Past champ Brack will replace Rice at Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Indy winner Kenny Brack is coming back to the Brickyard, summoned to replace the injured driver who once filled in for him: defending champion Buddy Rice.

Brack, the 1999 Indy 500 winner, will return to Indy more than a year after a horrible crash at Texas knocked him out of the IRL.

Bobby Rahal, co-owner of the Letterman Rahal Racing team, made the announcement Wednesday at a news conference. Rahal said he called Brack on Monday night to see if his former driver was interested in taking Rice's place in the No. 15 Honda-powered Panoz racer for the rest of the month.

"He not only drives fast, Kenny is always methodical in everything he does," Rahal said. "That's why I know he's ready to do this when he says he is."

Brack passed his Indianapolis Motor Speedway physical Tuesday night and was set to make his first practice laps Wednesday on the 2 1/2-mile oval. Qualifications for the May 29 race resume Saturday.

"Even though I haven't driven for a year, it feels like I never left because I've stayed around the team the whole time and I feel very comfortable," the Swedish driver said.

Rice -- who began last season as Rahal Letterman's little-known replacement for Brack before taking the pole and checkered flag at Indy -- was declared out of the 500 on Tuesday when doctors said a back injury sustained in a crash was worse than first diagnosed.

He also sustained a concussion when his car spun and smashed backward into a wall at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during practice last Wednesday.

Brack has tested an IndyCar, but has not raced in the IRL since breaking both ankles, a thigh, his back and ribs in a terrifying wreck during the season-ending race at Texas in October 2003.

One of those ankles was crushed in the crash, and the 39-year-old Swede spent the next three months in hospitals.

Once he was back home, Brack set a goal of getting back to racing by last year's Indy 500. It didn't happen.

In June, Brack thought he was ready until a test in Richmond, Va., for Rahal's team didn't go as well as expected. He was fast but unprepared for the physical struggle he faced.

"I could drive the car just fine, but I felt I was really not fit enough to drive one of these cars in a race," Brack said at the time.

The 1998 IRL champion did return to racing last September in Sweden. Driving a Porsche in the Carrera Cup series, he finished fifth in two races. He has also tested touring cars in Australia since recovering from his injuries.

Now, he said he is ready to get back on track at Indy.

"Now, 1 1/2 years after the accident, I'm back to the same physical condition as before the crash," he said Wednesday. "I've been pounding myself in the gym and, even though I feel very bad for Buddy, I feel very comfortable coming into this situation."

Rice's condition will be reassessed in about three weeks, said Dr. Henry Bock, medical director for the IndyCar Series and the track. Bock said he told Rahal Letterman on Tuesday that Rice will not get clearance in time to qualify.

Bock said further evaluation revealed a partially torn ligament in Rice's neck, an area essential to maintaining alignment of the spine. Doctors have recommended rest and rehabilitation.

"Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed that I won't be able to defend my Indy 500 championship," Rice said in a statement issued by the team.

"Physically I feel fine, but I have to trust the speedway and IRL medical team because they are looking out for my safety. I am optimistic that I will be cleared for Texas (June 11) and will be able to get back in the car. I plan to stay here in Indy and help our team in any way I can."

The 29-year-old Rice was expected to be a strong contender for the IndyCar Series championship this year, but got off to a slow start and is 11th in the standings following a season-best third-place finish last month in Japan.

Rahal said the team's first concern is Rice's complete recovery.

"This has been a difficult obstacle for Buddy, but we have been assured by Dr. Bock that, in this case, that the time off will be the solution," said Rahal, who won the Indy 500 in 1986. "Our intent is to move forward."

Rice will spend the next two weeks on the sidelines, helping prepare teammates Danica Patrick -- a rookie and the only woman in the race -- Vitor Meira and Brack. Patrick and Meira have already qualified.

Twenty-two drivers made the 33-car field Sunday, with more qualifying scheduled Saturday and next Sunday.