By Austin Lawton, Staff Writer
Announced on Wednesday afternoon, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing have agreed to the purchase of a IndyCar charter from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The sale is still pending approval from IndyCar.
The sale would see RLL drop from three cars to two, with DRR set to contest the full 2027 season as a one-car operation, their first since 2012. DRR has become known as an Indianapolis 500-only operation since 2012. The team did make a one-off appearance at the 2020 Harvest Grand Prix double-header late in the 2020 season with Sage Karam as the driver.
Derek Reinbold, CEO of DRR, aims to carry out his father, the late Dennis Reinbold, legacy by returning the Indianapolis-based team to the series full-time, something Dennis worked on until his passing in June.
“I want to thank Bobby Rahal, Mike Lanigan, David Letterman and Jay Frye for the way they approached this from our very first conversation,” Reinbold said. “They treated this as a partnership between two organizations that want to see each other succeed, and this announcement today reflects that. The NTT IndyCar Series is in the strongest position it has been in for decades, and that is a direct result of Roger Penske’s stewardship and leadership.
“The growth of this series, on the track and off, made this the right moment for our team to return to full-time racing. My dad built Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and poured his life into it, and our family has been part of the Speedway for four generations. Competing for a full-season again is the truest way we can honor his legacy and we intend to make him proud.”
Currently without a driver or manufacturer partner announced, laying out a testing program is important for DRR, who know they will be on the backfoot when the season starts at St. Pete next year.
“It’s extremely important and maybe more so for us to catch up,” Chase Selman, Team Principal and COO of DRR said. “We need to make some smart decisions. There’s obviously regulations within the series that we can only test a certain amount of days. We need to make some smart decisions with the driver, whoever it is that we pick, to accomplish as much as possible this first year. We have a game plan together. We feel pretty confident about it. But the whole narrative behind this thing is we know we have an uphill battle from the beginning, from the get-go. Between having a really good team making smart decisions, obviously a really good driver, good sponsorship backing behind us to give us the ability to do whatever we need to do is crucial. But the test plan is out there. We just have to accomplish it
On the other side, RLL has had a three-car team since 2024, with the third car mostly underperforming. Pietro Fittipaldi gave the third RLL car its highest finish in the points, placing 19th in 2024.
For team co-owner, Bobby Rahal, the focus is now on zoning in on maximizing resources for 2027 and looking ahead to the new car in 2028.
“I have always had tremendous respect for Dennis Reinbold, both as a fellow team owner and as a fellow automobile dealer,” Rahal said. “His dedication to IndyCar and the legacy he built over many years earned the respect of everyone in the paddock. As we evaluated the long-term direction of our organization, we made the strategic decision to return our full-time program to two-cars beginning in 2027. We believe this positions our team to be able to maximize our level of competition while allowing us to focus our resources as we prepare for the introduction of the new car. “
With RLL shrinking its operations, the team has not announced its lineup for 2026, but talk points to one of Louis Foster or Mick Schumacher will be out at the Indianapolis-based team.
IndyCar introduced the charter system late in the 2024 season and went into effect for the 2025 season. The system was seen as a way to generate value to IndyCar team owners, with expectations to grow over time. The series granted 25 full-time charters to the teams and the sale from RLL to DRR is the first of its kind.
“The first transfer of an IndyCar charter is an important milestone for the IndyCar charter system and demonstrates that the system is working as intended,” President and CEO of Penske Entertainment, Mark Miles said. “The charter system provides teams with a valuable asset encouraging their continued investment in the long-term growth of the sport while also providing new ownership groups with a clear pathway into the series. It’s another step in strengthening the long-term foundation of IndyCar.”