Dreyer & Reinbold Racing returned to the track in humid fashion at Texas Motor Speedway in the seventh event on the Indycar Series circuit. DRR drivers, 2004 Indianapolis 500 champion, Buddy Rice, and three-time Most Popular Driver, Sarah Fisher, qualified for the Bombardier Learjet 550k for the second evening race of the season. Rice qualified in the 17th position while teammate Fisher qualified in the 19th position in the 20-car field.
“We are disappointed in where we qualified but the main thing is to mix it up in the race tomorrow, ” said team co-owner Dennis Reinbold, whose team has a best starting position of second at Texas Motor Speedway in 2000 with retired and now co-owner Robbie Buhl. “We’ve got a good race car here for the race tomorrow since we’ve been running in a lot of packs with both cars. We’re going to make some pretty big changes before the race tomorrow so we should be in pretty good shape. We feel okay with where we’re going to end up. We’re looking forward to the race tomorrow”
Rice had his turn to qualify after 10 cars had already put up times on the board during Friday afternoon qualifications. The No. 15 Roll Coater Honda powered Dallara qualified with a speed of 210.352 miles per hour. Prior to afternoon qualifications, Rice turned 146 laps good enough for speeds reaching 212.416 mph, an improvement from yesterday’s practice time of 211.747 mph.
“Texas is a track all about handling, ” said Rice, whose best start at Texas Motor Speedway is second and came in 2004. “We’ve had some other issues that are taking place right now. So coming back here, you just need a lot of speed that we don’t have right now. We have a car that’s good in traffic but we’ll have to see what happens from there for the race. ”
The driver of the No. 5 AAMCO Honda powered Dallara was fourth out to qualify among the 20-car field. She qualified with a speed of 210.172. Fisher wheeled 110 laps with speeds reaching 211.771 mph during practice on Friday afternoon. Her best speed on Thursday during practice was 210.778 after clocking 57 total laps.
“We’ve been looking for speed all weekend so we are definitely trying, ” said Fisher, whose best start at Texas Motor Speedway is ninth and came in 2003. “We’re picking our brains for everything after all; this track is all about the speed of the car. We had it trimmed out but we didn’t have it to the point where it was sliding all over. It wasn’t pushing and that’s the best the car’s been all weekend. As far as the time goes, that’s all she had as I was going out easy. I was flat out. We’re just looking for speed and I don’t know where it’s at. ”
The pole qualifier for Sunday’s race was a surprise coming from Rahal Letterman Racing’s Scott Sharp. Sharp was sixth quick during afternoon practice with speeds reaching 213.883. The Pole qualifying speed for Sharp was significantly faster clocking in at 215.260 mph. Penske Racing’s Sam Hornish, Jr. clocked in at 214.518 mph, joining Sharp on the front row for Saturday night’s event.
The Bombardier Learjet 550k will be the seventh race of the 17-race 2007 season on the IndyCar Series circuit.
About Buddy Rice:
In 2006, Rice drove for RLR with a best starting position of seventh and a best finish of fourth. It isn’t surprising that Rice’s best finish in 2006 came on the type of track that helped establish his racing career, a road circuit. In 2005, he battled through a frustrating season missing the Indy 500 due to a neck injury. His 2005 season featured a third at Motegi and a second at Infineon raceway. He was also named to drive in the IROC series finishing fourth overall. In 2004, Rice experienced a “Cinderella Season” winning the legendary Indy 500 from the pole position after being named as a replacement driver for injured driver Kenny Brack. He went on to lead eight races (Homestead, Indianapolis, Texas 1, Kansas, Nashville, Michigan, Kentucky, Chicagoland) for a total of 342 laps.
He finished the season in third place for the IndyCar Series points championship. In 2003, Rice finished 16th in the IndyCar Series points championship after competing in 13 of 16 races for Red Bull Cheever Racing. He went on to score four top-10 finishes in his rookie season. In 2002, Rice competed in the final five races of the IndyCar Series season when he was named to Red Bull Cheever Racing. He started and finished second at Michigan in his first IndyCar Series event leading 15 laps. His 2002 season ended with four top-10 finishes. In 2001, Rice tested with Red Bull Cheever racing and signed a driver development contract with Team Rahal and served as an observer on the team’s open-wheel program.
In 2000, he won the Toyota Atlantic championship for DSTP Motorsports, scoring five wins. He finished fifth in 1999 in the Toyota Atlantic points driving for Lynx Racing and finished seventh in in the points race in 1998. He also won the Gilles Villeneuve Memorial Award. In 1997, Rice drove in the U. S. F2000 for Lynx Racing/DSTP Motorsports, finishing fourth in points and winning at Phoenix. He also won the Valvoline Team USA Scholarship, where he represented the United States in Europe’s prestigious Nations Cup. Rice currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife.
About Sarah Fisher:
At just 26 years old, she has already competed in five Indianapolis 500’s and been voted the Most Popular Driver four times in two separate series. In 2006, Fisher competed in two IndyCar Series races for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway placing 12th and 16th respectively. In 2005, she was part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, piloting the No. 20 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the Bill McAnally Racing/Richard Childress Racing Development Program in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series, and capturing four top-ten finishes. Fisher made her first appearance in the IndyCar Series back in 1999 for Derrick Walker, making her the youngest person ever to pass the IndyCar Series Rookie test. In 2000, she became just the third woman and one of the youngest drivers ever to compete in the world’s greatest race – the Indianapolis 500.
Sarah continued to make history that year at Kentucky Speedway, becoming the youngest person to lead laps during an IndyCar Series event and the youngest and only woman to ever stand on a podium with her third-place finish in that event. In 2001, Sarah claimed a second-place finish at the IndyCar Series inaugural race at Homestead Miami Speedway, the best result ever by a woman in Indy-style racing. In 2002, Sarah became the first woman to ever qualify fastest for a major North American open-wheel event capturing the pole and setting a new track record at Kentucky Speedway. Fisher raced quarter-midgets and go-karts until she was a teenager, winning the 1991, 1993 and 1994 World Karting Association Grand National Championships, the 1993 Circleville Points Championship and the 1994 WKA Grand National Championship.
By age 15, Sarah was racing Winged Outlaw Sprint cars winning the 1995 Dirt Track Racing Round-Up Rookie of the Year. Sarah has been a guest or profiled on a variety of television programs including, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis and Kelly, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Good Morning America and The Today Show. She has also appeared in the pages of People, Teen People, Cosmo Girl, Seventeen, Glamour, Sporting Woman, Mademoiselle, Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report and many other magazines. Sarah currently resides in Indianapolis with her chocolate lab, Wrigley.
About Dreyer & Reinbold Racing:
Indianapolis-based Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is owned by Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl. The team was formed in 2000 by Dennis Reinbold and Eric DeBord, after partnering with Sinden Racing in 1999 for two races with driver Robbie Buhl. The team won their first race at Walt Disney World Speedway in 2000, and Buhl joined the team as a co-owner in 2000. In January 30, DRR announced that 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice and four-time Most Popular Driver Sarah Fisher would wheel the team entries in 2007; expanding to a two-car team for the first time since 2003.
In 2006, DRR fielded Ryan Briscoe in four events and Sarah Fisher in two events to round out the season. Previous drivers include, Buddy Lazier (2006), who drove in seven races for DRR, Al Unser, Jr. (2006), who drove a second entry at Indy alongside Lazier, Roger Yasukawa (2005), Jeff Bucknum (2005), who piloted a car in Japan and Indy, and Felipe Giaffone, who moved into the driver’s seat following Buhl’s retirement in 2004. Buddy Lazier also piloted an entry at Indy in 2004. Along with Buhl, the team also fielded a second car in 2002 and 2003 for driver Sarah Fisher, three times voted the league’s “Most Popular Driver. ” With teammate Buhl, Steve Knapp drove the team’s second entry at Indy in 2000.
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