Here is a rundown of what got me thinking...
Christian Lundgaard went from last-to-first to win at Road America. Many are talking about silly season. There was a disqualification in Indy Lights. There was pushing in Brno, and it earned Marco Bezzecchi a race ban. There was also a last lap pass from the Czech Republic. NASCAR needs to work on its temporary course construction, and probably reinforce some barriers. There were three stunning finishes in Souther California for all the faults with the event, and a first-time winner to boot. Formula E returned to Sanya, China. Sadly, some news from last week was still on my mind, and it led to some reflection.
Chasing the Dream
The passing of Dennis Reinbold last week brought a cloud of melancholia over IndyCar. The long-time co-owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing had been a fixture on the grid and at the Indianapolis 500 since the team debut at the 2000 Indy Racing League season opener at Walt Disney World Speedway. Reinbold ended that day as a race winner with Robbie Buhl. After spending over a decade fielding full-time competition, pre- and post-reunification, the team evolved when faced with economic challenges and focused on the Indianapolis 500 since the 2014 season.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has established itself as the only regular Indianapolis-only entry, and it has rode the waves of struggle and success over the last decade, but it has always put together a respectable effort, and one rivals the full-time teams. Though only running one race, D&R organizes a pit crew better than most. In the last two years, it has shown a capability to compete at the very top and fighting for victory.
Discussing a race team feels rather pointless when speaking about the passing of an individual who was more than a car owner, but Dennis Reinbold loved the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar. Even into his final days, Reinbold was still working on returning his team to full-time competition.
Race teams last as long as the owner wants them to go. When an owner is gone that usually does not bode well for business.
This isn't another professional sports team with a family trust or perhaps a conglomerate that owns it and one person passing does not change the longevity of the team. Motorsports is different. Race teams are usually not money-making ventures. It is an expensive hobby. It is not an expensive hobby your loved ones may share. People die and teams go with them.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing does have other owners. Dennis Reinbold found the team along with businessman Eric DeBord, and the DeBord family remains involved with the team. D&R's chief commercial officer Brett De Bord stated the plan is to carry on Reinbold's legacy. That is hopeful, and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has the game plan mastered for an Indianapolis one-off program. It is possible this organization will keep going and not lose a beat, but it doesn't always work out.
Newman-Haas Racing continued for a brief period after the passing of Paul Newman and while Carl Haas was in declining health, but the team vanished. It wasn't taken over. Other investors did not step in and continue the program. It was gone. The seven championships and 100-plus victories could not prevent that inevitability.
No one else is following the Dreyer & Reinbold blueprint. It is the last of its kind, and even D&R knew it was on its own, hence why it was looking to get back to full-time competition. No one else is looking to just show up and run the Indianapolis 500. If you are running the Indianapolis 500, you should look to compete full-time with that investment. However, the one-off nature of D&R has been beneficial to IndyCar and its most famous event.
We got to 33 cars every year thanks in part to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing being around. D&R's one car or in many years two cars has allowed for bumping. It took a mighty risk committing the resources it did to a race it was never going to make its money back on. Missing the race could have been a crippling hit. Every time, it worked out for the organization and IndyCar as a whole.
For as beloved as the Indianapolis 500 is, no one is opening their wallets like Dennis Reinbold did. This was a man who was living the dream. Every child who walks into Indianapolis Motor Speedway and gets to see that race has a dream of being there and competing in it, standing on the pit wall seeing every lap at 230 mph with the cars so close you could touch them. It is a racetrack but it is a playground to those with skin in the game. All the secret passageways are accessible. No fence can hold you back, and you are competing for arguably the most glorious prize in motorsports. Reinbold was living that dream and there wasn't a price that scared him away.
No one is looking to fill D&R's shoes. The dream may be there, but a vast majority of people are a little too entrenched in reality, and the price is a little too high.
If D&R leaves, IndyCar will be down a car or two on its Indianapolis 500 entry list. IndyCar has proven time and time again that those competing will adjust and accommodate when necessary. There will be 33 entries even if it means another team or two taking on additional entries, but losing D&R makes bumping exponentially more unlikely. If it is just the existing teams committing the numbers, they collectively will not attempt to run more than 33 cars unless regulations change or the sponsorship dollars make it too difficult to pass up. The latter isn't going to happen, and I wouldn't hold my breath over the former either.
We do not know how long Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will hold on, but a key tenant of the Indianapolis 500 likely depends on whether or not this one-off organization can hold on and remain competing for the long-term. Only time will tell what will happen, and we are still essentially 11 months away until the next Indianapolis 500 festivities. It is presumptuous to assume doom, but we can acknowledge the reality of the situation and the possible outcomes.
The loss of Dennis Reinbold inadvertently could lead to the next evolution at the Indianapolis 500. It sounds like a stretch today, but we could look back to this moment as a pivotal point in the history of the event. For that alone, we should be thankful Mr. Reinbold got to chase that dream so many of us share.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Christian Lundgaard, but did you know...
Marc Márquez won MotoGP's Czech Grand Prix, his second consecutive victory, and Márquez also won the sprint race. Iván Ortolá won the Moto2 race with a last corner pass on David Alonso, the first Moto2 victory for Ortolá. Hakim Danish won in Moto3, his first career victory.
Corey Heim won the NASCAR Cup race from Coronado Naval Base, his first career victory. Austin Hill won the Grand National Series race, his second victory of the season. Layne Riggs won the Truck Series race, his fourth victory of the season.
Lochie Hughes and Matteo Nannini split the Indy Lights races from Road America. Nannini was awarded victory in the second race after Alessandro de Tullio was disqualified due to having the tires of his A.J. Foyt Racing teammate Nicholas Monteiro mounted on his car. G3 Argyros swept the USF Pro 2000 races. Eddie Beswick (race one), Anthony Mantella (race two) and Brad Majman (race three) split the U.S. F2000 races.
Ben Dörr and Matteo Cairoli split the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters races from Lausitzring.
Cam Waters (race one), Kai Allen (race two) and Anton de Pasquale (race three) split the Supercars races from Hidden Valley Raceway.
Jake Dennis won the Sanya ePrix, his second victory of the season.
Coming Up This Weekend
MotoGP ends June with the Dutch TT.
Formula One is off to Austria.
NASCAR stays in California, and it has its final road course weekend of the season from Sonoma.
The 24 Hours of Spa will take place.
IMSA keeps it busy with endurance races as the 6 Hours of the Glen takes place.
World Rally Championship is off in Greece for the Acropolis Rally.
