Robbie Buhl

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Robbie Buhl
Robbiebuhl.jpg
Buhl at the 1997 Indianapolis 500
NationalityAmerican
Born (1963-09-02) September 2, 1963 (age 61)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Retired2004
Indy Racing League IndyCar Series
Years active1996–2004
Teams Beck Motorsports
Team Menard
Sinden Racing
Tri-Star Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Starts78
Wins2
Poles0
Best finish3rd in 1996
Previous series
1993–1994
1990–1996
1989 		CART World Series
Indy Lights
Barber Saab Pro Series
Championship titles
1992
1989 		Indy Lights
Barber Saab Pro Series

Robbie Buhl (born September 2, 1963) is an American former race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League. He was a color commentator for the IndyCar races on Versus. In 2016, Robbie, along with his brother Tom Buhl, started Buhl Sport Detroit, a motorsports marketing company, professional race team, and teen driving program based in Detroit, Michigan.

Contents

Buhl's current race team, Racing4Detroit, is the first professional race team based in Detroit, and most recently ran in the 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship. He also created and acts as lead instructor of Teen Street Skills, an advanced teen driver training program also based and operating in Detroit.

Buhl won the 1992 Indy Lights championship and caught the eye of John Menard's Team Menard in 1996, running as team mate to Tony Stewart for two seasons succeeding the late Scott Brayton. He scored his first win in what was once the closest finish in series history when he beat ex-MasterCard Lola F1 driver Vincenzo Sospiri by 0.064 seconds at the New Hampshire International Speedway.

Personal life

Buhl was born in Detroit but his home is Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. He is a graduate of Cranbrook School (now Cranbrook Kingswood School) in Bloomfield Hills. His family's wealth stems from nineteenth/early twentieth century manufacturing and real estate development and the industrialization of Detroit in the period 1850-1950. Family holdings included Buhl Stamping, Buhl Aircraft Company, development of vast real estate holdings (including the landmark Buhl Building in downtown Detroit), Parke-Davis (now part of drug giant Pfizer), Buhl Steel (now part of U.S. Steel), Copper and Brass Sales, Inc, (by marriage) and many other holdings. Relatives include former Detroit mayors Christian H. Buhl and Frederick Buhl. His parents reside in Grosse Pointe Farms, Harbor Springs, Michigan, and Hobe Sound, Florida.

On Easter Sunday 1999, Buhl married former racer Scott Brayton's widow Becky.

Buhl is a Founder and key Supporter of "Racing for Kids", a charitable foundation established to assist chronically ill children. He makes a point of visiting sick children at hospitals on each stop of the circuit, bringing a bit of cheer to their lives in the process.

In 2007, Buhl began a broadcasting career, joining the broadcast booth for the Indy Pro Series, now the Firestone Indy Lights Series, alongside veteran broadcaster Bob Jenkins. He would join Jenkins and Jon Beekhuis in the Versus broadcast booth for the 2009 IndyCar Series. [1] It was announced on the Izod Indycar Series website he was let go by Versus for the network's IndyCar coverage and will be replaced by Wally Dallenbach Jr., who is also a color commentator for TNT's NASCAR coverage. [2]

Career results

American Open Wheel Racing results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

American Racing Series / Indy Lights

YearTeam1234567891011121314RankPoints
1990 Leading Edge Motorsport PHX
22		 LBH
13		 MIL
2		 DET
18		 POR
9		 CLE
6		 MEA
4		 TOR
11		 DEN
2		 VAN
6		 MDO
2		 ROA
2		 NAZ
2		 LS
16		4th118
1991 Leading Edge Motorsport LBH
2		 PHX
8		 MIL
9		 DET
4		 POR
6		 CLE
5		 MEA
3		 TOR
2		 DEN
11		 MDO
14		 NAZ
1		 LS
17		6th110
1992 Leading Edge Motorsport PHX
3		 LBH
3		 DET
2		 POR
2		 MIL
3		 NHA
3		 TOR
2		 CLE
3		 VAN
2		 MDO
3		 NAZ
1		 LS
4		1st186
1995 Dorricott Racing MIA
4		 PHX
2		 LBH
2		 NAZ
3		 MIL
4		 DET
1		 POR
12		 TOR
2		 CLE
22		 NHA
3		 VAN
3		 LS
21		2nd140
1996 FRE Racing MIA LBH NAZ MIS MIL DET POR CLE TOR
11		 TRO VAN LS 26th2

CART

YearTeamChassisEngine12345678910111213141516RankPointsRef
1993 Dale Coyne Racing Lola T92/00 Chevrolet 265A V8 t SRF
23		PHX
19		LBH
6		MIL
17		DET
28		PORCLE
24		TORMICNHAROA
19		VANMDO
14		NAZ
17		LS
16		21st6 [3]
Buick 3300 V6 t INDY
DNQ
1994 Dale Coyne Racing Lola T93/00 Ford XB V8 t SRF
20		PHXLBH
16		 INDY MILDETPORCLETORMICMDONHAVANROANAZLS41st0 [4]

IRL IndyCar Series

YearTeamChassisNo.Engine12345678910111213141516RankPointsRef
1996 Beck Motorsports Reynard 94i1
Lola T942		54 Ford XB V8 t WDW
3		 INDY
9		3rd240 [5]
Zunne Group Racing Lola T94 PHX
13
1996-1997 Beck Motorsports Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8 t NHM
22		 LVS
8		 WDW 13th170 [6]
Team Menard G-Force GF013 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 PHX
18		 INDY
8		 TXS
16		 PPI CLT NH2
1		 LV2
3
1998 G-Force GF01B WDW
20		17th174 [7]
Dallara IR8 PHX
12		 INDY
31		 TXS
6		 NHM
10		 DOV CLT PPI
2		ATL
11		TX2
7		LVS
7
1999 Sinden Racing Dallara IR944 Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 WDW
20		PHX
3		 CLT
C		 INDY
Wth		22nd114 [8]
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 84 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 INDY
6		TXSPPIATLDOVPP2
Tri-Star Motorsports 22LVS
3		TX2
24
2000 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G-Force GF0524WDW
1		PHX
7		LVS
5		 INDY
26		8th190 [9]
Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 TXS
18		PPI
23		ATL
6		KTY
13		TX2
18
2001 G-Force GF05BPHX
11		HMS
24		ATL
20		 INDY
15		TXS
21		PPI
3		RIR
9		KAN
21		NSH
13		KTY
9		STL
5		CHI
22		TX2
3		12th237 [10]
2002 G-Force GF05CHMS
12		PHX
13		FON
DNS		NZR INDY
16		TXS
20		PPI
23		RIR
13		KAN
21		NSH
21		MIS
24		KTY
10		STL
6		 CHI
20		TX2
18		17th177 [11]
2003 Dallara IR-03 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS
19		PHX
12		MOT
10		 INDY
23		TXS
22		PPI
15		RIR
15		KAN
12		NSH
21		MIS
13		STL
12		KTY
7		NZR
9		CHI
10		FON
12		 TX2
11		14th261 [12]
2004 Dallara IR-04HMS
10		PHX
18		MOT
21		 INDY TXSRIRKANNSHMILMISKTYPPINZRCHIFONTX224th44 [13]
YearsTeamsRacesPolesWinsPodiums
(Non-win)		Top 10s
(Non-podium)		Indianapolis 500
Wins		Championships
96780271900

Indianapolis 500

YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
1993 Lola T92/00 Buick 3300 V6 t Practice Crash Dale Coyne Racing
1996 Lola T94/00 Ford-Cosworth XB V8 t 239 Beck Motorsports
1997 G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 48 Team Menard
1998 Dallara IR8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 531 Team Menard
1999 Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 326 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2000 G-Force GF05 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 926 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2001 G-Force GF05B Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 915 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2002 G-Force GF05C Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 216 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2003 Dallara IR-03 Chevrolet Indy V8 2223 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

References

  1. ↑ Q&A with Robbie Buhl
  2. ↑ [ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 1993 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 1994 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 1996 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 1997 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 2002 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Robbie Buhl – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Barber Saab Pro Series Champion
1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Indy Lights Champion
1992 		Succeeded by
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