07/22/26 04:39:00
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07/22 16:31 CDT Dreyer & Reinbold Racing eager to fulfill late team owner's
wish to become full-time IndyCar team
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing eager to fulfill late team owner's wish to become
full-time IndyCar team
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) --- Each May, Dennis Reinbold would come to the Indianapolis
500 and explain he desperately wanted to return to full-time IndyCar racing.
His dream is on the cusp of becoming reality.
A little more than a month after the Indianapolis-based team owner died at 65,
his oldest son, Derek, announced Dreyer & Reinbold Racing had purchased one of
the series' 25 charters from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The transaction
paves the way for DRR to run one full-time car next season for the first time
since 2012.
Series officials must still approve the move, though that appears to be little
more than a formality.
"There are a lot of emotions today," Derek Reinbold said Wednesday on a
conference call. "Let me just start with my dad because he spent years working
towards this moment. He believed this team belonged in the IndyCar Series
full-time, and he never stopped building toward that goal. He and I were
talking through this charter purchase right up until he went into the hospital.
Today is bittersweet. I wish he were on this call with us. But I know exactly
how he'd feel today because this was his vision, and we're really proud to
finish what he started."
The late Reinbold became a regular in Gasoline Alley after co-founding the team
in 2000, fielding cars, often multiple cars, in each of the past 27
Indianapolis 500s. During that time, DRR employed nearly three dozen drivers
though it reached victory lane only one time --- when Robbie Buhl won at Walt
Disney World Speedway in January 2000.
The team's top finish at Indianapolis came in 2012 when Oriol Servia was
fourth. But following that season, DRR came up short on funding and began
cutting back its schedule. From 2013-19, DRR's drivers were limited to one race
--- Indianapolis.
It appeared there may be an opening for DRR when Sage Karam competed in all
four events held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the COVID-19 season in
2020. But the team returned to just one-race seasons from 2021 through
Reinbodld's death following a battle with cancer last month.
Now, all indications are that DRR will return to full-time action next year.
"The first transfer of an IndyCar charter is an important milestone for the
IndyCar charter system and demonstrates that the system is working as
intended," said Mark Miles, the president and CEO of IndyCar's parent company
Penske Entertainment. "The charter system provides teams with a valuable asset
encouraging their continued investment in the long-term growth of the sport
while also providing new ownership groups with a clear pathway into the series.
It's another step in strengthening the long-term foundation of IndyCar."
Bobby Rahal's team received three of the 25 charters when they were first
introduced in 2024, but when it decided to scale back from three full-time cars
to two next season, the idea of helping Reinbold's team get back in the mix
just seemed like the right thing to do.
"I have always had tremendous respect for Dennis Reinbold, both as a fellow
team owner and as a fellow automobile dealer," the 1986 Indy winner said in a
statement. "His dedication to IndyCar and the legacy he built over many years
earned the respect of everyone in the paddock. Dennis had expressed interest in
acquiring a charter from the time the charter program was established, and we
had several discussions with him before his passing. We're pleased we were able
to complete this transaction, and we can't think of a more deserving
organization to receive the charter."
Rahal also said in the statement that he believes a two-car team will better
position RLL to "maximize" its competition level and focus on the introduction
of a new race car in 2028.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing
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