'It’s a very unfamiliar situation': When Graham Rahal opened up about the challenging dynamics of being married to a racer 

The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal once spoke about being worried about his spouse. The 36-year-old American racing driver is married to Courtney Force.

Courtney Force is a retired drag racer who participated in the NHRA tour, driving for her father's team, John Force Racing. Courtney is one of the female drivers with the most Funny Car wins in the history of NHRA. She hung up her racing boots in 2019.

Rahal once spoke about how he feels when his wife races.

“It’s a very unfamiliar situation,” Rahal told IndyCar in August 2016. “Most people in this world don’t really understand what’s that like from a husband side because they don’t have to experience that too much with their wives. Obviously for me, she’s far more than a race car driver or just another female. It’s important to me that she’s safe and luckily she is," he added.

Rahal and Force met via X (previously called Twitter) in 2013. During an interview with IndyCar in March 2016, Rahal recalled the time he followed Force on the app.

“One day, I was scrolling through Twitter, and her name popped up. She had followed me, but I hadn’t followed her, so I clicked ‘Follow," he said.

Force and Rahal both raced for their respective fathers' teams, which served as a common ground for the couple.

“There are only a handful of people in the world who could understand the pressure I have. Living in (our dads’) shadow and following in their footsteps, you don’t find a lot of people who can relate to something like that,” Rahal mentioned.

The couple tied the knot in November 2015 in California. They welcomed their first daughter, Harlan Ann Rahal, in 2020, and their second daughter, Tinley Leighton Rahal, in September 2022.

Currently, Rahal is gearing up for the next Grand Prix, i.e., the ACURA Grand Prix of Long Beach, scheduled to take place on April 13.

---

Graham Rahal opened up about an 'interesting dynamic' with wife Courtney Force

The six-time Indycar race winner Graham Rahal has been in the racing scene since 2008, making him one of the most experienced drivers going around. Rahal has dealt with numerous contract negotiations during his career. In 2023, Rahal opened up about consulting his wife, Courtney Force, about contract negotiations.

In conversation with Eric Smith from IndyCar, Rahal revealed that he shares an "interesting dynamic" with his wife in that regard.

"I consult with my wife (and) with myself. I think it’s a very interesting dynamic. You know, I can't talk to my dad (Bobby Rahal) about it really. In the end, I did my negotiating through dad, but really, it is Mike that I worked with and at the end, it was Mike’s decision. And so, it's kind of an interesting dynamic for sure. I mean, in the end, I never have once doubted the team," Rahal said.

Force is an experienced racer who has seen plenty during her career and, therefore, feels like the go-to person for Rahal to consult when it comes to discussing contracts.