Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has announced today that they will contest next week’s 2020 NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix circuit. The team will field Sage Karam in the #24 Chevrolet, with the event being the first time that the team has raced outside of the Indianapolis 500 since 2013.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced prior to the season’s original start date back in March that they were intending on contesting a part-time schedule in the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series as well as their usual appearance at the Indianapolis 500. After having competed in IndyCar full-time since the year 2000, the team contested the first five races of the 2013 season before scaling back their IndyCar entry to comprise only the Indianapolis 500 every year.
The team had been set to begin the season with their fellow competitors at the original season-opener at St. Petersburg. However, their plans were derailed when the COVID-19 pandemic saw the event cancelled at the last moment. Now, after having had to wait for a few months longer than planned, the team are ready to return to road course racing.
“We had planned to compete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener at St. Petersburg with the expansion of the WIX Filters partnership,” said the team’s owner, Dennis Reinbold. “Then the COVID-19 pandemic came about, and we were put on hold. With some of the COVID-19 restrictions being lifted now, we felt that running Sage and the WIX Filters Chevy at the GMR Grand Prix at the Speedway would fit our racing plans. It’s been seven years since we’ve competed in a road or street course or anything outside of the Indy oval. And the Indy 500 has been postponed until August now too. But we are very excited to come back to IMS for the Grand Prix.”
“We sat back after the test and knew we were relearning the things that we haven’t touched for a while with road racing. It’s been a lot of fun. We have a ton of data that we have worked hard to sort through. Our plan was A: not embarrass yourself, and B: be competitive, which is our goal.”
After having contested five Indianapolis 500’s with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Sage Karam stated today that he feels “lucky and blessed” to be continuing with the team as they return to road course racing.
“Dennis and his Dreyer & Reinbold team have been so loyal to my racing career and I can’t thank them enough for their support,” said Karam. “I look at Dennis as almost like a second father. I can go to him about anything. He’s one of the good guys of motorsports. I feel like I’ve been lucky and blessed to be able to come into this team as well as with a great partner like WIX Filters. I have been with them for many years too.”
Next weekend’s race won’t be Karam’s first foray into IndyCar road racing, however. Outside of his appearances at the Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Karam raced on a partial schedule with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2015 and also raced with Carlin at the Grand Prix of Toronto last year.
To date, Karam’s best IndyCar finish came at Iowa in 2015 when he took third-place. His best finish on a road or street course, however, is only twelfth place. It might be a little too much to expect Karam to potentially beat his twelfth place finish this weekend, as the team try to get up to speed with road course racing, however, Sage has every confidence in his team.
“Dennis is a smart businessman,” Karam said today. “If he’s going to go road racing, he’s going to do it right. Frankly, I wouldn’t want to do that either. He’s doing this the right way.”
The 2020 GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix circuit will take place on Saturday, July 4.
