Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing PR

Rahal, Lundgaard and Harvey Finished 14th, 18th and 24th in the Indy 500

Posted on by Tony DiZinno

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing106th Running of the Indianapolis 500
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
RACE NOTES/QUOTES – May 29, 2022

RAHAL, LUNDGAARD AND HARVEY FINISHED 14TH, 18TH AND 24TH IN THE INDY 500

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 United Rentals Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We just didn’t have it. The car didn’t have the natural speed that we needed. I feel bad for the guys because they put their heart and soul into this, and today was a great example. The car balance wasn’t that bad, we’d be following quite close sometimes, but we can’t draft up. The boys did a good job in the pits, and that’s the reason we went forward in the race, so thanks to them. We will take a good dive into what exactly we need to be better. On to Detroit. I’m excited for Thursday, Friday of next week to come. We will get back on track and move forward.”

  • FAST FACTS: Started 21st and finished 14th in the race… Was his 15th Indy 500. His best qualifying position in the Indy 500 is fourth in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and best finish is third with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011 and RLL in 2020. Detailed Indy 500 information available upon request… Has SIX IndyCar Series wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and THREE poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015… He is ranked 14th in series standings with 130 points.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, No. 30 PeopleReady Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “First Indy 500 is done. We finished the race which is obviously always an achievement but we aren’t where we want to be. It’s important to sit down and understand why, and come back stronger. This is my second oval race ever. I have to be proud of be the first Dane to start the race and the first Dane to finish the race. I want to fight for wins, and I’m sure we all agree on that as a team. It’s been an amazing first experience at the Indy 500, a tough one to accept, but I’ve enjoyed it. I’m looking forward for next year’s Indy 500.”

  • FAST FACTS: He started 31st and finished 18th This was Lundgaard’s first Indy 500 and second oval race. He started 24th and ran in the top-10 in his oval racing debut at Texas Motor Speedway in the late stage of the race but ultimately retired I 19th after contact with Herta. He has competed in six INDYCAR SERIES races with a best start of 4th place (IMS road course 2021) and best finish of 9th (IMS road course, 2022)… He is the highest ranked rookie in 18th place in the point standings with 103.

JACK HARVEY, 45 Hy-Vee Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “That’s another Indy 500 in the books and I feel like we have unfinished business here. We didn’t have a great day obviously. In the end, we rolled the dice on a strategy hoping for a yellow that didn’t come to get the No. 45 Hy-Vee car up front. But  we have things to work on and we will come back for 107 just a bit better.”

  • FAST FACTS: Started 32nd, ran as high as sixth after topping off two times during a caution in the second half of the race but wasn’t able to capitalize on a caution to stay up front and finished 24th… Was the sixth time for Harvey to compete in the Indy 500. His best start in the Indy 500 is 20th, two times (2020-2021) and best finish is ninth (2020). His highest overall series start is second place and he has accomplished the feat three times, including here (2020 – IMS road course, Road America Race 2; 2021 – St. Pete). The IMS road course is also the site of his highest series finish of third place in 2019. He is ranked 22nd with 73 points. 

NEXT UP:  The Detroit Grand Prix is next Sunday, June 5.