Sunday
Eventful Day For Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at the Honda Indy 200 At Mid-Ohio Presented by Westfield Insurance
Press Release
Wilson got off to a great start gaining one position right off the bat, going from 11th to 10th on the first lap. He settled into a groove and immediately went into fuel save mode. The Brit was gaining on the cars in front of him and on Lap 23 went to make a move on EJ Viso into Turn 4. Unfortunately, he wasn’t given enough room and as a result made contact with the No. 8 KV Racing Technology car and his day was ended early. The Brit finished in 27th position.
Experience and laps were just what the doctor ordered for newcomer, JR Hildebrand, who started 18th for today’s event. The American driver was quick to impress in his debut IZOD IndyCar Series race. He had a very promising start and began to save fuel. The yellow came out on Lap 23 and JR came in for his first pit stop on Lap 25 for fuel and tires. He came in again on Lap 30 for a splash of fuel and again on Lap 55 for his final pit stop. From that point on he continued to drive a smart race, and gradually picked people off. Hildebrand brought the car home safely in 16th position.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing heads straight to Infineon Raceway for a test and then back home for a weekend off. The team will hit the pavement August 22nd in California for the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma.
Justin Wilson, No. 22 Z-Line Designs:
“I’m sorry for everyone on the Z-Line Designs car and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. We had a good race going; the car was good and we were keeping up on black tires. I got a run on EJ down into Turn 4. We weren’t quite wheel-to-wheel, but I was three quarters alongside when we hit the brakes. He went for the apex so I tried to back out of it, but he just didn’t leave any racing room for me. Whether it’s your corner or not, you’ve got to leave some room for the other guy to get out of it.”JR Hildebrand, No. 24 Roll Coater: “There were some good things and some bad things about today. I think that our pace was really good and I was able to push for most of the race and pass guys. For me, this was my first time dealing with any kind of fuel mileage and in the first stint it ended up being irrelevant the way that the yellows worked out, but we were able to do a good job of keeping the pace with the guys in front of us and get the mileage that we were looking for. For me, those were all big positives.
On the flip side of that, I made some kind of obvious mistakes that I should make, so the next time around I will be a little more used to the car and the circumstances. I don’t think that I will be making those kind of errors like driving off the track on the exit of corners or getting a little bit of push that I’m not expecting, and for whatever reason, these cars seem to be a little more sensitive to it than what I’m used to. Our pit stops on my end were fairly dismal as a whole.
This was my first time dealing with them in a race situation and they are a little bit different than the pit stops I have dealt with in the past. In fairness, I don’t think that is much of an excuse and from that perspective the only way to go is up and I think we can run a mistake free race and qualify a little bit better, and we will be in the thick of it. I think we had the pace to be running up front. There were some positives and some negatives, but all around it was a pretty solid day.”
About Dreyer & Reinbold Racing:
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is entering its 11th season of full-time competition in 2010, making it one of the longest-tenured teams in Indy Racing League competition. Current co-owners, Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl, first teamed in full-time competition at the Walt Disney World Speedway in January of 2000. With Buhl behind the wheel, the two owners tasted victory in their debut race. The 2009 IZOD IndyCar Series season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg marked Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s 200th series start.
DRR now has over 250 starts to tuck under its belt and has qualified a total of 27 cars for the Indianapolis 500. In its history, the team has boasted a championship list of alumni drivers. Besides Buhl, the team has run Indianapolis 500 winners, Al Unser, Jr., Buddy Lazier, and Buddy Rice, along with IndyCar Series race winner, Ryan Briscoe. The team has one of the longest lines of heritage in American open-wheel racing and the Indianapolis 500 as Dennis Reinbold’s grandfather, “Pop” Dreyer, built leading roadsters that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
More information on the team can be found at www.dreyerreinboldracing.com
More information on the IZOD IndyCar Series can be found at www.indycar.com.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Press Release
Article Tags: Al Unser, Buddy Lazier, Buddy Rice, Dennis Reinbold, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, DRR, E. J. Viso, Honda Indy 200 Presented by Westfield Insurance, Indianapolis 500, Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, Infineon Raceway, IZOD IndyCar® Series, J.R. Hildebrand, Jr., Justin Wilson, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, No. 22 Z-Line Designs Honda / Dallara, No. 24 Roller Coater Dallara / Honda, No. 8 KV Racing Technology Dallara / Honda, Robbie Buhl, Ryan Briscoe
