Rahal Finished 12th in the Firestone GP of St. Pete; Puncture Took DeFrancesco Out of a Possible Top-10 Finish & Foster Was Taken Out on Opening Lap

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
RACE NOTES / QUOTES – Sunday, March 2, 2025

Rahal Finished 12th in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete; A Puncture Took DeFrancesco Out of a Possible Top-10 Finish and Foster Was Collected in an Opening Lap Incident

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Fifth Third Bank: Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a good race overall for the Fifth Third Bank team; we came a long way forward. We just barely got beat out of the pits by Pato and then Rossi. I kind of wished I could have just dive bombed him (Rossi) and forced the issue a little more, but I tried to play it smart and not take us both out.  He was blocking and I didn’t really want to ruin two (drivers) days. In the end, it was a solid day for us and the team. There were also good, solid stops for the boys. We soldier on now and focus on Thermal.”

• FAST FACTS: Made his 18th start at the track from 21st place… His best start here is pole in 2009 and best finish is a win in 2008 in his IndyCar Series debut – both history-making moments at the time as he became the youngest race winner in series history (2008), and youngest pole winner in series history (2009). Both records were eclipsed in 2019 by Colton Herta but he held them for 10 and 11 years, respectively.  Overall, he has earned one top-five and seven top-10 starts here and has two top-five and seven top-10 finishes, including sixth place here in 2023. Year-by-year details are available upon request… 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; 2023 – IMS road, Portland road) and five poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015.

DEVLIN DEFRANCESCO, No. 30 EVTEC Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The start of the race was fine for us, we were hitting a (fuel) number. Our first stint went okay but we lost a little ground through the first pit cycle but were still fairly competitive, sticking with (eventual sixth place finisher; Marcus) Ericsson, hitting our number and we just had a tire go down (puncture). We had to then extend our black (primary tire) stint to go very long, to limit the stint we had to do at the end on alternate tires. It was a frustrating day. We know the 30 EVTEC Honda was more than competitive enough to finish in the top-10. It just sucks to have a day like that. We need to make sure we keep our keep our heads down and move on to Thermal, we know well have a good car there. The focus is on Thermal now.”

• FAST FACTS: Made his return to the INDYCAR SERIES after a year away, and his third INDYCAR SERIES start here from 14th place… Since last being in an INDYCAR in 2023, he has only tested one day at Sebring, but he ranked 11th overall on the combined report. He has made two INDYCAR SERIES starts in St. Pete (2022-2023) where he qualified 18th for both races and finished 22nd in 2022 and 25th in 2023. Prior to that he competed in two INDY NXT races in St. Pete in 2021. He qualified third for both Race 1 and Race 2 and finished 12th in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2. He is optimistic of a strong start in St. Pete.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Mi-Jack Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think this has happened quite a lot here previously. Turn 3 tends to be a bit of a hot spot. I was in a train of cars and got through Turn 1 cleanly. Without looking at a replay, to me it just seemed like everyone in front checked up and I got driven into from behind. I’m going to need to see a replay to know exactly what happened, but I was just a passenger. It’s a shame because everyone on the No. 45 crew has done an amazing job so far. We really wanted to finish this race, get a good result and get some experience for myself but these things happen.”

• FAST FACTS: Made his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in St. Pete from a 16th place start. He was collected in an opening lap incident that also forced the retirement of 11th place starter Nolan Siegel and 13th place starter Will Power… Since being announced as a driver for the team, he tested at The Thermal Club and Laguna Seca in late 2024 as well as the series open test in Sebring last week. It will be his fifth race in St. Pete and first as an INDYCAR driver. In INDY NXT, Foster started on pole in St. Pete in 2023 and finished 14th and started fourth and earned a third-place podium finish in 2024. Prior to that, he competed in the Indy Pro 2000 doubleheader here in 2022 with a third-place finish in Race 1 and a second-place finish in Race 2. He is looking forward to getting his rookie season started in St. Pete, a track where he has run well… He won eight races en route to the 2024 INDY NXT championship.

NEXT UP: The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix will take place Sunday, March 23 and be broadcast live on FOX beginning at 3:00 PM ET.