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RacerDB / Drivers / Lazier

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🇺🇸 Buddy Lazier

Racing driver from United States. IndyCar, Panther Racing. One-time champion.

Driver facts

Full name

Buddy Lazier

Born

31 October 1967(b. 1967)

Nationality

United States

Current team

Panther Racing

Series

IndyCar

Status

Retired

Championships

12000

Career wins

Career podiums

Career starts

104

Career DNFs

Racer Rating

5,098

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Racer Rating

5,098

Rank 1049 of 40,700 indexed, +0 this season

FIA Categorisation

Not on file

Not yet indexed
Source: fia.com

Synthesized from 2 sources, updated 156h ago

Buddy Lazier is an established professional who raced in IndyCar, the United States' premier open-wheel championship. He drove for Panther Racing across 104 starts between 1996 and 2017, competing almost entirely on oval tracks and winning the 2000 IndyCar season championship with Hemelgarn Racing.[1]

Lazier took eight wins and eighteen podiums in his career. He was most active in the early 2000s, when he raced regularly against the grid's strongest drivers. He finished ahead of Tony Stewart, the 1997 IndyCar champion, twelve times across their meetings, and ahead of multiple-time champion Dario Franchitti on seven occasions. His closest regular opponents were Scott Sharp, a Platinum-graded professional with extensive experience across IndyCar and international sportscar racing, and established professional Robbie Buhl; the three drivers were closely matched through their frequent meetings. Lazier continued racing into 2017, finishing 24th in the final championship standings in what proved to be his last season.[2]

Sources: [1] Indexed race classifications[2] Wikipedia

Synthesized from 1 source, updated 0h ago

Buddy Lazier is a racing driver from United States who last raced in IndyCar for Panther Racing. Lazier is a one-time champion (2000), with 8 wins and 18 podiums from 104 starts.[1]

A Racer Rating of 5,098 ranks Lazier 1049th of 40,700 indexed drivers, on an Elo scale where the strongest reach the high 8,000s. It is built from every indexed race in the driver's file, decayed for time since their last race.

Sources: [1] Indexed race classifications

2017 form

Last 20 races, finish position (higher is better)

Recent results

Tap a row for the full race

2017-05-28

Indianapolis 500

P29

−73

Career-best drives

Ranked by rating won, which prices the opposition

Rating won	Race	Series	Finish
+160	80th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race 1996	IndyCar	P1
+159	Visionaire 500 1997	IndyCar	P1
+155	82nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race 1998	IndyCar	P2
+138	81st Indianapolis 500-Mile Race 1997	IndyCar	P4
+134	Pep Boys 400K 1998	IndyCar	P2

Season by season

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Podiums	Poles	Pos	Gain/Loss	Rating
2017	▸IndyCar		1	0	0	0	P24	−73	5,098
2016	▸IndyCar		1	0	0	0	P19	−88	5,098
2014	▸IndyCar		1	0	0	0	P25	−113	5,259
2013	▸IndyCar		1	0	0	0	P27	−103	5,372
2008	▸IndyCar		1	0	0	0	P28	+13	5,475
2007	▸IndyCar		1	0	0	0	P23	−7	5,462
2006	▸IndyCar		8	0	0	0	P21	−401	5,468
2005	▸IndyCar	Panther Racing	6	0	0	0	P16	+289	5,869
2004	▸IndyCar	Dreyer & Reinbold/Hemelgarn Racing	1	0	0	0	P22	−54	5,581
2003	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	13	0	0	0	P24	−583	5,634
2002	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	15	0	2	0	P7	−299	6,217
2001	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	13	4	5	0	P2	+173	6,516
2000	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	9	2	5	1	P1	+293	6,343
1999	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	10	0	1	0	P8	+164	6,050
1998	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	11	0	3	0	P6	+465	5,886
1997	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	10	1	1	0	P8	−44	5,421
1996	▸IndyCar	Hemelgarn Racing	2	1	1	1	—	+3,922	5,272

Recent coverage

Indy Racing League Debut | 1996 On Board Buddy Lazier at the Walt Disney 200[1]

YouTube

22 Sep 2026

Read →

Amid IndyCar's Civil War split, Buddy Lazier won Indy 500. 'Yeah, I felt the divide'[2]

AOL.com

16 Jul 2026

Read →

Amid IndyCar's Civil War split, Buddy Lazier won Indy 500. 'Yeah, I felt the divide'[3]

IndyStar

22 May 2026

Read →

No recent coverage found.

Head-to-head

Most-raced and strongest-beaten: times Lazier finished ahead vs behind

Rival	Rating	Raced	Ahead	Behind	Record
🇺🇸 Scott SharpFIA Platinum	4,858	94	43	51	46%
🇺🇸 Robbie Buhl	5,240	71	43	28	61%
🇺🇸 Eddie CheeverFIA Gold	5,131	70	41	29	59%
🇺🇸 Greg Ray	5,314	66	42	24	64%
🇺🇸 Sam Hornish Jr.	5,545	65	18	47	28%
🇺🇸 Billy Boat	5,208	63	41	22	65%
🇬🇧 Jeff WardFIA Bronze	5,334	61	38	23	62%
🇺🇸 Mark Dismore	5,154	58	37	21	64%
🇨🇱 Eliseo Salazar	5,675	53	33	20	62%
🇺🇸 Buzz Calkins	5,488	52	32	20	62%
🇺🇸 Tony StewartHigher-rated, 1× champion	6,497	25	12	13	48%
🇬🇧 Dario FranchittiHigher-rated, 4× champion	6,348	20	7	13	35%
🇳🇿 Scott DixonFIA Platinum, 6× champion	6,124	34	9	25	26%

Raced wheel-to-wheel, not as team-mates

On the leaderboard

Global rank, 40,700 drivers indexed

#	Driver	Series	Rating
1,039	🇮🇹 Constantino Junior	FIA GT Championship	5,104
1,040	🇩🇰 Noah Strømsted	Formula 3	5,104
1,041	🇧🇪 David Saelens	International Formula 3000	5,103
1,042	🇫🇷 Romain Dumas	WEC	5,103
1,043	🇮🇹 Gino Munaron	Formula 1	5,102
1,044	🇦🇺 Joey Mawson	S5000	5,102
1,045	🇬🇧 Martin Donnelly	BTCC	5,101
1,046	🇬🇧 Mark Shaw	International Formula 3000	5,100
1,047	🇯🇵 Björn Wirdheim	Super GT	5,099
1,048	🇺🇸 Walt Hansgen	Formula 1	5,099
1,049	🇺🇸 Buddy Lazier	IndyCar	5,098
1,050	🇺🇸 John Pew	IMSA WeatherTech	5,098
1,051	🇪🇸 Albert Costa	IMSA WeatherTech	5,097
1,052	🇬🇧 Jamie Davies	FIA GT Championship	5,097
1,053	🇬🇧 David Hunt	International Formula 3000	5,096
1,054	🇷🇺 Artem Markelov	Formula 2	5,095
1,055	🇳🇴 Christian Krognes	Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie	5,095
1,056	🇯🇵 Hiroki Yoshida	Super GT	5,095
1,057	🇬🇧 Philip Ellis	IMSA WeatherTech	5,095
1,058	🇺🇸 Davey Hamilton	IndyCar	5,092
1,059	🇬🇧 Richard Dean	FIA GT Championship	5,092

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RacerDB. Race results and driver ratings.Aggregated from 1 source, synced 12h ago

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