Beatriz back in IndyCars

UPDATE #2 This rumor, first broke by AR1.com, is upgraded to 'fact' today. Competing in her first half-marathon last weekend in Rio de Janeiro presented Ana Beatriz with a new challenge and a different perspective in dealing with traffic. It'll translate in some form to a crowded racetrack this weekend.

Beatriz will make her third IZOD IndyCar Series start of the season, driving the No. 24 Dad's Root Beer car for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in the PEAK Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

The inclusion of Beatriz in the 29-car lineup for the Aug. 28 race marks the second time this season that a series-record five females will compete in the same event. Sarah Fisher (Sarah Fisher Racing), Simona de Silvestro (Team Stargate Worlds/HVM Racing), Danica Patrick (Andretti Autosport) and Milka Duno (Dale Coyne Racing) also are entered.

Beatriz, a two-time oval race winner in Firestone Indy Lights, competed in a Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car for the season-opening Sao Paulo Indy 300 in her native Brazil (advanced nine positions to finish 13th) and in the Indianapolis 500 (finished 21st).

"Ana really showed us her talent when we ran her back in March and May," team co-owner Dennis Reinbold said. "We look forward to running her as she competes at Chicagoland Speedway.

In two Firestone Indy Lights races at the 1.5-mile racetrack, Beatriz was runner-up in 2008.

"During the past three months, my agents, Andre Ribeiro, Augusto Cesario, and I, have been working on establishing a full-season program for 2011," Beatriz said. "In order to stay fit, I have been karting and I have added a new challenge to my calendar like the Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon.

"I hope my past experience at Chicago pays off with a good finish. I am very excited to be back with the Dreyer & Reinbold team. I wish to thank Dennis Reinbold, Robbie Buhl and Larry Curry for their confidence in me."

08/23/10 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team owners Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl won't be roped into using the same driver in the No. 24 car for the final four races of the season even though they're all similarly shaped oval tracks.

"We have to look at the big picture as we try to determine what's the best thing for us for next year," Buhl said.

The team owners said the pool of candidates include all the drivers who have competed for the team this season, but rookie Ana Beatriz is the "most likely" choice for this weekend's race at Chicagoland Speedway.

If that happens, Beatriz won't be in the car for the Sept. 4 race at Kentucky Speedway. That opportunity could go to Paul Tracy or Tomas Scheckter. Indy Star

08/22/10 According to AR1.com Ana Beatriz (right) will be back with Dreyer & Reinbold for the Chicagoland IndyCar race. We hear she will run the final 3 races of the year – Chicagoland, Motegi and Homestead.