DeFrancesco and Foster Finished 16th and 17th in the Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250; Rahal 24th After Struggling with Grip

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 – The Milwaukee Mile

NTT INDYCAR SERIES – Rounds 16 of 17

RACE NOTES / QUOTES – Sunday, August 24, 2025

DEFRANCESCO AND FOSTER FINISHED 16TH AND 17TH IN THE SNAP-ON MILWAUKEE MILE 250; RAHAL 24TH AFTER STRUGGLING WITH GRIP

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 WWEX Group Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I struggled with the rear of the car from the get-go. Obviously, I almost lost it on the first restart and that put me in the back. I didn’t do a full spin, but it was three-quarters of the way around for sure. After that I just kept struggling mightily with the rear all day which is not what I expected after yesterday. Having said that, we struggled in the last practice, but I thought we got it sorted for the race. We have some work to do on that.”

FAST FACTS: He started 11th and dropped to 14th at the start. When a caution came out at the end of the first lap for Seigel, who crashed, Rahal reported he had no rear grip. When the field went back to green, he lost traction and completed a three-quarter spin which led to the series bringing out another caution. The race resumed and he continued to struggle and ultimately took the checkered flag in 24th place in his 10th race here. He narrowly missed winning his first pole here in 2008 by 2/10th of a second over a four-lap average and started a career best second to Marco Andretti with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing (NHLR) in what was the first Andretti/Rahal front row since 1992 in Loudon, NH. He ran between second and fourth until Lap 130 when he drove over “marbles” and lost control of his car after trying to go around the slower car of Darren Manning and retired in 25th place. He qualified second with NHLR in 2009 and briefly took the lead at the start but dropped to third by the end of the lap and ultimately finished fourth, his highest finish on an oval at the time. In 2010, he ran a partial season and did not race in Milwaukee. In 2011, he qualified 12th and finished second with Service Central/Chip Ganassi Racing (SCCGR). He qualified 17th, started 11th with SCCGR after many ahead served an engine change penalty and finished ninth in 2012 with SCCGR. In 2013, he qualified 23rd with RLL but started 24th due to a 10-grid penalty for an unapproved engine change and he finished 16th. In 2014, he qualified and finished 14th with RLL. In 2015, he qualified sixth, led five laps, and finished third to depart the event third in points with four races to go. After a hiatus, INDYCAR returned to the track in 2024 for a doubleheader. In Race 1 in 2024, Rahal qualified 24th but started 21st after three cars received a grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. He had an unexpected additional pit stop due to getting a cut in his left front tire after contact from Rasmussen. He took the checkered flag in 20th place. In Race 2, he started 26th and moved up three spots as the first 15 laps of the race were run under FCC due to Palou’s car stopping on the pace lap and then Lundqvist and Armstrong got together as the field try to go green on Lap 6 and they collected Newgarden. The team used the opportunity to top off on fuel. On a restart from a FCC for Sting Ray Robb on Lap 124/250, Rahal was hit from behind by rookie Rasmussen and sent into the wall. He was checked and released by INDYCAR Medical afterward. Rasmussen was able to continue but received a drive through penalty for avoidable contact. He tested here on June 10… Rahal dropped from 15th to 17th in the point standings with a total of 252.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO, No. 30 EVTEC Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The boys did a good job on strategy. We got undercut at the end and I think that cost us a little bit in the last pit sequence before the last yellow, but I did what I could today. We just need to find a bit more rear grip in general, but we obviously made a huge step forward on our short oval package from last year which shows we were making gains and going in the right direction. We just need to keep moving forward.”

FAST FACTS: Started 15th, his highest oval start of the season, and finished 16th in his first race at this track. He got his first experience of the unique layout here during a team test on June 10… He is ranked 26th in series point standings with 159.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Droplight Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Our race was pretty straightforward and boring, in a good way honestly. We made a good start and gained some positions, made use of the yellows and kept going forward. And then stagnated a little bit towards the second half of the race due to less yellows and less opportunities to overtake cars. I would get a bit unlucky with the lanes I would choose on restarts. One lane would back up and the other wouldn’t and that just a 50/50 thing with luck. And then we managed to finish 10 spots up on the day in 17th and gain a few points in the rookie standings. All in all, it was a good day. Maybe there was a little more on the table but not a ton more. Maybe a top 15 would have been do-able but that was the maximum I think I could have done.”

FAST FACTS: Qualified 22nd and started 27th (last in the field) after serving a 9-spot penalty for an unapproved engine change. He steadily moved up in the field an ultimately finished 17th. On Saturday, Foster only ran approx. 1/2 of a lap in the morning practice session before being called into the pits due to data the team received from the engine monitoring systems, which ultimately resulted in his engine being changed. When he made his qualifying run, it was the first full lap he completed at speed. He served a 9-position grid penalty. He competed at the Milwaukee Mile in last year’s INDY NXT race where he clinched the title in style after he started from pole, led all 90 laps and won the race. The track is the site of one of the few pre-event tests he has participated in prior to coming to a track for the first time in an INDYCAR. He moved up one position in the point standings to 21st place with a total of 203 points. He extended his lead in the Rookie of the Year battle with Robert Schwartzman to 203-195. With one race to go.

NEXT UP: The Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix will take place next Sunday, August 31 at Nashville Superspeedway.