INDIANAPOLIS, May 30 (UPI) -- Neither strong rain storms or lengthy delays could keep pole-sitter Buddy Rice from winning the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.
Rain halted the race on lap 180, 20 laps from the scheduled distance and Rice celebrated in his G Force/Honda.
Rice becomes the first United States-born winner since Eddie Cheever in 1998. It was also the first Indy 500 win for team owners Bobby Rahal and television talk show host David Letterman.
Tony Kanaan was second followed by Dan Wheldon, Bryan Herta and Bruno Junqueira.
Rice led for most of the race, but a fast final pit stop put him in key position to regain the lead once a round of green flag pit stops was completed.
Rice pitted on lap 168 and that shuffled him back through the field. But when Adrian Fernandez pitted while leading on lap 171, Rice charged around the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take the lead before Fernandez was able to pull his G Force/Honda out of the pits.
