The 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice is returning in the brickyard for the centennial race to complete a five Indy 500 winners lineup along with Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010), Helio Castroneves (2001-02, 2009), Scott Dixon (2008) and Dan Wheldon (2005). In fact Buddy Rice will drive for Panther Racing and he will be JR Hildebrand's team-mate. The 2004 Indy 500 winner admitted also that he had "two very good opportunities" for the race. One was Jay Penske's resurrected Dragon Racing and the other was Panther that has always been a front runner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I’m pumped to be at Panther, and the intention is that we’ll be able to run more than Indy, but this is the first step, and I’m here to help JR Hildebrand and help the team. The whole key for me coming back is that I wanted to be in competitive equipment and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to come back to Indy just to pound out laps, and given how competitive the series has become that’s how it has to be. I’ve had offers in the past that didn’t work out for different reasons, and I wasn’t coming back and driving unless I had the chance to run up front – that’s always been my goal. Panther is a team that can win the race so when I had the opportunity, I couldn’t say no.”
It's a win/win for the National Guard-sponsored squad out of Indianapolis because now they've got a pair of American drivers and rookie Hildebrand will have an experienced teammate for his first brickyard taste.
The 35-year-old veteran captured Indy for the Rahal-Letterman Racing Team in 2004, where he also won the pole position and two other races that season.
Yet, Rice has not competed in the INDYCAR series since 2008 when he ran the full season for Dreyer & Reinbold and finished eighth at Indianapolis Speedway event.
