LEXINGTON, Ohio — The Ohio State football-themed racing helmet Graham Rahal wore for Sunday’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio is in need of a new Buckeye leaf decal.
A New Albany native and unapologetic Ohio State fan, Rahal took advantage of a late caution as he was pitting for the final time and held off a late charge by Justin Wilson to take the checkered flag in front of a partisan crowd at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
The win was the second of the season for Rahal, the son of open-wheel legend and two-time Mid-Ohio winner Bobby Rahal. The younger Rahal pulled within nine points of series leader Juan Pablo Montoya, who finished 11th at the 2.25-mile, 13-turn permanent road course.
“Of all the races other than the (Indianapolis) 500, this would be the one to mean the most, that I would want to win the most,” Rahal said. “Anything that I’ve ever accomplished before … this is the best thing for me.
“I dreamt of this for a long, long, long time. This place is near and dear to us as a family.”
Rahal’s father won at Mid-Ohio in 1985 and again in 1986, the same year he took the checkers at the Indianapolis 500. He claimed series championships in 1986, 1987 and 1992 and had a record eight podium finishes at Mid-Ohio.
“Coming here for so many years and being on the podium with dad before, the ties are amazing,” Graham Rahal said. “I spent so many days coming here as a little kid running around and terrorizing the paddock.
“No matter how many races I’ve won in my career, if I had never won here it would have been pretty disappointing. To get this one, you have no clue what this means.”
Lucky Break: Rahal came in for his final pit stop just as Sage Karam spun in turn 4 at the end of the backstretch to bring out a caution on lap 66. The lead group came in when the pits opened, allowing Rahal to take the lead.
“I had no clue who it was or where it was,” Rahal said of the Karam spin. “I get inside the pylons and I’m coming right in front of (Sebastien) Borudais’ pit and dad, who is actually spotting in (turn) 4 said, ‘There might be a yellow, there might be a yellow.’ I was like, ‘This is phenomenal if this happens.’ I knew exactly what would happen.”
Anxious Moment: Rahal led the rest of the way, surviving a scary moment on a restart on lap 84 after the fourth and final caution of the day.
Second-place finisher Justin Wilson briefly overtook Rahal on the restart, but Rahal drove deep into turn 4 before braking and Wilson couldn’t get past.
“I wanted to pass Graham, but I knew I couldn’t turn in unless I was clear,” Wilson said. “He braked so late. I can’t believe he actually made that stick.
“I was threshold braking and I couldn’t physically bend it in to take the line away from him.”
Hard Charging: Rahal started 13th after encountering trouble during Saturday’s qualifying. He was slowed down by Karam during the first qualifying session.
“Qualifying yesterday was very disappointing,” said Bobby Rahal, part owner of the team. “When you’re 13th on the grid, you’ve got to be pretty inventive to get to the front. The pit stop strategy was great, the pit stops were really good and Graham didn’t put a wheel wrong He drove the wheels off that thing.
“At this point in the championship, I guess we’re only nine points behind Montoya now. This is a big day for us. … We’re going to keep pushing. This is the little team that can. Everybody thought that a one-car team can’t get it done. This team is showing them they’re wrong.”
“Of all the races other than the (Indianapolis) 500, this would be the one to mean the most, that I would want to win the most,” Graham Rahal said.
