Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
101st Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade
Verizon IndyCar Series
RACE NOTES/QUOTES – May 28, 2017
LATE RACE PUNCTURE WHILE FIFTH LIMITED RAHAL TO A 12TH PLACE FINISH IN THE INDY 500; SERVIA HAD BEEN RUNNING IN THE TOP-FIVE WITH EVENTUAL WINNER SATO WHEN CONTACT ENDED HIS RACE IN 21ST
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The car handling was good but we just didn’t have the top speeds that the other guys did. We got really unlucky with the flat tire which pretty much killed us. We had the Steak ‘n Shake car in the hunt to win up until then. When we got the flat it pretty much ruined the race for us. It’s frustrating. It’s the second flat tire we’ve had while in the top five in the closing stages of the race this season. I’m disappointed. You work your butt off to get in the top five and when you finally get there, once again it hits the fan. We got up to the top three and led a lap but that’s where we wanted to be at the end and it just didn’t work out. We’re all pushing hard out here and you could tell that from the very beginning. Guys were blocking like crazy, going nuts, so the tempo was set very high from the beginning.”
- FAST FACTS: After the restart from a red flag due to contact between Howard and Dixon, Rahal was running ninth on Lap 60 after starting 14th in his 10th Indy 500. He was running sixth at the halfway mark and cycled up to third during the pit cycle and reported that his car was good. Once Rossi and Hunter-Reay pitted, he took over the lead on Lap 113 before making his next stop on Lap 114. In an effort to stay up front, the team elected to trim the car by reducing downforce but once back on track, Rahal struggled and dropped as low as 15th before he was brought back in to add the downforce back while under caution. He restarted the race in 21st on Lap 134 of 200 and cycled up to fifth when many took advantage of the caution for Hunter-Reay to pit. He maintained fifth place but had to pit on Lap 149 due to a puncture on the left rear tire which put him a lap down and in 22nd place. The team took advantage of the caution for Veach and Kimball (separate problems) on Lap 169 to pit for fuel and tires since he was in the back but once again on the lead lap. When Alonso brought out the caution, the team elected to pit from 17th place for new tires in order to challenge others but traffic was challenging after a restart from a multi-car crash on Lap 184 that teammate Servia was involved in. He ultimately finished 12th… His best qualifying position in the Indy 500 is fourth in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and best finish is third with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011 after he led six laps. He ran in the top-five in five of his eight previous races here. In 2008, with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, he was the highest Indy 500 starter of the Champ Car transitioning teams with his 13th place qualifying effort but made contact on L36 after driving high to avoid the slower car of Lloyd and retired in 33rd place. He qualified fourth for NHLR in the 2009 Indy 500 but made contact on L56 while fifth and retired in 31st. In 2010, he competed for his father’s team – RLL – for the first time in an Indy car. He qualified seventh and ran as high as second but a blocking penalty on L188/200 dropped him from third to a 12th place finish. He qualified 29th with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011 and earned his best finish at Indy to date of third place after he led six laps. In 2012, he qualified 12th, ran as high as third and finished 13th for SCCGR. In 2013, he qualified 26th and pitted from ninth place for his second to last stop and his outside rear tire changer had a mechanical problem and Rahal returned to the track in 21st place. He was in 17th with eight laps to go and lost control of his car in Turn 2 and made contact with the wall. In 2014, he started 20th but finished 33rd due to an electrical problem that kept shutting his engine off. In 2015, he drove to a fifth place finish after starting 17th… Started 26th for the 2016 race and ran 10th in the final stage despite many challenges before a Lap 190/200 stop for a splash of fuel was followed by a 14th place finish in a race in a race where the outcome was dictated by fuel strategy. Rahal lost his left rear winglet and 100 lbs. of downforce after his Lap 96/200 pit stop, had to make an extra stop for a splash of fuel in a closed pit before it opened and avoid two near misses when Montoya and Aleshin crashed in separate incidents immediately in front of Rahal. He also took a hit to the right rear of the car by Servia. Despite those incidents, he would have been in a decent position if he had been able to stretch his fuel mileage until the checkered flag.
ORIOL SERVIA, No. 16 Manitowoc Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I had a great car. In the first stint, we went backwards but then we changed the car a little bit and I think the Manitowoc car was a rocket ship. I felt so confident on restarts; we had the pace. To end the race this way is just a shame. Only one person is happy at the end of the day at this place of the 33 drivers. I was aggressive but clean all race. When (James) Davison outside he just closed, closed, closed on me and I had nowhere to go. I turned as much as I could, I was off the throttle. It just did one little move and we touched and that was it. It is what it is; you cannot go back in time unfortunately. I’m just so pleased with the effort of everyone on the team. We never gave up at the beginning and we just had an amazing pace. I’ll be back. I’m going to win this race one day, I am!”
- FAST FACTS: Servia dropped to 20th on his first stint after starting 12th in his ninth Indy 500. He pit on Lap 29 and the team added downforce to improve the car and he steadily climbed up the field and regained 12th by Lap 86. On a restart from a debris caution, he was eighth on Lap 134 and fifth on Lap 136. After a fuel stop during a caution for Hunter-Reay he restarted in 15th place and climbed to 10th by Lap 145. He moved into seventh by Lap 149 and fifth by Lap 166. On Lap 174 he passed eventual winner Sato for fourth but Sato regained the position on the next lap. He was in seventh place on Lap 184/200 when James Davison squeezed him low and the two ultimately made contact that set-off a multi car accident. He retired in 21st place from his ninth Indy 500, fourth with RLLR and 200th Indy car start… The 2017 Indy 500 will be Servia’s fourth with RLL. His best finish overall is fourth in 2012 with Dreyer & Reinbold and best start is third in 2011 with Newman/Haas Racing. In the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with RLL, Servia was in ninth place halfway through the race when a mechanical failure led to his retirement in 26th place. In 2014, he competed for the team in Long Beach, at Barber Motorsports Park and two events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he led seven laps in the road course race but finished 12th, qualified 18th for the Indy 500 and finished 11th. In 2015, Servia retired in 29th place from the Indy 500 with RLL after Ed Carpenter attempted an inside pass while Servia was 15th and took both drivers out of the race after 112 of 200 laps… He will compete for RLL in the Indy 500 and doubleheaders in Detroit… A native of Pals, Spain, Servia has made 199 starts in CART, Champ Car and the IndyCar Series since his rookie season in 2000. His Indy car highlights include one win (Montreal 2005) and one pole (Surfers Paradise, Australia 2005) as well as a total of 19 top-three, 51 top-five and 101 top-10 finishes.
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