Riceless

Pair of Tickets: $74
Track Beer: $9.50
Danica Trinkets for the Kiddies: $29

Indycar Series: Riceless.

In a season full of good news about increased sponsorship, better TV coverage, and higher car counts, the most baffling question of all remains: Why is 2004 Indy 500 Champ Buddy Rice without a ride?

Maybe Paul Tracy's hamburgers and hot dogs don't cut it for him either, and he's holding out for steak. Maybe he doesn't bring a gift-wrapped sponsor. Maybe he smells funny, wears his lid too straight, or has funny facial hair.

Or maybe he's just a dang fine racer who's getting overlooked.

I've asked around to find out if there's a knock on this guy, but I'm not hearing anything but praise. So what gives, team owners? If you have a decent budget and you're tooling around in the back-half of the field, don't you want to get your sponsor some camera time near the front?

I'm not looking for Penske to hire Rice: Roger looks for drivers struck from a certain die. And I'm not sure that Andretti wants to reunite Danica and Rice again, that didn't work out too well the first time. But What about you, Jimmy Vasser, Carl Haas, John Barnes?

The Racemind Take: If Andretti loses Danica, hiring Rice is by far their best option (as it stands today). And if Panther loses Wheldon in the silly season shuffle, Buddy's the guy they need.

So Who Is DAFCA Software?

A possible sponsor for the #17 Rahal Letterman entry got a bottom-of-the-page mention over at Furious Wedge: DAFCA Software. Who no one has ever heard of -- unless you are a chiphead.

Trying to connect the dots, I wandered over to www.dafca.com. It turns out that they produce post-silicon waffer validation systems, otherwise known as chip testing software. Now why would they want to be on the side of an Indycar?

Recall Danica's new livery for the Indy 500, which no longer carries Motorola and now features Boost Mobile in cross-promotion deal with Motorola. I'm going to go on a limb here and speculate that DAFCA is a leftover part of Motorola's cross-promotion. In short, Rahal took Andretti's castoff sponsor.

Now there's several things that still don't line up here... for example, why not just put DAFCA on Danica's car (or Marco's) as an associate? And why would DAFCA want Servia in the car instead of 2004 Indy 500 Champion Buddy Rice?

I may be off on some details, but I'm betting on a DAFCA - Motorola tie-in here.

Buddy Rice May Reunite with Rahal for Indy 500

Breaking News: The word this morning is that Buddy Rice is working with Rahal-Letterman on an Indy 500 reunion. This would put the 2004 Indy 500 Champion into one of the better TBA rides out there. What's not yet known is the financial end; Buddy brings some money but probably not enough for the month, and Rahal seems to be holding out for a fully-funded shoe.

No word yet from Curt Cavin or Robin Miller on this pairing.

UPDATE: We're discussing this over on TrackForum here.

Buddy Rice Set for 2009 Season

Rubicon is now listing Buddy Rice as their driver for the 2009 Indycar Series season, and all indications are that this is a full-season deal. If everything holds up and Buddy takes the green flag at St. Petersburg, then this is a huge step forward for Rice, especially considering the economy.

Penske Taps Power, Fans Want Hunter-Reay

In the wake of Roger Penske's hiring of Will Power as an insurance policy to cover trouble-laiden Helio Castroneves' driving responsibilities, fans of other available drivers are disappointed -- and in some cases, scratching their head.

Certainly the Aussie-born Will Power is talented, as his wins in ChampCar demonstrate. It's not that. It's just that you got a couple of proven Indycar winners on the sidelines.

Guys like 2008 Wakins Glen champion Ryan Hunter-Reay. He ran near the front all season in so-so Rahal equipment. Guys like 2004 Indy 500 Champion Buddy Rice.

So I put the question to the TrackForum.com community: Who *Should* Roger Penske have hired? After two weeks of voting, Hunter-Reay is the top choice with 40% of the vote. Will Power, Penske's choice, trailed behind at 26%.

The fans wanted Hunter-Reay.

With indications that Buddy Rice may end up at Rubicon/Pacific Coast Motorsports, all eyes now turn to Hunter-Reay. The team that signs him may find themselves finishing races higher on the pylon than they thought.

Or the Indycar Series might let this talent get away.