Dreyer & Reinbold Racing have announced that they have purchased an NTT Charter from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. As a result of the deal, DRR will be joining the INDYCAR grid as a full time entry at the start of the 2027 season. This will be the team’s first time competing as a full time entry since their time in 2012.
Dreyer and Reinbold Racing To Continue INDYCAR Racing Legacy
DRR is a team with a very rich history when it comes to racing in INDYCAR. Historically, they have had entries in the Indianapolis 500 for the past 27 years, running a total of 53 cars during this time.
DRR has one IndyCar win under their belt, which came in 2000 when Robbie Buhl took home P1 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Since then, the team’s annual Indy 500 appearances have become a core part of the race, with every entry successfully qualifying for the starting field.
Derek Reinbold, son of the late Dennis Reinbold and CEO of DRR spoke in a press conference. He shared his excitement over being able to have an entry in more than just the Indy 500 next season.
“For my family, this is the next chapter of a story that goes back nearly a century. The Dreyer name has been part of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since my great grandpa was around, and my dad carried that legacy forward with an entry in every Indianapolis 500 since 2000. Racing at Indy is just who we are, and starting in 2027, I’m excited that we get to live that every race weekend, not just in May.”
“For the race team, this is what everybody in our shop has been working towards. Brett, Chase and the whole crew. I think we’ve earned this. We haven’t competed full time since 2012, and getting to build for a whole season, not just for a month, changes what this team can become.”
Impact for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
As a result of DRR purchasing the charter, RLL will officially be downsizing and will go from fielding three full-time cars to only two. With one less full-time seat available, RLL will have some big decisions to make regarding who stays and who goes. It’s rumoured that Graham Rahal will keep his seat. This means either Louis Foster or Mick Schumacher could be let go by the team.
As an advantage, this means that RLL can put their focus on fine tuning two cars for the 2027 season. Historically, teams with less than three entries have more breathing room to sharpen their engineering.
The longstanding partnership between DRR and RLL has been the key factor that’s been leading up to this moment. Brett De Bord, the President and Chief Commercial Officer of DRR says that a partnership is a key part to finding success on track.
“I think there’s been a lot of good examples of two organizations working together. We’ve seen the success that Chip Ganassi Racing and Meyer Shank Racing have had together. They’ve pooled resources and a lot of really smart people in the same room with – instead of three and two, they have five really smart drivers, good drivers in the same room doing debriefs and sharing information and data to make both organizations better.”
“We like that model. We believe in that model. I think to keep pace with our peers and our competitors, you have to look at those things.”
Implications for 2027
Now that DRR will be running as a single-seat team that means there’s a sport up for grabs. 2026 is a big contract year for a majority of the grid. With Arrow McLaren releasing two of their drivers at the end of the season, either of them could join DRR.
Additionally, whoever RLL decides to let go stands a fair chance at joining the team. It all comes down to what type of driver DRR is looking for. One driver who’s had experience with them recently is Conor Daly. He raced as an additional entry at this year’s Indy 500. The purchase of the charter is awaiting official approval but the deal is most-likely to be approved. It looks like we’ll be seeing 11 teams on the grid once again in 2027.