One of the biggest storylines in IndyCar over recent months was Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s acquisition of one of Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s charters—marking the first charter transaction since the series introduced the system at the end of 2024. On Friday (7), during an interview at Portland, Graham Rahal revealed that a mutual partnership will tie both outfits together for the upcoming season.
Although Rahal refrained from confirming the engine details, DRR is expected to run Honda power in 2027, following the standard blueprint for technical alliances in IndyCar where partner teams share the same engine supplier. This move will see the Brett DeBord-led outfit end its long-standing relationship with Chevrolet, which supplied engines for the team’s Indianapolis 500 entries.
At the end of July, during a press conference attended by GRANDE PRÊMIO, DeBord remained tight-lipped regarding their engine supplier. “As for an engine partner, we aren’t ready to go into those details just yet. We’ve had important conversations, and those details will be disclosed further down the line when we are ready to make official announcements,” the DRR president said at the time.
Speaking to insider David Land, Rahal emphasized that RLL will be working extensively alongside DRR as the latter prepares to return to full-time competition in IndyCar. While avoiding granular operational specifics, the driver-owner expressed confidence that the partnership will not require RLL to scale back its own footprint for 2027.
“I think we are going to be working very closely with DRR, similar to what you’ve seen across the paddock. First of all, I’m very close with the people at Dreyer & Reinbold. Dennis [Reinbold, team founder who passed away in June 2026] meant so much to me. He gave me opportunities back in 2010 when no one else believed in me. Obviously, I drove for them at Indy a few years ago, but beyond that, Dennis and I were very close for many years and shared a lot in common, both in racing and in business with our dealerships. So joining forces with them was the absolute perfect fit,” Rahal stated.
“This dialogue actually began a long time ago. I’ll admit I had no idea it was still alive because I thought it had fizzled out. Conversations had gone cold, and then the news came together quite late. But the reality is that there are huge positives for both sides: for them, returning to full-time racing with our backing, and for us, gaining key insights at the Speedway, where they have consistently been very strong. So it’s going to be a great alliance. We will be working side-by-side in every area,” Rahal concluded.
IndyCar action continues later Saturday (8) with qualifying for the Portland Grand Prix. The race is scheduled for Sunday (9), with complete coverage from GRANDE PRÊMIO.
