Dennis Reinbold has heard the question for more than a decade now. When is Dreyer and Reinbold Racing coming back to IndyCar properly, not just for May. The answer, finally, is that work is underway. Reinbold and his partners are putting together a plan to expand their programme beyond the Indianapolis 500, using a phased return that starts with a handful of extra races and could build towards something much bigger. It is early enough that nothing is ready to be announced, but far enough along that the team owner talks openly about part time entries arriving as soon as 2026.
The ambition is rooted in history as much as opportunity. DRR debuted in IndyCar in 2000 and ran full time through 2012, scrapping for results against giants on a fraction of the budget. A funding shortfall cut that last season short after a handful of races, forcing Reinbold to pivot into an Indy only existence where he and his crew gradually became one of the sharpest outfits in the 500 paddock. Since then the team has made its reputation on meticulous one off programmes, turning up each May with well prepared cars, strong engineering and drivers able to hassle the heavy hitters. The most recent run with Ryan Hunter Reay had genuine win potential before circumstances took over.
That level of commitment is a big reason Reinbold has been reluctant to dive back in without the right backing. A brief attempt in 2020, when DRR added three extra rounds around a two car Indy entry, hinted at what a wider schedule might look like. Then COVID hit, sponsor money tightened and the whole thing was quietly shelved. The experience was not wasted. It showed the scale of staffing, inventory and testing needed to be competitive across different disciplines, and reinforced a core belief inside the Carmel based squad. If they were going to do more than the 500, it had to be with enough budget and manpower to fight for something meaningful, not just to make up the numbers.
The window Reinbold sees now stretches from 2026 to 2028. The current thinking centres on a part time comeback in 2026, adding select road, street and short oval events around the traditional Indy 500 programme. That would expand further in 2027, potentially to a near full slate, with the goal of having a properly functioning team in place by the time IndyCar’s new IR28 chassis lands in 2028. The logic is simple. When everyone unloads a new car for the first time, past setups and data banks lose some of their edge and the series undergoes a soft reset. DRR wants to be on that grid with a group that has already been back in the fight for a season or two, rather than trying to spin up from a cold start.
There are complications to juggle. IndyCar’s charter system caps most race grids at 27 cars, with 25 of those entries holding guaranteed starting spots through their licences. At the moment Dreyer and Reinbold does not own a charter, which means any part time car would be classed as an open entry and forced to qualify its way onto the grid where numbers spill over. PREMA’s plans for 2026, and whether other teams expand or contract, will influence how many slots are even available. None of that appears to put Reinbold off. The way he sees it, running more races now makes the team more attractive to outside investors, improves its chances of eventually securing a charter and builds the muscle memory needed for a full season push.
The driver picture is fluid but not empty. Jack Harvey is already locked in for one of DRR’s two Indy 500 seats in 2026, returning with backing from INVST after a strong debut with the team. Conor Daly, a former DRR driver with a solid base of sponsors that prefer Western swing races and Indy, is frequently mentioned as a natural fit if entries expand beyond May. The second Indy 500 car would be the obvious candidate for a multi race programme, giving the driver continuity with the same crew and equipment across the year rather than a one off one shot deal. Reinbold will not name names yet, but the intent is clear. If the money and the timing come together, Dreyer and Reinbold Racing wants to be back in the championship picture with a proper campaign, built patiently off the foundation that has made it such a threat at Indianapolis.
