MADISON, Ill. – Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has announced that reigning ARX2 Rallycross series champion Conner Martell will join the team during the upcoming Americas Rallycross of Gateway weekend July 13-14 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Martell, the 22-year-old driver from Colchester, Vt., comes to the DRR organization after an impressive 2018 ARX2 campaign which produces three final victories in five events to capture the series point championship by 17 points over DRR racer Christian Brooks.
Martell began his racing career in motocross competition and captured the 2015 Freestone National Championship in Texas and he moved to four-wheel action in 2016 after the recommendation of motocross/rallycross great Travis Pastrana. In his rookie rallycross season, Martell showed impressive potential with top-five finishes.
In 2017, Martell established himself as a title contender with three rallycross final wins and placed fourth in the final standings. Last year was Conner’s breakout season with the 2018 ARX2 championship.
In the 2019 ARX2 season openers at Mid-Ohio, Indy 500 racer Sage Karam took the No. 24 DRR WIX Filters car to two runner-up finishes in the ARX2 finals.
“We are extremely pleased to have Conner join the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team for the Gateway rounds of ARX2,” said Dennis Reinbold, DRR team owner. “Conner has been a race winner in ARX2 for the last two years and we believe he can win races at Gateway for our team as well. We enjoyed a good weekend at Mid-Ohio with our four entries and now we want to get to that top step of the victory podium.”
“I am unbelievably excited to be competing in the Gateway event in a DRR ARX2 car,” said Martell. “It’s a dream come true to get a call from a team that wants you to join their program; it’s something I think everyone wishes for, but to be able to join DRR for a double header at Gateway still gives me the pre race jitters when I think about it.
“I’m very happy to be partnering with DRR. They are an amazing team from what I’ve seen the past couple years and they were always my biggest competition. So I’m excited to see what we can do at Gateway! I’m coming into Gateway with the mindset of ending the weekend at the top of the podium and continuing a relationship with the team. And who knows, maybe we can be in the running for a championship.”
At the World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Martell will be joined in the DRR four-car lineup by J.R. Hildebrand in the No. 48 WIX Filters with Mecum Auctions car as well as 18-year-old Cole Keatts in the No. 53 Black Rifle Coffee Company ARX2 car and 14-year-old female driver Gray Leadbetter in the No. 28 Oil2Soil machine.