Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced a two car effort for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, featuring two drivers who finished in the top seven in last year’s race.
Sage Karam
Sage Karam, who will look to be in his ninth 500, eighth with this team, finished seventh in 2021. He returns in car 24.
Santino Ferrucci
Santino Ferrucci, who has finished in the top 10 in each of his 500 mile races to date will drive car 23. Ferrucci drove several races for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in 2021, including a sixth place finish at Indy. Ferrucci also had a couple of top fives for RLL.
The announcement raises the confirmed car count for the 500 to 29, with a total of 36 entries expected. Chevy and Honda should each power 18 cars.
And then there were (maybe) two. Dreyer and Reinbold Racing announced their entry for the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 Monday. The car will carry sponsorship from AES, the power company which serves Indianapolis. There may be two more entries for the race. The most likely is a sixth car from Andretti Autosport. Top Gun Racing is still trying to obtain an engine lease from Chevrolet.
The official announcement:
Sage Karam will team again with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to drive an entry for the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, in a partnership with the 500 Festival Foundation, AES Indiana and Omaze.
Karam, from Nazareth, Pennsylvania, will attempt to make his eighth career Indy 500 start and seventh with Indianapolis-based DRR in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 30.
Sage Karam. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Indycar
The No. 24 Chevrolet-powered car will feature a new livery with branding from the 500 Festival Foundation, AES 500 Festival Parade, retail electric service company AES Indiana and fundraising platform Omaze.
“The 500 Festival is near and dear to me, and the whole team, as we have always admired and supported the work that the non-profit organization does in our community as well as the traditions it upholds for the Indy 500 and the entire month of May,” said Dennis Reinbold, DRR team owner and former 500 Festival board director. “We are grateful to longtime sponsor WIX Filters for working with us to create a platform to highlight AES Indiana, the AES 500 Festival Parade and the 500 Festival Foundation on our No. 24 car, and not to mention draw attention to the awesome Omaze prize that will benefit the 500 Festival Foundation.”
Omaze will support the 500 Festival Foundation on its unique fundraising platform this May with a sweepstakes that will allow Indy 500 fans to enter for the chance to win a very special prize and a dream-come-true package.
Due to unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AES 500 Festival Parade will not be held this year. Longtime parade title sponsor, AES Indiana (formerly Indianapolis Power & Light Company), has teamed up with the 500 Festival to create a unique partnership that will highlight the community initiatives of the 500 Festival and support the 500 Festival Foundation.
Sage Karam and Dreyer & Reinbold will enter next weekend’s harvest Classic doubleheader at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team had hope to expand their program this year, but their plans were disrupted by the coronavirus. Karam finished 24th in the Indianapolis 500 in August.
Sage Karam after qualifying for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500. Photo by John Cote, Indycar
Karam began his Indycar career in 2014. he has competed in six Indianapolis 500s. his best finish is a third place at Iowa in 2015.
Their sponsor, Oil2Soil, is a peat moss based oil absorbent intended to be an environmentally friendly method of oil cleanup. Their product is available on Amazon and has residential and commercial applications.
Per Dreyer and Reinhold this morning, Sage Karam will drive the Wix Filters car in the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 4
The team had announced a four race program for 2020. Their plans, like those of almost every one else, have been altered by the Coronavirus..
The announcement from their Twitty account:
BREAKING: We are pleased to announce that @SageKaram will be driving the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the black and yellow WIX Filters car. We are estatic to make our first road course start since 2013.
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#WIXFilters #WIXIndy #DrivenByDRR
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@wixfilters @mecum https://t.co/7sbGym0Qun
Sage Karam’s dominating win in the Amerucan Red Cross Grand Prix iRace at Watkins Glen yesterday was fun to watch. It provided a much needed break for Indycar fans. This was the first sim race I had watched from start to finish. I found the cars and the action to be realistic. The track, however, looked like an older version of Watkins Glen. Some of it appeared different from when I was there at the last Indycar race.
We fans needed the race to connect in a positive way for a couple of hours. Yes, the race was artificial, but we still treated it as a real race by tweeting back and forth.
The broadcast crew was a great addition. I enjoyed the replays and the side interviews with Robert Wickens and James Hinchcliffe. Maybe NBCSN can broadcast the remaining five races. Will the novelty wear off after a couple of events? Maybe fans are so starved for racing that this is sustainable.
I wonder if Karam’s experience at iRacing gives him an advantage for all the races.
The invocation and the national anthem were a nice touch.
Yesterday’s incident involving three Penske cars may be the only time we ever see that happen.
A caution flag might have been good. There were two occasions where one would have been thrown.
Seeing Watkins Glen made me miss that track even more. I hope Indycar can find a way back there.
Sebring belonged to the newcomers today as rookies Oliver Askew and Rinus VeeKay ran tests for their NTT Indycar Series teams today. Askew shared the Arrow McLaren Sp car with teammate Pato O’Ward while VeeKay became familiar with his Ed Carpenter Racing machine. Two time Australian Supercar champion Scott McLaughlin ran laps in a test for Team Penske. McLaughlin drives for Penske in Australia.
Sage Karam also got some test time in the Dreyer and Reinbold entry. DRR announced last week they will enter four events this year, including the Indianapolis 500. There is a possibility of even more races in 2020.
Notes
At times the cars looked like prototypes as they approached the turn where I watched from. The cars with a white band on the framework give this impression more than the black does. While you can still see the drivers’ hands work the steering wheel, it is difficult to see the drivers’ head and helmet at a casual glance. The framework of the aeroscreen and the helmet seem to blend together.
The new protection device is more noticeable when the cars slow for a turn; I got used to it when the cars were at full speed.
A couple of things seemed strange:
A white Ed Carpenter Racing car.
Someone other than a regular in the Penske car.
It was great watching Indycars run again.
Some Travel Items
The “L” turn on Sebring Parkway as is now a roundabout. I didn’t realize the Mayor of Carmel had a home near the track.
It was sad to see how much of the open fields on the road approaching the track has been sold. The area will have a very different look next year, I’m afraid.
I think this is could be the makings of a great team for 202 if the money is there. Karam may still be tied to Dreyer and Reinbold for the Indianapolis 500, but he could possibly drive for Carlin the rest of the year.
I know Daly wants to drive for Andretti, but with the news that Rossi looks to be staying, there is no room for him except for an Indianapolis one-off.
Daly drove for Carlin at Texas and finished 11th. Last week at Toronto Karam drove the Carlin entry. He started and finished six laps down in 21st. It was his first road/street course race since 2015 and he had never driven at Toronto. Karam has driven in the Iowa race.
Iowa will not have a title sponsor this weekend. According to Adam Stern, a couple possible sponsor deals did not come through. Stern also mentioned that ticket sales are up a bit.
The format did provide drama. James Hinchcliffe and Fernando Alonso had to wait until the final two qualifiers ran to see if they made the race.
James Hinchcliffe pauses as he gets out of the car his Sunday run. He seems to be wondering if the time will be good enough.
Some of the old Bump Day flavor was back with rumors swirling about deals and shared parts and information. the rain delay may have had something to do with it, but it was a fun atmosphere.
Every 100 years, a driver from France wins the pole. That’s not good news for Sebastien Bourdais.
Qualifying Weekend Tweaks
For next year I would like to see Bump Day be a timed period, say 90 minutes, for cars not in the race to make a maximum of three attempts to make the field.
As far as the Fast Nine, it is a dinosaur concept intended to be filler when there were only 33 cars. It may be good for television, but I think an extended Bump Day as I proposed would be a better use of that brief network TV window. Let the pole winner be the fastest qualifier on Saturday. That’s your Saturday TV drama.
Limit cars to three attempts per day. Several cars went out to use runs as practice time. If teams have exclusive use of the track, it should be for a serious run.
Other Thoughts
I was surprised that the track didn’t open for practice in the middle of Saturday afternoon.
Even in defeat, Fernando Alonso was gracious enough to come to the media center with Gil DeFerran to discuss their week.
Yesterday I think was the first time I nave ever seen Sage Karam smile. He was more at ease in interviews than I’ve seen him after his run. His best comment, referring to Hinchcliffe and the stress of the last two days, “I’m surprised James hasn’t had a heart attack yet going through this two years in a row.”
The new sealant seems to help dry the track quicker, which would be a good thing on Race Day. I just hope we never have to find out on that day.
I’ve seen some people say this year’s qualifying was a good argument for guaranteed spots. I think it was a better argument against it. Would have great stories like Dragonspeed and Juncos with guaranteed spots? It would be hard if more full time teams join the series.
I have never seen so little attention paid to who wins the pole. I didn’t mind it. I think the pole should be decided first, like on Saturday. The true story of qualifying is in the smaller teams who make the field, sometimes at the expense of a bigger team or champion driver.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 