The turnaround of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team since May has been nothing short of amazing-two poles, one win, five Fast Six appearances, five top 10 finishes.
The first three rows are comprised of teammates. Graham Rahal and Christian Lundgaard -RLL in row 1, Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward – McLaren in row 2, and Devlin DeFrancesco and Romain Grosjean -Andretti in row 3.
DeFDrancesco and Grosjean needed a strong showing as their jobs are likely on the line. They need to have a strong race as well.
Linus Lundqvist will start 14th Saturday, a little behind where he rolled off in Nashville. He continues to impress.
Jack Harvey’s eighth place qualifying run, one of his best this season, will be negated by a six place grid penalty.
Alex Palou starts ninth, which as we have seen doesn’t matter. He still starts 11 spots ahead of Josef Newgarden.
I found it odd to see a fast Six without a Ganassi or a Penske car in it. It took me a minute to realize the Fast Six had started.
I will have the official starting lineup and tire selections in the morning. I wll also have a story on the Mayer Shank news announced today. It wasn’t completely what I expected.
Note- A more ddetailed story about Christian Lundgaard and RLL will be up tomorrow morning, followed by a complete wrap up. Just wanted to egt some thoughts out there now.
Congratulations to Christian Lundgaard on his first career victory in Indycar. He has been the most solid driver on the team this year, but is starting to put it together. Lundgaard won the pole at GMR Grand Prix at IMS in May. At Mid Ohio he started fifth and finished fourth.
It is always nice to see a first time winner in the series. the genuine emotion and joy shown by Lundgaard and the entire RLL organization was a joy to watch.
The entire Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team deserves credit for thier incredible turnaround since May. This team struggled to get two of their three cars into the Indianpolis 500.
It was a richly deserved win with great stategy calls and a couple of great passes.
Maybe Palou Isn’t Human?
Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden had Alex palou right where they wanted him. He started 15th, his worst satrting spot of the year. Dixon and Newgarden were both ahead of him. With the race on a tight street course where passing is difficult, I’m sure visions of points gains danced in their heads.
So, Palou finishes second, nursing a front wing that could have fallen off at any moment, and adds seven points to his cahampionship lead.
Maybe he is bullet proof.
Toronto- Where the Streaks Have No Name
Four streaks ended this weekend. Alex Palou’s three race winning streak, Colton Herta’s two weekend pole streak, Will Power not being in the Fast Six, and Herta’s non podium streak.
It is hard for me to believe that Herta had not been on the poium in 2023 until today.
As for Palou, he could start another one and run to the end of the season.
I had questioned power’s competitiveness early in the year, but he has been strong since the 500.
Notes
Lundgaard joins Kyle Kirkwood as first time career winners in 2023. Their wins have something in common. Both drivers won a street race from the pole.
Romain Grosjean’s Indycar future may be hanging by a thread. Another crash today makrks his fourth finishn of 22nd or worse since May. His last top ten finish was at Barber.
How did the crews of Will Power and Marcus Ericsson get the fuel calculations so wrong?
Congratulations to Marcus Srmstrong on his seventh place finish.
Agustin canapino finsihed 12th, tying his career best set at St. Pete, but he started this weekend from 18th, his career best start. A great weekend for the Indycar rookie.
Does trouble always find Kyle Kirkwood, or does he always find trouble? He puzzles me.
Thanks for following along this weekend. A more in depth story on RLL’s journey to Victory Lane will be up tomorrow.
Christian Lundgaard won his second pole of the season, turning his fast lap as time expired in the Fast Six. The pole is a culmination of the improvements Rahal Letterman lLanigan Racing has made the last two races. It was an entertaining qualifying, with weatherr scrambling the Fast Six.
Rain neutralized the Andretti team advantage as the team did not put a car in the Fast Six. Round 1 group1 went according to plan for the team, with Kyle Kirkwood and Romain Grosjean advancing. Colton Herta did not make it out of his group as the rain during group 2 caused him to spin, losing his best 2 laps to that point. He could never get another good lap in. Herta had won poles at the last two races.
Round 1 did not go to plan for points leader Alex Palou, who will start 15th. It is Palou’s worst starting spot of the season. His three race winning strak is in jeopardy tomorrow.
The Fast Six was run in drying conditions. Pato O’Ward startedd on the altrnates and sett several fast laps. The others- Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist, and Lundgaard, turned a lap on the rain tire then came in for alternates. O’Ward did not pit for new tires, he didn’t have enough at the end.
Thge final seconds ticked off as every driver too the lead as they crossed the line. Lundgaard secured the pole as the last car to finish.
Notes
Will Power made the Fast Six for the first time in 2023. The all time career leader still seeks his forst pole of the year.
Impressive job by Tom Blomqvist to qualify 20th in just his third session in an Indycar. He did it in rainy conditions as well.
Agustin CCanapino matched his best start at 18th, also in the rain.
There is a slight chance of rain during the race tomorrow.
The grid for tomorrow’s race has a lot of fast cars mid pack and toward the rear. Starting tire choices will be interesting The jumbled lineup should make for a fun race.
I will have the staring liineup tomorrow m\orning and a race preview.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing To Participate
INDIANAPOLIS (Wednesday, May 24, 2023) – INDYCAR has announced a special session Thursday, May 25 for the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet and the No. 44 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda after an Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge practice incident Monday involving both teams.
The 15-minute session will take place from 4:30-4:45 p.m. ET in preparation for final practice from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday on Miller Lite Carb Day. Graham Rahal is driving the No. 24 DRR Cusick Carekeepers Chevrolet, while Katherine Legge is behind the wheel of the No. 44 Hendrickson Honda fielded by RLL.
Each team will be allowed unlimited install laps (out and in) within the time frame. They will not be allowed to stay on the track to cross the start-finish line and the Yard of Bricks.
The 107th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 28 (11 a.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Christian Lundgaard’s first career pole capped a rebound day for Rahal Letterman Laniugan Racing. The team has floundered this season in qualifying, but today all three drivers were in the mix in every session. All three- Lundgaard,Jack Harvey, and Graham Rahal- advance the round of 12. Lundraagd and Harvey moved on to the Fast Six. Harvey will start fourth tomorrow and Rahal lines up eighth.
Lundgaard talks about his pole run
Felix Rosenqvist starts second on Saturday, missing the pole bu just0.0027 seconds. The difference between Lundgaard’s time and sixth place Kyle Kirkwood was 0.2971 seconds, one of the closest since the Fast 6 format began.
Unususal Fast 12
Round 2 feaqtured all of the drivers from three different teams. I don’t recall three entire teams making the round of 12 before. The complete squad from Ganassi-Scott Dixon, Alex palou, Marcus Ericsson, and Marcus Armstrong; all the Arrow McLaren drivers- Pato O’Ward, Alexander Rossi, and Rosenqvist; and the Rahal crew.
Kyle Kirkwood from Andretti and Will Power from Penske filled out the 12 spots. Kirkwood advanced.
Where is Penske?
Five poles have been awarded this season, but none to a Penske driver. Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin each have a fourth place start, and McLaughlin also has a sixth place in qualifying. New garden has yet to make a Fast Six on a road or street course.
Andretti Woes
Today was the worst qualifying day of the ear for Andretti. Colton Herta’s oil line fire in the morning practice seemed to set the tone for the day. Kirkwood was the only driver to advance to the second round.. Romain Grosjean, who has twompoles this season, will satrt 18th.
Indycar fans got their exercise by jumping to a conclusion about Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing this week. First Jack Harvey, injured in a lap 42 accident at St. Pete, was finally cleared to drive again.
A few days later, the team announced that2022 Indy Lights champion Linus Lundqvist will get an oval test April3 at Texas, the day after the Indycar race there. Lundqvist was caught in a lowering of the champion award money which didn’t give him enough funding to secure an Indycar ride. Rahal said that they will see about entering him in a few races later in the year.
It would be easy to conclude that RLL is preparing a replacement for Jack Harvey at the end of the year. I’m not ready to make that leap yet, but Harvey’s inauspicious start to a make-or-break season certainly adds fuel to that suspicion. The next race at Texas is the one Harvey sat out in 2022 after suffering a concussion in a practice crash.
We will see how this plays out, but I look for a fourth Rahal entry at some races after May. I’m excited to see what Lundqvist can do. meanwhile, Let’s see if Harvey can turn his fortunes around.
Argentina Calling?
Mark Miles went to Argentina to check out a track for a possible Indycar race. Ricardo Juncos has been pushing for the series to race in his home country. In November Juncos held demonstration runs with Augustin Canapino which drew large crowds.
Track designer Tony Cotman accompanied Miles on the trip.
A race in South America needs to make perfect financial sense for the teams, the series, and the schedule. The gap between St. Pete and Texas would be the ideal spot for this race. There is plenty of time for transport back and forth, and it wouldn’t interfere with the rest of the schedule.
While I am not against an Argentina event, I’d rather the series focus on bringing back Milwaukee and adding other tracks in the United States. Indycar badly needs a race in the Northeast.
Jack Harvey, injured in a crash during the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg March 5, has still not been medically cleared to drive. The driver of the number 30 car for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will miss today’s team test at Barber Motorsports Park.
The nature of the injury is not known, but I believe it has something to do with his wrists.
Juri Vips, a former F2 driver, will fill in today. Harvey will be reevaluated before the Texas race. In 2022 he missed the Texas race after suffering a concussion in the final practice.
Harvey was rumored to be in a make or break year, and the injury and missing time in the car is not helping his cause. Vips also tested with the team last October.
Albert Whitted Airport Getting Another Look
The airport in St. Petersburg is getting another look by the mayor’s office for a possible conversion to another use. When Ken Welch became mayor two years ago, surveys were conducted to see if the city could make better use of thland. Now, the process is beginning again. One of the runways serves as the front stretch and pits for the Grand Prix.
Photo from Tampa Bay Times
The race has just extended its agreement with Indycar for two more years. It will take at least that long for any plans to surface, so I wouldn’t be concerned just yet.
The front stretch (R) is a runway at Albert Whitted Airport the rest of the year
I remember the first time this subject came up, something was mentioned about the FAA having a say in the matter. Stay tuned, but for now, we’re still racing in St. Pete.
Indycar Drivers at Sebring
This weekend’s Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring will feature five full time Indycar drivers and a driver entered in the Indianapolis 500. Three of the drivers are from Andretti Autosport- Devlin DeFrancesco in the number 51 LMP 2 car, Kyle Kirkwood in the Vasser-Sullivan Lexus number 14 GTD Pro, and Romain Grosjean in the number 3 Lamborghini, also in GTD Pro.
Scott Dixon will drive the 01 Cadillac GTP for Ganassi, and Helio Castroneves will drive for his Indycar boss, Mike Shank, in the number 60 GTP Acura.
Katherine Legge will drive car 66, an Acura NSX, in the GTD class.
I will have more Sebring coverage later this week.
When Simona DeSilvestro drove in the Indianapolis 500 two years ago, I thought a new era of women drivers in the race was about to begin. While that didn’t happen, today’s announcement gives me new hope of consistently having a woman driver in the race. Jamie Chadwick is in the NXT Series, and she may be in the race in a couple of years. I know this ride is just a one off, but a good result may bolster chances for a return.
In my opinion, Legge is the top female driver in the world.
Legge’s two Indy 500 appearances were pretty much the same. She started 30th in 2012 and finished22nd. In 2013 she started last and finished 26th. Legge will have her best shot at success this year in a Rahal prepared car.
Thanks to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for making this happen.
The team announcement:
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (February 9, 2023) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) announced today that Hendrickson, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of suspension systems and components to the commercial transportation industry, will be the primary sponsor of the team’s No. 44 Honda-powered entry for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. Katherine Legge, who is one of 9 women to compete in the Indy 500, will return to the team to pilot the entry for her third appearance in the race.
British driver Legge, who currently races an Acura NSX GT3 full time in the GTD class in IMSA, scored a win and pole with RLL in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series in the 2018/2019 ABB FIA Formula E season and finished on the podium three times in 10 races. She competed in the Champ Car World Series fulltime in 2006-07 and made 10 Indy car starts in 2012 while sharing an entry with four-time Indy car champion Sebastien Bourdais at Dragon Racing. In total, she has made 39 Champ or Indy car starts with a best finish of sixth, two times. A long time Honda/Acura competitor, she brought NSX its first win worldwide in Detroit in 2017.
Hendrickson joined the team as an associate sponsor in 2019 and created a purpose-built engineering support trailer that made its debut at the 2019 Indianapolis 500. The trailer enables the team to maximize the information sharing between their three fulltime INDYCAR programs at each of the race events in the interest of performance. Hendrickson extended their partnership with the team in 2022 and expanded it to become the primary sponsor of Christian Lundgaard’s entry at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio last year. This will be their second appearance as a primary sponsor of a racing event.
The 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg which will be broadcast live on NBC on Sunday, March 5 at 12 p.m. EDT. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service or USA Network. For more information about the series or team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.
About Hendrickson Hendrickson, a Boler company, is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of medium- and heavy-duty mechanical, elastomeric and air suspensions; integrated and non-integrated axle and brakes systems; tire pressure control systems; auxiliary lift axle systems; parabolic and multi-leaf springs; stabilizers; bumpers; and components to the global commercial transportation industry. Hendrickson, based in Woodridge, Ill., USA, continues to meet the needs of the transportation industry for more than 100 years. Visit Hendrickson at www.hendrickson-intl.com.
About Katherine Legge Legge, a native of Guildford, United Kingdom, currently competes fulltime in an Acura NSX GT3 for Gradient Racing in the GTD class in IMSA. Her resume includes experience in Formula 3, Formula Renault, a Formula One test, Champ Car, Indy car, A1GP, DTM, Formula E and sports car racing. Legge was the first woman to win pole in a Zetec race in 2000. One year later she won BRDC’s “Rising Star” award. In November 2005 she became the first woman to test a Formula One car since Sarah Fisher in 2002. Legge competed in the Toyota Atlantic Championship in 2005, winning the series opener in Long Beach in her first career start to become the first woman to win a developmental open wheel race in North America. She finished the 2005 Atlantic season third in the championship with three wins and five podiums. She moved up to PKV Racing in Champ Car in 2006 and became the first woman to lead a lap in that series when she led Lap 12 at Milwaukee and went on to earn an Indy car career best finish there of sixth. She later had a massive crash at Road America but was largely uninjured and able to compete in the final two races of the season. She competed for Dale Coyne Racing in 2007 and matched her best series finish of sixth at Long Beach and earned her best Indy car start of eighth, twice, before returning to Europe to compete in the DTM touring car series from 2008-2010 where she was an Audi factory driver. After a one-year hiatus from racing, she joined Dragon Racing’s IndyCar Series team in 2012 but a short-lived Lotus program led to the team only being able to secure one Chevrolet engine for two drivers and Legge only competed on oval tracks. She moved to the Delta Wing sports car program from 2013-2015 and also competed in two Formula E races with Amlin Aguri in the 2014/2015 season. She spent three seasons with Meyer Shank Racing from 2017-2019 in a factory-backed Acura GTD program and earned four wins and 11 podium finishes – including the first win worldwide for NSX in Detroit in 2017. In 2020, she competed in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in a Lamborghini in the GTD class before switching her focus to a European-based racing program. She signed with Richard Mille Racing to take part in the 2020 European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 prototype category but was injured in a pre-season testing crash after a tire failure at the Paul Ricard circuit and missed the remainder of the season while recovering from her injuries. In 2021-2022, she returned to IMSA as lead driver for Team Hardpoint, driving a Porsche 911 in the GTD class and currently competes in an Acura NSX in the GTD class for Gradient Racing in 2023. She and her co-drivers recently finished fourth in class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. In her free time, she is a Girl Scouts STEM Ambassador and enjoys skiing, cycling, training and competing in triathlons, yoga and is a vegan athlete. Legge is the second female race car driver to compete for RLL. Danica Patrick competed in the Atlantic Series with the team from 2003-2004 and in the IndyCar Series from 2005-2006.
QUOTEBOARD
KATHERINE LEGGE, driver of the No. 44 Hendrickson Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I am thrilled to be back at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for the biggest race in the world, the Indy 500. Bobby gave me my first chance to win races for the team in the Jaguar I-PACE series a few years ago and it feels like a homecoming of sorts to be back with the team, especially seeing as I’m also very proud to be back with HPD in IMSA, and now in the INDYCAR SERIES. Racing at Indy with an Indy 500-winning team and with Honda is an amazing opportunity, and one I am very grateful for and intend to make the most of. I’m hoping I can learn from my teammates and team members, and transition smoothly back to open wheel racing for May. I can’t wait to get to work!”
JEFF SASS, Vice President of Marketing, Hendrickson: “Hendrickson is very proud to be a part of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. We, at Hendrickson, are excited to have Katherine Legge driving the Hendrickson Honda No. 44 car at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the Indy 500. We expect to be kneeling down next to Bobby, Dave, Mike and Katherine kissing the bricks Memorial Day weekend.”
BOBBY RAHAL, Co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “After more than a few attempts, I’m happy to announce that Katherine will join us in our Hendrickson Honda for the 107th running of the Indy 500. I’ve been a fan of Katherine’s for many years and know that, in the right situation, she can be competitive and figure into the outcome at the end of the race. She has driven for us before in the Jaguar electric program and won from pole in Mexico City and finished on the podium several times, so it is nice to have her back with us to work together at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time. I know she looks at this as a chance to show everybody what she really can do.”
MIKE LANIGAN, Co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “We are looking forward to seeing the No. 44 Hendrickson entry at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing – the Indy 500 – and welcoming Katherine back to the team. The Lanco Group of Companies has used Hendrickson suspension components for many years and it is great to work with them in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. They have been a great partner over the years, and we are looking forward to a long future and exciting May.”
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (August 16, 2022) – Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing announced today that the team has restructured a new, long-term agreement with NTT INDYCAR SERIES rookie-of-the-year contender Christian Lundgaard that will see the Danish driver continue to compete for the team in 2023 and beyond.
Lundgaard has momentum on his side heading into the final three races of the season. He earned an INDYCAR career-best finish of second place at the Gallagher Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 30 and earned his highest series start of third place at the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville on August 6. He leads the INDYCAR Rookie of the Year standings with 272 points to second-place David Malukas, who has 231.
The 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season resumes with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway on August 19-20. The race will air live on USA Network at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 20. All on-track action can be seen on NBC or NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. For more information on the series and team, visit http://www.indycar.com and http://www.rahal.com.
QUOTEBOARD:
CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD, Driver of the No. 30 Honda: “I have to say a big thanks to Bobby, David and Mike for giving me this opportunity to extend my time with the team. We’ve had some good results lately and I’m sure this has also helped their decision. First of all, I’m just happy and super excited that they gave me this opportunity. A year ago at the Grand Prix, we qualified well and they decided that they wanted me for a full season and we made the most of the opportunity so far. I’m sure there are times when we could have performed better but now we have the opportunity to continue this progress. We’ve been to a lot of tracks so far and have come back to some and finished on the podium, which I hope to continue. Qualifying third in Nashville was a big milestone for me. Making the Fast Six – and not being at the end of the Fast Six but actually having a shot at competing for the pole – was a great experience for me. We didn’t quite finish where we wanted but it was good to have that experience and now everyone is making the most of it. I’m happy for everyone at the team, my family and the sponsors and investors, everyone that has made this possible. I’m looking forward to continuing to build momentum.”
BOBBY RAHAL, Co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “I am so pleased with Christian’s progress with the team and within the series. He has shown that he can be a force to be reckoned with in these races. He works well within the team, and we are pleased that we are continuing for the next several years because I believe he will continue to improve and be a potential winner in the very near future.”
MIKE LANIGAN, Co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “Christian has done a great job acclimatizing to the variety of challenges and new experiences this season. His approach and professionalism continues to impress us and his performance, especially in the second half of the season, speaks volumes about his potential. We are very happy to have him as part of the team for the years ahead.”
About Christian Lundgaard Christian Lundgaard, 21, from Hedensted, Denmark, came to the INDYCAR SERIES after competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, the primary Formula 1 support series, from 2020-2021. Lundgaard was a member of the Alpine Academy, having joined the program in 2017 following an impressive career in European and World Karting Championships. Christian’s first year in single-seaters led to two Formula 4 titles – NEZ and Spanish – before he finished runner-up in the 2018 Formula Renault Eurocup as a rookie. In 2019, Christian stepped up to Formula 3, finishing sixth, before progressing to Formula 2 the following season.
In his first year in Formula 2 in 2020, he won two races and backed that up the following year with three podiums. He finished second in Race 2 at the season opener in Bahrain before claiming third place in Race 1 in Great Britain in July. After his debut in INDYCAR, he made a sensational charge from 19th on the grid to finish third in Monza in Race 1. He tested the R.S.18 on one occasion in 2021 at Silverstone.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 