Graham Rahal will keep driving for his father’s IndyCar Series team.
Rahal, who was in the last year of his contract with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, said Friday that he has signed a five-year contract extension through 2023.
Said Bobby Rahal, “As a team owner, I know you’re going to say I’m biased, but I admire and respect Graham’s work ethic on and off the track for our team, for our sponsors, and we’re really pleased that we now go forward for the next five years as a team together because I think the best five years of Graham’s career are ahead of him. Consequently the best five years of RLL’s career, in effect, is going to ride along with him.”
Graham described a feeling excitement and asserted that he thinks his and the team’s best years are ahead.
“I’d like to think that the next five years, maybe a little after that, is the prime of my career. We’re kind of entering that stage. We have the consistency. I know where I’m going to be. That’s obviously extremely important for myself. I’m excited about it”
Graham added, “We have a tremendous team here. We’ve got amazing individuals that are behind the scenes that make this all happen. Obviously the mechanics. Obviously the engineers get a lot of the credit, but the mechanics put a lot of heart into it, have done a really, really good job for us.”
Rahal is the son of Bobby Rahal, the three-time open wheel champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner. The younger Rahal said contract negotiations were handled by the 29-year-old driver’s management and Mike Lanigan, one of the other team co-owners along with former television talk show host David Letterman.”
Graham Rahal has six IndyCar Series wins, five of them coming since joining the team in 2013. His best points finish was 2015 when he was fourth, before finishing fifth in 2016 and sixth last season.
He is seventh through eight races this year, including a runner-up finish at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the season opener.