IRLblog.com

photo: www.Grand-am.com

Well, by this time I am sure everyone knows that Buddy Rice will not be returning to Dreyer and Reinbold Racing.  D&R signed Mike Conway of Britain last week.  Curt Cavin of the Indy Star stated here that Robbie Buhl made it clear that Buddy Rice will not be returning to D&R.  This was a surprise to all since Dad’s Root Beer had announced last year that they would be sponsoring D&R in the 2009 season.  However, not all is lost.  Buddy Rice had a fantastic drive this past weekend at the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona, driving for Brumos Porsche.  He lead all through the late night early morning hours.  Buddy Rice has joined an elite group that have won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Rolex 24. After a strong drive this previous weekend, hopefully sponsors out there will step forward and help put Buddy in a car for the 2009 IndyCar season.   

from indycar.com

…Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced that Dad’s Root Beer will be a sponsorship partner of the race team through the 2009 season. As part of the agreement, the No. 15 entry driven by Buddy Rice will have a Dad’s Root Beer livery for the season finale on the 1.5-mile oval…

Good to see wholesome companies continuing their support of a fantastic series. It appears that the IndyCar Series is moving in the right direction with more sponsors jumping on board.