Graham Rahal Reflective, Still Hungry as Milestone Approaches This Weekend
INDYCAR
Graham Rahal reaches his 300th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The start in the 260-lap race airing at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network places Rahal in an exclusive group of drivers.
Rahal joins Scott Dixon, who will make his record-extending 410th INDYCAR SERIES start, Mario Andretti (407), Helio Castroneves (395), Tony Kanaan (390), A.J. Foyt (369), Al Unser Jr. (329), Al Unser (320), Michael Andretti (317), Johnny Rutherford (315) and Will Power (310) as drivers reaching the triple-century mark.
His dad, Bobby Rahal, made 264 career starts.
Rahal's commitment is also reflected in a streak of consecutive starts. He hasn't missed a race since July 25, 2010, at Edmonton.
Rahal will tie Marco Andretti for third-most consecutive starts with 249 in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on June 22. Only Dixon's 346 and counting, and Kanaan's 318 are more.
Success is measured in many different ways, and when you look at wins, maybe it's not enough, but I've been fortunate to have a long career here,' Rahal said. 'But hopefully there's still a ways to go.
'Three hundred races, I think what I'm most fortunate about is to have been able to stay, knock on wood, pretty healthy through those times, and hopefully that will continue, as well.'
Rahal is acutely aware he hasn't matched the resume of his father, Bobby, who won the 1986 Indy 500 among his 24 career victories and three championships.
With six career wins and nearly 50 percent of his 299 starts ending in top-10 finishes (146), Rahal admits he wishes his trophy case was fuller. But he also understands and respects what he's achieved.
'There are a lot of people who come to this sport, have extended careers and never have that sort of success,' he said.
'But I'm not oblivious to the fact that I wish I had a lot, lot more. But I feel that in some ways, too, I've been through a lot in this sport. I've been to a lot of different teams. I've been through good years. I've been through years where we've really, really struggled.
'What I've been most proud of is being able to find our way out of those holes.'
A recent example is 2014, when he finished 19th in points with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He bounced back in 2015 with the same team, breaking a 123-race winless streak with wins at Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finishing fourth in the standings.
Rahal is winless in his last 134 starts, dating back to the June 2017 doubleheader sweep at Belle Isle Park. He also entered this season after an 18th-place points finish last year.
He has climbed to 15th in points after seven races – a modest position, but with indicators that things are heading the right way. A late-season surge is possible.
Early on, Rahal's strength came in race pace more than qualifying. He climbed nine spots in the Firestone Grand Prix St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding to finish 12th in the season opener. He gained seven spots at The Thermal Club, finishing 11th. At Barber Motorsports Park, he started 21st and finished 14th.
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13 was the lone race day setback. He started 16th but finished 22nd.
Rahal's average starting position in the first four races was 19th. But in the next three, that's improved dramatically to 9.3. That's a tangible result of the team finding direction.
He qualified an impressive second in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He led a race-high 49 laps May 10 in that race but finished sixth.
Two races later in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Rahal qualified fifth, but a six-spot grid penalty dropped him to 11th in the starting lineup.
With better qualifying form, consistent race pace and a tight-knit team, Rahal looks more poised than he has in years to end his win drought.
'I've said this since Sebring (preseason) test that I love working with (engineer) Yves (Touron),' Rahal said. 'I love working with (engineers) Tim (Trowbridge) and Grant (George), (race strategist) Tisch (Akulich) on the stand, all the mechanics who are pretty young, several new guys, I'm really enjoying this group of guys.'
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