Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing has extended its support with Steak ‘n Shake, what Graham Rahal termed as his “good luck charm” throughout 2015, for a second consecutive season in the Verizon IndyCar Series.
The announcement was confirmed Thursday at the Performance Racing Industry trade show in Indianapolis.
Steak ‘n Shake will be the primary sponsor of Rahal’s Honda entry at five 2016 IndyCar events, including races in St. Petersburg, two events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Mid-Ohio and Sonoma. Maxim Magazine branding will continue to be prominently featured on the race car. Both are owned by Biglari Holdings Inc.
Team co-owner Bobby Rahal had hoped to retain the restaurant chain for a second season and made significant progress to do so over the course of the year.
“We are very pleased that Steak ‘n Shake will be back with us in 2016,” he said in a news release. “The 2015 IndyCar Series season was a great one for us both on track and off and our partnership with Steak ‘n Shake was one of the many highlights. We are looking forward to building on that success together in 2016.”
Graham, meanwhile, enjoyed a career year with two wins, including one in full Steak ‘n Shake livery at his home race at Mid-Ohio, and finished fourth in the points.
Hey #SNSRacing #IndyCar Fans – we’re revving up for another great season with @GrahamRahal! @RLLRacing pic.twitter.com/CikKj4uxhq
— Steak 'n Shake (@SteaknShake) December 10, 2015
The announcement is the latest in RLL’s offseason; the team has also confirmed a two-car BMW M6 GTLM program in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and added Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires champion Spencer Pigot for a three-race program in a second IndyCar (“introducing Pigot” and his seat fit posts linked within this sentence).