Buddy Rice
Buddy Rice brings vast experience and an impressive resume for his first season with A1 TEAM USA Holdings.
Rice won the Indianapolis 500 in 2004 and added IndyCar victories at Kansas and Michigan to finish third in the championship. He also won the 2000 Toyota Atlantic championship, the top developement series in North America that year, with five victories.
After two seasons in IndyCar with uncompetitive equipment, Rice joined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2007 and finsihed ninth in the championship.
Rice drove the A1 TEAM USA Holdings-sponsored car co-owned by A1 TEAM USA Holdings owner Rick Weidinger at Indianapolis in May. Rice was headed for a solid finish, probably 11th, when he was collected in a multi-car accident. He finished 25th.
Rice impressed Weidinger with his commitment and passion for racing and was chosen to test for A1 TEAM USA Holdings at Silverstone in August. He showed his road racing skill with a 10th-place run in the afternoon session in his first day in the A1GP Lola-Zytek.
"A1GP is an exciting championship," Rice said. "The competition is tough out there but that’s what racing is about. I am pleased to get behind the wheel of the A1 TEAM USA Holdings car and hope to get some impressive results for my nation."
Date of Birth: Jan. 31, 1976
Place of Birth: Phoenix, Arizona
Height: 5-foot-8-inches/1.73 meters
Weight: 150 pounds/73 kilograms
Interests: Go-karting, surfing, snowboarding, hot rod cars
Website: www.buddyrice.com
Career highlights:
2007
- Signed with Dreyer and Reinbold Racing
- Finished 9th in IndyCar Series
- 11 top-10 finishes
- Three top-five finishes
- Led 49 laps in IndyCar in 2007
2006
- Finished 15th in IndyCar Series
- Two top-five finishes
- Led 13 laps in IndyCar In 2006
- Finished 9th in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona
- Finished 7th in a Grand Am Daytona Prototype at Miller Motorsports Park with Brumos Racing
2005
- Finished 15th in IndyCar Series
- Five top-five finishes
- Ten top-10 finishes
- Led 17 laps in 2005 in IndyCar
- Finished 2nd in first IndyCar road course at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
- Finished 11th in the Rolex 24 hours at Daytona
- Finished 12th in the Baja 1000
2004
- Signed with Rahal Letterman Racing
- Indianapolis 500 winner
- Indianapolis 500 pole winner
- Winner of Indianapolis 500 Pit Stop Competition
- Third in IndyCar Series championship
- Pole winner for The Toyota Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
- Pole winner for The Argent Mortgage Indy 300
- Winner of The Argent Mortgage Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway
- Pole winner of The Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville Superspeedway
- Winner of The Michigan Indy 400 at Michigan International Speedway
- Pole winner of The Belterra Casino 300 at Kentucky Speedway
- Led 342 laps in 2004 in IndyCar
2003
- Finished 16th in IndyCar Standings
- Competed in the IRL IndyCar Series with Red Bull Cheever Racing.
- Set IRL IndyCar Series record for most completed races by an IRL driver without a DNF
- Four top-10 finishes
- Made Indianapolis 500 debut, finished 11th in top finishing Chevy-powered car
- 2003 Indy 500 Pit Stop Competition winner
- Finished 20th in the Ford 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway after starting 33rd in a backup truck
2002
- Qualified and finished 2nd at Michigan in his first IRL IndyCar Series event, leading 15 laps driving for Red Bull Cheever Racing.
- Four top-10 finishes
- Two top-five finishes in five starts
- Led at Michigan and Kentucky for a total of 37 laps
2000
- Won Toyota Atlantic championship
- Five victories for DSTP Motorsports
1999
- Fifth in Toyota Atlantic championship
1998
- Seventh in Toyota Atlantic championship
- Won from pole at Nazareth
- Started from ole in first race at Long Beach
- Won Gilles Villeneuve Memorial Award.
1997
- Fourth in US Formula 2000 championship
- Won at Phoenix
- Won Valvoline Team USA Scholarship
1996
- Drove in one race, finishing eighth, in US Formula 2000
- Won at Las Vegas in Dodge Shelby Pro Series from the pole
1996
- Won two IKF Grand National Karting Championships.
1988-1994
- Won a total of 7 IKF Region 7 Chamionships over six years.
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