Stefan Wilson returns to attempt fifth Indy 500 in an entry for Dreyer & Reinbold and Cusick

Doug Mathews/Penske Entertainment
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Stefan Wilson will attempt to make his fifth Indy 500 next year in a combined entry fielded by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Cusick Motorsports.

The British driver will pilot the No. 24 Chevrolet-powered car. Dreyer & Reinbold, which fielded two cars in last year’s 500, still plans on a second entry that was not part of Thursday’s announcement.

Dreyer & Reinbold 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 partner and chose Dreyer & Reinbold as a partner for its third attempt at “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

Wilson has a career-best finish of 15th in the 2018 Indy 500 and was the leader with four laps remaining until he had to pit for fuel. He spends most of the year trying to put together the funding for an Indy 500 ride, but this last season also ran three IMSA sports car races, including the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“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, the younger brother of the late Justin Wilson, ran the 500 last year in a Cusick entry partnered with DragonSpeed Racing. Justin Wilson spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons driving for DRR and scored a pair of podiums.

“There’s history here with this team,” Wilson said. “It feels great to be rejoining them in a sense.”

Cusick Motorsports was founded in 2021 by Don Cusick, and the team is headquartered at The Thermal Club in California. The facility will host IndyCar preseason testing in February for its first IndyCar activity at the development, which has four asphalt motorsport tracks at the east end of the Coachella Valley.

“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 Cusick. “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.”

Seattle Supercross by the numbers: Three riders separated by 17 points

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Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.

Seattle Supercross numbers
Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports

For the fifth time in 10 rounds. Sexton, Webb, and Eli Tomac shared the podium in Detroit. Between them, the trio has taken 23 podiums, leaving only seven for the remainder of the field. Jason Anderson, Ken Roczen and Justin Barcia have two each with Aaron Plessinger scoring the other.

Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.

Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.

Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.

The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.

In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.

Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.

Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.

Last Five Seattle Winners

450s
2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto

250s
2022: Hunter Lawrence
2019: Dylan Ferrandis
2018: Aaron Plessinger
2017: Aaron Plessinger
2014: Cole Seely

By the Numbers

Detroit
Indianapolis
Daytona
Arlington
Oakland
Tampa
Houston
Anaheim 2
San Diego

More SuperMotocross coverage

How to Watch Seattle Supercross
Dylan Ferrandis may return before SX finale
SMX develops “Leader Lights”
Power Rankings after Detroit
Hunter Lawrence defends Haiden Deegan
Results and points after Detroit
Chase Sexton wins in Detroit, penalized seven points