Ford dealer victorious in Disney race

Indianapolis area Ford dealer Robbie Buhl won the first major auto race of the millennium when he took the checkered flat at the Delphi Indy 200 at Walt Disney World.

Mr. Buhl, who owns Robbie Buhl's Smart Ford-Mercury in Danville, IN, started 22nd and worked his way to the front with a masterful pit strategy and tenacious driving.

"We had a car capable of winning and put ourselves in a good position," says Mr. Buhl, who has assembled a new Indy Racing League team with the help of fellow Indianapolis-area dealer Dennis Reinbold (Infiniti, Volkswagen, Audi) and businessman Eric DeBord.

"I've been developing this relationship for a year and a half," says Mr. Buhl of the new team. "This isn't something that came out of thin air."

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing may not have come out of thin air, but it certainly surprised the IRL.

Mr. Buhl finished 7th in the season's next race at Phoenix International Raceway