DREYER & REINBOLD RACING READY FOR CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
Chicago, IL (August 27, 2009)- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing enters the Peak Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend on an incredible high. The team earned their first podium of the season with Mike Conway last Sunday at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, ending the final road course of the year on a positive note. DRR is eager to get back on an oval and continue their momentum. This will mark Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s eighth time to compete at the 1.5-mile oval, and who better to do it with than three racing pros, Mike Conway who will pilot the No. 24 Dad’s Root Beer machine, Tomas Scheckter who will get behind the wheel of the No. 43 MonaVie car, and Milka Duno who will be driving the No.23 CITGO chassis.
Sonoma turned out to be another groundbreaking performance for Conway where he showed that he was a t rue road-racing pro. The Brit kept his nose clean as he stayed out of the trouble that happened in front of him. He started in ninth position and went to 14th on the first lap. Fortunately that didn’t hinder him for long. The rookie was able to climb as the race progressed. With near perfect pit stops, Conway drove a good, consistent race, running in the top-ten for a majority of the event. It all came together on his last pit stop when he went from seventh to fifth and continued to pass. On lap 73 Conway made an incredible maneuver on the No.27 of Hideki Mutoh for third position in Turn 7. Firestone nominated the performance for the Firestone “Tire-ific” Move of the Race. As a result he crossed the finish line with his best result of the season, third place.
This weekend will mark Conway’s first time to Chicagoland Speedway. To date he has made it into the fast six twice on road courses (Watkins Glen and Toronto) and his best qualifying position on an oval has been 11th (Milwaukee and Richmond). Conway’s best results on a road course were sixth and third (Watkins Glen and Sonoma) and on an oval was eighth in Iowa.
Returning to the No. 43 car this weekend will be South African Tomas Scheckter. With seven starts for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing under his belt, Scheckter is ready to visit Chicago for the seventh time. He has had much success at the 1.5 mile oval with two top-five finishes (4-2005, 5-2003), led 114 laps in six starts at the track, and his best start was second in 2003. Scheckter has had eight pole positions, all of which were on ovals (2002-Texas 1,Kansas, Michigan; 2003-Texas 1, Michigan; 2005-Homestead, Texas, Nashville). He has also won twice, both on ovals (Michigan, 2002; Texas, 2005). His best result this season was sixth at Iowa. Scheckter feels fully prepared as he had the opportunity to have a break, relax, train and learn as he watched the team’s success at Infineon Raceway.
Milka Duno, who will be driving the No. 23 CITGO machine, will make her third appearance at Chicagoland Raceway. She finished 14th in her second start at track in 2008 and led five laps. After a positive result last weekend at Sonoma she is ready to get back to an oval.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will be on track in Chicago for the Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300. The race will take place on August 29th and will be live on VERSUS.
What they have to say…
Mike Conway, No. 24 Dad’s Root Beer: “This will be my first time here at Chicago so I’m looking forward to getting out on the track tomorrow. Obviously we had a good weekend last weekend at Sonoma, so I’m looking forward to the next race and hopefully get some good results again and try to keep moving up in the championship. I think the rookie spots are still available to us to win this year. Anything can happen with three races left, we’ve just got to keep pushing and keep getting results. Fingers crossed it will be another good weekend for us.”
Tomas Scheckter, No. 43 MonaVie: “Looking forward to being in the MonaVie car again this weekend. It’s been a couple of weeks off for me. It’s been great watching the team do well, coming off a good result in Sonoma. There’s a lot of good energy within the team. We’re back on a big oval again and looking forward to having a good result here for me and the 43 car.”
Milka Duno, No. 23 CITGO: “I’m really looking forward to Chicago. I led my first laps there and I can’t wait to get back.”
About Dreyer and Reinbold Racing
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing enters its 10th season of full-time competition in 2009, 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 IndyCar Series season-opener on the st reets of St. Petersburg marked Dreyer & Reinbold Racing"s 200th series start. 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 IndyCar Series can be found at www.indycar.com.
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