Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
Verizon IndyCar Series
QUALIFYING NOTES/QUOTES — Saturday, April 16, 2016
PENN GRADE DRIVER RAHAL QUALIFIED 17TH FOR THE TOYOTA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH AFTER CONTACT IN THE MORNING SESSION
1) Helio Castroneves 1:07.1246 / 105.547 mph
17) Graham Rahal 1:07.8841 / 104.366 mph
GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 PennGrade Motor Oil Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Hats off to my guys for getting the PennGrade car repaired. We thought we would be able to advance in qualifying but that wasn’t the case. The car was the same as this morning but in certain areas the balance was okay but that was as good of a lap as I could have done. There was nowhere on the lap that I thought I gave up some time. In Turn 9 I had a couple of big moments again. We just have to find a little overall grip. It seemed like the reds (Firestone optional tires) change my car quite severely. Even at the start of the session I was struggling a little bit but the blacks (primary tires) seemed more consistent for me than when I went to the reds. I just feel bad for the guys. They worked hard to get the car ready for qualifying. We thought we had a good horse but we’ll work on it for the race.”
3 POLES, 6 PODIUMS FOR RLL IN 16 INDY CAR RACES AT LONG BEACH: This marks the 17th time for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) to compete in the event. Although the team didn’t compete in Indy car races here from 2004-2011 while they fielded a fulltime entry in the Indy Racing League (2004-2008), they did compete in the 2003 and 2004 Atlantic races with Danica Patrick and in the 2007 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race. In 2009, the team returned to the streets of Long Beach in the ALMS with BMW Team RLL and has finished on the podium each year since then which makes Long Beach the most successful venue for the team in the current WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Since its inaugural season in 2009, the team has not failed to finish the race without at least one car on the podium at Long Beach. The team has won the race three times (2011, 2013 and 2015).
NEXT UP: The pre-race warmup will take place from 9:00-9:30 a.m. PT. The 80-lap Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 4:00 PM ET Sunday, April 17.
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