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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Graham Rahal Confirmed At Rahal Letterman Lanigan
In a long-anticipated move, Graham Rahal, 23, has signed a multi-year contract to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Graham Rahal's sponsor portfolio will look very similar in 2013 while driving for his father's RLL IndyCar team. (Photo: IndyCar)
If there was a guidebook for racing fathers of racing sons on the proper procedure for learning the trade then Bobby Rahal might want to patent the template.
Until Wednesday, when he officially confirmed Graham Rahal would be his full-time driver in the IZOD IndyCar series, the three-time CART champion had resisted using a hands-on approach.
Other than running together at Indianapolis in 2010, the elder Rahal had provided his kid with nothing more than advice for the past five years as Graham drove for other teams.
The 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner didn’t attend engineering meetings or confront car owners or make suggestions to Graham’s crew chiefs. He sat back and watched his boy learn the ropes.
“My tongue bled on a lot of occasions and it was hard not to say something to various people but I had to,” said Rahal during a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan Racing also introduced some new sponsors.
“I thought it was important for Graham to earn his stripes and the respect of fellow competitors and I think he has.”
Driving for Newman/Haas, Sarah Fisher, Dreyer & Reinbold and Chip Ganassi gave young Rahal an opportunity to fend for himself in the team environment and figure out what he needed to go fast.
“I had to develop on my own and become my own person and driver and I couldn’t do that running for dad,” said the 23-year-old who will again be sponsored by TBC Retail Group with additional funding from Valvoline and Midas.
“It was just a matter of time until we finally got together but I think the timing is perfect.”
Paired with champion Sebastian Bourdais in Champ Car for 2007 when he was still a teenager, Rahal showed amazing maturity on and off the track and he scored a victory in his Indy Racing League debut in 2008. He was always in the Fast Six in 2009 but found himself out of a full-time job in 2010 when Newman/Haas downsized and the expected results with Chip Ganassi’s B Team the past two years never materialized.
“I’m still young but it’s time to win races and championships and I know how good my dad’s team has been so this is a big step for me,” said Rahal, who threw away a sure win last year at Texas by slapping the wall with two laps left.
Added his father: “He’s ready to take the next step and now is the time. We always work hard to create a good environment for the driver because your emotional wellbeing is critical. We are going to give him the environment to succeed.”
Returning to the series full-time in 2012, the Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan stable gave Takuma Sato some great race cars and he damn near won Indy before crashing on the last lap trying to pass Dario Franchitti for the lead.
“Dad’s team helped resurrect Ryan Hunter-Reay’s career and Buddy Rice’s and Michel Jourdain’s,” said Graham Rahal. “He gave Danica (Patrick) her shot and I’m really stoked about being here. It’s a fresh outlook for me.”
TBC Retail Group, which has Big O Tires, Tire Kingdom, SpeedDee, Merchants, NTB, Service Central and Midas under its massive umbrella, also has Valvoline supply its 2,700 stores and it’s a reunion with Bobby, who won several races in Valvoline livery.
“Graham has been a great ambassador for our brand the past three years and we’re excited to be part of this collaboration,” said Orland Wolford, CEO of TBC Retail Group, Service Central. “We want to be associated with winners and that’s what these two are.”
Until Wednesday, when he officially confirmed Graham Rahal would be his full-time driver in the IZOD IndyCar series, the three-time CART champion had resisted using a hands-on approach.
Other than running together at Indianapolis in 2010, the elder Rahal had provided his kid with nothing more than advice for the past five years as Graham drove for other teams.
The 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner didn’t attend engineering meetings or confront car owners or make suggestions to Graham’s crew chiefs. He sat back and watched his boy learn the ropes.
“My tongue bled on a lot of occasions and it was hard not to say something to various people but I had to,” said Rahal during a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan Racing also introduced some new sponsors.
“I thought it was important for Graham to earn his stripes and the respect of fellow competitors and I think he has.”
Driving for Newman/Haas, Sarah Fisher, Dreyer & Reinbold and Chip Ganassi gave young Rahal an opportunity to fend for himself in the team environment and figure out what he needed to go fast.
“I had to develop on my own and become my own person and driver and I couldn’t do that running for dad,” said the 23-year-old who will again be sponsored by TBC Retail Group with additional funding from Valvoline and Midas.
“It was just a matter of time until we finally got together but I think the timing is perfect.”
Paired with champion Sebastian Bourdais in Champ Car for 2007 when he was still a teenager, Rahal showed amazing maturity on and off the track and he scored a victory in his Indy Racing League debut in 2008. He was always in the Fast Six in 2009 but found himself out of a full-time job in 2010 when Newman/Haas downsized and the expected results with Chip Ganassi’s B Team the past two years never materialized.
“I’m still young but it’s time to win races and championships and I know how good my dad’s team has been so this is a big step for me,” said Rahal, who threw away a sure win last year at Texas by slapping the wall with two laps left.
Added his father: “He’s ready to take the next step and now is the time. We always work hard to create a good environment for the driver because your emotional wellbeing is critical. We are going to give him the environment to succeed.”
Returning to the series full-time in 2012, the Rahal/Letterman/Lanigan stable gave Takuma Sato some great race cars and he damn near won Indy before crashing on the last lap trying to pass Dario Franchitti for the lead.
“Dad’s team helped resurrect Ryan Hunter-Reay’s career and Buddy Rice’s and Michel Jourdain’s,” said Graham Rahal. “He gave Danica (Patrick) her shot and I’m really stoked about being here. It’s a fresh outlook for me.”
TBC Retail Group, which has Big O Tires, Tire Kingdom, SpeedDee, Merchants, NTB, Service Central and Midas under its massive umbrella, also has Valvoline supply its 2,700 stores and it’s a reunion with Bobby, who won several races in Valvoline livery.
“Graham has been a great ambassador for our brand the past three years and we’re excited to be part of this collaboration,” said Orland Wolford, CEO of TBC Retail Group, Service Central. “We want to be associated with winners and that’s what these two are.”
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