Can Rahal turn around rough 2013 at Iowa?

Graham Rahal’s first full-time season with Rahal Letterman Lanigan has not gone like some expected it to go. He achieved a podium finish at Long Beach back in April, but with four finishes outside the Top-20 and a 17th-place standing in the championship, 2013 has not been a stellar campaign so far for the second-generation competitor.

But Rahal earned a boost of confidence yesterday during the heat races that set the field for today’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. He only posted the 19th-quickest time in single-car qualifying, which meant a starting position of seventh in Heat No. 2. But with only 50 laps to work with, Rahal was able to move through the field and seal a win with a high-line pass of Ed Carpenter with three laps left.

“I’m very proud of the guys because we’ve been working hard,” Rahal said after Heat No. 2. “It just hasn’t been the easiest of years for us. But to get a result like this, even though it’s just a heat, it means a lot to us.”

Rahal transferred over to Heat No. 3 as a result, where he finished ninth after contact with Carpenter early on damaged his front wing and created handling issues on his No. 15 RLL Honda.

That finish means he’ll start on the outside of Row 4 for today’s 250-lap race (his best start of the season), and after a decent Saturday on the Iowa bullring, he may have some much-needed momentum going into today’s main event.

“We really, really felt the car was very competitive [in Heat No. 2] and were able to charge through the field which not a lot of the guys were seemingly able to do,” he said. “And again in the second heat race, I think we could have won it. I think we had the car but unfortunately, Ed and I bumped and we lost four percent front COP [center of pressure], so the car didn’t want to turn.

“The fact that we could still run high 18’s [18-second lap time] without a front wing is pretty impressive, so I’m pleased with the car. I think it’s going to be pretty good.”