The first sale of an IndyCar charter has reshaped two teams at once. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (DRR) has agreed to buy a charter from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL), clearing the way for the Indiana team's first full-time NTT IndyCar Series campaign since 2012 and, in the same stroke, forcing Mick Schumacher to fight for his place on the grid.
Subject to IndyCar's approval, DRR will run a single full-time entry in 2027. It is the first charter to change hands since the series introduced the entry system in 2025, and it arrives weeks after the death of team founder Dennis Reinbold, who passed away in mid-June aged 65. His son Derek now leads the operation.
"I want to thank Bobby Rahal, Mike Lanigan, David Letterman and Jay Frye for the way they approached this from our very first conversation," said Derek Reinbold, DRR's CEO. "They treated this as a partnership between two organisations that want to see each other succeed, and this announcement today reflects that."
Reinbold framed the timing as a bet on a healthy series. "The NTT IndyCar Series is in the strongest position it has been in for decades, and that is a direct result of Roger Penske's stewardship and leadership," he said. The family's ties to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway run four generations deep — Dennis's grandfather Floyd Dreyer worked as a mechanic for the Duesenberg team in the 1920s — and DRR contested its 27th Indianapolis 500 this year, with Conor Daly finishing 12th and Jack Harvey 22nd.
"My dad built Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and poured his life into it, and our family has been part of the Speedway for four generations," Reinbold said. "Competing for a full season again is the truest way we can honour his legacy, and we intend to make him proud."
For RLL, the deal is a deliberate contraction. Co-owner Bobby Rahal said the team had decided to return its full-time programme to two cars for 2027 as it prepares for IndyCar's new chassis.
"As we evaluated the long-term direction of our organisation, we made the strategic decision to return our full-time program to two cars beginning in 2027," Rahal said. "We believe this positions our team to be able to maximize our level of competition while allowing us to focus our resources as we prepare for the introduction of the new car."
Rahal, who described Dennis Reinbold as a long-standing rival and fellow car dealer, added that the sale honoured an ambition the DRR founder had held for years. "Dennis had expressed interest in acquiring a charter from the time the charter program was established, and we had several discussions with him before his passing," he said. "We're pleased we were able to complete this transaction, and we can't think of a more deserving organization to receive the charter."
The move squeezes RLL's current three-car line-up of Graham Rahal, Louis Foster and Schumacher. With Rahal secure and Foster tied to a multi-year deal, the German is the one left exposed — and, according to Racer, the only one out of contract, albeit with sponsorship reportedly in place to keep him racing in 2027.
Schumacher answered the speculation on track at Nashville, scoring his first top-10 finish in IndyCar. Starting 16th, he climbed as high as sixth before taking the flag eighth in his 12th series start, lifting himself off the bottom of the standings.
"I think there's a high chance I'll be here next year," the 27-year-old said. "The pace has always been good enough to run in the top 10. To actually put it out on track is a great achievement, but I knew that it was possible all along."
Ryan Briscoe, the Australian who joined RLL this season in a driver-coaching role, was struck by the drive. "All weekend, Mick has just been super confident, had great qualifying, and just ran a race of a veteran today, honestly," Briscoe said. "He really needed this result. It's been a tough season and a few missed opportunities."
DRR says it will confirm the details of its return closer to the new season. The current campaign resumes on August 9 with the Grand Prix of Portland.
---
*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/dreyer-reinbold-buy-indycars-first-charter-as-schumacher-waits). Visit for full coverage.*