INDIANAPOLIS — Not often has somebody as completed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Bobby Rahal seemed so uncomfortable there.

That may occur if you’re requested about the way forward for your individual child in your race staff.

But there he sat Friday morning, overlooking the famed yard of bricks earlier than Indianapolis 500 apply, answering questions on Graham Rahal’s future with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The 34-year-old son of the 1986 winner stated this week that whereas he needs to proceed driving for his father, Graham Rahal additionally needs to drive someplace that he could be aggressive.

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That hasn’t been with Bobby Rahal and co-owners Mike Lanigan and David Letterman these days.

In order a contract 12 months for Graham Rahal heads towards “The Biggest Spectacle in Racing,” the elder Rahal was requested pointedly Friday whether or not he sees a future on the staff for his son, who has not received an IndyCar race in six years.

“Yeah, in fact,” Bobby Rahal stated, “as a result of he is a hell of a race automotive driver.”

Left unsaid was that Graham Rahal has not usually had an opportunity to show it.

Heading into final weekend’s Grand Prix on the Indianapolis street course, Rahal Letterman Lanigan had three top-10 finishes and none within the prime 5 via a mixed 12 begins this season. One of the best had been Rahal in sixth on the season opener at St. Petersburg and Christian Lundgaard, who additionally ran sixth at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.

But there have been some constructive indicators for the reason that staff walked into Gasoline Alley this month.

Lundgaard almost landed on the rostrum with a fourth-place run within the Grand Prix, and maybe extra impressively, Rahal confirmed poise and maturity in rallying from an early incident that put him off technique and behind the sector to complete tenth.

“That takes self-discipline to do this,” Bobby Rahal stated of that comeback efficiency. “Individuals are passing you, and you may’t get sucked into racing them. You need to take it and hope and drive your race. Yeah, I might put Graham up towards anyone on race day.”

That features the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend within the one race each IndyCar driver needs to win most.

The staff received the Indy 500 in 2004 with Buddy Rice earlier than reaching Victory Lane once more in 2020 when Takuma Sato received a fall version in the course of the coronavirus pandemic and Rahal completed third. However the staff hasn’t cracked the rostrum the previous two years, and final 12 months, the trio of Rahal, Lundgaard and Jack Harvey all struggled a lot that no person was higher than 14th.

“This place is all the time a problem. Yearly it throws totally different curveballs at you,” Graham Rahal stated, “however shut would not depend right here. Everyone knows that. This 12 months we put quite a bit into this. A few of that — the fruits of that labor — have not been seen but. However I feel we have come a good distance, even in apply, to be the place we should be.”

A few of these labors concerned modifications in management and personnel. One other large one has been the development of a shiny new complicated in close by Zionsville, the place the staff has been capable of consolidate its racing applications underneath one roof.

The staff additionally added a fourth Indy 500 entry for Katherine Legge, placing the items in place for that greater than a 12 months in the past.

“We did not construct that [race shop] simply to play in racing. We constructed that constructing to offer us an atmosphere to excel,” Bobby Rahal stated. “Our purpose is to be among the best groups on the market on a constant foundation, and that is our dedication to the folks inside our staff.”

That features his inheritor.

“The place am I going to go?” Graham Rahal questioned earlier this week, when requested about subsequent 12 months and past. “All the pieces is on the desk.”

That remark particularly led to the awkward trade alongside his father Friday. Extra uncomfortable moments are certain to comply with throughout contract negotiations, although Graham Rahal will conduct that enterprise with Lanigan slightly than his father.

Maybe they are going to work out a deal to keep away from probably the most awkward state of affairs but: Graham Rahal driving towards his dad’s staff.

“So far as Graham, , I do not suppose anyone needs to see him go anyplace else,” Bobby Rahal stated, “however I’ll inform you any of those guys, in the event you’re a driver, you wish to go the place you possibly can see the dedication, and I feel our dedication is apparent.”