Ryan Hunter-Reay was announced Dec. 4 as returning to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 25 with live coverage on FOX and the INDYCAR Radio Network. Assuming he earns a starting position, it will be his 17th career “500” start.
After all these years, the winner of the 2014 race has the same mindset.
“That’s to win the Indy 500,” he said. “We're not there simply to participate.”
In this year’s race, the event’s only Indy-only team helped Hunter-Reay advance to the round of 12 – he started 12th. He called it “a huge accomplishment" to qualify that well.
“Unfortunately, we had some suspension damage on Lap 3, so it was a long day after that,” he said. “We had been strong all month. We've been strong each year that we've partnered together. I'm looking forward to another opportunity with the same group. This group is as hungry as any team I've ever been with. It's just a great group of people. I'm looking forward to getting back on track in May.”
Hunter-Reay's race ended after 107 laps due to contact after he got forced to the grass on the backstretch during a three-wide battle with Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon and Team Penske's Will Power. Hunter-Reay finished 26th.
In 2025, Hunter-Reay will team with Jack Harvey at Indy.
Hunter-Reay, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ 2012 champion, has produced six top-10 finishes in the “500” during his career, his last coming in 2020 with Andretti Global, the team he won the 2014 race with. In 2023, Hunter-Reay placed a strong 11th in his first Indy start with DRR/Cusick.
Hunter-Reay, 43, has enjoyed the transition into a part-time role, allowing for more free time to spend at home with his family. One activity he spends a lot of time with is being a football coach to his kids. Last month, the former high school quarterback in Florida guided the team that included his two younger boys to a championship in a 8-9 year-old division.
“It's a lot of fun first of all,” Hunter-Reay said. “It's rewarding in that regard.
“I have to constantly remind myself they're 9 years old, 10 years old. I'm extremely competitive -- I'm way too competitive. I probably at times should not (be coaching) because 'It doesn't matter if you win or lose' does not apply on my team.”
He laughed.
“It's just been a lot of fun,” he said. “The kids are coming out of it enjoying it that much more.”
Hunter-Reay wanted to use the free time to bond with his kids. He found in the process the competitive nature of the game also helps when he returns to the cockpit at Indy each May.
“I kind of apply the things that I've learned in racing over the years, meaning just the competitive side on how I can deal with different personalities, work them a little bit differently to work them into our plays and everything else,” he said.
“I'm so thankful. That's probably the biggest positive not being full-time in racing, is being able to be with my kids, coach them all at such an impressionable age.”
When asked if the kids he coaches see him as a race car driver or a coach, he said it’s a little of both. The eyes of the kids get wide when they see him put the drivers suit on each May. But, when a key moment in a practice or game inserts an opportunity for him to coach, that could change the outlook based on how hard and how much competitive juices are flowing.
“They won't listen to me a lot of time,” he said. “A kid will say, ‘Look what I learned.’ I say, ‘I've been telling you that for years.’”