Dreyer and Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports Ryan Hunter-Reay in the No.23 WedBush Chevrolet was heartbreak after leading 48 laps of the Greatest Spectacle In Racing on Sunday.
A problem on his final stop where he ran out of fuel coming on to pitroad meant that the team were unable to fuel the car.
The result meant that RHR ended the race in 24th place.
I’m just heartbroken,” said Hunter-Reay after race. “We had a chance to win this race today. And with a car that hadn’t run a competitive lap before the race started. The DRR/Cusick crew did an amazing job to get the backup car ready for the race. And then to lead for 48 laps and be in position to win the 500 is pretty remarkable. It felt like the engine was starting to run out of fuel when I came through turn four for the pit stop. The final pit stop was good, and we were in the position we want with 31 laps remaining. But it felt like we were out of fuel, and the engine stalled. I tried everything to keep it running, but I really don’t know what to say. The Wedbush crew got me in the right spot today with strategy, and the car came together well as we made adjustments during the race. It felt very good the second half of the race. I think we would have come out of the pits with two back markers between myself and (Alex) Palou, and in the proper position to win the race. It’s just a heartbreaking scenario today. It’s going to take a while to get over this one.”
Jack ‘Hollywood’ Harvey in the No.24 INVST Chevrolet started the race from 26th and came home in 22nd place.
Overall, at the end of the day, we had a lot of positives. “I think the strategy was looking good until it wasn’t, as we wanted a few more yellow laps. That’s the roll of the dice you play here sometimes. Being where we started (26th), you have to roll the dice with different strategies. I couldn’t slow down enough with the braking, and I had to drive through the pits. That’s on me. I just feel with this team that we can win it here. It would be great to come back and do it for a second time with the team. We know each other well now, but that isn’t my decision right now. It was a promising month, and I’d love to come back with the DRR/Cusick team for the 110th running of the Indy 500.”