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INDYCAR: Buddy Rice Joins Panther For Indy
SPEED has learned that Buddy Rice will partner at Indianapolis with JR Hildebrand next month for Panther Racing.
Robin Miller  |  Posted April 28, 2011   Indianapolis, IN
Panther Racing hopes 2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, left, will help its rookie driver JR Hildebrand to form a solid two-car threat at this year's 500. (LAT)
Only two Americans have won the Indianapolis 500 during the past decade. Sam Hornish Jr. left for NASCAR and the other was left behind -- until this week.

SPEED has learned that Buddy Rice will partner with JR Hildebrand next month for Panther Racing.

The 2004 Indy 500 winner admitted a few days ago that he had "two very good opportunities" for May. One was Jay Penske's Dragon Racing and the other was Panther -- always a front runner at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

And now the Phoenix native has his best chance in quite a while to earn a second Baby Borg.

“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,” Rice said. “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 initial month of May.

Hildebrand is said to be quite excited about having a driver of Rice's pedigree to learn from at the Speedway.

The 35-year-old veteran captured Indy for Bobby Rahal and David Letterman in 2004, where he also won the pole position and two other races that season.

Rice has not competed in the INDYCAR series since 2008 when he ran the full schedule for Dreyer & Reinbold and came from 17th to eighth at Indianapolis.

Rice raced GRAND-AM sports cars the past two years and currently maintains his TONY KART go-kart team.
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