RYAN HUNTER-REAY, JACK HARVEY SECURE INDY 500 STARTING SPOTS IN TOUGH, WINDY CONDITIONS SATURDAY IN DRR/CUSICK MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLETS
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Hunter-Reay runs 230.363 in #23 WEDBUSH Chevy with Harvey posts 230.348 in #24 INVST Chevy
By: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (Photos Courtesy Dreyer & Reinbold Racing)
SPEEDWAY, IN (May 17, 2025) – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Jack Harvey battled difficult wind conditions in Saturday’s Indianapolis 500 qualifications, but both racers secured starting positions in the 109th “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” set for Sunday, May 25.
Hunter-Reay, driving the No. 23 DRR/Cusick Motorsports Wedbush Chevrolet, was the sixth driver to qualify on Saturday morning and clocked a four-lap average of 230.236 miles per hour with very consistent laps of 230.338, 230.329, 230.332 and 229.945.
Harvey, at the controls of the No. 24 DRR/Cusick Motorsports INVST Chevrolet, was the next driver to qualify after Hunter-Reay and posted a 230.348 m.p.h. average with laps of 231.302, 230.481, 229.571 and 230.044.
Both drivers made a second qualifying attempt and secured spots in the Indy 500 with Hunter-Reay 27th at 230.363 and Harvey 28th at 230.348.
Team owner Dennis Reinbold expected faster speeds for two drivers, but conditions hampered their qualifying efforts.
“We made this one harder on ourselves than we wanted to today,” said Reinbold, who celebrated his 25th year as a car owner at famed Indy 500. “We know we have good race cars. We felt we would qualify at least mid-pack or have a shot at the Fast 12 again. We missed it today. We’ll go back and work on the race strategy now. We’ll turn the page from today and focus on race day.”
Both Hunter-Reay and Harvey expected better qualifying runs on Saturday, but the windy weather made for unusual circumstances throughout day, including two major incidents with Marcus Armstrong and Colton Herta.
“We were consistent, but just slow in the first run this morning.,” said Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indy 500 champion. “We needed to find some more grip. We were just sliding too much. We were just trying to find a downforce package with the wind. Track conditions were deteriorating during the day with the wind. Jack, my teammate, just nipped us by a tenth of a mile per hour in the first run. And I got back by him in the second run. His crew went for a bigger speed early and we went with the consistent runs. The car has a different feeling with the hybrid system and added weight in the rear, but it is the same for everyone. We will get prepared for the race now.”
Jack Harvey
“Working with Chevrolet has been a great experience,” said Harvey. “We had one hiccup the first day, but everything has been really good this weekend. My heart is driving a race car. I definitely appreciate what Fox has let me do with them for the Indy 500. It has been a tremendous opportunity to be at the track and report on the other events. It has been fun, and otherwise, I’d be sitting at home on the weekends. Fox has been very gracious to let me race at the Indy 500 and be a reporter at the other races.
“It was a windy day, and we might have left a little bit on the table. We had a great qualifying draw, and we were aggressive on the downforce setting. We watched throughout the day and decided to make another run later in the day. The Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports has been great to work with this year. They have taken a very mellow approach throughout the week. We haven’t gotten too happy when things are good or down if things are bad. I like that.”
Pole and ‘Last Row’ qualifying will take place on Sunday, May 18, with the DRR/Cusick Motorsports crew scheduled to work on their machines in preparation for Monday’s practice session set for 12 to 3 p.m. EDT.
Carb Day on Friday, May 23, will be the final day of practice (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) before the 109th edition of the “World Greatest Auto Race” on Sunday, May 25.
