Buddy Rice Wins the Indy 500

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Lynx Graduate Buddy Rice Wins Indy 500

On a day interrupted twice because of rain, pole sitter Buddy Rice (a graduate of the Lynx Racing program) has won the 2004 Indy 500 for Rahal-Letterman Racing over Andretti-Green's Tony Kanaan, Dan Wheldon, and Bryan Herta. Rain caused the race to start 2 hours 11 minutes late and caused one red flag and later the race to finish 20 laps short of the 200-lap distance under yellow.

Despite all that, Buddy Rice appeared to have the measure on everyone this day as he won his first Indy 500 and IRL race. Rice is the 17th winner from the pole, and the first since Arie Luyendyk in 1997. He led four times for 91 laps.

Buddy Rice may have been a surprise to some when he won the pole position for the 88th Indianapolis 500, but he proved it was no fluke in Sunday's rain-interrupted race, which was dominated by Honda-powered cars.

Rice ran up front throughout the long day in Indy as the race was stopped for rain after 28 laps, then restarted, then finally called at 180 laps as the rain returned. Rice was in front when the rains came the final time, but even Michael Andretti, owner of the second- through fourth-placed cars, admitted Rice's Rahal-Letterman G Force-Honda had too much speed anyway.

Lynx began sponsoring Rice in 1997 in the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 series, and then for two years in the stepping-stone Toyota Atlantic series.

Lynx, the most successful team in the 31-year history of the Toyota Atlantic series, is owned by two women, Peggy Haas and Jackie Doty.

"We always knew Buddy was a star, right from the time he won the pole for his first-ever Atlantic race in a Lynx car at Long Beach, and won his second race, at Nazareth," said the ecstatic duo. "We're over the moon about having some part in helping Buddy get where he is today", well done, Buddy. We're all very proud of you."

For further information on Lynx Racing, please visit the team's web site at www.lynxracing.com, or telephone team P.R. Manager Peter Frey at (818) 906-6997. The Toyota Atlantic series has a web site at www.toyotaatlantic.com.