MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Stefan Wilson’s Christmas came one month early. The 33-year-old driver from Sheffield, England was named to the No. 24 Chevrolet for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing & Cusick Motorsports for the 107th Indianapolis 500.
The announcement was made Thursday at 2 p.m.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has entered and qualified 45 cars in the Indy 500 dating back to 2000 with a best finish of fourth in 2012.
Cusick Motorsports was created as a marketing and business-to-business incubator and will be partnering with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for its third attempt at the Indianapolis 500, along with many of its long-term partners.
Wilson will make his fifth attempt at the Indy 500. Thus far, his career-best finish at the historic race is fifteenth in 2018, where he was leading the race with just four laps to go.
Wilson competed in three IMSA races in 2022 including the Rolex 24 at Daytona, where he finished inside the top ten in his GTD class and event debut. He also has two wins and multiple podiums in his Indy Lights career. In 2007, Wilson was awarded the prestigious Autosport BRDC Award which recognizes and rewards young racing drivers from the United Kingdom. The award has also been awarded to Dario Franchitti, Jenson Button, and Lando Norris.
“I’ve been very impressed with how hard DRR has worked at and focused on the 500,” said Wilson. “It’s such an honor for me to join them in partnership with Cusick Motorsports and work with them on our collective goal of trying to win the Indy 500. There’s a great opportunity here for us to all grow together. I hope this leads to more 500’s, and maybe even more races together.”
Wilson is the younger brother of the late Justin Wilson who drove for the team for two years in 2010 and 2011 when Dreyer & Reinbold Racing operated in a full-time capacity in the IndyCar Series.
“There’s history here with this team, Justin spent two years with DRR back in 2010-2011 and secured podiums. I got to know Dennis (Reinbold), Brett De Bord, Director of Commercial Operations, and Chase Selman, General Manager, really well back then, so it feels great to be rejoining them in a sense.”
Cusick Motorsports, founded in 2021 by Don Cusick, has The Thermal Club in California as its headquarters. The first-class racing resort, which will see NTT IndyCar Series activity for the first time in 2023, will yet again have a ‘home team’ to support at the Indy 500.
“I am excited about our new partnership with Cusick Motorsports and Stefan Wilson,” said Reinbold, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team owner. “Stefan and Don Cusick have been enjoyable to work with and we are focused on achieving success on and off the track at the speedway. We are impressed with Stefan’s work ethic and grit which will apply well in the racecar.”
“As soon as the checkered flag fell on the Indy 500 this year, we set out to find the best possible partner for the future,” said Don Cusick, Founder and CEO of Cusick Motorsports. “We have immense respect for what Dreyer & Reinbold Racing have done both on and off track over the years and quickly identified them as our ideal partner for this endeavor. We couldn’t be happier to partner with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, along with several long-standing and new partners in CareKeepers, Sierra Pacific Windows, 181 Fremont, Gnarly Jerky, LOHLA SPORT, Romak Iron Works, Mosaic Animal Care, The Thermal Club, and Mr. and Mrs. James Lowes. We’ve created a special relationship with our partners and Stefan Wilson and partnering with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will have a significant impact as we move forward.”
Reinbold is pleased with the team’s success over the past two years and Wilson provides experience and a fresh set of ideas.
“We are coming off top ten finishes for the past two years and believe Stefan can replicate that and fight for the win,” Reinbold said.
The effort will be further boosted with the announcement of CareKeepers as the co-primary partner. CareKeepers provides caregiver referrals and placement, emergency medical alert devices with GPS monitoring, and special needs transportation services to individuals nationwide.
“We’re excited to accelerate our strategic growth in partnership with Stefan Wilson, Cusick Motorsports and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing,” said Gary Tennyson, CEO of CareKeepers. “There’s no better way to launch a company brand than with the attention given to the Indianapolis 500. We’ve been partnering with Stefan for many years through some of our other portfolio companies and it’s been an absolute honor to work with a group that has true integrity and concern for the representation of our brands. All our portfolio companies speed up your access to healthcare, and there’s nothing more synonymous with speed than the Indianapolis 500. We’re looking forward to the Month of May.”
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will enter a second entry for the 2023 Indianapolis 500, with formal details to be announced soon.