Edmonton: Dreyer & Reinbold Racing preview

DREYER & REINBOLD RACING READY FOR EDMONTON

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (July 22, 2010) - Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is more determined than ever to get a good result in Edmonton this weekend. The team is coming off of a bittersweet result in Toronto, and they can taste the win. This will mark Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's third time to the Edmonton City Centre Airport, and who better to do it with than two road racing pros, Justin Wilson, who will pilot the No. 22 Z-Line Designs machine, and Tomas Scheckter, who will get behind the wheel of the No. 24 MonaVie car.

DRR is hoping for the same outcome they had in Toronto. Last weekend's result was the team's second career pole position. The last time that Dreyer & Reinbold Racing started from pole was in 2002 with Sarah Fisher at Kentucky. Additionally, this year will be DRR's third year to compete at the 1.96-mile temporary circuit. Last year the squad showed promise and both of the DRR cars ran well, but unfortunate circumstances hindered the results for Scheckter and Conway. In 2008, Buddy Rice gave the team its best finish in its only start at the track with an 11th place finish after starting 22nd on the grid.

Toronto was an impressive run for Wilson. He amazed the crowd with each lap he turned during qualifying and the race. He not only earned his first IZOD IndyCar pole position, but he also set a track record. Wilson also led 32 laps but finished 7th due to a late race spin.

The Brit is ready to finish what he has started in Canada and bring home a good result. This will be his sixth year at the Edmonton circuit. Previously, he had competed in all three Champ Car races at the track. In 2006, he won the race. He has finished no worse than fourth during the three Champ Car races he competed in. Wilson has led 29 laps in two of three Champ Car starts. In 2008, he finished 3rd and in 2009, he finished 8th.

Earlier this season, Wilson earned DRR's best result since team co-owner, Robbie Buhl, won in 2000 at Walt Disney World Speedway, as he came home with 2nd place finishes for the organization in St. Petersburg, Florida and in Long Beach, California. Long Beach marked his seventh career top-five finish, all have been on street/road courses. He started competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2008 and since then he has won on a street course (2008 Belle Isle) and a road course (2009 Watkins Glen). Wilson has also qualified in every Firestone Fast Six since 2008, except for two (2009 -Edmonton and 2010-Barber), which makes a total of 15 Firestone Fast Six Qualifying sessions he has advanced to. Out of those sessions he has qualified in the top-5 ten times. So far this season, he has started 3rd in Brazil, 4th in St. Petersburg, 3rd in Long Beach, 6th in Watkins Glen, and 1st in Toronto.

Returning to the No. 24 MonaVie car this weekend will be South African Tomas Scheckter. With three solid runs for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing under his belt this season, Scheckter is ready to visit Edmonton for the second time. This will be his second road/street course of the season with DRR.

The main goal for Scheckter in Toronto was to learn and get comfortable road-racing again to prepare him for this weekend. On the first lap, the veteran driver went from 19th position to 17th place. He settled into a groove and saved fuel. He continued to work his way up the grid and stayed out of trouble. Scheckter came in again on Lap 53, and at one point, was running in 7th position. However, like last year, things started to turn for him on lap 74 when he made contact with Alex Tagliani in the tire barrier at Turn 1. Last year, he and Tagliani came together on Lap 75. It was almost carbon copy to this year, but fortunately both cars were able to continue. As a result, Scheckter finished 15th.

Last year marked Schecker's first start at the Edmonton circuit. He started in 16th place, but contact ended his day early and he finished 19th.

Also to note, Justin Wilson won the Firestone "Tire-rific" move of the race. Following each race, Firestone Racing nominates three drivers who best utilized their Firestone tires to make a bold, dramatic move during the event. Fans can go to www.indycar.com and vote for the nominee they believe made the most "Tire-ific" move of the race. The winner from Toronto is Justin Wilson, who recovered from a late-race spin to pick up five positions in as many laps and finish seventh. Wilson will receive a $10,000 prize during Sunday"s pre-race activities.

What they have to say:

Justin Wilson, No. 22 Z-Line Designs : "I always enjoy the Edmonton race as it's a fun city with a fun track. It's a very challenging venue because of the high speeds and bumpy surface, but it's also very rewarding when things go your way. I"m glad that there's only a week between Toronto and Edmonton after the frustration I had in the race, and I"m looking forward to getting back in the car and making things right. The team worked well at Toronto and if we do that kind of job again we can have another pole. I think that"s an achievable goal as the team had strong cars in Edmonton last year. It goes with out saying that my goal is to win the race for Z-Line Designs and DRR."

Tomas Scheckter, No. 24 MonaVie: "It's a pretty bumpy track, but I think that we learned a lot in Toronto that will help us for this weekend. I'm really working well with the team and getting along with everybody. The plan is to just bring everything that we learned from Toronto and I think if we do that, we will have a good weekend."

-source: drr