By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
It’s all about going back to the beginning for Sage Karam.
The 20-year-old returns to the team he made his IndyCar debut with in the 2014 Indianapolis 500, Dreyer & Reinbold. The entry is officially listed as Dreyer & Reinbold/Kingdom Racing and is set to compete in the 100th Indy 500 in May.
In his debut, Karam put on a phenomenal drive from 31st to ninth for the small-budget team, which led to Chip Ganassi putting the former Indy Lights champion in a part-time ride for 2015.
Flashes of talent were on display throughout the season as Karam grabbed a podium at Iowa Speedway with a career-best finish of third after a dramatic late race battle with Ed Carpenter and Graham Rahal.
However, there were several other moments throughout the season where the Nazareth, Pa., native struggled.
Nonetheless, Karam is now a young kid with experience and will try to finish what he started for whom he started, at Indy.
For 2016, Karam will drive the No. 24 Chevrolet sponsored by Gas Monkey Garage.
“We are extremely excited and proud to partner with Gas Monkey Garage,” said Dennis Reinbold, team owner. “We’ve been working very hard since last year’s 500 to build a strong commercial and competitive program for the 100th running. We believe Sage Karam is a very talented driver and we can’t wait for the month of May. The Gas Monkey Garage brand is known worldwide and bringing them to the Indianapolis 500 for the first time is a thrill.
With my family’s history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this new venture continues Dreyer & Reinbold’s legacy at the Indy 500 and we believe we’ll have an excellent chance to run at the front of the field on May 29.”
The 100th Indy 500 will be Karam’s third as he continues to build on a promising career.
“I’m really thrilled to be associated with Gas Monkey Garage for the 100th Indy 500,” said Karam. “It’s exciting to return to the Dreyer & Reinbold – Kingdom team as well. We had a great run in 2014 at Indy. As a kid, Discovery Channel was one of my favorite stations and, mostly recently, I really got into the ‘Fast N’ Loud’ show with the Gas Monkey Garage guys. I love cars and these guys are fun to watch. So I can’t wait to work with them and drive the Gas Monkey Special in May.”
