Why Graham Rahal leaves the Indy road course yearning for Ganassi Racing’s pace

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course played host to a rare sight so far this year: Rahal leading the field on merit

He gave it everything he had.

Given strong chance to end his lengthy winless streak, Graham Rahal did nearly everything right. He decisively jumped from second into the race lead in the opening corners when the green flag flew, kept championship leader Alex Palou in the rear-view mirror for two full tire stints and led a race-high 48 laps.

But it wasn’t enough.

Starting on fresh alternate tires, Rahal held the net lead for the opening two-thirds of the race, pacing double-digit laps for the first time since Portland in 2023. Palou filled his mirrors, but Rahal was able to keep the two-time defending champion at bay through the opening three two tire stints.

For a brief moment, it looked like Rahal might finally end his 128-race winless streak - a drought that stretches back to his 2017 weekend sweep at Belle Isle Park. But in the end, the tire strategy that helped Rahal hold onto the top spot for so long proved to be his undoing.

Struggling to stretch a used set of alternate tires into the final pit window, Rahal could only watch as Palou closed up to his rear wing on new primaries. By lap 58 Palou was right in his wake, jumping to the outside going into turn 1. Rahal managed to withstand that move, but he was helpless to defend himself when Palou surged alongside him on the backstretch and cleared him on the inside into turn 7.

From that moment on, the battle for the win was over. All Rahal could do from there was fight to salvage what he could from the rest of the race.

“I’m trying, man,” a disappointed Rahal radioed to his crew.

The ensuing laps weren’t pretty. Struggling on the degrading tire, Rahal quickly fell back from Palou. By the end of lap 62, he’d faded over eight seconds behind the eventual winner and into the clutches of third-place Scott McLaughlin.

Desperate for fresh rubber, Rahal brought his No. 15 to pit road. But the stop proved to be unfortunately timed. Rahal’s crew had to wait for the pitting Kyle Kirkwood to pass before releasing him, costing the veteran valuable track time in the process. When the ensuing pit sequence was complete, Rahal had fallen out of podium contention.

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

From there, all Rahal could do was hold on. He ultimately wound up sixth at race’s end. It was a good result - his best in 24 races, dating back to a runner-up run at the same track in 2023. But it also came with an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

In the end, Rahal felt there was nothing he could do to beat Palou, or Chip Ganassi Racing as a whole.

“I genuinely am proud,” Rahal said of his run. “I don’t think I locked up once. I don’t think I put one wheel wrong. I defended as best I could. But they’re (CGR) just in a different stratosphere of grip. … I tried to just drive as flawlessly as I could, because I knew that was the only way to beat (Palou). But unfortunately, we’re just not in their league right now.”

Positive start, tough finish for the RLL team

Louis Foster, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Devlin Defrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Photo by: Penske Entertainment

Rahal’s result was a microcosm of the day for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, who entered Saturday afternoon with three top-five qualifiers and left Indianapolis without a single top-five to show for it. Rookie Louis Foster qualified third, but faded to 11th over the course of the race. Devlin DeFrancesco rolled off fifth but sat 17th when the checkered flag flew.

The organization, much like the rest of the paddock, will have to keep searching for the secret to Ganassi’s pace heading into the Indianapolis 500.

“They’re so fast,” Rahal said. “It’s not just a little, it’s everywhere. Even on the straightaways, they just accelerate at a different pace. … Any Ganassi car behind me, it was like they had 10 extra pounds of boost. It’s wild.

“We’ve just gotta keep working hard to figure out what the hell they’re doing.”