Dreyer & Reinbold Racing has signed IndyCar Series veteran driver Townsend Bell to drive in selected races for the 2008 racing season, including the Indianapolis 500.
Bell, 32, who will drive the No. 23 car in races that Milka Duno is not scheduled to race, hasn't been in the IndyCar Series since the 2006 Indianapolis 500.
"I'm ready to get going," Bell said from Sebring International Raceway where he participated in the IndyCar Series Open Test. "There are a few new things (associated with the car), and obviously the driver has a lot of rust. That showed up on the very first lap. I've done 15 laps in one of these cars on a road course at Sonoma a year and a half ago, and prior to that I hadn't been on a road course in three years. This is just a lot of cobwebs getting out of the system. The first couple of laps when the track was green it was like, 'Oh, yeah, these things are pretty fast.' ''
Bell's first race for Dreyer & Reinbold will be the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 6.
"Townsend fits right into the Dreyer and Reinbold mold," team co-owner Dennis Reinbold said. "We've seen what he's done in the past in this series, and we're excited to see him in one of our race cars for this year.
"We're confident that we're making great strides with our race team. To bring in someone like Townsend allows us to gather information from an experienced driver, and at the same time, he can help share information with Milka and help her continue to improve and gain."
Bell has a total of 12 IndyCar Series starts dating back to 2004. His best finish came in 2004 when he finished fifth at the Nashville Superspeedway with Panther Racing.
Buddy Rice has participated in pre-season testing with the team in the No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold entry, but final plans for the car are still in the works.
