Rahal Was Two Corners From Fourth Podium in 2026 at the XPEL GP of Road America Before Contact From Power; Foster 14th & Schumacher 17th

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
XPEL Grand Prix at Road America
NTT INDYCAR SERIES – Round 10 of 18
RACE NOTES / QUOTES – Sunday, June 21, 2026

RAHAL WAS TWO CORNERS FROM FOURTH PODIUM IN 2026 AT THE XPEL GP OF ROAD AMERICA BEFORE CONTACT FROM POWER DROPPED HIM TO 23RD; FOSTER FINISHED 14TH AND SCHUMACHER 17TH

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 MSC Industrial Supply Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Our position was all thanks to the pit crew and the team again. The guys did a wonderful job in the pits. My last in-lap was a really good in-lap and that helped us get some gap on a lot of guys like Power, Rossi and those guys. But I really just didn’t need the yellow at the end because our cars don’t fire off well on restarts and they definitely don’t when coming out of the pits. So, with Power, I fought the fight for about six or seven laps of him closing on me before the car kind of came to life a little bit more and we started to be able to pull away. So, that yellow with two laps to go, I really didn’t need to see for sure. Overall, it is what it is. It was just Power being Power. I had every right to move to the right at the end of the brake zone. People can say that I came back to the left, but he ran into the back of my car; he wasn’t even next to me. It’s frustrating to not be able to get the result that I felt like we deserved because Brian (Barnhart; strategist) did a great job and Yves (Touron; race engineer) did a wonderful job with the change that they made. Our race pace was significantly better than I think we expected it to be. And to not be able to see it through and have the result was quite frustrating.”

• FAST FACTS: He started 20th for his 13th Indy car race here and 17th overall. Through good strategy and the way the race played out, Rahal was in third place for a one-lap shootout to the checkered flag before fourth place Power hit the rear of his race car, which launched Rahal into the Turn 12 wall, two turns from the end. Power went on to finish third. Rahal was en route to his fourth podium finish in seven races and a strong points-paying day that was tracking to move him into ninth place. He has a best start of fourth place here in 2007 (NHLR) and 2020 (RLL; Race 1) and a best finish of third in 2007 & 2016. In his 12 previous Indy car races here, his highlights include two third place finishes (2007, 2016), a fourth place (2019), sixth (2018), two eighth places (2017, 2022) and 10th (2024). In 2025, Rahal started from sixth place on primary tires. The team had one set of new, faster alternate tires which they used on the second stint. Multiple strategies were at play and Rahal ultimately finished 20th in a race that saw five caution periods. In 2024, he drove to a 10th-place finish from a 24th place start. He started on the alternate tire and planned to take an early caution to switch to the more durable primary tires. That opportunity came after a Lap 1, Turn 1 incident set off by the top three cars, which contributed to other contact through the field, including Ghiotto hitting Rahal and putting him in the gravel. Ghiotto was given an avoidable contact penalty for the action. Once Rahal got back on track, he pitted to replace his damaged tires. After a total of four stops and three caution periods, Rahal took the checkered flag in 10th place and was presented with the Josten’s Biggest Mover award for gaining 14 positions. Other race information is available upon request… He dropped from 11th to 12th in series point standings with a total of 200.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Droplight Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think if we were told at the start of the day that we would finish 14th, I would be happy with that, but I think that was more on the table for us today. I was up there with Graham at one point, but we were trying a different aero, a different rear wing level, and it had pros and it had cons. And unfortunately, it kind of fell on the con side today a little bit. I think we would have been on par for about P10-ish (finish) if we could have held position at certain points, but we just had people all cycling in front of us all the time and it kept pushing us back and back and back and we just didn’t have the pace on that wing to be able to maintain position. Its as simple as that.”

• FAST FACTS: He qualified 23rd and started 22nd (engine penalty for AR) for his second race here, At one point, he ran seventh before making his final stop and ultimately finished 14th after overcoming a blocking penalty for which he was told to give up two track positions.  In Practice 2, the team encountered an issue that forced Foster to stop on course. The car was placed behind the wall and not returned until after the session. Once returned, the team got to work changing the engine in the short time before qualifying.  Foster earned his first series pole in his INDYCAR debut at Road America last year. It came days after he agreed to shave his moustache for a $1000 donation to Racing for Kids on the previous Thursday so many thought the gesture led to good luck. In the race, he led the field until he was passed by McLaughlin on a restart on Lap 3. On Lap 9, he was passed by Lundgaard and made the first of three stops during a caution on Lap 11 from third place. Multiple strategies were at play and the fact he had less new alternate tires due to opting to use those in qualifying, factored into the race. He ultimately finished 11th to match his best series finish at the time of 11th place (IMS road). During Foster’s two seasons in the INDY NXT series, his best start and finish at Road America came in 2024 when he started and finished second. He qualified fifth and finished sixth in his rookie season. His best INDYCAR start this season of sixth place came on the IMS road course and he is hoping for another appearance in the Firestone Fast Six on Saturday at Road America… He moved from 19th to 18th in series point standings with 147.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 ENVE Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think we weren’t too bad in the beginning, initially. We got the extra lap out (pit stop) and that was what we wanted to do. Unfortunately, it just seemed like with the yellow that came out, then, that was kind of for nothing in some ways because we couldn’t pit and we had to make an emergency pit. I think there was some confusion about the rulings and things. We did the emergency stop and I got a speeding penalty so we were basically re-ordered to the back. The pits opened and we came in, but apparently that wasn’t allowed, and it doesn’t really say that anywhere in the rulebook. So, we have to clarify that a little bit more and Ganassi had the same with Scott Dixon. That was unfortunate on that side, I think pace overall hasn’t been too bad. There is a clear split between the top guys, the midfield guys and the guys who like struggled a bit today. I think we found ourselves a bit more in the midfield. We’ve just got to clean up our weekends a little bit and hope for a bit easier. The lockup came from a cold brake. It was so hard to keep those brakes in the window and I just couldn’t do anything. I stomped on the brakes and they just locked so we’ve got to understand that a bit better as well.”

• FAST FACTS: He qualified 24th and started 23rd (engine penalty for AR) for his first INDYCAR race at Road America. After overcoming a drive through penalty for speeding in the pits on Lap 22, he later ran as high as 10th on Lap 33/55 and ultimately finished 17th… He was 8th fastest in Practice 1 and 15th fastest in Practice 2. He earned his best series finish of 16th place at the previous race at World Wide Technology Raceway and is looking forward to the next two road course races at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to continue his progress during his rookie season. He moved up one spot in the point standings to 24th place with 102 points. 

SECOND PLACE – FIRESTONE PIT STOP CHALLENGE: The No. 15 crew maintained its second-place rank in the Firestone Pit Stop Standings to Scott Dixon’s No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing crew but the gap increased from one point to 21 (289-268) after 10 of 18 races.