997 with his victory in the Dura-Lube 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

After mortgaging his business and home and borrowing money from his father to bring his unsponsored Blueprint Racing car to PIR, the unknown Guthrie took the checkered flag and landed a major sponsor, allowing the owner/driver to run the remainder of the Indy Racing League season.

One year later, Guthrie returns to PIR for this weekend's Dura-Lube 200 needing another storybook ending to prolong his racing career.

"Some things never change," Guthrie, the 1997 IRL Rookie of the Year, said. "In a lot of respects, I've come full circle and I'm right back to Phoenix again, back to looking for some money."

Guthrie sold his interest in Blueprint Racing following his fourth-place finish in the Las Vegas 500K last October and signed on to drive for Indianapolis-based ISM Racing. After failing to qualify for the season-opening race at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Guthrie's team needs to secure a major sponsor if he is to compete past this weekend.

"It would be really nice to have another good finish, a very competitive day anyway, where we can run up front and do well and finish in the top five, at least," the 36-year-old Albuquerque resident said. "ISM needs funding to run my car for the rest of the season. They're working on that and they're close to some deals but until they get those deals, they don't want to commit to a contract for the whole year."

Despite the $175,000 paycheck he earned for winning last year's Dura-Lube 200, Guthrie said he didn't get out of debt last year until he sold his interest in his racing team. Nevertheless, Guthrie said he treasures the memories of his rookie IRL campaign.

"It wasn't worth it financially," Guthrie said. "I still lost money but you know what, I wouldn't trade it for the world. What me and the guys went through and what we learned and the fun we had, there was nothing we would rather be doing.

"If we all had to pay to do it, we would do it. All of us had to spend something on it -- both time away from their families and monetarily, we all spent something, but we wouldn't trade it for the world. We had one heck of a year last year."

While Guthrie is looking forward to returning to the site of his first and only IRL victory, he isn't particularly optimistic going into Sunday's 200-lap race around the 1-mile PIR oval.

"When we were down there for the open test, the car was just absolutely horrible -- I think we were only about 16th or 17th quick. It's not the way a car should feel at Phoenix ... it wasn't anywhere close.

"It could be a long afternoon for us on Sunday, or maybe we'll get it figured out and it won't be so bad."

* NASCAR: Apparently, not everyone is convinced that NASCAR's new rules changes concerning the rear spoilers on the Ford Taurus is going to bring parity to the Winston Cup Series. "I'd like to think, if they keep chopping and cutting, it's going to help," Larry McReynolds, crew chief for Dale Earnhardt's GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet, said. "But my gut tells me this is not it." NASCAR reduced the width of the rear spoiler on the Taurus from 57 to 55 inches following Ford's domination in the Las Vegas 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Primestar 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. ... Ron Hornaday, the 1996 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, will drive the No. 1 Pennzoil Chevrolet Monte Carlo in this weekend's TranSouth Financial 400 at Darlington, replacing the injured Steve Park. Hornaday also will sub for Park next week at Bristol unless a permanent replacement for Park can be found before that race. Park's recovery from multiple injuries sustained during a practice-lap crash at Atlanta is expected to take from three to six months. ... Derrike Cope, who suffered two cracked ribs during the March 9 Primestar 500, has been experimenting with various flak jackets in hopes of running this weekend's Cup race at Darlington.

* CART: As expected, Arciero-Wells Racing has announced that Robby Gordon will succeed Hiro Matsushita as driver of the team's Panasonic Duskin Reynard/Toyota following the May 10 Rio 400 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Gordon has made 71 career starts in CART, with victories at Detroit and Phoenix in 1995 and four career poles. ... Las Vegas residents Richie Hearn and Jimmy Vasser failed to score points at the CART season opener last weekend in Homestead, Fla.; Hearn finished 13th and Vasser 16th. ... By capturing the pole for the season opener, Greg Moore became the youngest pole winner in CART history at 22 years, 10 months and 2 days. John Paul Jr. was 23 years, 7 months and 18 days when he won the pole in Las Vegas on Oct. 7, 1983.

* IRL: A total of 33 cars will be competing for the 28 starting positions for Sunday's Dura-Lube 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Among the drivers entered are defending champion Jim Guthrie, 1997 runner-up Tony Stewart, Las Vegas resident Davey Hamilton and Henderson resident Sam Schmidt. ... USAC standouts Dave Steele and J.J. Yeley will make their IRL debuts this weekend at PIR. ... A spokesman for Phoenix International Raceway insisted there "is no basis whatsoever" to rumors that PIR is abandoning the IRL in favor of a CART race in 1999. "I don't know where that rumor got started, but it didn't start here," Scott Simpson, public relations director for PIR, said. "Nobody here has had any discussions with CART in that regard."

* BACKMARKERS: Alex Gurney, the winner of the 1997 Team Green Academy American Driver Development Program at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will make his professional racing debut Saturday in the opening round of the 1998 Barber Dodge Pro Series at Sebring. Gurney will pilot the Team Kool Green-sponsored Reynard/Dodge in the 12-race Barber Dodge Pro Series series, which is the primary feeder series to the PGG-Dayton Indy Lights Championship. ... Randy Holly powered his '73 Plymouth to a time of 12.015 seconds at 120.136 mph last weekend to beat Brandon Potts in the final round of the Pro category of drag race action at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Scott Horsley shot his '55 Chevrolet to a time of 11.729 seconds at 112.647 to win the Sportsman category over Dennis Evans, who drove his '72 Dodge to a time of 12.703 seconds at 101.427 mph. Willie Dudley captured the Street crown with a 14.760 second run at 91.482 mph. Leo Shaver took the motorcycle crown with a final-round time of 10.307 seconds at 102.556 mph, beating Eddie Bodge, who had a runner-up effort of 12.890 seconds at 104.584 mph.

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