Births on October 31

Buddy Lazier, American racing driver

Buddy Lazier (born October 31, 1967) is an American auto racing driver, best known for winning the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and the 2000 Indy Racing League season championship.

Lazier began his career in the 1980s by competing in such series as the IMSA GT Championship, the SCCA Canadian-American Challenge Cup and the American Indycar Series. Lazier won the American Indycar Series championship in 1988. Lazier started his IndyCar career in 1989 by competing in the Indy Car World Series. During the season, Lazier failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. Lazier eventually qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991. During his Champ Car career, Lazier often drove for teams that used older chassis and engines; his best finish in the Champ Car standings was a 19th-place finish in 1992.

Lazier began to compete in the newly formed Indy Racing League in 1996. Lazier won the Indianapolis 500 that season, and he became one of the most dominant drivers in the series for a period of time, winning eight races overall and the series championship in 2000. Lazier began to drive only at the Indianapolis 500 in 2007 and continued to enter the Indianapolis 500 through 2009. He did not return to the series until 2013 at the Indianapolis 500 when he competed for Lazier Partners Racing, a team started by his father Bob Lazier and various investors. Lazier and the team repeated their efforts in 2014, 2015, 2016 and, for the final time, in 2017.