Dream come true: Graham Rahal cherishes home victory at Mid-Ohio
STEAM CORNERS, Ohio -- Graham Rahal has had a dream ever since his father raced for the late Jim Trueman at a road course near his hometown of New Albany, Ohio. The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a challenging 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course nestled away in the cornfields of Ohio's Amish Country, but when Graham was a kid, it was a cool place to play while his father drove high-speed Indy cars.
When Rahal's father won here in 1985 and 1986, Graham hadn't even been born yet. But he did dream of what it would be like to win at Mid-Ohio when he was a kid.
And that dream came true in Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio when he took his father and his mother into victory lane, and in the process, trimmed Juan Pablo Montoya's lead in the Verizon IndyCar Series championship from 42 points to just nine with two races remaining.
"I dreamt of this for a long, long, long time," Rahal said. "In fact, I had a dream Friday night that I won. I guess sometimes dreams do come true.
"Today was our day. It worked out. This place, with the Truemans, Jim getting dad his start really in racing, my grandfather used to race here many, many, many years ago. I guess my dad said his first race he saw here was 1963 so this place is near and dear to us as a family.
"Coming here for so many years, have been on the podium with dad before, saying, 'Gentlemen start your engines' before his final race at Mid-Ohio in 1998 - it's just like the ties to this are amazing. That's why it's so cool to have my whole family here and be able to do something like this.
"It's a pretty special day for us."
Rahal drove to his third career victory and his second in the past four races. He led the final 23 laps of the race and as able to live his dream by taking the checkered flag and going to victory lane at Mid-Ohio.
"Of all the races, and the Indianapolis 500, this would be the one to me that means the most, the one I'd want to win the most," Rahal admitted. "To be in this position, to get a W here in Central Ohio, with the Buckeye helmet, having Joey Galloway here, all the hometown fans, friends, family. My mom is here; she's never seen me win before in IndyCar. My dad was here. My sisters and brothers -- just literally my whole family. It's a very special day for us. I think the only person we're missing is Courtney (Force, his fiance). Hopefully this brings a smile to her face.
"This is special to me. This means more than any of the others obviously. Only three in IndyCar, but anything that I've ever accomplished before -Daytona Rolex 24 included - this is the best thing for me."
And it's special in many ways because it thrusts him even closer to another dream - winning the Verizon IndyCar Series championship.
Rahal won Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and that, combined with points leader Juan Pablo Montoya's 11th-place finish, has placed the 26-year-old driver within nine points of the championship lead with just two races remaining.
"That sounds like a good number to me," Rahal said. "This is huge. When it's your day it's your day. Today, that yellow fell at the perfect time. What can you say?"
Rahal drove from 13th starting position and go to the front through fierce determination. He withstood a fierce challenge from Justin Wilson on a restart with seven laps to go to eventually take the victory by 3.4049 seconds. He led the final 23 laps - the most of any driver in the race.
Seven years separated Rahal from his first career win in February 2008 to his second victory at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., on June 27. Only two races separated Rahal from that victory and his third career Verizon IndyCar Series win on Sunday.
"I feel fairly confident I would have won some more races earlier in my career," Rahal said. "It was seven years that taught me a lot. It's my time to try to go win a championship for myself, the team and Steak 'n Shake."
The major break of the race came on Lap 66 of the 90-lap contest when Rahal drove into the pit. At virtually the same time, Sage Karam spun in Turn 5 to bring out a full-course caution. Rahal had already committed to pit lane before the pits were closed because of the caution. That proved to be a major break for Rahal.
Karam's spin was a bit curious and IndyCar officials requested a post-race review to see if he intentionally created a caution.
Rahal needed that caution and his old nemesis - the driver that kept him from advancing in Saturday's knockout qualifications - delivered in an ironic way.
"Lady Luck, or my buddy Sage, it worked perfectly," Rahal said. "Funny how things come full circle sometimes.
"I had not clue who it was and where it was. I was expecting them to peel in the pits with me on that lap and they did not. Dad was spotting for me in Turn 4 and said there might be a yellow and I thought 'This is phenomenal.' If there is anyone you want to race at the end like that it's Justin Wilson because he will race you clean."
All the drivers after Rahal still had to make one more pit stop.
Once the sequence was completed when the pits were open, Rahal was in the lead of the race on Lap 68.
With 10 laps to go Charlie Kimball went into the gravel and stalled his Chevrolet for a full-course caution. That wiped out Rahal's 3.1125-second lead over Wilson.
"Dad, don't worry about giving me updates unless someone is there," Rahal radioed to his father and team owner, Bobby. "The car is just now coming to me. It's getting better every lap."
Montoya finished 11th and was livid with Karam's spin, confident it was done intentionally to benefit Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon. Ironically, it helped Rahal.
"When everyone else pitted they had to save fuel from that point," Montoya said. "It was hard for them to make it without a caution.
"And, you know, it's kind of weird that all the Ganassi cars pitted and Sage spins. So it is what it is. I don't know if it was on purpose or not, but I hear the spin was really dodgy.
"Karma is a (expletive), so we'll see."
The winner is a huge Ohio State Buckeyes fan and wore a helmet painted with the familiar scarlett and gray worn by the defending national championship football team.
"That helmet is going to be nice race worn, sitting on my shelf the rest of its life," Rahal said. "That's a special one for me. My guys all had leafs on their helmets - Buckeye leafs on their helmets. They had five for the five podiums this year, but they're going to get a sixth here at the end of the day.
"I think that's going to stick. I think that's something we can keep doing, give them some pride, keep everybody working hard. I think we have a series-high six podiums this season - by far the most in my career. So this is pretty special."
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