RLL Team McLaren
Pre-Race Notes
Motul Petit Le Mans – Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
Round 10 of 10 in the WeatherTech Sports Car Championship – GTD PRO Class

DATE:     Thursday – Saturday, October 1-3, 2026

PRACTICE / QUALIFYING BROADCASTS:     Practice: Live on IMSA.com on Thursday from 10:40 – 12:10 p.m., 3:20 – 5:05 p.m. and 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. / Live on Peacock, IMSA.com and YouTube on Friday from 2:40 – 2:55 p.m. All times Eastern.

RACE BROADCAST:     All races can be streamed live in their entirety on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports App with authentication or Peacock Premium. Live, flag-to-flag coverage of the race begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday with the first three hours live on network NBC starting at noon ET and subsequent hours on NBCSN from 3 p.m. ET on. Flag-to-flag streaming coverage is available in the U.S. on Peacock and internationally on the IMSA YouTube Channel.

TRACK LAYOUT:     2.54-mile, 12-turn road course
RACE LENGTH:     10 hours

2025 GTD PRO WINNER:     Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Connor De Phillippi in the No. 48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO
2025 GTD PRO POLESITTER:     Dan Harper in the No. 48 BMW M4 GT3 EVO

RLL’S TOP START / FINISH AT ROAD ATLANTA:     POLE by Edwards (2018), Krohn (2021) / 1st by Auberlen/Sims/Wittmer (2017), De Phillippi/Spengler (2020, September 6 hour race)

RLL’S PODIUMS AT ROAD ATLANTA (13):     Wins: 2017, 2020 (6 hours); 2nd Place: 2009, 2013, 2015, 2022; 3rd Place: 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2020 (6 hours), 2020, 2021

RLL TEAM McLAREN’S TOP START / FINISH:     2nd at CTMP and Daytona debut / 6th at CTMP – both in 2026

NOTES & QUOTES:

RLL TEAM MCLAREN AT ROAD ATLANTA
The Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will be the 10th event in program history for RLL Team McLaren and the season-finale for the first year of competition for the program. Full season drivers, Max Esterson and Nikita Johnson, will be joined at the race by McLaren factory driver Benji Goethe. The trio had a productive test at the track on September 2.

The RLL Team McLaren program is a multi-year collaboration with McLaren Automotive that saw the team’s return to IMSA’s GTD PRO class in 2026 with the McLaren GT3 EVO. The team qualified third and moved up to a second-place start at their debut at Daytona when a car ahead was penalized. In the race, the team finished 12th after an electronics issue hindered the outcome. Qualifier Macdonald ran a double stint to open the race but once he turned the car over to Vips approaching the three-hour mark of the race, the team was forced to go to the garage due to a tire pressure monitoring failure they had been unable to correct in the pits. The team gathered important experience in the race and took the checkered flag in 12th place. Since then, the team’s top finish is sixth place at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park where Max Esterson brought the team their highest qualifying position of second place. Three races ago at Road America, the team qualified a strong fourth but with two hours to go in the six-hour race, they suffered a power steering failure shortly after Esterson set the team’s fastest lap of the race. At the previous race at IMS, the team set the third fastest times in both Practice 1 and 2 but weren’t able to show their potential in qualifying after it was cancelled due to a delay for lighting. They started ninth based on point standings and opted to gamble on pit strategy. After leading their class for 32 laps up until the final minutes of the race, they didn’t get the caution they needed and had to pit for a splash of fuel with three laps to go and finished eighth. The team has continued to gain valuable experience, which they hope to capitalize on with a strong finish in the season finale.

MAX ESTERSON ON HIS RETURN TO PETIT AFTER HIS IMSA DEBUT IN 2025
“Petit Le Mans last year was really a baptism of fire. It was my first ever IMSA race and I went straight into GTP. All things considered, it went pretty well as I was able to run in the top five for much of my first stint. It will be nice to finally return to a track where I’ve had some IMSA experience, albeit in a different class. I feel more prepared and understand how this race usually flows.
“It was frustrating to not be able to qualify in Indy. Based on how practice went, I felt like I had a good shot at starting in the top three. Regardless, the team did a great job to put us nearly in a position to win from the back of the field. The test a few weeks ago at Road Atlanta went well, but the conditions were a lot hotter than we’ll likely see in the race. The air temperature was 95F that day, but I think we still learned a bit about what we need from the car at this track. I expect us to carry on with our strong form from the past few rounds. I don’t see why it would be any other way.
“It’ll be great to have Benji with us this round since he has more experience in the McLaren than Nikita and I combined. Already at the test he seemed to get up to speed well. Road Atlanta is a super busy track already when you are on track alone. When you add 53 other cars, it becomes a huge game of traffic and risk management. You also need to consider how different the conditions are at the start versus at the end of the race at 10 pm.
“It’s been a fun season and one where we’ve built a lot of momentum despite the lack of results. We’ve had a lot of potential and I think have gone from underdogs with low expectations to now being expected to fight in the top half of the grid in every session.”

NIKITA JOHNSON ON HIS PETIT LE MANS DEBUT
Johnson, who was recently crowned the youngest INDY NXT champion on September 6 at 18 years, three months and 12 days old, is looking forward to his Petit Le Mans debut after having tested in an open-wheel car at the track many years ago.
“We had good pace at Indy, shame we didn’t get to show it in qualifying.  But we made up for it in the race. The test we did at Road Atlanta about a month ago, was very beneficial.  We learned a lot on both the car side and the track evolution.  The last time I was there before the test, was about four years ago in an open wheel car so it was good to knock the rust off. I’m excited for Benji to be joining us. It will be fun to have another teammate.
“The whole track is pretty challenging to get right, lap over lap.  But I’d have to say the tire degradation and following the track evolution is going to be the hardest part.
“My highlight of the season would probably be Daytona with getting the phone call at the last minute and having to learn on the fly!  It was pretty awesome. So far this season has been very good. Unfortunately, we don’t have to results to show but the development of the car has been great and we have been fast almost every single weekend.”

AND GOETHE MAKES THREE
Benjamin “Benji” Goethe, 23, will join Esterson and Johnson as a co-driver of the No. 59 McLaren entry at Petit Le Mans. He tested with the team on September 2 and has spent time at the team’s headquarters in Zionsville, Indiana. He’s looking forward to making his IMSA debut this weekend and bringing his knowledge as a McLaren factory driver to RLL Team McLaren.
“I actually have never, either driven the Road Atlanta track or raced in IMSA before. It’s a track that I’ve always wanted to race at and a championship that I’ve always wanted to race in.  I’ve heard and seen a lot of good things from this championship so I’m very much looking forward to finally being able to race in IMSA and then being able to race at the legendary Road Atlanta.
“This is my second year as a factory driver for McLaren. Prior to that, I was a junior with them for a few years, so I’ve got quite a lot of experience with this car. I first joined McLaren when the evo came out so I’ve been racing with this car for a few years now and have raced in a lot of championships, mainly over in Europe in GT World Challenge and also, more recently in WEC this year.  I would say I’ve gotten to know the car pretty well and hope I can bring some knowledge to the team and my teammates to try and help.
“The test a few weeks ago was a successful test, I think. It was my first time at the track so it was really important for me to get to know the track before we race there as it isn’t an easy track to learn, with quite a lot of blind corners and quite high speed.  I think it was also very important for the team to collect data and valuable information that that will be useful for the race.
“I’ve always got high expectations; I want to do well in every race we’re in. I realize it’s a very competitive championship and it’s not easy to win, but for me, that’s always the goal. I’m going in there trying to help the team get a good result as best as I can and hopefully at the end of it, a win so we’ll see.
(On the acclimation to the team:) “It’s gone it’s gone well so far. Everyone was very friendly when I first arrived. They were very helpful, getting me up to grips with everything with the team and my teammates also. It was my first time racing with Nikita and Max and even meeting them and they were very nice and very helpful. They have a lot more experience in this championship and at Road Atlanta than I do and they were helping me get up to grips with the track and everything also. It’s gone very well so far.
(On the most challenging areas of the track:) “I would probably say sector one is the most challenging area of the track as it’s very high speed and committed, and there are a lot of blind corners. There are not many tracks where I think you can replicate sector one of Road Atlanta so it’s just getting up to grips with this sector and this track.  But it went well in the test, and I think you can continue to improve over the race weekend.
(Challenges of a long race:) “Sometimes you want to push too hard too early but in an endurance race like this, it’s all about where you are in that last hour or 30 minutes of the race. So just keeping it clean up until then, not taking too much risk that will potentially affect the rest of the race and keeping a clear head is important. And keeping it so that you have a good race car at the end of the race when you really need to battle it out on track is important as well.”

MCLAREN’S SPORTS CAR HISTORY
McLaren made its mark in sports car racing in 1995 with the F1 GTR, writing history by winning that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Returning to sports car racing in 2012 with the championship-winning 12C GT3, McLaren continues to be a force on the international GT scene. The current GT3 EVO has proven to be very successful, winning races in FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe series and other regional and domestic series.

RLL’S SPORTS CAR HISTORY
RLL, founded in 1992 and known for its success across both open-wheel and sports car racing, has a rich history in sports car competition. The team first entered sports car racing in 2007, fielding a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in the American Le Mans Series GT2 class with drivers Tommy Milner and Ralf Kelleners and finished fourth in the 12-race championship, highlighted by multiple podiums. The following year, the team campaigned an Aston Martin DB9 in select SCCA World Challenge events, earning a pole and runner-up finish at Road Atlanta.

From 2009 to 2025, RLL partnered with BMW Motorsport in a successful 17-year collaboration that delivered numerous race wins and championships across multiple GT platforms and culminated with a race and pole-winning program in the GTP class from 2023-2025. The team previously competed in IMSA’s GTD PRO class under the BMW M Team RLL banner in 2022 while simultaneously preparing for their two-car factory GTP program debut in 2023. During that period, RLL secured pole position at Watkins Glen and GTD PRO podium finishes at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

RACE NOTES / QUOTES – September 6, 2026

FOSTER, RAHAL AND SCHUMACHER FINISHED 14TH, 19TH AND 22ND IN THE MISSION FOODS GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY INDYCAR SEASON FINALE

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Ship Station Global Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “We gained like 20 seconds on the group ahead of us at the very end. It’s weird because the last set of tires for me had no rear grip compared to the set of blacks (tires) before. The primary tires before were unbelievable for the stint. I don’t believe I dropped off more than a couple of tenths of a second for the entire stint. I was very surprised by that. I just fought hard to try to catch that group back up, and, obviously, got a couple positions, but we don’t want to finish 19th. But without any yellows, too, really, but strategy wise, it’s pretty hard to mix it up. We’ll keep soldering along. This year was full of goods and bads, but, what I can genuinely say is that I haven’t had a better time with a group of people ever. I really, really enjoyed this group of guys and gals on my team this year. And I hope we can keep it going next year.”

FAST FACTS: He started 22nd and utilized a four-stop strategy to finish 19th in a race that only saw one caution period from Laps 1-3… The 2026 race marked the seventh for Graham Rahal at the track. In his first six races here, his best start was eighth in 2019, and best finish is fourth in 2021. Race-by-race statistics are available upon request. He earned three podiums on road and street courses the first half of the season and hopes to return to that form for the season finale. 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/August, Portland road)… He dropped from 15th to 16th place in series point standings with a total of 302.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The race was interesting. I need to look at how the race panned out for everyone else first to fully understand it because these races always get a bit confusing sometimes. Especially with how many stops people made today. I think we always pitted a bit too late from my perspective. It seemed like we just kept getting undercut on every pit stop by people. On top of that, our out-lap pace was really poor today. It’s always been an issue and we’ve always struggled as a team but today, we just didn’t have any tire temp. We were bottoming everywhere. The car was really, really hard to drive and try to keep on the track. So, I lost a lot of positions on the out laps when other cars could hold onto their position. So, we need to work on that but overall, we only lost five spots from our starting position so it is what it is. Winning pole and our pace at Markham was probably the highlight. We’ve had some shimmers of hope this year but we haven’t been able to execute. We had a fun year. We enjoyed it, but we want to be better next year. Simple as that.”

FAST FACTS: Qualified 11th and started ninth due to grid penalties ahead of him. In the race, he cycled up to third place before his first of four stops on Lap 22. He returned to the track in 16th place. Multiple pit strategies were at play and he ultimately finished 14th. Last year he qualified ninth in his INDYCAR rookie season but struggled with race pace and he ultimately finished 17th so he is looking forward to the opportunity to better that mark. He competed here four times in the INDY NXT Series where he won both NXT races in 2024 from pole. In his first two NXT races here in 2023, he qualified sixth and finished 18th in Race 1 and turned that into a podium performance with a third-place finish from a third place start in Race 2. A strong performance at Laguna Seca would be a great way to enter the off-season. He finished the season ranked 18th in the series point standings with 267.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 NEREUS™ Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Obviously, we would have wanted to end it on a high, which we didn’t quite get there today. It just seemed like we had a couple of things that weren’t quite right on the car. And it just seemed like we ate through those tires pretty drastically; a bit faster than some other people. I feel like the first couple of laps on the alternate stint was really good; really strong. We were getting past Will, Marcus and Pato there. But then suddenly, as soon as I passed Pato, my tires one lap to another, just died. On that side, today, not amazing, but overall, I think it’s all about learning and that’s what we did this year and I’m ultimately very grateful to RLL and anybody involved like Graham and Louis, who’ve just helped me grow throughout this year. I’m, looking forward to 2027 now.”

FAST FACTS: Mick qualified 15th but started 13th in the race after two drivers ahead served grid penalties for unapproved engine changes. He lost a spot to Power on the opening lap and Rookie of the Year points leader Hauger was taken out by Sting Ray Robb. Which brought out a full course caution. To win ROY, Mick needed to finish eight place or better. He made his first stop from 12th place on Lap 17 and rejoined the field in 15th place once the field settled in. After three more stops, and an off-track excursion, which cost him multiple positions, he took the checkered flag in 22nd place and was second in the Rookie of the Year standings to Hauger, 228-213. His best start on a road or street course is 11th place in Markham (street course) and his best finishes of the season were eighth place on the Nashville oval and 11th on the streets of Washington, D.C… He finished the season 23rd in series standings with 213 points.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

QUALIFYING NOTES / QUOTES – September 5, 2026

FOSTER TO START 11TH IN THE MISSION FOODS GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY; SCHUMACHER AND RAHAL QUALIFIED 15TH AND 22ND

1) Scott McLaughlin 1:09.1363 / 116.535 mph (Group 1, Round 3)

11) Louis Foster 1:10.1123 / 114.913 mph (Group 1, Round 2)

15) Mick Schumacher 1:09.5721 / 115.805 mph (Group 1, Round 1)

22) Graham Rahal 1:09.9593 / 115.164 mph (Group 2, Round 1)

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Ship Station Global Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The tire is only really good on one lap. So, my prep lab was good — I was fastest in Turn 11 of anybody. And I was fastest in Turn 2 of everybody. Turn 3 was really dirty; a lot of guys had gone off so I was a little conservative there. But I was tracking plenty (of speed) to advance by several positions of cushion. So I just went into Turn 9 – the very last turn before the timing line — and the rear completely gave up. It was the first time it has done that all weekend so I don’t really understand. I’m not super pleased with the car balance, but it was good enough to get by. And I think it was probably good enough to make the Fast Six based on what they all just ran. I’m just super disappointed right now.”

FAST FACTS: The 2026 race will mark the seventh for Graham Rahal at the track. After some competitive runs on road and street courses this season, Rahal is hoping to end the season on a high at Laguna Seca. In his six races here, his best start is eighth in 2019, and best finish is fourth in 2021. Race-by-race statistics are available upon request. He earned three podiums on road and street courses the first half of the season and hopes to return to that form for the season finale. 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/August, Portland road)… He is 15th in series point standings with a total of 291.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Qualifying was decent. I think based on where we were in the practice sessions and struggling with the balance of the car, I’m pretty happy with where I ended up. We didn’t run the new tires for the second phase (Round 2) in the fast 12. I think if we did, based on the lap times that people did there, we had a chance of transferring to the Fast Sux. We just wanted to prioritize the race. We weren’t sure of what we could do so we took the safer option. We just basically accepted that we would be last in the Fast 12, but we have good tires for tomorrow. Overall, I’m happy. We just have to work on the race car tonight and try and make sure we have a good race car for tomorrow so we can have a great season finale.”

FAST FACTS: Having recently added a street course pole in Markham to the one he earned last season on the Road America road course, Foster is looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca. Last year he qualified ninth in his INDYCAR rookie season but struggled with race pace and he ultimately finished 17th so he is looking forward to the opportunity to better that mark. He competed here four times in the INDY NXT Series where he won both NXT races in 2024 from pole. In his first two NXT races here in 2023, he qualified sixth and finished 18th in Race 1 and turned that into a podium performance with a third-place finish from a third place start in Race 2. A strong performance at Laguna Seca would be a great way to enter the off-season. He is ranked 23rd in the point standings with 159.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 NEREUS™ Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think everything was there to definitely make it through to the next round. I had a little mistake going into the corkscrew in Turn 8. I simply just outbreaked myself and ended up losing a good chunk there, so that’s unfortunate. But I think its promising that the car is so strong and so good. I think we have a good base for tomorrow. I think we can definitely work with what we have and tomorrow’s where it counts.”

FAST FACTS: Mick set the sixth fastest time in Practice 2 before qualifying… Although this will be the first race for Mick at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he tested here July 30th. His best start on a road or street course is 11th place in Markham (street course) and his best finishes are eighth place on the Nashville oval and 11th on the streets of Washington, D.C. He plans to continue the momentum he has been building since the start of the season and end on a high note. He is 18 points behind Rookie of the Year points leader Dennis Hauger (223-205). Caio Collet isn’t far behind with 193… He is 23rd in series point standings with 205 points.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT THEIR WINNINGEST TRACK

The 2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will mark the 19th Indy car event for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and sixth here since 12 consecutive races at the track from 1992-2003. The team has also competed in ALMS and IMSA races here from 2009-2025 as BMW M Team RLL and has earned three wins, five poles and a total of 11 podium finishes – including a second-place finish from pole in 2019. The Indy car team has earned three wins, three poles and a total of six podiums (1st – Herta 1998-1999; Papis 2001; 2nd – Herta 1996; 3rd: B. Rahal 1992, Papis 1999) including three straight pole positions (Herta 1997-1999).

NEXT UP: Final Practice will take place today from 5:10-5:40 p.m. PT. Timing and Scoring information and live streaming video are also available for all sessions from www.indycar.com and includes live commentary. The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will be televised live on FOX beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, September 6.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey

NTT INDYCAR SERIES

PRACTICE NOTES / QUOTES – September 4, 2026

RAHAL SET THE SIXTH FASTEST TIME IN OPENING PRACTICE FOR THE MISSION FOODS GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY; FOSTER AND SCHUMACHER 13TH AND 15TH

1) Alex Palou 1:09.8994 / 115.263 mph

6) Graham Rahal 1:10.4596 / 114.346 mph

13) Louis Foster 1:10.7809 / 113.827 mph

15) Mick Schumacher 1:10.8378 / 113.736 mph

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 15 Ship Station Global Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “Practice 1 was alright. It’s so hard out there because the tire degradation is so high that the blacks (primary Firestone tires) really don’t have much grip. You’re using basically one tire on all the road courses all year. They work great at some and at others it’s a little more challenging. It’s the same for everybody but it’s hard to get a grasp on that. And then on the reds (alternate tires), it’s a one lap tire, and for me, I think I did okay with it but I think I left some on the table in Turn 3 and a little bit in Turn 4 but we’re talking about a half a tenth or maybe a tenth or two combined. We’re not talking about much. I think we ended up around P7 on the overall sheet so it’s not terrible. We’ve got a little work to do overnight, and we’ll see how we come out tomorrow.”

FAST FACTS: The 2026 race will mark the seventh for Graham Rahal at the track. After some competitive runs on road and street courses this season, Rahal is hoping to end the season on a high at Laguna Seca. In his six races here, his best start is eighth in 2019, and best finish is fourth in 2021. Race-by-race statistics are available upon request. He earned three podiums on road and street courses the first half of the season and hopes to return to that form for the season finale. 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/August, Portland road)… He is 15th in series point standings with a total of 291.

LOUIS FOSTER, No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “There are a couple of guys at the top of the field that have got a big gap to the rest of the field right now, pace wise. The car felt okay today. There is low hanging fruit to pick up here and there to gain some time. I wasn’t super comfortable in the car but as a weekend start, it’s not our best but not our worst. It’s kind of in the middle but we’ll see what we can do overnight to work on that. It’s all very close between like P20 and P3 and then the first two are just miles down the road currently. I’m sure if we can find a few tenths here or there that will help a lot, Graham seemed to have a really good session there, so hopefully he’s learned something and we can learn from that.”

FAST FACTS: Having recently added a street course pole in Markham to the one he earned last season on the Road America road course, Foster is looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca. Last year he qualified ninth in his INDYCAR rookie season but struggled with race pace and he ultimately finished 17th so he is looking forward to the opportunity to better that mark. He competed here four times in the INDY NXT Series where he won both NXT races in 2024 from pole. In his first two NXT races here in 2023, he qualified sixth and finished 18th in Race 1 and turned that into a podium performance with a third-place finish from a third place start in Race 2. A strong performance at Laguna Seca would be a great way to enter the off-season. He is ranked 23rd in the point standings with 159.

MICK SCHUMACHER, No. 47 NEREUS™ Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “The track was pretty different from how it was at the test. It seemed like lower grip. We had a couple of issues on the setup side so we’re going to clean that up and hopefully have a better starting point for tomorrow.”

FAST FACTS: Although this will be the first race for Mick at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he tested there July 30th. His best start on a road or street course is 11th place in Markham (street course) and his best finishes are eighth place on the Nashville oval and 11th on the streets of Washington, D.C. He plans to continue the momentum he has been building since the start of the season and end on a high note. He is 18 points behind Rookie of the Year points leader Dennis Hauger (223-205). Caio Collet isn’t far behind with 193… He is 23rd in series point standings with 205 points.

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT THEIR WINNINGEST TRACK

The 2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will mark the 19th Indy car event for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and sixth here since 12 consecutive races at the track from 1992-2003. The team has also competed in ALMS and IMSA races here from 2009-2025 as BMW M Team RLL and has earned three wins, five poles and a total of 11 podium finishes – including a second-place finish from pole in 2019. The Indy car team has earned three wins, three poles and a total of six podiums (1st – Herta 1998-1999; Papis 2001; 2nd – Herta 1996; 3rd: B. Rahal 1992, Papis 1999) including three straight pole positions (Herta 1997-1999).

NEXT UP: Practice 2 will take place tomorrow from 10:05-11:25 a.m. PT and qualifying will take place from 1:35-2:55 p.m. PT. The final practice session is 5:10-5:40 p.m. PT. Timing and Scoring information and live streaming video are also available for all sessions from www.indycar.com and includes live commentary. The Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will be televised live on FOX beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, September 6.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey – WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Pre-Race Notes
Round 18 of 18 in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES

DATE:     September 4-6, 2026

PRACTICE BROADCAST:     Live on FS2 on Friday from 5:00–6:30 p.m. ET, live FS2 on Saturday from 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET and from 8:00–9:00 p.m. ET. Also live on the INDYCAR Radio Network (IRN) Sirius XM INDYCAR Nation 190 (*new channel) and www.indycar.com (timing & scoring + live analysis).

QUALIFYING BROADCAST:     Live on FS2, the IRN and www.indycar.com (timing & scoring + live analysis) from 4:30-6:00 p.m. ET Saturday.

RACE BROADCAST:     Live on FOX on Sunday, September 6 from 3:00 – 5:30 p.m. ET. And also on the IRN Sirius XM INDYCAR Nation 190.

TRACK LAYOUT:     2.258-mile, 11-turn road course
RACE LENGTH:     95 laps / 214.51 miles

2025 WINNER:     Alex Palou
2025 POLESITTER:     Alex Palou (1:08.3413 / 117.891 mph) 

RAHAL’S BEST ROAD COURSE START / FINISH:     1st (IMS road course & Portland 2023) / 1st (Mid-Ohio 2015)
RAHAL’S BEST LAGUNA SECA START / FINISH:     8th in 2019 / 4th in 2021; will be his seventh INDYCAR race here
RAHAL’S HIGHEST SERIES START / FINISH:     5 poles – Pole at St. Pete (street) 2009, Kansas (oval) 2009, Detroit Race 1 (street) 2017, IMS (road) 2023 August, Portland (road) 2023 / 6 wins – 1st in St. Pete in 2008, Fontana & Mid-Ohio 2015, Texas 2016, Detroit Race 1 & Race 2 2017

FOSTER’S BEST ROAD COURSE START / FINISH:     1st (Road America 2025) / 7th (IMS road course 2026)
FOSTER’S BEST LAGUNA SECA START / FINISH:     9th / 17th – both in 2025; will be his second race here
FOSTER’S BEST SERIES START / FINISH:     2 Poles (Road America 2025, Markham 2026) / 7th (Indy GP and Detroit 2026)

SCHUMACHER’S BEST ROAD COURSE START / FINISH:     11th (Markham 2026) / 16th (Portland 2026)
SCHUMACHER’S BEST START / FINISH AT LAGUNA SECA:     Will be his first race here, tested at the track on July 30
SCHUMACHER’S BEST SERIES START / FINISH:     4th (Phoenix oval 2026) / 8th (Nashville oval 2026)

RLL’S HIGHEST LAGUNA INDYCAR START / FINISH:     3 Indy Car Poles – 1997-1999 (Herta) / 3 Indy Car Wins – 1998-1999 (Herta), 2001 (Papis) / 6 Indy Car Podiums

NEWS & NOTES:

RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING AT THEIR WINNINGEST TRACK
The 2026 Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey will mark the 19th Indy car event for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and sixth here since 12 consecutive races at the track from 1992-2003. The team has also competed in ALMS and IMSA races here from 2009-2025 as BMW M Team RLL and has earned three wins, five poles and a total of 11 podium finishes – including a second-place finish from pole in 2019. The Indy car team has earned three wins, three poles and a total of six podiums (1st – Herta 1998-1999; Papis 2001; 2nd – Herta 1996; 3rd: B. Rahal 1992, Papis 1999) including three straight pole positions (Herta 1997-1999).  Prior to the 2026 event, the team prepared a total of 38 Indy car entries for drivers Bobby Rahal (1992-98), Mike Groff (1994), Raul Boesel (1995), Bryan Herta (1996-99), Max Papis (1999-2001), Kenny Brack (2000-2001), Jimmy Vasser (2002), Michel Jourdain Jr. (2002-03), Graham Rahal (2019, 2021-25), Takuma Sato (2019, 2021), Oliver Askew (2021), Jack Harvey (2022), Christian Lundgaard (2022-23), Juri Vips (2023), Pietro Fittipaldi (2024) and Devlin DeFrancesco (2025). The No. 15 Ship Station entry for Graham Rahal, the No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequila entry for Louis Foster and the No. 47 NEREUS entry will bring the Indy car total to 41 entries in 2026.

GRAHAM RAHAL AT LAGUNA SECA
The 2026 race will mark the seventh for Graham Rahal at the track. After some competitive runs on road and street courses this season, Rahal is hoping to end the season on a high at Laguna Seca. In 2025, he started eighth in a race that saw five full course cautions. Two cars were able to leapfrog him due to strategy, and two other drivers (Rassmussen and Armstrong) utilized their strong pace to pass on track. In 2024, he started 19th and was in 16th on Lap 86/95 when Canapino hit Simpson, who was turned sideways on the track right in front of Rahal, who had no choice but to T-bone him. In 2023, he was collected in an opening lap incident and retired in 27th place after starting 10th. In qualifying, he was seventh fastest in his group and failed to progress to Round 2 by less than 1/10th of a second. Four cars ahead of Rahal served a grid penalty so he started 10th. In 2022, he started on primary tires from 19th place and steadily climbed his way up the field. A pivotal decision came when the team opted to take on used alternate tires on his second stop compared to Lundgaard, who took on primary tires and ultimately finished fifth. The two had been running together with Rahal ahead in seventh place initially but the two swapped positions on Lap 57/95 and he fell four positions before the team elected to stop again for primary tires on Lap 61. He ultimately finished 18th, one lap down to the leaders. In 2021, Rahal started 12th and ran as high as fourth before his first stop on Lap 18/95. The handling of his race car was better halfway through his second stint, and he gained a few spots before he made his second stop from third place on Lap 40. He pit from second place for his third stop on Lap 67 and was able to leapfrog O’Ward by staying out longer. He held third place for 11 laps before Grosjean, whose tires had six less laps on them, passed him on Lap 84/95 and he held on to finish fourth.  In 2019, he started eighth and lost two positions on the start to Hunter-Reay and Ferrucci. He dropped to 11th on Lap 5 when Rosenqvist passed him and cycled as high as fifth place before his second pit stop on Lap 39. He ran 10th for the majority of his next stint before his third and final stop and came out 11th. He later lost a position to Hunter-Reay on Lap 68 of 90 and ultimately took the checkered flag 12th. He earned three podiums on road and street courses the first half of the season and hopes to return to that form for the season finale.  
“I’m excited for Laguna; I love Laguna. Last year, I think we were decent. I wouldn’t say that we were great, but this will be a different time of year too. In the fall, the track is going to be a little grippier, and probably the conditions are a little cooler. But I’m excited to get out there and I’m excited to get the finale in the books. I’m looking forward to the offseason to get a reset and begin working on improvements because it’s hard to do midseason. I think we’ve got a lot of great ideas and concepts that we need to go into the fall with and meetings that need to be held. But it’s hard to do when you’re in the midst of a kind of punching bag time of year. But we have another opportunity ahead of us to end this season strong.
“We’ve been hit and miss on road courses this year. Weve been very strong some place and others we have struggled. I thought the Portland road course was a bit of a struggle, but Laguna in some ways is its own animal. It’s obviously very high peak new tire grip, and there is a lot of degradation throughout the race. So, managing that is critical and that’s something we’re going to try to do.”

FOSTER AIMS TO BACK UP POLE WINNING PERFORMANCE ON A ROAD COURSE
Having recently added a street course pole in Markham to the one he earned last season on the Road America road course, Foster is looking forward to returning to Laguna Seca. Last year he qualified ninth in his INDYCAR rookie season but struggled with race pace and he ultimately finished 17th so he is looking forward to the opportunity to better that mark. He competed here four times in the INDY NXT Series where he won both NXT races in 2024 from pole. In his first two NXT races here in 2023, he qualified sixth and finished 18th in Race 1 and turned that into a podium performance with a third-place finish from a third place start in Race 2. A strong performance at Laguna Seca would be a great way to enter the off-season.
“I think Laguna will be an interesting weekend. We’ve had some good performances on road courses and lesser at other road courses, so we’ve had a bit of a mix. Last year we struggled a lot as a team, and we didn’t have the pace we wanted to have so I’m hoping we can go into this weekend with a bit more a bit more performance and pace and see what we end up. We had a test there earlier this year with Mick and that went well so I’m hoping that they’ve learned something on the 47 car that we can transfer to the 45 and the 15. Since it’s a different time of year than last year, it will probably be a bit cooler than usual. Monterey can have some pretty interesting weather, especially in early September with fog and clouds with it being so close to the Pacific so we’ll see how that impacts the race weekend, but I imagine it will be quite a cool weekend. The corkscrew is super cool; its sick innit?”

SCHUMACHER AT LAGUNA SECA
Although this will be the first race for Mick at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he tested there July 30^th. His best start on a road or street course is 11th place in Markham (street course) and his best finishes are eighth place on the Nashville oval and 11th on the streets of Washington, D.C. He plans to continue the momentum he has been building since the start of the season and end on a high note. He is 18 points behind Rookie of the Year points leader Dennis Hauger (223-205).  Caio Collet isn’t far behind with 193.
“The season went by super quickly. It was insane, but I guess it’s kind of expected with the schedule like this so I’m just excited to reflect back on everything and have a good understanding of what is going to be necessary for next year. I think there are a lot of highlights from this season. The big ones like Nashville (best finish to date) stand out. Washington was a great weekend for us too, and what was positive was all of these happened towards the end of the year so the goal of starting and being better than where we started at the end of it definitely was achieved so I think we can be proud of that. Phoenix started great (fourth place in qualifying) and unfortunately, I was a bit overwhelmed with the racing itself but I learned a lot. Indy was definitely a stand out as well as Washington, D.C. as an event so I’m excited to see what next year holds. Obviously, Indy is something that will definitely be in marker on my calendar.
“The Laguna test went pretty well, we learned a lot from it, so I think that will help us to roll off the truck and be right on the money. I think that’s what it takes in INDYCAR to be good and then be right up there with everybody in front. The pit lane position will obviously help as well. We had a good qualifying in Milwaukee and that is going to result in a good pit lane place in Laguna for qualifying and the race so that will make life a bit easier for strategy and everything else. The goal at Laguna is just to end on a high. It would be good to get the 47 entry in the Leaders Circle (top 22 in entrant points), which would be good for the team. The corkscrew is an amazing place; it is super fun to drive. I’m excited to see how Laguna races and if there are overtaking opportunities. From what I felt at the test, it was pretty low grip so normally that results in good racing. I’m happy to go race there. Let’s see what we can do.”

BOBBY RAHAL AT LAGUNA SECA – 11 MAJOR WINS OVER HIS CAREER AS A DRIVER AND TEAM OWNER
Bobby Rahal captured his first major race win at Laguna Seca in the Can Am series in 1979 so it’s only fitting that the track has become the most successful for RLL overall as a team. After that Can Am win, Rahal went on to become the only driver to win four straight Indy car wins at the track from 1984-1987, the 1985 win coming from pole. A third place in 1992 brought him his fifth podium finish at the track. In terms of Indy car history at Laguna Seca, in 22 races from 1983-2004, the most wins other drivers have is two (Danny Sullivan 1988, 1990), Michael Andretti (1991-92), Paul Tracy (1993-94), Bryan Herta with RLL (1998-99), Patrick Carpentier (2003-04).  As part of the pre-race festivities, Rahal will take a lap in the car he won the 1986 Indy 500 in.

POINT STANDINGS AFTER 17 OF 18 RACES
Heading into Round 18 at the Mission Foods GP of Laguna Seca, Rahal is ranked 15th overall with 291 points. Foster is 19th with 251 points and Schumacher is 23rd with 205. Schumacher is 18 points from leader Dennis Hauger, in Rookie of the Year standings, 223-205.