Season Recap 2004

2004

Drivers: Buddy Rice, Vitor Meira, Danica Patrick, Chris Festa, Roger Yasukawa

Car #: 15, 17, 24, 25, 16

Sponsors: Pioneer, Centrix, Argent, Sammy

Championship Finish: 3^rd, 8^th, 3^rd, 8^th

Change again was the name of the game in 2004, but this time the changes paid off handsomely for the Ohio-based team. The team’s name changed to Rahal Letterman Racing, Buddy Rice came aboard to replace the injured Kenny Brack and the team left Champ Car for good, joining the IRL with two cars, adding Brazilian Vitor Meira. The team also continued its two-car Toyota Atlantic program with Danica Patrick and Chris Festa. The moves yielded the team’s biggest prize since Rahal’s championship in 1992 when Rice dominated the Indianapolis 500, winning the pole and leading 91 laps of 180 laps on his way to Victory Lane. It was the team’s first-ever Indy 500 win, and second for Rahal, who won as a driver in 1986. Rice went on to further victories in Kansas and Michigan, and earned four more poles on his way to taking third place in the season standings. He led 342 laps over the season and garnered 12 top-10 finishes in his 16 starts. Meira had a strong season after joining the team two races into the campaign. His narrow second-place finish at Kansas gave the team its first-ever 1-2 race result and he went on to earn six top-five finishes. Roger Yasukawa joined the team for races at Indianapolis and Texas, finishing 10^th and 11^th respectively. Patrick finished third in the Toyota Atlantic standings, finishing second in the first of two Portland races for a season high-water mark. She went on to become the first female driver to win a pole as she led qualifying for the second Portland race. Festa finished eighth in points with a best finish of sixth in the second Portland race.