By Dave Lewandowski
indycar.com

Ryan Hunter-Reay was visiting various garages at Lowe's Motor Speedway, checking out the possibilities of a NASCAR ride, and periodically checking in on the TV broadcast of the Indianapolis 500.

A year removed, the Boca Raton, Fla., native was living the dream - his dream - of competing in "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing." And what a spectacle it was - from an enthusiastic overflow crowd on a gorgeous afternoon in central Indiana to the pageantry and traditions on Memorial Day weekend. And Hunter-Reay can thank Bobby Rahal for placing a phone call that ended both of their searches.

Hunter-Reay started 20th, overcame a practice crash and claimed sixth place in the No. 17 Team Ethanol Honda-powered Dallara for Rahal Letterman Racing. He received the Indianapolis 500 Chase Rookie of the Year award in addition to the $328,065 in race winnings that included $25,000 as the top rookie.

"Last year, I wasn't in a position to be winning races and to be competing in races," Hunter-Reay said during the Victory Celebration at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Actually, I was just walking the pits at quite a few different races around the country (looking for a ride) and now I'm sitting here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway talking about rookie of the year. That's how racing is, but you've got to be ready when the opportunity comes, and I was, and I've been working well with this team. They've been working well with me. It's a great bunch of guys, and I think there's going to be much better things to come this year."

Hunter-Reay joined Rahal Letterman Racing in July - days before the inaugural IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Having to get acclimated to the car and limited on practice time, he still advanced three positions to finish seventh. This season, he has a trio of top-10 finishes in five races as the IndyCar Series moves to The Milwaukee Mile (where Hunter-Reay won in Champ Car).

Being the top-finishing rookie of 11 at Indianapolis was important, too.

"This was a strong rookie field this season, perhaps one of the best in a long time, and it is very important to me to win this award," Hunter-Reay said. "This weekend was a big one for Rahal Letterman Racing and Team Ethanol and we put together a great race. I drove my heart out all day, and the team, we made the car better and better."