Graham Rahal’s initial record at his home track of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course left a lot to be desired. In his first six starts, between 2008 and 2013, Rahal had only one top ten (eighth in 2009) and three finishes of 18th or worse.
However, between 2014 and 2016, Rahal enjoyed a run of three consecutive top fives at his home track, including a win in 2015.
In Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Rahal enjoyed a strong run that saw him in the top five the entire day before eventually finishing third, extending his top five streak at Mid-Ohio to four in a row and giving him two podiums in his last three Mid-Ohio races.
When asked about the recent run of success at his home track, Rahal credited Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s base setup as well as the race’s position late in the season, making it a vital stop during the championship push.
“You want to do a great job when you come home. So, yes, there’s part of that. I think our guys have just done a good job here and the setups have been strong. You know, it’s just every time we come here, it feels like it’s championship time and we’re pushing, we’re all pushing and at our best at that time. So it’s worked out well for us, but hopefully, we can keep this going,” Rahal discussed.
Of course, the home crowd also helps get Rahal pumped up. “I must say the crowd, the vibe, it’s tremendous here. So thank you so much to the fans that come out,” he said of the atmosphere. “It’s a blast. I mean, it makes me proud too. I know Ohio people are big sports people. I know people from lots of other states come too, lots from Indiana and up north. But it was awesome this week, and the turnout was phenomenal.”
Although Rahal lost a little ground in the championship, falling to sixth behind Will Power, he is still in the hunt, sitting sixth on 395 points, 58 behind new points leader Josef Newgarden.