To say Graham Rahal isn’t any stranger to the Indianapolis 500 is an understatement. In reality, Rahal’s historical past with the race earlier than he was even born. In 1982, seven years earlier than Graham’s delivery, his father Bobby competed at Indy for the primary time. 4 years later, he gained the five hundred, cementing his place in historical past. For his son, though that coveted victory hasn’t come but, his 16 begins have include loads of expertise.
That have is beginning to assist the six-time race winner mentor a few of the youthful engineers and mechanics engaged on his workforce:
“As a veteran man now, not less than at my stage, it’s not solely me, it’s attempting to assist the engineer. As a result of I’ve numerous younger engineers too.” stated Rahal at Tuesday’s media bullpen.
In 16 begins, the Ohio native has three prime 10s together with three begins from the primary three rows. In his profession, he has been on the identical workforce as a number of race winners, akin to Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, and Takuma Sato. Not too long ago, Rahal was working close to the entrance of the 2021 version of the race, earlier than a unfastened wheel despatched him into the wall simply previous the midway level.
Taking from expertise like that, the 35-year-old helps calm the nerves of a few of these youthful RLL workforce members.
I regarded within the eyes of my engineer the opposite day, and I might see the nerves that he had occurring. I stated, look, calm down, we received time to get well. We received time to suppose by means of these items. Such as you don’t must run 100 laps a day.
– Graham Rahal, Driver of the No. 15 Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
This comes just below a yr after Rahal suffered one of many greatest heartbreaks of his profession, being the one automobile bumped from the sphere in 2023. Though he finally landed a trip with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing when Stefan Wilson suffered a again damage in follow, the main focus nonetheless stays on bettering on RLL’s poor exhibiting in qualifying a yr in the past.
“I wish to know ‘Hey, within the toe, did you are feeling this or that?’ As a result of that’s a sign of uncooked pace of the automobile and mechanical drag. Are we higher? Are we not? Final yr our vehicles wouldn’t suck as much as save their lives…“
Graham Rahal groups up with Pietro Fittipaldi, Christian Lundgaard, and Sato for the five hundred this yr. The 108th Operating of the Indianapolis 500 takes place on Sunday, Might twenty sixth. Protection begins at 11:00 a.m. on NBC.
