Sato Finished 10th in the Indy 500; Schumacher Was the Highest Finishing Rookie in 18th, Rahal Was 20th and Foster 21st

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
110th Running of the Indianapolis 500
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
RACE DAY NOTES / QUOTES – May 24, 2026

SATO FINISHED 10TH IN THE INDY 500; SCHUMACHER WAS THE HIGHEST FINISHING ROOKIE IN HIS SECOND EVER OVAL RACE AT 18TH. RAHAL WAS 20TH AND FOSTER 21ST

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 United Rentals Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a disappointing day. I’m glad we got the race in, but we just never had the speed today, ever. Like the car from the first few laps didn’t feel good; it didn’t feel at all like Friday and I don’t understand this. I don’t understand why one minute we feel great, and the next minute we’re not competitive. And it’s not that it was terrible, but I just couldn’t follow close enough. Like Friday, I could follow very close. This time I couldn’t follow close enough to do anything, so it was super disappointing. We’ve got to get these cars more consistent. All four of us struggled today.”

• FAST FACTS: Started 28th and finished 21st for his 19th Indy 500. He was hoping to capitalize on an alternate pit strategy but it didn’t play out in a race that saw two red flag periods for moisture and a total of seven caution periods overall … His best qualifying position in the Indy 500 is fourth in 2009 with Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and best finish is third with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011 and RLL in 2020. Detailed information is 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) and FIVE poles (2009 – St. Pete street course, Kansas oval; 2017 – Detroit Race 1 street; 2023 – IMS road, Portland) and his highest series season-ending standing is fourth place in 2015… He dropped two places to 11th in INDYCAR SERIES point standings with 151.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Droplight Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a difficult race for us. The car just wasn’t in the window it needed to be in today. Honestly, I spent the entire time out there trying to survive and trying not to crash. Any time that there was a yellow, I tried to push the car and tried to make something out of it, but it would just get loose on me and be insecure and be all over the place. So, it was a very difficult race for me. But, there are things we can take from it. We finished the race, completed all the laps and got home in one piece. I think as a team, it was definitely a bit of a disappointing day, but these are days that we use to try and move forward as a team for next year.”

• FAST FACTS: Started and finished 21st for his second Indy 500. In 2025, he qualified 20th and finished 12th. His best series start to date is pole at Road America in 2025 and his best finish came at the previous race — the Sonsio Grand Prix – of seventh place… He is ranked in 19th place in the point standings with 95.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 Würth Group Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I took it very easy on a start, maybe a bit too easy, and ended up getting overtaken left and right. But as everybody said, it’s such a long race, you’ve just got to stay in it and that’s what we did. The team did an amazing job, the pit stop were perfect. The changes we made to the car were great, and were always adequate for the balance and the feeling of the car. Overall, I’m really happy. We always want to be higher up, and thinking about how much has happened and where we started, I think we can be really happy with where we are. I learned so much lap after lap, and I understand why people say this is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. It really makes sense. It is an amazing race and an amazing feeling to have all these fans here. Overall, I am blown away by the experience.”

• FAST FACTS: He was the highest finishing rookie with an 18th place result in the 33-car field. He gained valuable experience running in the top 10 for a handful of laps with a top running order of fifth place. Near the end of the race, he went a lap down but was able to get back on the lead lap by passing the leader. On the second to last restart, he lightly brushed the wall and continued but it brought out a caution and set up a final one-lap shootout for the win. He earned the Fastest Rookie Award after qualifying 27th for his first Indy 500. His best INDYCAR start came on the Phoenix oval with 4th place and his best series finish also came there with 18th place despite having an issue with a wheel gun on a pit stop. He is third in the Rookie of the Year standings with 66 points and has an overall rank of 24th place. 

TAKUMA SATO, No. 75 AMADA Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “It was a tough race all around. I struggled in traffic, and I couldn’t really try to maneuver to overtake, but instead I lost positions. And working on the car, after the pit stop, it was getting better and better but by that time I think we lost a lot of track position. In the end, we went to the alternative strategy, which worked well, and we went to P8 (eighth place) but I think the second from the last restart was a little controversial because there was a lot of checkup, and I had to hit the brake before the green (flag) was out, and I was already overtaken. So, it’s a surprise that INDYCAR didn’t rule a jump start on that one. I really need to see the replay so I can judge on that one. But it was a shame to lose positions on that one. On the very last one, I gained back one (position) but then I just finished P10. Once again a big thank you to the entire team and especially the 75 crew for the short program (on race). And thank you so much to the fans and sponsors for all of the support. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this program. So once again, a big thank you and I’m sorry we couldn’t have a great day today.”

• FAST FACTS: Started 12th in the race moved up and down through various strategies that were playing out. He was running eighth with two restarts to go but lost ground due to having to check up before the green flag came back out and dropped to 11th. On the final, one-lap restart, he moved up one position for a 10th place finish. He initially qualified 13th but into a 12^th place start after a car ahead was disqualified and moved to the back of the starting field. After setting the 13th fastest 4-lap average, Sato missed being in the top-12 that would progress to Round 2 to fight for a Fast Six starting position by a mere 0.101 over a 4-lap average. At 10 p.m. that night, Collett was disqualified and moved to the back. Had that happened earlier, Sato would have had a chance to compete for a top-12 spot and possibly a top-six starting spot.… The two-time Indy 500 champion earned his second front-row start for the team (third overall, after 2020) with a career-best starting position of second. He led the first 51 of 88 laps — the most in the race — before a pit error dropped him to a ninth-place finish. Despite the setback, he was the highest-qualifying Honda-powered driver among the 15 Honda entries, starting second. In 2024, he started 10th for his 15th Indy 500 and finished 14th. He competed for RLL full time in 2012 and from 2018-2021 and won the Indy 500 with RLL in 2020. He has earned six NTT INDYCAR SERIES wins, four of which have come with RLL, including the team’s second Indy 500 win in 2020. Sato competed in oval races with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2023. Other Indy 500 highlights with RLL include the 2012 where he was alongside eventual winner Franchitti in Turn 1 on the final lap but his race ended due to contact after he was squeezed down on the apron and lost control of his race car. He also finished third for RLL in 2019 and was a contender in the final laps… Has SIX INDYCAR SERIES wins (2013 – Long Beach street course, 2017 – Indy 500 oval, 2018 – Portland road, 2019 – Barber road, Gateway oval; 2020 Indy 500 ) and 10 poles (2011 Iowa oval, Edmonton street; 2013 Houston Race 1 street; 2014 St. Pete street, Detroit Race 2 street; 2017 Detroit Race 2, Pocono oval; 2019 Barber road, Texas oval; 2020 St. Louis – Race 2).