After rain affected several of last week’s practice sessions, Monday afternoon saw nothing but clear skies at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Cusick Motorsports took to the track for a two-hour practice session.
With the focus now shifted from qualifying to simulated race running for the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500, the team accumulated 325 miles between its two entries, gathering valuable data and setup information ahead of the final practice session later this week.
Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No. 23 VensureHR / 101 Studios / 6666 Ranch Quality Beef Chevrolet completed 75 laps with a best speed of 225.050 MPH, the 12th fastest speed of the day. Conor Daly in the No. 24 Polkadot Chevrolet completed 55 laps with a best speed of 224.922 MPH, ending just two positions behind Hunter-Reay in 14th.
“The team did a really good job,” said 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, Ryan Hunter-Reay. “We steadily progressed throughout practice, as this team always does. We kept chipping away at it and ended on a high note in our final run, which was not only our fastest, but also gave me the confidence I needed. Very hot conditions today, it should be a little nicer when we get to Carb Day. It was nice to finally get some pit stop practice in as well.”
“I feel very confident after today,” said hometown hero and longtime Indy 500 contenter, Conor Daly. “We had to cut our running a little short for an abundance of a caution, but happy to get a couple of full stints in. I felt really good in traffic and the team did a great job in turning the car around from qualifying. Pit stop practice was awesome as well, so I look forward to getting a couple of good runs on Carb Day and we’ll be good to go.”
“Our pit stops today were really solid,” commented Dennis Reinbold, owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “If we can duplicate those in the race we will be in a good place and should be able to gain some spots in the pits. We were pretty good in race trim with both cars today, and with another step in fine tuning we’ll be strong in the race. We should be competitive and be able to run with anybody on Carb Day and Race Day.”
“I love seeing these cars in race trim,” noted Don Cusick, Founder and CEO of Cusick Motorsports. “The best part was seeing Conor smile when he got out of the car and how happy he was with it, and I know he’ll be great on race day moving forward from 29th. Ryan continues to show his strength as well and I’m super pumped for race day and feel like we have a good shot with both cars.”
The team has one practice session remaining on Friday, May 24th. The green flag for the Indianapolis 500 will fly at 12:30pm EST on Sunday, May 26th on NBC.
About Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing was founded in 1999 by Indianapolis car dealer Dennis Reinbold. The legacy of the Dreyer and Reinbold family dates back to the 1920s with Reinbold’s grandfather, the legendary Floyd “Pop” Dreyer, a former Indian factory motorcycle racer. Dreyer served as a crewman and mechanic on the famed Duesenberg team. 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. 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 Al Unser Jr., Buddy Rice, Buddy Lazier, Sarah Fisher, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and J.R. Hildebrand. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has successfully qualified 48 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. The team competed in the Nitro RX series with a 1-2-3 Championship win in the 2022-23 Nitro RX Group E class with Robin Larrson, Andreas Bakkerud, and Fraser McConnell. The following year, the team won the championship for the second year in a row with Robin Larsson in the newly rebranded, Nitrocross series.
About Cusick Motorsports
Cusick Motorsports, founded in 2021 by entrepreneur Don Cusick, was created to make the racing industry more accessible to all. Cusick Motorsports creates bespoke programs for its partners and creates unforgettable experiences that help drive meaningful relationships and business. The threshold for getting into the industry has not been easy for most individuals and companies. As an entrepreneur in the healthcare industry for over 40 years, Don Cusick saw the opportunity to make the motorsports industry more accessible for all, and Cusick Motorsports was founded.
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