By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has announced J.R. Hildebrand as the pilot of their second entry for the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
The 32-year-old Colorado native returns to the cockpit of the No. 67 Chevrolet with Salesforce as main sponsor. A nine-time veteran of the Indianapolis 500, this will mark the third consecutive year Hildebrand has run with DRR. Their previous two runs together saw finishes of 11th (2018) and 20th (2019).
For Hildebrand, who earned Rookie of the Year honors after a runner-up finish in the 2011 edition of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, it’s the chance to continue a relationship that began when he made his NTT IndyCar Series debut at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2010.
“This will be the third straight Indy 500 having a great relationship with Dennis Reinbold and the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team,” said Hildebrand. “Of course, I started my IndyCar career with Dennis back in 2010 when he brought me up to the big leagues into the NTT IndyCar Series. We have always had a great connection over the years.
“I’m so bummed that the extenuating circumstances we’re all faced with have prevailed. It won’t the same without the fan’s energy, but we’ll promise to bring the noise as if it was a packed house anyway this one year.”
Hildebrand will team alongside Sage Karam, who will drive the No. 24 WIX Filters Chevrolet.
Team owner Dennis Reinbold added his emotions in having Hildebrand back for this year’s Indy 500.
“I’m very excited to have J.R. return to the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team for this year’s Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Reinbold. “Our team has experienced an excellent combination with J.R. and Sage working together in recent years at Indy. J.R. brings our team a lot of background at Indy and helps develop our race cars quickly in practice and prepare for qualifying. We have two very talented young drivers again this year. We believe we have a strong two-car lineup ready to race hard for the victory on August 23.”
