Buddy Lazier
Robert Buddy Lazier (born October 31, 1967) is an American auto racing driver, best known for winning the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and the 2000 Indy Racing League season championship.
| Buddy Lazier | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lazier at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May 2008 for the 2008 Indianapolis 500. | |||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Born | October 31, 1967 Vail, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 54 races run over 7 years | |||||||
| Years active | 1989–1995 | ||||||
| Team(s) | Lazier Racing (1989) Gary Trout Motorsports (1989) Hemelgarn Racing (1990–91, 1994) Arciero Racing (1990) Dale Coyne Racing (1991) Todd Walther Racing (1991) Hemelgarn Coyne Racing (1991) Walker Racing (1991) Leader Card Racing (1992–94) Dick Simon Racing (1994) Project Indy (1995) Payton/Coyne Racing (1995) Team Menard (1995) | ||||||
| Best finish | 19th – 1992 | ||||||
| First race | 1990 Budweiser/G.I.Joe's 200 (Portland) | ||||||
| Last race | 1995 New England 200 (New Hampshire) | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| Debut season | 1996 | ||||||
| Current team | Lazier Partners Racing | ||||||
| Car number | 44 | ||||||
| Former teams | Hemelgarn Racing (1996–2004) Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (2004, 2006) Panther Racing (2005) Sam Schmidt Motorsports (2007) Hemelgarn-Johnson Racing (2008–09) | ||||||
| Starts | 104 | ||||||
| Championships | 1 (2000) | ||||||
| Wins | 8 | ||||||
| Podiums | 18 | ||||||
| Poles | 2 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 6 | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 1986–87 1986–89 1989, 1993 1989–95 2001 2001–02 2007 | Canadian-American Challenge Cup American Indycar Series IMSA GT Championship USAC Gold Crown Series Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series International Race of Champions NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 1988 1996 2000 | American Indycar Series Champion Indianapolis 500 Winner Indy Racing League Champion | ||||||
| Awards | |||||||
| 2003 | Scott Brayton Trophy | ||||||
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| 2007 position | 91st | ||||||
| Best finish | 91st (2007) | ||||||
| First race | 2007 Smith's Las Vegas 350 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
| Last race | 2007 Smith's Las Vegas 350 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
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Lazier began his career in the 1980s by competing in such series as the IMSA GT Championship, the SCCA Canadian-American Challenge Cup and the American Indycar Series. Lazier won the American Indycar Series championship in 1988. Lazier started his IndyCar career in 1989 by competing in the Indy Car World Series. During the season, Lazier failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Lazier eventually qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. During his Champ Car career, Lazier often drove for teams that used older chassis and engines; his best finish in the Champ Car standings was a 19th-place finish in 1992.
Lazier began to compete in the newly formed Indy Racing League in 1996. Lazier won the Indianapolis 500 that season, and he became one of the most dominant drivers in the series for a period of time, winning eight races overall and the series championship in 2000. Lazier began to drive only at the Indianapolis 500 in 2007 and continued to enter the Indianapolis 500 through 2009. He did not return to the series until 2013 at the Indianapolis 500 when he competed for Lazier Partners Racing, a team started by his father Bob Lazier and various investors. Lazier and the team repeated their efforts in 2014, 2015, 2016 and, for the final time, in 2017.