Graham Rahal has had a successful IndyCar career after taking six victories, with his first coming on the Streets of St. Petersburg in 2008.
The American driver is very experienced and has driven for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing since 2013 after switching to the team his father co-owns from Chip Ganassi Racing.
Rahal has been very competitive over his career, taking multiple podium finishes and being quick on ovals as well as circuits.
The past couple of seasons have been slightly more difficult for Rahal, as he has only taken one podium over the past three years, second place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course in 2023.
It has become increasingly difficult to win in IndyCar, as Alex Palou has been incredibly impressive, taking three titles in the last four seasons.
Rahal is enduring a winless streak in IndyCar of 126 races since his victory at Belle Isle Park in 2017 on the bumpy streets of Detroit.
He has now admitted to the official IndyCar website that his lack of wins in recent years has been frustrating as Rahal feels he has had good pace in some races.
Graham Rahal admits his strong race pace which hasn’t yielded a win since 2017 is a ‘major frustration’
The Rahal Letterman Lanigan team have been floundering towards the back of the field over the past few seasons, with particular issues on ovals.
Rahal got bumped out of the field at the 107th Running of the Indy 500 after a tense two-day qualifying effort and setting the slowest average speed in Last Chance Qualifying.
The 35-year-old struggled on ovals throughout the 2024 season, only finishing in the top 10 once, with an eighth place in the opening race of the weekend at Iowa.
He explained that despite his ability to manage a race and stay out of trouble, his lack of racing at the front and winning has become irritating.
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Rahal said: “Frankly, when it takes that long to be in the position that I’m in without a win, the desire gets stronger and stronger. That also becomes an annoyance.
“I genuinely feel like on Sundays, I’m one of the best drivers out here. I really feel like when it comes to race day, there are not many drivers that can put a whole race together like I can.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of near-misses, and that’s a major frustration when it continuously bounces [in] the wrong direction.”
Rahal Letterman Lanigan need to improve on ovals particularly
The ovals are a vital part of IndyCar racing, with the Indy 500 being the most important race on the calendar, where the RLL team have struggled in recent years.
Rahal also endured a particularly difficult weekend at the Milwaukee Mile, which has shallower banking than some ovals, creating a unique challenge for the entire field.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will welcome Indy NXT champion Louis Foster to the team for the 2025 season, and he was very successful on ovals – winning all four races over the campaign.
Despite Foster being a rookie, he has already driven on a lot of ovals on the IndyCar calendar which may help the team develop in that specific area.