IndyCar

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing set to announce Indy 500 drivers as race nears entry limit

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Credit: Chris Owens / Courtesy of IndyCar

Verizon IndyCar Series part-time team, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing are set to announce their two-car line-up for this year’s Indianapolis 500 within the next few weeks. The team’s owner believes that the two drivers he has lined up have the potential to win the race in May; which is set to reach its thirty-three car entry limit very soon.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing scaled back to only compete in the Indianapolis 500 for 2014. Prior to that, the team had competed in the Verizon IndyCar Series full-time from 2000 until 2013. In their last four years of racing only at Indianapolis, the team has fielded just one car a year. Sage Karem drove for the team in 2014, 2016 and 2017, with Townsend Bell taking the reigns in 2015.

This year, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will enter two cars in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500. It is thought that Reinbold had been in discussion with Danica Patrick before she signed with Ed Carpenter Racing. Possible options for Dreyer & Reinbold include three of their former drivers: Karem, Oriol Servia and J.R. Hildebrand. The team’s best result in the race came back in 2012 when Servia took them to fourth place.

Team owner Dennis Reinbold believes that the two drivers he has lined up have the potential to win the race, but he isn’t ready to name them just yet.

“I can’t say who we’ve signed, but they’re both excellent drivers, especially at Indy,” Reinbold told Motorsport.com, “Like I said back then [in an interview back in January], I’m sure Danica will be good, but it’s not as if we waited for her move. We kept on with our program and I’m happy with our lineup – very happy.”

“Our whole outlook entering Indy 500 is that if I’m going to commit money, equipment and cars, I want drivers who give me the very best chance of winning Indy. That’s the only goal at Indy. And we’ve been competitive several times in the past, so I know we can do this.

Credit: Walter Kuhn / Courtesy of IndyCar

“I’ve already assembled most of our second crew, we’re taking control of our destiny to a large degree. So in those circumstances, you want the kind of drivers who can take full advantage of those cars, no question marks.

“Over the years I’ve entered 37 cars in the 500, and there have been occasions where our choice of drivers has been governed more by funding issues. Well now we’re not in that position, and we’re free to have a totally different approach. We can say, ‘It’s time to go win that race and this is how we do it.'”

As it stands, the number of confirmed entries into May’s Indianapolis 500 is at or near the thirty-three car limit mark. Dreyer & Reinbold’s two drivers, along with ECR’s third car for Danica Patrick, will take the count right to the limit, but further entries are expected to be announced from the likes of Dale Coyne Racing who are reportedly gearing up to run a fourth car for Conor Daly.

In the last few years, the entry list for the Indy 500 has only just been able to reach the thirty-three car mark, with teams and drivers scrambling to put a deal together at the eleventh hour on multiple occasions. This year, this doesn’t look to be the case. For the first time in a number of years, it looks as though drivers will be bumped from the field after qualifying if they don’t turn a fast enough lap-time.

The first practice session for the 2018 Indianapolis 500 will begin on May 15, followed by two days of qualifying on May 19-20. The race itself takes place on May 27. Before then, however, the Verizon IndyCar Series continues to prepare for it’s season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg that will take place on March 11.

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Reporter from the East of England. Covering the NTT IndyCar Series for The Checkered Flag. Also an eSports racing driver on iRacing.
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