Rahal and Pigot Happy with Progress in Final Practice Before Carb Day for the Indy 500
May 23, 2016
Multiple Challenges Led to 14th Place Indy 500 Finish for Rahal; Timing of Closed Pit Contributed to Pigot Running Out of Fuel And He Finished 25th
May 29, 2016
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade
Verizon IndyCar Series
CARB DAY NOTES/QUOTES – Friday, May 27, 2016
RAHAL AND PIGOT READY FOR THE 100TH RUNNING OF THE INDY 500 PRESENTED BY PENNGRADE
1) Tony Kanaan 226.280 mph 42 laps
14) Graham Rahal 223.539 mph 47 laps
29) Spencer Pigot 221.736 mph 42 laps
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Dallara/Honda/Firestone entered under the name Rahal Letterman Lanigan with Theodore Racing: “I’m extremely happy with the Steak ‘n Shake race car, that’s why we didn’t run that much. We ran through some of our race sets of tires to try to check for vibration which is something we struggled with this week. We were building vibrations over the run. This is the best race car I have ever had going into the Indy 500. I’m really pleased. We ran pretty old tires the whole session and I know a lot of guys ran stickers and put up good times but for our tire life, I’m pretty pleased. This Steak ‘n Shake team has a pretty good chance of winning this thing.”
- FAST FACTS: Will start his ninth Indy 500 from 26th place. 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. … His best qualifying position of the season so far is third at the IMS road course (later DQ’d due to being a few pounds under weight) and best finish is second at Barber… He is fifth in series point standings with a total of 133. Fourth place Castroneves has 159 (+26) and leader Pagenaud has 242 (+109).
SPENCER PIGOT, No. 16 RLL / Mi-Jack / Manitowoc Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The car was good. I think we definitely made a lot of progress today. I was able to run a lot closer in traffic than I was before. I think the car has gotten better and I have gotten more used to it and improved as well. A big thanks to all the guys for getting us to this point, to all the team and all the sponsors. I’m looking forward to going racing. It was pretty wild out there in practice. Sometimes you’ve got to use the brake, you’ve got to downshift all the way to third gear even. You’ve always got to be on your toes and looking a few cars ahead to see if they’re stacking up because if you’re not, you’re going to be in trouble.”
- FAST FACTS: He will start the Indy 500 from the 29th position in his first IndyCar Series race on an oval and third overall… In his series debut in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, Pigot ran as high as 12th and finished 14th… Pigot is the most successful driver since the formation of the Mazda Road to Indy in 2010 with 24 race wins to his credit in USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights. He was the 15th driver to graduate from the Mazda Road to Indy into the Verizon IndyCar Series since 2010. He has won no fewer than four scholarship prizes from Mazda to maintain his career’s momentum to get to the IndyCar Series.
NEXT UP: The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Presented by PennGrade will air live on ABC beginning at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 29.
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