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In IndyCar racing, where a 10th of a second can make a huge difference between a pole position and an underwhelming start, emotions often run high, and Graham Rahal’s impassioned defense of his abilities is one that once surfaced. The 36-year-old once had to defend his qualifying race craft following a streak of poor Saturday outings.
The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver's 2022 season was laced with subpar qualifying sessions. His best qualifying position during the IndyCar season was the ninth place he achieved at the Grand Prix of Alabama.
Although Graham Rahal found a way to convert this flurry of poor qualifying positions into impressive points finishes on race day, many often wondered what could have become of the veteran driver’s season if he could find the finesse his qualifying sessions needed.
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Rahal was indeed pressed about it during an interview in 2022, and the Ohio-born driver didn’t hold back his thoughts in defense of his overall display. The former Chip Ganassi driver told the media outlet Race Review:
“People have accused me of not being a good qualifier for years. Now you’ve got a guy like Jack Harvey who’s been known as a great qualifier—I'm out-qualifying him. He’s new to the team and I’m not trying to throw any shade at him, but it’s not that. I can f**king drive, for God’s sake.”
Graham Rahal’s defense of his underwhelming qualifying form may have sounded more convincing than the situation appeared. Still, it continues to be loosely stated that if he could become better at qualifying, the driver, currently in his 17th season in IndyCar racing, would have achieved more beyond his six victories.
Graham Rahal reacts after the IndyCar Long Beach Grand Prix
Graham Rahal has detailed his feelings following an underwhelming outing at the Long Beach Grand Prix. The 36-year-old had a race to forget and was lapped by several front-runners before the end of the race.
Rahal qualified 16th for the California event and largely failed to make any notable impression while driving on the temporary street circuit, sliding down the order to finish the race in 22nd position. He expressed his feelings on social media after the race.
Posting a carousel of photos on Instagram, Graham Rahal accompanied them with the caption that read:
“Unfortunately, we had some fueling issues with a false vent that short-filled the car by 4 gallons and sent us into a massive fuel save from the second stop on. Killed our momentum but the car’s got pace and we'll keep digging. See you in Barber!”
Shifting focus to the Grand Prix of Alabama at the Barber Motorsports Park, Rahal will be heading to a circuit where he boasts several fun outings, including two podium finishes (2015 and 2016), and multiple top-10 finishes. Heading into the race, the veteran driver sits 17th in the IndyCar drivers’ standings, 98 points off championship leader Alex Palou.
