Tomas Scheckter is taking the controls of Dreyer and Reinbold Racing’s No. 24 machine for tonight’s Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET, Versus), but with its injured regular driver Mike Conway out for at least three months and Scheckter having no guarantees after tonight, who’s going to slip into the seat?
Curt Cavin of The Indianapolis Star lets us know of the options that may be available to DRR after this race and they have several good ones. In addition to their own part-time drivers (Scheckter and rookie Ana Beatriz), there are two major names out there — Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal — that might consider driving the No. 24 after Texas to keep their seasons going.
Tonight is slated to be Hunter-Reay’s last race in the No. 37 IZOD/Andretti Autosport special, as his current sponsorship funds are set to run out. Hunter-Reay currently sits fifth in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship. Meanwhile, Rahal is coming off a 12th-place finish at Indianapolis in a one-off attempt for Rahal Letterman Racing.
Beatriz had an uneventful first month at Indy, which is a good thing (she finished 21st in the ‘500). I could see DRR giving her the ride if they’re looking at the chance of giving her more experience in an IndyCar.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Scheckter stays in the No. 24 after Texas, either. He’s a veteran driver and he has a good bit of experience running with DRR in part-time capacity. On those terms, it’d be a relatively ‘safe’ choice to make in my opinion.
