RACE 1 NOTES/QUOTES - Sunday July 20, 2014
RAHAL FINISHED SIXTH IN RACE 1 OF THE HONDA INDY TORONTO
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 National Guard Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "A top six feels good. We had a very solid race. I got a couple of guys on the start and then thankfully avoided the crash and really just stayed out of trouble. I made a few passes throughout the race but I think the key was to stay out of trouble and we did and got a top six. Obviously we would have liked to continue to push the National Guard car forward but we'll take it. We were able to learn what the car would do over the entire race and that's a big perk for us. We've got to keep working. We've got a long one ahead of us and a lot of laps. I think there is a great opportunity for us to continue to gain some points on guys that we're around (in the standings) and we'll go from there."
FAST FACTS: Qualified 14th but started 11th today due to issues with three competitors in Saturday's attempted race. After an opening lap multi-car crash that brought out a red flag he restarted the race in ninth place. He moved into eight when Filippi made contact and retired and later passed Hinchcliffe and Wilson for sixth place and held the position after the pit cycle and took the checkered flag sixth in Race 1… Will be his eighth and ninth Indy car races here and 10th overall including his 2006 Atlantic race… In seven Indy car races, his best Toronto start is third in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and his best finish is fifth in 2010 with Newman/Haas Racing…His best finish this season is second place in Detroit Dual 1 and best start is fourth in Race 2 of the 2014 Houston doubleheader.
RACE 2 NOTES/QUOTES - Sunday July 20, 2014
RAHAL RETIRED DUE TO SHIFTING ISSUES AFTER RUNNING AS HIGH AS SEVENTH
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 National Guard Dallara/Honda/Firestone: "It was a great day for a while. This National Guard car was fast and we were moving up the field yet again after starting 19th. I felt I was driving a pretty good race again and went down the back straight. I had a run on Ryan Hunter-Reay. I had just hit push to pass and went to pull sixth gear and something broke in the back of the car, it wouldn't shift. I don't know what happened but something in the gear box is broken, at least that's my guess. It can't seem to find a gear. Right as I went to pull around Ryan it went into neutral and started grinding gears. I tired to downshift and it didn't, then it hit a gear so I drove around about another lap and as I came on the front straight it decided not to shift again. Finally when I went through the accident scene there at the end she came to a halt. I couldn't get it back going. It's really tough. These National Guard guys have been working their butts off and, the luck, we just don't have any. But it's going to end soon and I think you'll see us on the top side of the podium soon."
FAST FACTS: Started 19th based on Entrant Points for Race 2 and took over 15th after Lap 1. The team elected to pit early (Lap 7) to go on an alternate strategy and he was running 21st but light rain began to intermittently fall. As the rainfall picked up, many drivers slid off course and the majority of the field pitted for rain tires on Lap 14. With 19 laps to go Rahal passed Wilson for seventh place before the race was deemed a "timed event." Once he made another stop to switch rain tires for slicks on the rapidly drying course, he returned to the track in 14th place and was in 13th when a shifting issue surfaced. He ultimately stopped on course after he completed 50 of what would become a 56 lap race after a red flag for a multi car accident that blocked Turn 3 and led to a subsequent restart. He retired in 20th place… Will be his eighth and ninth Indy car races here and 10th overall including his 2006 Atlantic race… In seven Indy car races, his best Toronto start is third in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and his best finish is fifth in 2010 with Newman/Haas Racing…His best finish this season is second place in Detroit Dual 1 and best start is fourth in Race 2 of the 2014 Houston doubleheader.
RLL AT TOROTO: The Honda Indy Toronto will mark the 15th year of Indy car racing for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) here and the team's 16th and 17th races. The team also competed in the Atlantic Series races here in 2003 and 2004. The team earned a total of four second place finishes (Rahal 1992, 1994, 1995; Michel Jourdain Jr. 2003) and best start was pole in 1992 by Bobby Rahal. Prior to the 2014 event, the team prepared a total of 26 Indy car entries for drivers Bobby Rahal (1992-98), Mike Groff (1994), Raul Boesel (1995), Bryan Herta (1996-99), Max Papis (1999-2001), Jimmy Vasser (2002), Michel Jourdain Jr. (2002-03), Takuma Sato (2012), Graham Rahal (2013 x 2) and James Jakes (2013 x 2). The team also prepared three Toyota Atlantic entries (Danica Patrick 2003-2004; Chris Festa 2004). The team has earned FIVE podiums (3rd - Rahal 1996), 9 top-five's and 17 top-10 finishes at the track. Team co-owner Rahal competed in Toronto from 1986-1991 as a driver and from 1992-1998 as a team owner/driver. In 13 events, he earned one WIN (1986), two POLES (1987, 1992), and seven PODIUMS. He also started on the front row three times, earned 10 top-five and 11 top-10 finishes.
