Former Indianapolis 500 Winner Ryan Hunter-Reay Finds The Right Opportunity To Return To The 500 In 2023

When Ryan Hunter-Reay stepped away from full-time NTT IndyCar Series action as a driver with Andretti Autosport following the 2021 season, he stressed that he was not retiring from racing.

He told friends and colleagues if the right opportunity came along, he would take it.

Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2012 NTT IndyCar Series champion, knows what the opportunity looks like. He was approached by several team owners about a possible run in the 2022 Indianapolis 500, but the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native didn’t believe any of those were “the right opportunity.”

On Wednesday, March 15, Hunter-Reay found that “right opportunity” and will return to action in the 107^th Indianapolis 500 on May 29 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. He will be part of a two-driver effort that also includes Stefan Wilson, who will be in a Cusick Motorsports/Dreyer & Reinbold Chevrolet for the longtime IndyCar team owned by Indianapolis car dealer Dennis Reinbold.

Hunter-Reay will drive the No. 23 Chevrolet at this year’s Indy 500.

“I’ve been eager to share this news for quite some time,” Hunter-Reay said on Wednesday. “This partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing presents a unique opportunity for me and I can’t wait to get back on track at IMS,” said Hunter-Reay. “I feel laser-focused and energized. The Indy 500 isn’t just a motor race, for me; it’s a way of life.”

Hunter-Reay has 18 career IndyCar victories, including a thrilling end-of-the race duel with Helio Castroneves in the closing laps of the 2014 Indy 500.

Hunter-Reay finished sixth as a rookie at Indy in 2008 with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and has two front-row starts, five starts inside the top seven and six top-10 finishes.

Hunter-Reay is also renowned for his team-building talents and technical prowess, both of which Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) sought while pursuing the Boca Raton, FL, driver to join its Indy 500 program where he’ll partner with the previously announced Stefan Wilson who will drive the No. 24 Chevy.

DRR’s driver lineup for Indianapolis might be new, but after working as teammates at their former team in 2018 and 2021, Hunter-Reay and Wilson bring immediate chemistry to the effort.

“I was incredibly attracted to the fact that DRR is a streamlined program that puts all of its energy into the month of May,” Hunter-Reay said. “I guess you can say I’m going back to my roots, considering how I started my IndyCar career with smaller teams that took the fight to the bigger efforts and won. If you look at DRR’s record at Indy and their impressive recent results, the pool of talented engineers and crew; it’s a perfect fit.”

Prior to deciding to join DRR for the month of May, Hunter-Reay visited the team at its Indianapolis base and saw the potential to combine his considerable experience with DRR’s veteran staff and push the program to greater heights.

“Dennis Reinbold embodies everything the Indy 500 is about,” Hunter-Reay said. “He is, without a doubt, one of the Indy 500’s most passionate entrants. I look forward to working with him, the entire team, and my teammate Stefan Wilson.”

Hunter-Reay’s IndyCar achievements also complement and parallel a piece of DRR history: As a dual IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner, Hunter-Reay follows the legendary Al Unser Jr, a two-time IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner, and fellow American who drove for the team at the Speedway in 2006. 2004 Indy 500 champion Buddy Rice is also a former DRR driver at the Indy 500.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is coming off back-to-back top 10 finishes at Indianapolis where Dennis Reinbold has fielded 45 entries since 2000.

“I am thrilled to have Ryan Hunter-Reay join our lineup for the 2023 Indianapolis 500,” said Reinbold, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team owner. “Ryan is a proven winner at the Speedway, winning in 2014, and is a tremendously talented driver who is a great addition to our team for this year’s 500.”

Hunter-Reay returns to Chevrolet power which he has had immense success within his career. His 2012 IndyCar Series championship was powered by the acclaimed manufacturer based in Detroit, Michigan. Even though his time with Chevrolet was relatively short, five of his wins were earned with the American auto manufacturer.

Practice for the Indianapolis 500 is set to begin Tuesday, May 16, with qualifications scheduled for Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21. The 107th edition of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will take place on Sunday, May 28.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing was founded in 1999 by Indianapolis car dealer Dennis Reinbold. The legacy of the Dreyer and Reinbold family dates to the 1920s with Reinbold’s grandfather, the legendary Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, a former factory motorcycle racer.

Dreyer served as a crewman and mechanic on the famed Duesenberg driven by Benny Shoaff and Babe Stapp in the 1927 Indy 500. Dreyer went on to build Indy 500 cars in the 1930s many of which started on the front row. In addition, Dreyer constructed championship-winning sprint cars and midgets as well as quarter midgets called Dreyerettes.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing captured its first win in 2000 with driver Robbie Buhl at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, FL, and has fielded a variety of drivers including Buddy Lazier, Sarah Fisher, Buddy Rice, Al Unser Jr., Sage Karam, and J.R. Hildebrand. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has successfully qualified 45 drivers for the Indy 500 in its history.

DRR competed in Rallycross for the first time in 2015 and captured the 2016 Lites rallycross championship. In 2021, the team campaigned Tanner Foust and Cabot Bigham in the Supercar division of Nitro Rallycross. Additionally, the team ran a selection of Lites cars that included drivers such as Sage Karam and Conner Martell.

The team currently competes in the 2022-23 NRX rallycross series with the all-new FC1-X all-electric vehicles. They are currently leading the Nitro RX Championship Points Standings with full-time entries in first, second and third.