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Buddy Lazier's 1996 Indy 500 winner on display at
IMS Hall of Fame museum - Circa 2012. (The Tomaso Collection)
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Continuing on alphabetically, not to be
Cornfuzed with Thy Faux-netics' of Thy ARSE-Steamed Screen Reader 'Lucy hear in
Nofendersville, we'll continue with Age before Beauty; Hya!
Lazier Partners Racing
Engine: Chevrolet
#91) Buddy Lazier; USA
Buddy Lazier is best known as the winner of
the 1996 Indianapolis 500, which he did after having suffered a broken back two
months earlier at Phoenix International Raceway! As its hard to believe he'll
be attempting to celebrate the 20th anniversary of said victory from the best
seat in the house, his family's #91 Dallara-Chevy racecar!
As the 2000 Indy Racing League champion hopes
to make the field for his 19th Indy 500 event and add to his staggering lap
total of 2,797-laps circulated round Mother Speedway! Whilst at age 48 would most likely make him the race's Elder Statesman...
PIRTEK Team Murray
Engine: Chevrolet
#61) R-Mathew Brabham; USA
(R = Rookie)
Mathew Brabham's Grandfather was the
legendous' Sir Blackjack, nee triple F1 world champion Jack Brabham, who passed
away nearly two years ago at age 88. While his father Geoff was also a fairly
accomplished racer, having won the IMSA GTP Championship four-times consecutively,
along with winning le 24 Heurs du Mans for Peugeot.
As "Mattie B" who dominated both
the USF2000 and Pro Mazda series en route to winning both titles
convincingly, found life a little bit
more difficult in Indy Lights aboard the old-style "Tank" Dallara, where
he drove for Michael Andretti's squad,
scoring his lone Lights victory on Mother Speedway's road course NO less!
As he and then Andretti Autosport team-mate
Zach Veach both thought they'd done
enough in Lights to graduate to Indy Cars, albeit both ran into Thy nebulous Sponsorship Death-star!
Yet Matt's managed with help from a family
friend named Brett Murray, who apparently knew Sir Jack and promised to help
kick-start his Grandson's Open Wheel Racing career. Successfully putting
together the necessary funding for a two-race deal for this May's Indy Double
in a car prepared by KVSH Racing, whilst certainly wishing to garner more seat
time afterwards, like several of his
single seater Mates' aspire too also..
As the car number was specifically chosen
to represent the first year his
Grandfather stunned the field with his revolutionary rear-engine racing car,
which ultimately changed single seater
racing forever afterwards.
And when Mathew
Brabham takes the green flag in this year's Indy 500, his family will become
only the third ever three generation family to race at Indianapolis, preceded
by the Vukovich's and Andretti's.
As the name
Brabham rightly belongs with such legendary Family names steeped in Brickyard
lore, i.e.; Unser's, Andretti's, Vukovich's and sadly Bettenhausen's...
NOTE
The following RLLR* entry of IndyCar rookie Spencer
Pigot shouldn't be counted twice, as I've just included him since he's been
waiting patiently on the Sidelines since March 13's season opener to resume
racing...
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing*
Engine: Honda
#16) R-Spencer Pigot; USA
(R = Rookie)
Reigning Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot
made his B-I-G CARZ', nee IndyCar debut 'Wayback on March 13th at St Petersburg,
Florida, where the California native finished a respectable 14th. Since then he's
been waiting patiently to resume his IndyCar career with the final two paid-for
by Mazda drives alongside Graham Rahal. As hopefully funding can be found to
run Pigot in more races and not see him disappear like many Lights champions
have done after their graduation present dries up, i.e.; Gabby Chaves, Tristan
Vautier, etc.
And just one day prior to this year's Long
Beach Grand Prix, RLLR announced partnering with Teddy Yip, Jr. who's reviving
his father's passion for motor racing by relaunching Senior's fabled racing
team Theodore, by returning to Indianapolis for this year's Magnanimous 100th
running...
For
the "Last Row's" contestants, P31-33, see; R100: Getting Down to Brass Tacks for this year's Race - The Last Row
(Photo Courtesy of No Fenders ‘Offical Photographer
‘CARPETS)