Reinbold 'grateful' for late Fisher deal.

Dreyer & Reinbold team co-owner Dennis Reinbold expressed his delight, not to mention a little relief, after his team secured a last minute sponsorship package that would enable Sarah Fisher to contest the 2003 IRL season opener at Homestead.

It had been almost unthinkable that 22 year-old Sarah Fisher would have to start a season on the sidelines for the second year in a row and now, thanks to 'WeGotGear' nobody has to think about it.

Fisher not only won the IRL's 'Most Popular Driver' award for the second year in a row in 2002 but also broke the record as the highest female qualifier for the Indy 500 and garnered mainstream media attention by taking some laps in a McLaren Formula One car during the United States Grand Prix weekend at Indianapolis. However up until earlier this week she didn't have the sponsorship to start the 2003 IRL IndyCar season this weekend at Homestead.

However just days before practice at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway was due to open, WeGotGear, a female-owned business founded in 1999, agreed to be the primary sponsor of the No. 23 Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone driven by Fisher. WeGotGear offers corporate premium and promotional products for major clients.

"We Got Gear stepped in to help get the season started," team co-owner Dennis Reinbold said. "We're grateful for their support in making this first race possible for the No. 23 team."

Additional supporters on Fisher's car include Chevrolet, and long-time team sponsors Purex and Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

WeGotGear clients include Coca-Cola, with 2.5 million Olympic Torch Pennants for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and AT&T, with 2.5 million carabineer clips for the AT&T "back to college" promotion. WeGotGear also has provided uniforms for ski areas and teams, and promotional materials for NASCAR.

Maintaining offices in Manchester, Vt., Atlanta and Shanghai, China, WeGotGear offers high-performance adult and kids' outerwear and accessories exclusively at www.amazon.com/wegotgear.

"Our partnership with the Indy Racing League, Sarah Fisher and the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team is part of our commitment to the Indy Racing League and its support of women in sport," said Susan Driscoll, executive vice president of WeGotGear. "WeGotGear enthusiastically sponsors Sarah and her team as part of this growing racing fan experience called the Indy Racing League."

Talks continue with multiple sponsors for the long-term support of Fisher's entry, Reinbold said. The focus remains on a full-season effort to ensure her participation with the team, he said.

Fisher, 22, from Commercial Point, Ohio, has made 32 IndyCar Series starts since 1999, with a best finish of second in 2001 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. She became the first woman to win a pole position in major open-wheel racing in August 2002, capturing the MBNA Pole for the Belterra Casino Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway.