Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal secured a historic IndyCar victory in 2008, the first of his six. The win not only launched his career, but also broke a record held by Marco Andretti.
A seasoned veteran now, Rahal was one of the most promising drivers in his early days. As the son of former driver and team owner Bobby Rahal, Graham's initial performances in the Champ Car Series turned heads. His entry into the IndyCar Series at a young age further heightened expectations.
While he missed the 2008 IRL IndyCar season-opener at Homestead-Miami, Rahal's maiden race in St. Petersburg saw him overcome an early spinout. The second-generation driver ultimately emerged victorious, while also becoming the youngest race winner in IndyCar history at the age of 19 years and 93 days. He overtook Marco Andretti’s record set just two years earlier.
Then a Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver, Graham Rahal won the race by outpacing four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves. With Castroneves finishing less than four seconds behind Rahal, the latter reflected on the scenario when speaking to the media after the race. He said (via The New York Times):
"At the end of the race, with Helio behind me, I knew he has won a lot of races and has a lot of experience, but I knew we had the pace to beat him. I kept telling myself that."
Rahal would hold the record of being the youngest race winner till 2019, when it was broken by Colton Herta.
What was Bobby Rahal's reaction to his son Graham Rahal winning the 2008 St. Petersburg race?
Bobby Rahal, certainly a proud father from the result, was questioned about his opinion on his son winning the race. Notably, Graham Rahal wasn't yet driving for his father's team at the time, but Newman/Haas/Lanigan instead. Reacting to his son's victory, Bobby said:
"He drove beautifully and, when he had to go fast, he did. I'm so proud of him. To come back and not get depressed after he got turned around by Will (Power), that was a great job."
When asked whether he expected Graham to win, Bobby added:
"I don't know if I expected him to win this year at all. I hoped he would, but this is a tough crowd with guys like Castroneves, (Tony) Kanaan, (Scott) Dixon and (Dan) Wheldon out there. And now you multiply that with the guys from Champ Car."
It wasn't until the 2010 Indianapolis 500 race that Graham Rahal first drove for his father's team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He signed full-time for RLL in 2013, and has been a regular feature in the team's No. 15 Honda since.