Graham Rahal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Graham Rahal
Rahal at the 2024 Detroit Grand Prix
Born	(1989-01-04) January 4, 1989 (age 36) New Albany, Ohio, U.S.
IndyCar Series career
278 races run over 17 years
Team(s)	No. 15 (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing)
Best finish	4th (2015)
First race	2008 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg)
Last race	2021 Honda Indy 200 (Mid-Ohio)
First win	2008 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg)
Last win	2017 Detroit Grand Prix, Race 2 (Belle Isle)
Wins Podiums Poles 6 29 5
Champ Car career
15 races run over 1 year
Years active	2007
Team(s)	Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
Best finish	5th (2007)
First race	2007 Vegas Grand Prix (Las Vegas)
Last race	2007 Gran Premio Tecate (Mexico City)
Wins Podiums Poles 0 4 0
Related to	Bobby Rahal (father) Courtney Force (wife) Ashley Force Hood (sister-in-law) Brittany Force (sister-in-law) John Force (father-in-law) Robert Hight (brother-in-law)
Previous series
2007 2006 2005	Champ Car World Series Champ Car Atlantic Star Mazda Championship
Awards
2011	24 Hours of Daytona winner

Graham Robert Rahal, born on January 4, 1989, is an American race car driver. He also owns a small business. Graham races in the IndyCar Series for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. His father, Bobby Rahal, who won the 1986 Indianapolis 500, partly owns this team.

Graham Rahal's Racing Journey

Early Steps in Racing

In 2005, Graham Rahal won the Formula Atlantic class at the SCCA Runoffs. He also finished fourth in the Star Mazda Series. After that season, Rahal raced for A1 Team Lebanon in three races of the 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix season.

In 2006, he joined the Champ Car Atlantic Series full-time. He won five races and finished second overall in the season standings. He also took part in an Indy Pro Series event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He finished second in that race. Rahal raced for A1GP's Team Lebanon again for one race in the 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season. In August 2006, it was reported that Rahal would drive for Newman/Haas Racing in the Champ Car World Series in 2007.

Racing in 2007

On January 27, 2007, Rahal drove in the 24 Hours of Daytona race. His car had problems early on and finished 62nd. On March 18, he raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring for his father's team, Rahal Letterman Racing. He drove a Porsche 911 GT3-RSR and finished 6th in his class.

Rahal posing with the Canary Foundation show car for the 2007 San Jose Grand Prix.

On March 27, 2007, it was confirmed that Rahal would be the second driver for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. He drove the No. 2 Panoz DP01 car in the Champ Car World Series. His teammate was three-time champion Sébastien Bourdais. In his first Champ Car race on April 8, Rahal crashed on the first lap and had to stop. On April 15, he finished his first Champ Car race, coming in 8th. Just a week later, on April 22, in his third Champ Car race, he became the youngest driver to finish on the podium (top three) in Champ Car history, finishing 2nd in Houston. Rahal finished his first season in 5th place overall. He had four podium finishes but no wins.

Racing in 2008

In 2008, the Champ Car World Series and IndyCar Series joined together. Rahal and his Newman/Haas/Lanigan team became part of the new IndyCar Series. This also meant Rahal would race in his first Indianapolis 500.

He missed the first race of the season due to a crash during testing. His team could not fix his car in time. He made his debut in the second race, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Even with an early spin, Rahal won the race. He beat Hélio Castroneves by 3.5 seconds. He became the youngest person at that time to win a major American open-wheel race. He was 19 years old. He was also the fourth driver to win in his very first IndyCar Series race. For the rest of the year, his best finishes were two 8th places. He ended the season 17th in points.

Racing in 2009

Rahal continued with Newman/Haas/Lanigan for the 2009 IndyCar Series. He drove the No. 02 car with McDonald's as his sponsor. He started the season by getting the pole position (starting first) at St. Petersburg. This was his first pole in IndyCar. He became the youngest polesitter ever at 20 years old. This was also the first time a Rahal had won an IndyCar pole since his father, Bobby Rahal, in 1992. He finished seventh in the race after a first-lap crash. He finished the season 7th in points with two podium finishes.

Rahal was considered for the US F1 Team, an American Formula One team. However, the team decided not to hire him. They worried he might not get the special license needed in time. The team later failed to compete in the 2010 Formula One season.

Racing in 2010

Rahal did not return to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing for the 2010 IndyCar Series. This was because McDonald's stopped their sponsorship.

On March 10, 2010, Sarah Fisher Racing announced Rahal would drive their No. 67 car. He raced in the first two North American events of 2010. These were the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Rahal finished 9th, 17th, and 22nd in these races.

After these races, Rahal signed to drive for his father's team, Rahal Letterman Racing. He raced in the 2010 Indianapolis 500. Rahal started in seventh place and finished 12th. He also filled in for an injured driver at the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Rahal returned to Newman/Haas Racing for six more races that year. He also raced for Sarah Fisher Racing again. In 2010, Rahal started 12 races for four different teams. He finished 20th in points.

Racing in 2011 and 2012

Rahal signed to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing starting in 2011. He continued with the team in 2012.

In 2011, Rahal helped his team win the Rolex 24 at Daytona race. He shared the car with Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, and Joey Hand. This win happened 30 years after his father, Bobby, won the same race.

Racing from 2013 to 2023

From 2013 onwards, Graham Rahal returned to race for his father's team, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. In 2013, he finished second at the Long Beach Grand Prix. This showed good potential for the new partnership.

2015 was a great year for Rahal. He had three podium finishes in the first half of the season. He finished 2nd at Barber Motorsports Park and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. He also got a 3rd place in Detroit.

Graham Rahal driving at the 2019 Indianapolis 500.

During the 2015 season, Rahal ended a six-year period without a win. He won the 2015 MAVTV 500 in Fontana, California. Rahal won again later that season at the 2015 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. This win was special because he grew up in Ohio. It also put Rahal in the running for the championship for the first time. He finished 4th in the standings.

In 2016, Rahal got another win in his IndyCar career. He won the 2016 Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. He won by a very small margin, only 0.008 seconds. This was one of the closest finishes in IndyCar history.

In 2017, Rahal had six top-five finishes. He also won both races at the Detroit Grand Prix on June 3 and 4.

In 2018, Rahal's best finish was second place in St. Petersburg. He finished eighth overall in the championship.

2019 was the fifth year in a row that Rahal finished in the top 10 for the IndyCar Series championship. He finished eighth overall. His best finish was third at Texas Motor Speedway.

Rahal finished second at the 2020 Indianapolis Grand Prix. He then got two third-place finishes at the second Iowa race and the Indianapolis 500. He finished sixth in the points that year. In 2021, he had one podium finish at Texas Motor Speedway and finished 10th in points. In 2022, he finished 11th in points. His best finish was fourth at Toronto. This was the first year since 2014 that he was not in the top ten in points.

Rahal during the 2023 Indianapolis 500.

In 2023, Rahal almost missed the Indianapolis 500. His teammate, Jack Harvey, bumped him out during qualifying. However, Stefan Wilson was injured in a crash. Rahal was chosen to replace him in the #24 car. Rahal finished 22nd in the race. After the Indy 500, Rahal's performance improved. He earned pole positions at the IMS Road Course and Portland. He also got his first podium finish on a road course in years.

Graham's Business Ventures

Rahal started Graham Rahal Performance (GRP) in May 2017. This business began as a shop for car tuning and parts. It has now grown to include selling special, high-end cars. GRP is located in Zionsville, Indiana.

Graham is also a junior partner in Bobby Rahal Automotive Group. This group owns several car dealerships in Pennsylvania.

Graham's Personal Life

Rahal was born in Columbus, Ohio. He went to school in New Albany, Ohio, and finished in June 2007. He planned to go to Denison University. Rahal is a big fan of Ohio State sports. He also enjoys NHL hockey and golf. He loves cars and has a growing collection of Ducati motorcycles.

Rahal is married to Courtney Force. She used to be a drag racer in the NHRA. Courtney is the daughter of John Force, a famous 16-time NHRA drag racing champion. In May 2020, Graham and Courtney announced they were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Harlan Ann Rahal, was born in November 2020.

Rahal started the Graham Rahal Foundation in 2009. This foundation supports groups like Alex's Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer. It also helps The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, now known as SeriousFun Children's Network. In 2019, Rahal and his wife Courtney took over the foundation together. They changed its name to the Graham & Courtney Rahal Foundation (GCRF). GCRF now supports Turns for Troops, which helps the nonprofit SoldierStrong. It also supports Colorado State University's One Cure.

Racing Achievements Summary

Career Overview

† Team result

Indianapolis 500 Results

See also

In Spanish: Graham Rahal para niños