Foster to Start 11th in the Mission Foods GP of Monterey; Schumacher and Rahal to 15th and 22nd

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

QUALIFYING NOTES / QUOTES – September 5, 2026

FOSTER TO START 11TH IN THE MISSION FOODS GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY; SCHUMACHER AND RAHAL QUALIFIED 15TH AND 22ND

1) Scott McLaughlin 1:09.1363 / 116.535 mph (Group 1, Round 3)

11) Louis Foster 1:10.1123 / 114.913 mph (Group 1, Round 2)

15) Mick Schumacher 1:09.5721 / 115.805 mph (Group 1, Round 1)

22) Graham Rahal 1:09.9593 / 115.164 mph (Group 2, Round 1)

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Ship Station Global Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The tire is only really good on one lap. So, my prep lab was good — I was fastest in Turn 11 of anybody. And I was fastest in Turn 2 of everybody. Turn 3 was really dirty; a lot of guys had gone off so I was a little conservative there. But I was tracking plenty (of speed) to advance by several positions of cushion. So I just went into Turn 9 – the very last turn before the timing line — and the rear completely gave up. It was the first time it has done that all weekend so I don’t really understand. I’m not super pleased with the car balance, but it was good enough to get by. And I think it was probably good enough to make the Fast Six based on what they all just ran. I’m just super disappointed right now.”

FAST FACTS: The 2026 race will mark the seventh for Graham Rahal at the track. After some competitive runs on road and street courses this season, Rahal is hoping to end the season on a high at Laguna Seca. In his six races here, his best start is eighth in 2019, and best finish is fourth in 2021. Race-by-race statistics are available upon request. He earned three podiums on road and street courses the first half of the season and hopes to return to that form for the season finale. Has SIX INDYCAR SERIES wins (2008 – St. Pete street course; 2015 – Fontana Super Speedway, Mid-Ohio road course; 2016 – Texas Super Speedway; 2017 Detroit Race 1, Detroit Race 2) and FIVE poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street; 2023 – IMS road/August, Portland road)… He is 15th in series point standings with a total of 291.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Qualifying was decent. I think based on where we were in the practice sessions and struggling with the balance of the car, I’m pretty happy with where I ended up. We didn’t run the new tires for the second phase (Round 2) in the fast 12. I think if we did, based on the lap times that people did there, we had a chance of transferring to the Fast Sux. We just wanted to prioritize the race. We weren’t sure of what we could do so we took the safer option. We just basically accepted that we would be last in the Fast 12, but we have good tires for tomorrow. Overall, I’m happy. We just have to work on the race car tonight and try and make sure we have a good race car for tomorrow so we can have a great season finale.”

FAST FACTS: Having recently added a street course pole in Markham to the one he earned last season on the Road America road course, Foster is looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca. Last year he qualified ninth in his INDYCAR rookie season but struggled with race pace and he ultimately finished 17th so he is looking forward to the opportunity to better that mark. He competed here four times in the INDY NXT Series where he won both NXT races in 2024 from pole. In his first two NXT races here in 2023, he qualified sixth and finished 18th in Race 1 and turned that into a podium performance with a third-place finish from a third place start in Race 2. A strong performance at Laguna Seca would be a great way to enter the off-season. He is ranked 23rd in the point standings with 159.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 NEREUS™ Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think everything was there to definitely make it through to the next round. I had a little mistake going into the corkscrew in Turn 8. I simply just outbreaked myself and ended up losing a good chunk there, so that’s unfortunate. But I think its promising that the car is so strong and so good. I think we have a good base for tomorrow. I think we can definitely work with what we have and tomorrow’s where it counts.”

FAST FACTS: Mick set the sixth fastest time in Practice 2 before qualifying… Although this will be the first race for Mick at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he tested here July 30th. His best start on a road or street course is 11th place in Markham (street course) and his best finishes are eighth place on the Nashville oval and 11th on the streets of Washington, D.C. He plans to continue the momentum he has been building since the start of the season and end on a high note. He is 18 points behind Rookie of the Year points leader Dennis Hauger (223-205). Caio Collet isn’t far behind with 193… He is 23rd in series point standings with 205 points.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT THEIR WINNINGEST TRACK

The 2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will mark the 19th Indy car event for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and sixth here since 12 consecutive races at the track from 1992-2003. The team has also competed in ALMS and IMSA races here from 2009-2025 as BMW M Team RLL and has earned three wins, five poles and a total of 11 podium finishes – including a second-place finish from pole in 2019. The Indy car team has earned three wins, three poles and a total of six podiums (1st – Herta 1998-1999; Papis 2001; 2nd – Herta 1996; 3rd: B. Rahal 1992, Papis 1999) including three straight pole positions (Herta 1997-1999).

NEXT UP: Final Practice will take place today from 5:10-5:40 p.m. PT. Timing and Scoring information and live streaming video are also available for all sessions from www.indycar.com and includes live commentary. The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will be televised live on FOX beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, September 6.