Ryan Hunter-Reay Announces His Return To The Indy 500

Captain America — Ryan Hunter-Reay — is making his return to the greatest spectacle in racing, the Indianapolis 500.

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced that Hunter-Reay will drive the No. 23 Chevrolet. He'll join his former Andretti Autosport teammate Stefan Wilson who will drive the team's No. 24 car.

The 42-year-old tweeted his excitement about returning to the Indy 500 — a race he won in 2014 — after a year out of the series.

“I’ve been eager to share this news for quite some time,” Hunter-Reay said in a statement. “This partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing presents a unique opportunity for me and I can’t wait to get back on track at IMS. I feel laser-focused and energized. The Indy 500 isn’t just a motor race, for me; it’s a way of life."

Hunter-Reay will be part of a loaded field for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. In addition to the 27 full-time IndyCar drivers and teams, there is a slew of part-time and one-off appearances from the likes of Ed Carpenter, Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Katherine Legge, and Hunter-Reay's teammate, Stefan Wilson.

This means Hunter-Reay would fill out the 33-car field. If anyone else announces a one-off bid for Indy, qualifying would just get a little bit spicier, won't it?

RHR was an IndyCar mainstay for many years driving the No. 28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport. That ride now belongs to Romain Grosjean who replaced him ahead of the 2022 season. Recently, he worked with Juncos Hollinger Racing's Callum Ilott to get him adapted to the series in his rookie season.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.