INDYCAR: Dreyer & Reinbold Fined in Illegal Fuel Case

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing was the team found with an illegal fuel mixture in the first day of qualifying for the 91st Indianapolis 500, a story earlier this week on SPEEDtv.com by Robin Miller.

Indy Racing League officials have fined the squad in $25,000 for the violation. However, the percentage of methanol found mixed to the IRL’s official ethanol fuel was so high (27 percent) that IRL boss Brian Barnhart told the Indianapolis Star there’s the possibility of an honest mistake by the outfit. “But whether it was an accident or not, we couldn't let it slide,” he added. “It was not within our rules."

According to Barnhart, team staff claimed a new crew member inadvertently added and old container of fuel, which would also explain the presence of water in the mixture. D&R, which is running entries for Buddy Rice, Sarah Fisher and Roger Yasukawa in this Month of May, will also have to pay for damage to the Honda engines, which could run at as much as $100,000.