Rahal Was Seventh in Practice for the INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing logo

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen – Watkins Glen

Verizon IndyCar Series

PRACTICE NOTES/QUOTES – Friday, September 2, 2016

RAHAL WAS SEVENTH IN PRACTICE FOR THE INDYCAR GRAND PRIX AT THE GLEN

1)         Scott Dixon                1:22.8740 / 146.391 mph       

7)         Graham Rahal           1:23.5963 / 145.126 mph       

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing / RLL Dallara/Honda/Firestone:  “It was a very good day I think.  We are competitive. Are we 100 percent there?  No, we have a little work to do. We had a lap that was up on time but I came up on (Takuma) Sato. That lap might have been two tenths quicker but we’re still a solid few tenths (of a second) off of where we need to be so there is a little work to be done for sure. We’re all chasing Dixie (Scott Dixon) as per usual. We’re going to work hard and see what happens tomorrow.  Certainly now with the repave and everything else, it takes a lot of commitment at every corner. As far as road courses are concerned, at any other track it’s unparalleled, Road America would be the only other place there are as high-commitment corners like this on a consistent basis. It’s going to be a physical day. Goes by in a blur.”

  • FAST FACTS: The INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen will mark Graham Rahal’s third race here. In 2008, he qualified 18th with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) after a Saturday practice crash and finished eighth… In 2009, he qualified fifth with NHLR but lost 10 starting positions when his car was ruled to be too light in a tech inspection and he started 15th. He ran as high as second but the wrong fuel strategy contributed to a 13th place finish… He did not compete in the 2010 race… His top finish overall this season is a win at Texas Motor Speedway (oval) and his top road/street course finish is second place at Barber Motorsports Park.  His top start is sixth at Barber and Road America. He also qualified third for the Indy GP but his car was disqualified for being a few pounds underweight… Rahal is ranked seventh in series standings with a total of 394 points and is only 12 behind fifth place Josef Newgarden (406) and 22 behind third place Kanaan (416).

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT WATKINS GLEN … The 2016 INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen will mark the fifth Indy car event for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) at Watkins Glen International (WGI) and first here since the team won the 2008 event with Ryan Hunter-Reay.  The team has one win (Hunter-Reay 2008), and four top-10 finishes here and team drivers have led a total of 15 laps.  Prior to the 2016 event, the team prepared a total of 9 Indy car entries for drivers Buddy Rice (2005-2006), Danica Patrick (2005-2006), Vitor Meira (2005), Jeff Simmons (2006-2007), Scott Sharp (2007) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2008).  The No. 15 entry for Graham Rahal will bring the Indy car total to 10 entries in 2016.  

NEXT UP:  Practice 3 will take place tomorrow from 11:00-11:45 a.m. ET and qualifying will be 3:00 – 4:15.  NBCSN will broadcast qualifying on a tape delayed basis at 6 p.m. ET Saturday.  Timing and Scoring information and live streaming video is available for all sessions from www.indycar.com and includes live commentary by the INDYCAR Radio Network. The INDYCAR Grand Prix at the Glen will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 2:00 PM ET Sunday, September 4.