“We were going to be controlling”: Ryan Hunter-Reay gets real about heartbreaking Indy 500 loss weeks after the unfortunate setback

Dreyer and Reinbold racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay recently spoke about his outing at the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500. He detailed how he fell out of contention for the win.

The 44-year-old drives the #23 Dreyer and Reinbold racing car powered by Chevrolet. During the Indy 500 on May 25, he qualified in 25th place. The American driver made up places throughout the race. He also led 42 laps, the second-most laps led that day. He was in contention to win the race, but ran out of fuel on lap 169 and could not continue even after filling the tank, as the car could not be started.

While talking to The Race, Ryan Hunter-Reay detailed his lost victory. He said (via The Race):

"It's headline stuff, it's kind of what dreams are made of. And I don't even think the Fox broadcast booth had an idea of exactly how real it was that we were going to have a shot. We were going to be controlling the race from the front. In the last stint, I was going to come out in front of those two lap cars that Alex Palou and Marcus Ericsson had to deal with from behind. Could have, should have, would have, but I would have had a shot to go fight for it."

Ryan Hunter-Reay seemed to have a disastrous Indy 500 this year, as his car caught fire during the curb day practice. The team was forced to use the spare car they used for pit stop practice after making it suitable for the remainder of the sessions.

The Dreyer and Reinbold Racing team driver participated in his 17th Indianapolis 500. He won the Indy 500 title in 2014 with the Andretti Global team after he qualified in 19th place and finished in first place to take victory.

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Ryan Hunter-Reay criticizes IndyCar drivers and their desperation to make up places during a race restart

Dreyer and Reinbold racing driver Ryan Hunter-Reay called out fellow IndyCar drivers for their desperation to make up places during a race restart. The American driver is known for his iconic Indy 500 win in 2014, where he won the race after starting the race from 19th place and taking victory.

The veteran was asked in an interview if the same move had been possible in recent years at the Indy 500. He replied (via Tony Donohue on X, 1:02 onwards):

“Now there's more desperation to make a pass. And you see a lot of that out there. You see a lot more desperation moves, guys almost getting down over the curb and stuff like that to get clean air, so, it's a bit different with this weight and this spec.”

The 2014 Indy 500 winner suggested that winning from the back of the grid was possible. Hunter-Reay also recalled how he fell victim to last year's Indy 500 restart chaos. He added:

“Just everybody's just going, because they know once it settles in, you're kind of there for that stint. You're not going to just walk through them. So everybody on the starter or restart is just so desperate to get one or two spots. And that's why you see some of the things we see on these restarts.”

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2012 IndyCar Series Championship by amassing 468 points.