Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham – Streets of Downtown Markham
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
RACE NOTES / QUOTES – Sunday, August 16, 2026
RAHAL FINISHED 9TH IN THE INAUGURAL ONTARIO HONDA DEALERS INDY AT MARKHAM AND POLE SITTER FOSTER LED A RACE HIGH 32 LAPS BEFORE CONTACT ENDED HIS RACE; SCHUMACHER FINISHED 25TH AFTER RUNNING IN THE TOP 10
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 United Rentals Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a good race for us. We had a good pace overall. I thought we did a decent job. The race was all over the place; it was so unpredictable. I thought the car actually got a lot better through the race and at the end I felt pretty confident. But it was just hard to pass. We made a few moves, but if they person you’re trying to pass is not fuel saving, it’s a challenge for sure. On to D.C., which should be a great event.”
- FAST FACTS: He qualified 10th but started the race in ninth place after Rossi was assessed a 6-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. He ran as high as fourth when multiple strategies were at play, attempted to avoid trouble in a race that saw six cautions for a total of 25 laps and finished ninth … RLL was the only team to have all three cars in the Fast 12 (top11) in qualifying… This was Graham Rahal’s 19th Indy car race in Ontario, Canada and 20th overall (Atlantic 2006). In 18 Indy car races, his best start of second came in 2017 with RLL and best finish of fourth came in 2022. He has four, top-five starts and nine, top-10 finishes. Full results are available upon request. Bobby Rahal won the first race held on the streets of Toronto in 1986. After earning three podium finishes on road and street courses this season, Graham Rahal is hoping to also make his mark on the inaugural race in Markham… 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; IMS (road) 2023 August, Portland (road) 2023) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015… He is ranked 13th in series point standings with a total of 258 points.
LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We actually had a shot to win today, 100 percent. The Desnuda car was so fast. We got completely screwed by the yellow and then drove our asses off to get up to P2 for half a second until we were in the wall. And we had pace on everyone. On the first stint towards the end, we struggled a little bit on pace, but we had a big (fuel) number to hit and I don’t think the other guys were saving anywhere near as much field as I was. And yeah, it’s a shame. I went for a move on Marcus and thought I left enough room to the wall. There is a reason why us drivers complain about these walls is because it does stuff like that. And I think, by the looks of it, Kyle (Kirkwood) has just done the exact same thing that I’ve just done. You need to have radius walls at these corners. I was halfway around the corner. I wasn’t turning anymore, and the wall sticks out and I hit it. I hadn’t been at that tight of an angle into that corner all weekend, so I wasn’t quite sure where the divots were on the wall, and I just misjudged it by millimeters. And the difference is on a radius wall, you rub it, and you carry on. On this wall, it completely takes off the front left. And I went head on into the concrete wall so it was a pretty big hit. I’m just pissed off I made a mistake to be honest.”
- FAST FACTS: Started from pole and led a race high 32 laps before he was one of only two drivers who had yet to pit when Armstrong brought out the second of six full course cautions for a total of 25 laps. Once the pits opened, he had a quick stop and returned to the track in ninth place. When the race restarted, he made an impressive charge through the field. When he went to overtake Ericsson for second place, he lightly brushed the inside wall of Turn 4, which launched him straight into the wall on the other side of the track. He was seen and released from the INDYCAR Medical Center. On Saturday, Foster earned his second career INDYCAR pole today and first on a street course with an impressive margin of four-tenths of a second over Christian Lundgaard. His first pole came last season on the Road America road course… This marked his second INDYCAR race in Ontario, Canada. Last year in Toronto, he ran in podium contention until race car damage contributed to a 21st place finish. He started seventh and dropped to eighth on the opening lap when eventual second place finisher Veekay passed him. Multiple strategies came into play when a caution came out for McLaughlin on Lap 3 and Foster moved up to third on his primary tires. He ran as high as second for seven laps and was passed by Malukas. His race outcome was limited when he passed rookie Abel, and their cars briefly touched. A problem would later surface and he had to pit for repairs on Lap 44/90. The team worked quickly to identify the problem and replace his lower left A-arm before he rejoined the race. He ultimately was scored with a 21st place finish, 23 laps down. Foster competed on the streets of Toronto two times in the USF Pro 2000 series, both in 2022. In the doubleheader, Foster won both poles, set the fastest lap in both races and won both races en route to the championship in his rookie season. He has been building momentum after some strong sessions at Portland and hopes to continue that in Markham… He dropped from 18th to 19th place in series standings with a total of 200.
MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 ENVE Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We weren’t even pushing hard. We had a really good car and I was just biding my time and got a bit closer to the wall than I wanted to. And that little touch ended up pointing the car into the turn the wrong way. It’s never nice to end any weekend by not finishing the race. I think one of the important parts of racing is to finish the race, and especially today, where we had such a good car, I think we could have scored some decent points. To end it in the wall is definitely not ideal. And now we’ve just got to look forward to Washington.”
- FAST FACTS: After qualifying 11th, he started 10th in the race due to a grid penalty for Rossi. He was in ninth place when he brought out the first of six cautions for a total of 25 laps for making contact with the Turn 4 wall on Lap 14/90. He retired in 25th place… On Saturday, Mick earned his top start on a road or street course of 11th place. He looked to have the pace to make it into the Firestone Fast Six but spent unplanned time in pit lane during Round 2 to ensure his inside rear tire was on correctly. When Palou brought out a red flag later in Round 2, it minimized Schumacher’s time to adequately get his tires up to temperature and maximize the potential of his race car when the session returned to green conditions with a little over two minutes left.… Like the rest of the field, Schumacher will get his first experience on the track on Saturday. Markham is one of only three tracks this season that it will happen – the others being new races in Arlington and Washington, D.C.. He competed in Canada in 2022 in the Formula One series where he qualified sixth but retired due to an engine failure after 19/70 laps. He has continued to gain valuable experience this season and is hoping to better his existing top start of fourth place in Phoenix and eighth in Nashville. He earned his best INDYCAR career finish at Nashville Superspeedway (oval) with eighth place. He is 24th in series point standings with 151 points.
NEXT UP: The Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. will take place next weekend, August 22-23.
