Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Seeks Speed In Friday's Indy 500 Practice

INDIANAPOLIS - (May 8, 2009) Threatening weather at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Friday kept the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team on its heels during practice runs.

The four drivers - John Andretti, Mike Conway, Milka Duno and Davey Hamilton - worked through a variety of setups in hopes finding a new component for speed on the legendary two and a half mile oval. The skies were filled with clouds and off-and-on rain showers as the team prepared for Saturday's first round of qualification runs for this year's 2009 Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The DRR engineering crew faced some tough odds with the charging conditions and developing rain throughout the Friday afternoon practice session. After Wednesday's rainout for opening day, all of the racing teams were put into a hurry-up mode for the next two days.

Luckily, both Thursday and Friday practice sessions were completed without massive rain delays, and the DRR quartet kept trying new settings for their respective Honda-powered Dallara cars. John Andretti, in the No. 43 Richard Petty Window World Honda Dallara, was the fastest of the four with a speed of 222.079 miles per hour in his 29 laps Friday for 20th overall. Hamilton, in the No. 44 HP Kingdom Racing Honda Dallara, recorded a 221.910 m.p.h. and 22rd among the 32 drivers on track. Hamilton completed 25 laps Friday.

British rookie Conway, in the No. 24 Purex DRR Honda Dallara, finished the day with 56 laps run and a best speed of 220.500 m.p.h. with Duno, in the No. 23 CITGO DRR Honda Dallara, made 39 laps with a best of 219.699 m.p.h. A one-hour practice session will be run on Saturday morning at the Speedway before time trials begin at noon. The first eleven spots for the 33-driver starting grid will be established on Saturday.

What they have to say...

John Andretti, No. 43 Richard Petty Window World Honda Dallara

"We are going to make some more changes and we will come out early tomorrow and run. It will be tough tomorrow. One lap is different than four laps. We need to keep the consistency and keep the same speed from the first lap. We will make some more changes to get some more drag and get a better balance, because you will need both to make the top eleven."

Mike Conway, No. 24 Purex Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara

"Our goal for today was basically to improve on what we learned from yesterday. We were able to get some laps in, but we would have liked to be able to get some more in. We learned in some areas and will have to go back in some other areas. We are looking okay. Obviously with all of the cars that we have we can exchange a lot of data and see where one learns. Qualifying is only tomorrow and we need to be ready for that."

Milka Duno, No. 23 CITGO Dreyer & Reinbold Honda Dallara

"We hoped to go a bit faster today, so I'm a little disappointed. We made a lot of changes in hopes of making the car respond. Tonight we will look over the data and try again for tomorrow."

Davey Hamilton, No. 44 HP Kingdom Racing Honda Dallara

"Today was definitely a learning day for us. We didn't gain the speed that we wanted even though we went a little bit faster. The good thing is we learned what not to do for qualifying. We tried a deal with the gearbox and some gearing that didn't work and we now know what not to do, so we were changing it back when it started raining. I think we will be okay. It's still a long shot for us to be in the top eleven, but we still have a slight chance.

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 streets of St. Petersburg on April 3-5 will mark 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.