Buddy Rice
| Buddy Rice | |
|---|---|
Buddy Rice recovers from a tough qualification attempt prior to the 2007 Indianapolis 500.
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| Nationality | American |
| Born |
January 31, 1976 Phoenix, Arizona |
| IndyCar Series career | |
| Debut season | 2002 |
| Current team | Panther Racing |
| Car no. | 44 |
| Former teams |
Cheever Racing Rahal Letterman Racing Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Rubicon Racing Team |
| Starts | 97 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Poles | 5 |
| Best finish | 3rd in 2004 |
| Previous series | |
| 2006 1998-2000, 2002 1996-1997 |
Champ Car World Series Toyota Atlantic U.S. Formula Ford 2000 |
| Championship titles | |
| 2000 | Toyota Atlantic Champion |
| Awards | |
| 2004 2009 |
Indianapolis 500 winner 24 Hours of Daytona winner |
Buddy Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American racecar driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Buddy Rice is the son of a former drag racer. Rice's grandfather was from Indianapolis and passed on his interest in racing to Rice's father. Rice saw his first race when he was six years old. He started racing in go-karts when he was 11. Rice played baseball in high school in Phoenix, Arizona, and attracted the attention of college and professional scouts. However, both Rice and his father decided he would pursue a career in racing instead.
Rice's professional career began in 1996, when he drove in one U.S. F2000 event; he finished eighth after starting second. He also drove in the Dodge Shelby Pro Series, winning from the pole at Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 1997, Rice drove in F2000 for Lynx Racing/DSTP Motorsports, finishing fourth in points and winning at Phoenix. He also won the 1997 Valvoline Team USA Scholarship, where he represented the United States in Europe’s Nations Cup.
In 1998, he won from the pole at Nazareth. He finished seventh in Toyota Atlantic points, and won the Gilles Villeneuve Memorial Award. He finished fifth in the Toyota Atlantic championship in 1999, driving for Lynx Racing.
He won the 2000 Toyota Atlantic Series championship, which gained the attention of Red Bull Cheever Racing. In 2001, he tested with Red Bull Cheever Racing in November at California.
In August 2002, Rice had his first race in the IRL for Red Bull Cheever Racing at Michigan International Speedway. Hired initially to replace crash-prone Tomas Scheckter, team owner Eddie Cheever discovered that Scheckter's contract was more iron-clad than first thought. Team Cheever then ran three entries (joined by their team owner), and the best crew and parts were given to Rice. Rice lost the race by inches to Scheckter, but made a mark in the series. He competed in the final five races of the IRL IndyCar Series season with Red Bull Cheever Racing, scoring four top-10 finishes and two top-five finishes in five starts.
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