Rahal Excited For Unexpected Indy Opportunity
Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge will provide driver Graham Rahal with several opportunities, neither of which he could’ve anticipated just a few days ago.
Bumped out of the 33-car starting field at the last possible moment last Sunday by his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing teammate Jack Harvey, Rahal expected his days to be filled with kids and a lot of golf this week as well as helping his teammates prepare for the 500.
But then, Stefan Wilson fractured his 12th vertebrae in a crash during Monday’s practice session. The next morning, Rahal was named by Dennis Reinbold, owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, and Don Cusick, owner of Cusick Motorsports, as the replacement driver for Wilson.
Had it been for another driver or another team, Rahal may not have agreed to fill in.
“First off, I certainly feel for Stef. I know how much he puts into this, year in and year out, to get the opportunity to be here and to see what happened to him is never good.
Photo by Chris Jones, Penske Entertainment
“I know emotionally the roller coaster he's on right now, unfortunately. I've just lived it, as well, and I know that he'll be back really strong and better than ever.
“That said, too, the Wilson family certainly in my life has had a very strong impact. Everything in life happens for a reason. Sometimes it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but when I got the call from Dennis yesterday afternoon, right away I felt compelled that this was, for some reason, my calling was to be here, to be able to help as best I could and to fill in.
“Clearly this is Stef's ride. It's his seat. He's done a great job to get it to the point that it is. It was an honor for me to receive the call.
“It's also kind of special for me in a way to come back. I drove for Dennis 13 years ago at Iowa. We had a really strong run there. Always admired what he's been able to do with his team. I think the entire organization does a great job, as proven this month. They came out with Ryan (Hunter-Reay) -- I texted Ryan last Wednesday night, and I was like, damn, dude, you're going to win this thing. It was the best car I thought I saw all day.
“Trust me, I'm excited at the opportunities ahead, as well. Make no mistake, I've made it clear, this is certainly Stef's ride, and I'm fortunate to be able to be in the position to be able to help and fill in, and like I said, hopefully we can have a really, really great Sunday.
Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
The connection with the Wilson family goes back a long way. Rahal and Wilson’s late brother, Justin, who lost his life in an IndyCar accident in 2015 at Pocono Raceway, were teammates at Newman/Haas Racing in the early 2000’s. It was the elder Wilson who offered Rahal some clear-eyed career advice.
“Frankly, I think in many ways, Justin helped -- in more ways than one kind of shape my career, not only as a man and who you should be, how you should act, all that stuff, but also I remember in 2006 I was in Formula Atlantic. Of course I don't know why, but we had a joint autograph session with the Champ Car guys. We were in Portland. I was still dreaming that hey, maybe someday Formula 1, and Justin Wilson was the guy who told me that it was way too political and I didn't have the right filter to enter Formula 1.
“If it were not for him, I probably would have kept chasing a different dream. In many ways, he did help me, but I do know as a teammate, too, when I was with him at Newman/Haas and then again with Dennis at Iowa, he's just a tremendous, tremendous guy, and Stef is right there with him.
“Their entire family I have the utmost respect for, and in a scenario like this, I felt very -- had it been something different, I don't know how compelled I would have been, particularly with the storylines of the last couple days.
“Trust me, for me it was a little bit of a bittersweet moment, do I do it, do I not, is it appropriate, is it not, but in this circumstance with Dennis, with Don, with Stef, it just felt right.”
“It’s a very unique situation to be in, but ultimately, it was exciting and it was an honor for me to get the call.”
But there’s another element at play here. Rahal is in a contract year with his father’s team. While there’s the family connection, the younger Rahal says he doesn’t enjoy running 20th every week. As he’s been assessing his options going forward, being wanted by another team, even if it’s just for the 500, has been a boost to his confidence.
“To be honest, it's an interesting situation across the board.
“Unfortunately in racing, things happen. Look at the last 48 hours in my life even; it's been all over the board.
“I was very fortunate that Dennis and Don and everybody at DRR and Cusick Motorsports called me. It's that simple.
“I was honored because on a personal level, too, I felt it gave me a boost personally to get the call because I have driven for my dad for so long, you always wonder what everybody else thinks of you, so to speak. So it was a blessing.
“I don't know. This is a weird situation for me. I mean, it just is. My wife was just asking me, and I told her, I'm very excited at the opportunity, but I feel terribly for Stef, too. It's a very unique situation to be in, but ultimately, it was exciting and it was an honor for me to get the call.
“I know the list of guys isn't super long of drivers that could jump in and do it, but I also know some of the other names that are probably on that list are guys that are very, very, very qualified to go out there, who have a lot of experience and can do a great job. So for me to get the call, to get the opportunity, yes, it's very exciting.”
Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment
Asked by reporters as to his son’s status with RLL, team owner Bobby Rahal replied…
“That's a tough question.
“In years past, we've had very good years and we've had some ups and downs, but I remember Andretti (Autosport) having a tough year or two a couple years ago. I remember -- Chip (Ganassi), when he was in the Indy Racing League, because he maybe didn't have quite the correct engine at the time, a lot of issues there.
“Everybody has them. Roger (Penske) has even had them before. Maybe not in the last few years, but certainly during the eras of CART and what have you. That's the nature of the beast.
“But our goal is to be one of the best teams out there on a consistent basis, and that's what we're -- that's our commitment to the people within our team and to our sponsors.
“As far as Graham, I don't think anybody wants to see him go anywhere else, frankly. But I will tell you that any of these guys -- when you're a driver, you want to go somewhere where you can see the commitment, and as I say, I think our commitment is obvious.”
“No, we like him because he's a hell of a race car driver.”
Photo by Chris Owens, Penske Entertainment
As far as competing against his dad’s team on Sunday, Rahal says it’ll be a unique situation.
“I wouldn't come here if I didn't think we had a chance to win and go forward. I think these guys will tell you, they've had a very strong car all week, and Ryan is going to be a great partner. He's probably been my closest friend in the sport since I came into the sport. My first year here he was driving for my dad, and so Ryan and I have always been very close, so I'm excited by the opportunity. We've talked for years about eventually working together, and the situation is certainly unique, but I'm still excited to get to be with Ryan and see what we can do on Carb Day and make this thing go forward.
“I wish my team at RLL the best for sure. I certainly want to see them succeed. But I also wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to go win with Don and Dennis and this entire organization. That's my job. So that's what we're going to try to go do.”