Ryan Hunter-Reay has joined forces with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) to pilot the team’s No. 23 entry in this year’s 107th annual running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that will occur on May 28 during Memorial Day weekend.
The 42-year-old Hunter-Reay from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, makes his return to the IndyCar competition since announcing his retirement from full-time competition at the conclusion of the 2021 season, where he had spent the bulk of his racing career competing for Andretti Autosport.
Making his IndyCar debut in 2003 for American Spirit Team Johansson, Hunter-Reay notched his first career victory at Surfers Paradise Street Circuit in Australia towards the conclusion of the season. He then proceeded to score a total of 18 victories, 47 podiums, seven poles, over 1,500 laps led in 282 career starts (18 seasons). His biggest accomplishments in the IndyCar circuit include winning the 2012 series championship and the 2014 Indianapolis 500 following a late battle and bold overtake on multi-Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves prior to the final lap. His last series victory to date occurred in the 2018 season finale at Sonoma Raceway.
The 2023 season is set to mark Hunter-Reay’s 15th start in the Greatest Spectacle of Racing. To go along with his lone 500 victory in 2014, he has notched six top-10 results and started in the top three twice in the event. Hunter-Reay’s entrance will make him the ninth former 500 winner to compete in this year’s field of 33 competitors, a list that will feature Castroneves, Scott Dixon, reigning Indy 500 champion Marcus Ericsson, Tony Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, Will Power, Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato.
“I’ve been eager to share this news for quite some time,” Hunter-Reay said. “This partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing presents a unique opportunity for me, and I can’t wait to get back on track at IMS. I feel laser-focused and energized. The Indy 500 isn’t just a motor race. For me, it’s a way of life.”
“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 added. “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.”
Hunter-Reay’s partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold comes nearly four months after Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced a joint effort with Cusick Motorsports to field the No. 24 entry for Stefan Wilson for the Indy event this upcoming May. The 2023 season will also mark DRR’s 24th consecutive season of fielding at least one entry for the Indy 500.
“I am thrilled to have Ryan Hunter-Reay join our lineup for the 2023 Indianapolis 500,” Dennis Reinbold, team owner of DRR, said. “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.’”
With his one-race plan for the 2023 season set, Hunter-Reay will compete in the 107th annual running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event is scheduled to occur on May 28 with the event’s broadcast to commence at 11 a.m. ET on NBC.
