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Robbie Buhl

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Robbie Buhl
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
TeamsBeck 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, MI.

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.

He 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

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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 19th/early 20th 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, he married former racer Scott Brayton's widow Becky.

Robbie is a Founder and key Supporter of "Racing for Kids", a charitable foundation established to assist chronically ill children. Robbie 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, he 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

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American Open Wheel Racing results

[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

American Racing Series / Indy Lights

[edit]
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Rank Points
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
4th 118
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
6th 110
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
1st 186
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
2nd 140
1996 FRE Racing MIA LBH NAZ MIS MIL DET POR CLE TOR
11
TRO VAN LS 26th 2

CART

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Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points Ref
1993 Dale Coyne Racing Lola T92/00 Chevrolet 265A V8t SRF
23
PHX
19
LBH
6
MIL
17
DET
28
POR CLE
24
TOR MIC NHA ROA
19
VAN MDO
14
NAZ
17
LS
16
21st 6 [3]
Buick 3300 V6t INDY
DNQ
1994 Dale Coyne Racing Lola T93/00 Ford XB V8t SRF
20
PHX LBH
16
INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIC MDO NHA VAN ROA NAZ LS 41st 0 [4]

IRL IndyCar Series

[edit]
Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rank Points Ref
1996 Beck Motorsports Reynard 94i1
Lola T942
54 Ford XB V8t WDW
3
INDY
9
3rd 240 [5]
Zunne Group Racing Lola T94 PHX
13
1996-1997 Beck Motorsports Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t NHM
22
LVS
8
WDW 13th 170 [6]
Team Menard G-Force GF01 3 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 PHX
18
INDY
8
TXS
16
PPI CLT NH2
1
LV2
3
1998 G-Force GF01B WDW
20
17th 174 [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 IR9 44 Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 WDW
20
PHX
3
CLT
C
INDY
Wth
22nd 114 [8]
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 84 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 INDY
6
TXS PPI ATL DOV PP2
Tri-Star Motorsports 22 LVS
3
TX2
24
2000 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing G-Force GF05 24 WDW
1
PHX
7
LVS
5
INDY
26
8th 190 [9]
Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 TXS
18
PPI
23
ATL
6
KTY
13
TX2
18
2001 G-Force GF05B PHX
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
12th 237 [10]
2002 G-Force GF05C HMS
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
17th 177 [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
14th 261 [12]
2004 Dallara IR-04 HMS
10
PHX
18
MOT
21
INDY TXS RIR KAN NSH MIL MIS KTY PPI NZR CHI FON TX2 24th 44 [13]
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums
(Non-win)
Top 10s
(Non-podium)
Indianapolis 500
Wins
Championships
9 6 78 0 2 7 19 0 0

Indianapolis 500

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Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1993 Lola T92/00 Buick 3300 V6t Practice Crash Dale Coyne Racing
1996 Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t 23 9 Beck Motorsports
1997 G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 4 8 Team Menard
1998 Dallara IR8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 5 31 Team Menard
1999 Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 32 6 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
2000 G-Force GF05 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 9 26 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2001 G-Force GF05B Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 9 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2002 G-Force GF05C Infiniti VRH35ADE V8 2 16 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
2003 Dallara IR-03 Chevrolet Indy V8 22 23 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

References

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  1. ^ Q&A with Robbie Buhl
  2. ^ [1][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.
[edit]
Sporting positions
Preceded by Barber Saab Pro Series Champion
1989
Succeeded by
Preceded by Indy Lights Champion
1992
Succeeded by