Yasukawa lands Indy 500-ride with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing

IndyCar Series veteran Roger Yasukawa will attempt to qualify a third entry from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 91st Indianapolis 500.

Yasukawa, who drove for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2005, will drive the No. 24 Honda-powered Dallara backed by Indianapolis-based Wellman-Corbier Custom Homes.

"Roger did a great job for us in 2005, and we are excited to have him back with us this year," said team co-owner Dennis Reinbold, whose team qualified 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice and Sarah Fisher on May 13. "This is the first time we have ever been a three-car team heading into the Indy 500 and we are excited about that."

Yasukawa, a native of Los Angeles, has made four Indy 500 starts with a best finish of 10th in 2003 and 2004.

"I'm really excited to be back in the Indy 500," said Yasukawa, who gained 12 positions to finish 16th in last year's Indianapolis 500 for Playa Del Racing. "I looked at a number of options, and Dreyer & Reinbold was the best place with the best opportunity to do well. I was at DRR in 2005 and worked with a lot of the Fernandez guys in 2003, so the whole synergy is really great.

"We're excited to get out there and work on the race setup and definitely will be the quickest of the second week group. The best qualifying we can hope for is 23rd but that's not going to matter too much for the race as I know DRR has a really good race setup. I needed something that was going to reboot my career so I need to go out there and drive really hard to make sure we are going to be finishing top-10."

Ivan Koldsgaard, who has experience working with Yasukawa, serve as lead engineer for Yasukawa's entry.

"I worked with Roger in 2003 when (Rice's engineer) JD [John Dick], engineered his car," said Koldsgaard, who normally serves as Buddy Rice's fuel strategist. "Roger has definitely matured as a driver, and I'm looking forward to working with him this month. Coming into the IndyCar Series is definitely a tall order, and his racecraft has improved with the experience he has gained on the track. I really look forward to working with him this month and getting a solid finish. This is a new experience for me, so I'm looking forward to the challenge."

Yasukawa's entry will join the field for practice on May 16 and will attempt to qualify for the race on May 19.