Mecum Auctions today announced that it will be the primary sponsor for the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet driven by Sage Karam at the 101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil.
The world’s largest collector-car auction company, Mecum Auctions also sponsored Dreyer & Reinbold’s entry with driver Oriol Servia placing fourth in 2012 Indy 500. Mecum is also conducting its annual spring car auction May 16-20 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, with much of the auction airing on INDYCAR telecast partner NBCSN.
“Mecum Auctions is proud to mark our 30th anniversary this year,” said Dana Mecum, president and founder of Mecum Auctions. “Between our tremendous Indianapolis auction and the Indy 500 opportunity with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, this month of May is set to be one of our most exciting celebrations ever. I can’t wait to put a Mecum ‘SOLD’ sticker on the bottle of milk in Victory Lane.”
As a 19-year-old rookie in 2014, Karam won the “Hard Charger” award for driving from 31st in the Indy 500 starting grid to finish ninth in a Dreyer & Reinbold entry. Last year, Karam worked his way up from the back in the pack as run as high as fourth in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold-Kingdom Racing Chevy before being forced into the wall and finishing 32nd.
“I watch the Mecum Auctions on NBCSN regularly and am excited about this month in Indy,” said Karam (shown at right in the car, with chief mechanic Brian Goslee looking on). “It looks like a blast. I’m a car guy like most of the people in the Indy 500 garages.
“A lot of drivers have to work with some sponsor that aren’t too exciting for them, added Karam, 22 and seeking to start his fourth straight Indianapolis 500. "But I can tell you that the Mecum sponsorship gets me very excited because of my interest in their cars. To work with a sponsor which has some very historic and amazing machinery is very cool for me. We want to make sure that our No. 24 Mecum Auctions Chevrolet looks good all month for them.”
The Dreyer & Reinbold family has a long history in the Indy 500 dating to the 1920s with legendary car builder Floyd “Pop” Dreyer. Dennis Reinbold, Dreyer’s grandson, has been a car owner in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since 2000 and has successfully qualified 37 entries in the race. Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, a past winner in the Verizon IndyCar Series, has recorded four top-ten finishes in the Indy 500 including fourth in 2012, seventh in 2010, eighth in 2008 and ninth in 2014.
“We are very excited to have the Mecum Auto Auctions back with our Indy 500 effort in 2017,” said Reinbold, owner of the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing organization. “We had a great performance with Mecum in 2012 with a fourth. The great livery of the Mecum Auctions car again at the Indy 500 will be extremely popular with the fans, too. We can’t wait to see Sage and the No. 24 Mecum Auctions Chevy on the world’s greatest racetrack in a week or so.”
Practice for the 101st Indianapolis 500 begins May 15, with two days of qualifying to set the 33-car field on May 20-21. The May 28 race airs live on ABC and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network beginning at 11 a.m. ET. For ticket information, visit IMS.com.
For more information about Team Chevy, visit https://www.facebook.com/TeamChevy/.