After a fun family detour, Ryan Hunter-Reay gets back on the road to the Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS – Ryan Hunter-Reay had plenty of time to think about the next stage of his Indy career last summer when he was driving the entire family, including a puppy, in his motorhome through the Midwest.

The 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2012 NTT IndyCar Series champion was competing in the six-race Superstar Racing Experiences (SRX) Series, after stepping away from the NTT IndyCar Series to rejuvenate and reflect on what he wanted to do next.

Hunter-Reay, 42, wanted to return to the cockpit of an Indy car and compete in the Indy  500, but it had to be the right opportunity.

Meantime, Hunter-Reay had a chance to be “Dad” to his sons Ryden, Rocsen and Rhodes and spend more time with his wife, Beccy.

“It was priceless, honestly,” Hunter-Reay told NBC Sports Wednesday morning in Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “They are at that age where they are so impressionable. Having Dad around to be a presence more often, coaching their sports teams, being with them, working on their homework with them, sharing opportunities with them.

“We drove around the Midwest in the motorhome with a puppy going to all the SRX races. That is something that I will never be able to do again. Not because I don’t want to do it, but it was crazy spending that much time in the motorhome with the full family.

“It was really, really valuable experience.”

Hope all the hero Moms out there had a great Mother’s Day! pic.twitter.com/iiE8YSuinO

— Ryan Hunter-Reay (@RyanHunterReay) May 14, 2023

Hunter-Reay was a consultant with Juncos-Hollinger Racing at last year’s Indianapolis 500 and had been approached by several teams to see if he were interested in making a run at Indy in 2022, but the timing wasn’t right. He also was on standby for