By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Greenwood auto dealership owner Dennis Reinbold has a family history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that began 89 years ago.

Reinbold’s grandfather was legendary Indianapolis 500 car builder and nationally famous motorcycle rider Floyd “Pop” Dreyer.

“I grew up around the Speedway, and it gets in your blood,” said Reinbold. “I still get chills when we drive through the tunnel. It’s such a cool place. It’s such a super event that I respect everything about the Speedway, and I really want to be a part of everything about it.”

Reinbold is the co-entrant with Kingdom Racing of the No. 24 Gas Monkey Energy Chevrolet, driven by Sage Karam, who is the youngest driver among the starters for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Karam, 21, starts his third 500 from the 23rd position.

Reinbold has entered 35 race cars under Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the 500 since 1999. His best finish was fourth in 2012 with Oriol Servia. His drivers have included Buddy Lazier, Sarah Fisher, Buddy Rice, Ryan Briscoe, Al Unser Jr. and Townsend Bell.

His grandfather’s list of drivers launched the family’s heritage of attracting famous drivers, especially in sprint cars: Sam Hanks, Tommy Hinnershitz, Jud Larson, Mauri Rose, Sam Hanks and Eddie Sachs.

“I feel proud to continue in what my grandfather started back in 1927 in the Indy 500,” Reinbold said.

Karam, who finished ninth as a rookie in 2014, gives Reinbold his best opportunity of reaching Victory Lane. 

“Our team works well with Sage, and we feel confident he can race up front again,” Reinbold said.

Employed by the Duesenberg factory, Dreyer was a fabricator and designer with the Duesenberg team in 1927 with winner George Souders. He constructed the car bodies for the 1931 front row of Russell Snowberger, Bill Cummings and Paul Bost. Dreyer-built midget cars were driven to national championships by Everett Saylor, Duke Nalon and Jackie Holmes.

Reinbold’s uncle, Floyd Dreyer Jr., was a longtime crew member for Lloyd Ruby and Elmer George and was later head of restoration for the IMS Hall of Fame.

Reinbold grew up less than two miles from the Speedway on West Washington Street and next door to his grandfather. As a youngster he drove motorcycles on a dirt track about an hour west of the city.

“Just a legend in the sport” is how Reinbold describes his grandfather. And the more he learns about him, the more Reinbold becomes ingrained in the history of the Indianapolis 500.
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(Note: Tom Blattler of Dreyer & Reinbold-Kingdom Racing contributed to this article.)

Dallara engineer Owen Snyder III is a retired crew chief who was praised last week for working with race teams to develop rear beam wing safety flaps for race cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 
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Snyder and his family live in northwestern Johnson County.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

The late Jonathan Byrd’s legacy at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway reached a milestone earlier this month.
A race car sponsored Jonathan Byrd Racing and driven by second-generation driver Conor Daly led laps for the first time at the Speedway. 

“It was so exciting,” exclaimed Ginny Byrd, Jonathan’s widow.  “I was taking pictures; I was freaking out.”
Ginny and sons Jonathan II and David were in car owner Dale Coyne’s pit during the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis when Daly passed Helio Castroneves for the lead on Lap 46 and held it for 13 more laps. They jumped and exchanged hugs.

Although it wasn’t the 500, the Jonathan Byrd Racing livery was leading the pack after the Byrd family had co-entered or sponsored race cars for 16 500-mile races.

Daly finished sixth in the road course race but then looked at switching rides for the Indianapolis 500 in the Coyne-owned No. 18 Shirts for America Honda. 

Hoosier-born, open-wheel veteran Bryan Clauson moved into the seat of the No. 88 Cancer Treatment Centers of America, co-entered for the 500 by Coyne and Byrd Family Racing.

The late Jonathan Byrd’s forays in motor sports began in the early 1980s when his Kentucky Fried Chicken locations in Johnson County sponsored Jim Begley in oval and figure-8 races at the Indianapolis Speedrome.

Byrd moved into sponsoring a midget car for Rich Vogler at the Speedrome, which led to their first 500 in 1985. Byrd’s cars were in the 500 for 14 of 15 years and resumed with Buddy Lazier, who finished a Jonathan Byrd Racing-best fifth place in 2005, and Clauson last year.

Ginny Byrd firmly believes Clauson is a perfect fit.

“When I see Bryan Clauson in a midget or a sprint car, it’s like watching Rich Vogler all over again,” the family matriarch said. “Rich just didn’t climb into the car and drive; he strapped it on and ran with it. Bryan’s doing that Circular Insanity Tour of 200 races in one year. He’s a true racer who really loves the sport.”

Clauson is following the tire tracks of Vogler, the multiple-time USAC champion who was killed in a racing accident at Salem Speedway in 1989, the same year he finished a career-best eighth in the 500.

“There are so many people who still remember our first racing effort with Rich and the drivers who followed after that,” Ginny said. “The boys (Jonathan II and David) grew up with racing, and they love it as much or even more as their dad loved it.”

The Byrd’s love of racing and their legacy add up to a lot of pride with Clauson for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.
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“No doubt about it, we can be competitive,” Jonathan Byrd II said.
Clausen will start from a career-best 28th position. 

With an Indy 500 win already under his belt, Buddy Lazier has returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Lazier will drive the No. 4 Lazier/Burns Racing car in his 19th race while celebrating his 20th anniversary of winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing in 1996.

“This race marks a momentous anniversary for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and our sport,” said Lazier, who hails from Vail, Colo. A fan favorite and familiar face at the track, Lazier said he couldn’t resist another chance to get behind the wheel.

“This year’s entry wouldn’t have happened without the help of Indianapolis contractor Tom Burns. Tom has fielded the likes of Dominic Dobson and Jeff Andretti in the past and now joins our race team to be a part of the 100th running.”
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Lazier, 48, the oldest driver competing this year, has five top-five finishes.

By Al Stilley
Senior staff writer

Shortly after the late Rex Robbins founded the American Speed Association, he developed a way to receive surprisingly positive input from the stock car series’ top drivers.

Robbins eventually developed three levels (simply A, B or C) to distribute moneys above the purse paid out at each event. The “A” drivers were the top six drivers in points from the previous season. They were rewarded with the most point fund money the next season because they were the drivers most used in promoting each ASA event.

The system worked, but just as surprising was the input that he received from the top six drivers who made up an advisory group for Robbins that included history-making short track stars Dick Trickle, Mike Eddy and Bob Seneker among others.

I was constantly amazed at the honest advice that they provided Robbins because they bought into the concept of cost containment for all competitors and turned thumbs down on the latest “gimmick” or unproven fad that could make stock cars go faster at a price.

ASA is the group that sent numerous drivers to NASCAR, including superstars Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki, Jimmie Johnson and Trickle, who became NASCAR’s oldest Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year.

Make no mistake, Robbins ran ASA with a firm hand but he was a very good listener.

In its founding years, NASCAR czar Bill France Sr., ran the new sanctioning body with an iron fist and even carried a gun to meetings with track owners and car owners. The France family has pretty much operated NASCAR the same way for decades of not allowing drivers to have a unified voice.

Those days are gone thanks to NASCAR chief Brian France and the formation of a drivers’ council more than a year ago. Its members consist of Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson.

They have been heard as NASCAR has taken some downforce off its stock cars and recently returned to its five lug nut rule.

Earnhardt backed Stewart’s actions and NASCAR’s decision.

“For a while you had half the people arguing that it policed itself and then you had another group over here that thought it was a safety issue,” Earnhardt said. “It appears that we have everybody on the same team, which I think is great for moving in a better direction. I’m happy that they (NASCAR) are making some choices that are good for the drivers.”

 After voicing his opinion of NASCAR’s revised rules at a NASCAR-promoted event last month, Stewart was fined $35,000 by NASCAR officials basically for the way he said it.

Stewart did not have any availability with the media during Goodyear tire tests last week at the Speedway but he did talk about it in a press conference at Talladega. He said there was a sense of urgency to have the lug nut rule changed to the way it was. The Hoosier racer had praise for NASCAR’s Scott Miller and the Driver Council.

“I’ve been trying to figure out how many more $35,000 rules changes I want to make,” Stewart joked with the media at Talladega. “I’m still wondering why I’m paying $35,000 for something that got changed three days later.”

Stewart added that he paid the fine and didn’t want the council to pay it, so the council contributed the amount to charity (Autism Delaware).

At Talladega, Stewart recalled that CART was too politicized when he raced Indy cars. He believes the NASCAR  Driver Council will be far more effective.

“It’s validation to NASCAR that this isn’t about one individual group and what we want to help ourselves,”
Stewart observed. “It’s what we think as a group is best for everybody. That is why it’s so important to have this started. NASCAR had done a great job with it … I feel really strong that there is a lot of good leadership on the council right now and that the foundation that is being laid there will carry on for years to come down the road.”

Stewart did get one benefit from voicing his opinion: he now has Brian France’s phone number.
 
Pit notes
 
*The fourth annual Ed Bishop Memorial 75-lap Figure-8 championship unfolds Saturday at the Indianapolis Speedrome.  Bishop was a longtime Southside automobile dealer and member of the track’s Hall of Fame.

Opening night Figure-8 winner Austin Tunny is the defending event champion. Racing starts at 7 p.m.

*Popular CRA Super Series Late Models return to Anderson Speedway for a 75-lap race Saturday at 8 p.m.  Seeking his third straight series title, Franklin Township’s Jack Dossey III won the McGunegill Engine Performance Late Models feature on opening night. The series resumes May 21 at 8 p.m. Hope Hornish, a niece of Indianapolis 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr., competes in the series.

*A few reserved seat tickets remain for the 100th Indianapolis 500 with a sell-out assured for the first time in many years. General admission tickets also can be purchased at ims.com or call 492-6700 as well as tickets for Angie’s List Grand Prix road course race (May 14) Parking inside the track is sold out for Carb Day (May 27) and Race Day (May 29) but still available for Legends Day (May 28).

*Indianapolis 500 winners Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan plus drivers James Hinchcliffe, Will Power and Conor Daly will be contestants on “Celebrity Family Feud,” against five Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. Air time will be announced later on ABC-TV.