“He’s a hell of a racecar driver”: When Graham Rahal’s father defended his place in Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

AUTO: MAY 13 INDYCAR Series GMR Grand Prix - Source: Getty
AUTO: MAY 13 INDYCAR Series GMR Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Graham Rahal made his IndyCar debut in 2008 and won his debut race at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. It seemed as if Graham would continue in the footsteps of his father Bobby Rahal, who is a three-time IndyCar champion. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as Graham hasn't yet won a single title, and questions about his seat at RLL were brought up in 2023.

Graham's father, who is also the co-owner of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team, came out before the 2023 Indy 500 and defended his son’s place at the team. Rahal Sr. was asked whether he saw his son's future on his team, to which he replied (via Mooresville Tribune):

“Yeah, of course, because he's a hell of a racecar driver."
NTT IndyCar Series Gallagher Grand Prix - Source: Getty
NTT IndyCar Series Gallagher Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Graham's contract was up for renewal after the 2023 IndyCar season and hence the questions about his future flooded in. Bobby hailed his son’s performance at the 2023 race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course where Graham managed to defend his position despite the early damage. He said:

“That takes discipline to do that. People are passing you and you can't get sucked into racing them. You have to take it and hope and drive your race. Yeah, I'd put Graham up against anybody on race day."

Bobby won the Indy 500 in 1986 and finished in the top three on three other occasions. Graham's best finish at the Indy 500 was the P3 result in 2011 and 2020. The 36-year-old American has raced in 278 IndyCar races over a span of 17 years and managed six wins.

Graham Rahal's best result during an IndyCar season was when he finished fourth in the 2015 championship, winning two races along the way.


“I can’t say I’ve had any luck”: Graham Rahal on his winless streak

AUTO: APR 01 NTT INDYCAR Series PPG 375 - Source: Getty
AUTO: APR 01 NTT INDYCAR Series PPG 375 - Source: Getty

Graham Rahal last won an IndyCar race in 2017 when he managed back-to-back victories at the two races in Detroit. He reflected on a difficult 2024 IndyCar season and explained how luck hasn't been on his side. Commenting on his winless streak and how luck played a part in it, he said in October 2024 (via IndyCar):

“You’ve got to not only pitch a perfect game in racing, but you’ve got to also have Lady Luck on your side in every regard, and it’s not an easy thing to have. I can’t say I’ve had any luck since 2015.”
“Maybe it’ll turn back around and be favorable, but even this past year for me, there’s been races where we were very competitive. Sometimes you do everything flawless, and it simply doesn’t go your way. That’s becoming increasingly hard,” added Graham Rahal.

Rahal will be partnering up with Devlin DeFrancesco and the 2024 Indy NXT championship Louis Foster for the 2025 IndyCar season which begins on March 2nd.

Edited by Tushar Bahl
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