Pennzoil to back Lazier at Nashville.

Buddy Lazier will drive in the familiar yellow colours of Pennzoil when he turns out for Panther Racing at this weekend's Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville Superspeedway.

With regular driver Tomas Scheckter parading his #4 machine in the alternative 'platinum' colour scheme again this Saturday night, Panther has announced that Lazier's #95 Dallara-Chevrolet would be repainted in the famous bright yellow more readily associated with the sponsor.

Jonathan Byrd's Cafeteria and American Sentry Guard, both sponsors of Lazier's effort during the Indianapolis 500, will remain as major supporters of the #95 effort at Nashville - and again at Michigan International Speedway on 31 July - but team principals are exploring additional funding for other races.

"You know, when we agreed to put Buddy Lazier back into one of our cars, we started to look at all kinds of new sponsorship options," Panther co-owner John Barnes said, "But the first one to step up was already here in our backyard. We're proud of our partnership with Pennzoil and thrilled that they're going to help us put Buddy Lazier back in victory lane.

"Chevrolet was very pleased with Buddy's effort and performance at Indianapolis and, almost immediately after the chequered flag, we were working together to find a way to put Buddy in a Panther car for more races this season. Chevrolet has proven it is dedicated to provide the best engines possible for our team this season, and adding a third car with Buddy driving gives the Chevy Indy V8 an even better chance to end up in victory lane."

Lazier counts the 1996 Indianapolis 500 among his eight IndyCar Series victories - tied for second in series history. He finished fifth in this year's Indianapolis 500, but has not won an IRL event for several seasons.

"All I asked of Panther in the Indy 500 was to give me a car that could win the race, and they did just that," the veteran said, "I know that, every time I get into one of their Chevrolets, I've got a shot."