IndyCar Series

J.R. Hildebrand enters Indy 500 and brings car count to 34

Published Apr. 12, 2018 5:56 p.m. ET

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) J.R. Hildebrand will enter this year's Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and bumping will return to the event for the first time since 2015.

Hildebrand is the 34th announced entry for a race that fields just 33 cars, so qualifying will cost someone a slot in IndyCar's marquee race on Memorial Day weekend.

Hildebrand will drive a second entry for DRR and be teammates with Sage Karam. Hildebrand has raced in seven previous Indy 500s and is considered a speedway specialist. He came within one turn of winning the 2011 race as a rookie but hit the wall and Dan Wheldon drove past Hildebrand for the victory. Hildebrand skidded across the finish line for a heartbreaking second-place finish.

Hildebrand has 62 career starts in IndyCar. He will drive the No. 66 Chevrolet and Salesforce is the primary sponsor. It's the first time the DRR team has had a second entry in the Indy 500 since 2011.

Dreyer & Reinbold plans on using this year's 500 as a starting point to build a full-time return to IndyCar Series next season.

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More AP racing: https://racing.ap.org

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