One of the most loyal Indy 500 “one-off” team owners, Dennis Reinbold, passed away on Sunday, June 14. The Indianapolis car dealer and longtime team owner had been battling cancer but appeared to be making an improvement before taking a turn for the worse.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced the team owner’s passing at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
“We are heartbroken to share the news that our owner, leader, and friend, Dennis Reinbold, has passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. We ask you to join us in supporting the Reinbold family and respecting their privacy during this painful time. Dennis was a proud son of Indianapolis. He built a successful family of automobile dealerships across the state, and he loved the community of Indianapolis that gave him so much in return.
“That same devotion fueled his passion for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway—its history and the relentless pursuit of an Indy 500 win drove him every day. We can think of no better way to honor Dennis than to chase a victory in the 111th Running of the Indianapolis 500. We ask race fans to join us in remembering the man, his passion for our sport, and the memories we shared.”
Dennis Reinbold’s Love For IndyCar
Reinbold grew up in the sport of IndyCar racing and was a successful car dealer in Indianapolis.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing began as a fulltime team in the Indy Racing League in 1999 with driver Robbie Buhl winning the team’s first race at Walt Disney World Speedway.
Since that time, the drivers for the team included Al Unser, Jr., Ryan Hunter-Reay, Buddy Lazier and Buddy Rice – all drivers that won the Indianapolis 500 before joining Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. Other drivers included Graham Rahal, Sarah Fisher, Ryan Briscoe, Sage Karam, Roger Yasukawa, Mike Conway, Ana Beatriz, John Andretti, Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy, Oriol Servia, Townsend Bell, JR Hildebrand, Conor Daly and Jack Harvey.
In the 110th Indianapolis 500 on May 24, Daly started eighth and finished 12th, leading four laps. Harvey started 33rd and finished 22nd.
In the 109th Indianapolis 500 in 2025, Hunter-Reay led 48 laps, the second most of any driver in the race, but ran out of fuel by using a fuel-stretching strategy late in the race. When the engine failed to refire after it was fueled, Hunter-Reay finished 21st.
Dennis Reinbold A Very Unique Team Owner At Indy 500
But what made Reinbold’s Indy 500 efforts so unique is that was the only IndyCar race the team participated. It was a full-time IndyCar team until the 2013 season. After that, it focused on the Indianapolis 500 and other forms of racing, such as rallycross.
Team partners Chase Selman, Brett De Bord and Eric De Bord will continue operation of the team, which began an engineering alliance and partnership earlier this season with Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Dennis Reinbold left a lasting legacy at the Indianapolis 500, competing against the best full-time teams with a top-level Indy-only operation.
