Buddy Rice

Lore & Background

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Rice is the son of a former drag racer. He started racing go-karts at age eleven and pursued racing over baseball despite attracting college and professional scouts. He won the 2000 Toyota Atlantic Series championship, which led to a test with Red Bull Cheever Racing. In 2002, he made his IRL debut at Michigan International Speedway, losing by inches to Tomas Scheckter. In 2004, he started on pole and won a rain-shortened Indianapolis 500, his first IndyCar victory, finishing third in the championship with five poles and three wins. After his Indy 500 win, sponsors bought him any car he wanted; he chose a 1949 Mercury Eight. He also won the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.

In Their Own Story

Rice stood at the top of the X, eyes locked on the slot receiver, his cleats biting into the frozen turf. The snap came. The receiver broke his route hard inside, trying to sell a post. Rice didn't bite. He mirrored, then exploded inside, meeting the ball at the exact moment the receiver's fingers reached for it. The catch never happened. Rice spun, planted, and walked the ball back eleven yards before the pile settled. In the tunnel, the head coach didn't say a word. He just nodded, once, and pointed at the next rep. Rice nodded back. That was the language they spoke—no speeches, no hype. Just the next rep, the next hit, the next interception waiting to be taken.

Reader's Guide

Rice's professional career began in 1996 with one U.S. F2000 event. He drove in F2000 in 1997, winning at Phoenix, and won the Valvoline Team USA Scholarship. In 1998, he won from the pole at Nazareth and finished seventh in Toyota Atlantic points. He finished fifth in the Toyota Atlantic championship in 1999. He won the 2000 Toyota Atlantic Series championship. In 2002, he competed in the final five IRL races for Red Bull Cheever Racing, scoring four top-tens and two top-fives. In 2003, he drove thirteen of sixteen races for the team. In 2004, he won the Indianapolis 500. In 2005, he was injured in a crash at Indianapolis during practice and was not cleared to race. In 2006, teammate Paul Dana was killed in practice; Rice and Danica Patrick withdrew from that race. He raced for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2007 and 2008, finishing ninth in points in 2007. He did not participate in the 2009 IndyCar season. He raced for Panther Racing in the 2011 Indianapolis 500. He also drove in A1 Grand Prix for A1 Team USA in the 2007-08 season, and competed in Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, winning the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona. His last Grand-Am race was the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona.

Did You Know?

• Buddy Rice won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 in a rain-shortened race.
• He chose a 1949 Mercury Eight as his gift car after winning the Indy 500.
• Rice's grandfather was from Indianapolis and passed on his interest in racing.
• He won the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
• Rice collected and restored classic cars in his free time.