Latest news with #Rahal
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Indianapolis Star
Why Jay Frye used Al Pacino's speech to set tone for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Though they ultimately weren't left kissing the bricks as they'd hoped, and as it appeared they very well might be part way through this year's Indianapolis 500, Jay Frye felt he and his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team had built some noted momentum coming out of the Month of May unlike RLL had experienced since it's victory in 2020. Weeks into his tenure as the team's new president, a role Frye took over mid-April at the Long Beach Grand Prix, Frye, the old Missouri tight end and offensive tackle sat the team down and played Al Pacino's locker room speech from "Any Given Sunday" in an attempt to instill the importance of 'inches' to the race team that has had flashes of brilliance over the last couple years but largely has fallen deep into the mid-pack after years of darkhorse title contention with Graham Rahal. 'The inches we need are everywhere around us," the speech goes. "They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know that when we add up all those inches, that's going to make the (expletive) difference between winning and losing.' With all three cars in the Fast Six at the IMS road course and a challenge for the win by Rahal, the team found some inches. They found a few more in leading the most laps in the 500, qualifying a car on the front row and landing a pair of top-12 finishes for the team's two youngest drivers. But in the two weeks since — races that have included four crashed cars, three did-not-finishes and no finishes better than 20th across all three of the team's full-time cars — RLL has left yards' worth of inches strewn across the track. Road America, Frye told IndyStar, marks an opportunity to spool back up some momentum. 'We've shot ourselves in the foot a lot and lost a lot of points, and we can't do that. There's things we have to do to adjust and make sure that type of stuff doesn't happen,' Frye told IndyStar, hours ahead of what proved to be a dismal night at World Wide Technology Raceway for RLL, with Rahal 22nd eight laps down on pace, Devlin DeFrancesco 43 laps down in 23rd after a Lap 4 crash the team managed to repair and rookie Louis Foster in 26th by virtue of a crash caused by drifting too high into the marbles and ending up in the wall before he'd be T-boned by Josef Newgarden. 'We had a team meeting (a couple weeks ago), and I showed the team that clip … and that's what this is," he continued. "There's little things all around you, and if you don't take advantage of them or capitalize on them, and you mess that inch up, you end up 20th, and we should've finished 12th. When our cars have been fast, we've finished 20th, and when our cars are not as fast, we've been finishing 20th. You've got to find a way to build that momentum and get it going.' 'You have to reprogram your whole mind': Fired by IndyCar, Jay Frye talks new role with RLL Entering this weekend, both Foster and DeFranesco, 24th and 25th in points respectively, sit outside the all-important Leaders Circle spots that pay the top 22 charter-holding IndyCar entrants more than $1.1 million the following year. At the moment, the Nos. 45 and 30 cars sit 23rd and 24th — with Rahal's No. 15 plummeting down to 18th after sitting 13th following his season-best sixth-place finish on the IMS road course. Over the last four years at Road America, RLL has taken a liking to the National Park of Speed, with eight finishes of 11th or better out of 11 starts. In 10 career starts at the track, Rahal has only finished outside the top 11 once and has a pair of podiums in 2007 and 2016. With its billiard table-smooth surface, Road America offers some similarities to the IMS road course, a track RLL has shined at across the board in recent years, giving Frye hope Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's race can act as a spring board for the team ahead of a jam-packed July without an off weekend. 'There's so much good here. There's a lot of really good things, but again, it's just about piecing it all together and getting some momentum on our side,' Frye said. 'We really need to finish where we're running. You've got to maximize what we've got, and we need to build momentum and finish the year strong and build into 2026. That's the key. 'Momentum is a funny thing.' Insider: Jay Frye was once IndyCar's change agent, until he no longer fit the Penske mold Reflecting back on his previous life as a NASCAR team executive, Frye pointed to his days atop MB2 Motorsports in 2007, where driver Mark Martin finished 0.02 seconds from a Daytona 500 win, and then went on a tear for the otherwise mid-pack team and led the points for several weeks at the start of that year. 'And then there's other times where you've having trouble, and you can work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you can't get out of (a rut),' he said. 'We're not struggling. There's good things that have been happening, except it's been inconsistent. Momentum is real, and I felt like we were building some coming out of May and had three or four things happen, and we don't get a good result, and there went that momentum. 'We've got to stop that.'
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Graham Rahal Reflective, Still Hungry as Milestone Approaches This Weekend
INDYCAR Graham Rahal reaches his 300th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The start in the 260-lap race airing at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network places Rahal in an exclusive group of drivers. Rahal joins Scott Dixon, who will make his record-extending 410th INDYCAR SERIES start, Mario Andretti (407), Helio Castroneves (395), Tony Kanaan (390), A.J. Foyt (369), Al Unser Jr. (329), Al Unser (320), Michael Andretti (317), Johnny Rutherford (315) and Will Power (310) as drivers reaching the triple-century mark. His dad, Bobby Rahal, made 264 career starts. Rahal's commitment is also reflected in a streak of consecutive starts. He hasn't missed a race since July 25, 2010, at Edmonton. Rahal will tie Marco Andretti for third-most consecutive starts with 249 in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on June 22. Only Dixon's 346 and counting, and Kanaan's 318 are more. Success is measured in many different ways, and when you look at wins, maybe it's not enough, but I've been fortunate to have a long career here,' Rahal said. 'But hopefully there's still a ways to go. 'Three hundred races, I think what I'm most fortunate about is to have been able to stay, knock on wood, pretty healthy through those times, and hopefully that will continue, as well.' Rahal is acutely aware he hasn't matched the resume of his father, Bobby, who won the 1986 Indy 500 among his 24 career victories and three championships. With six career wins and nearly 50 percent of his 299 starts ending in top-10 finishes (146), Rahal admits he wishes his trophy case was fuller. But he also understands and respects what he's achieved. 'There are a lot of people who come to this sport, have extended careers and never have that sort of success,' he said. 'But I'm not oblivious to the fact that I wish I had a lot, lot more. But I feel that in some ways, too, I've been through a lot in this sport. I've been to a lot of different teams. I've been through good years. I've been through years where we've really, really struggled. 'What I've been most proud of is being able to find our way out of those holes.' A recent example is 2014, when he finished 19th in points with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He bounced back in 2015 with the same team, breaking a 123-race winless streak with wins at Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finishing fourth in the standings. Rahal is winless in his last 134 starts, dating back to the June 2017 doubleheader sweep at Belle Isle Park. He also entered this season after an 18th-place points finish last year. He has climbed to 15th in points after seven races – a modest position, but with indicators that things are heading the right way. A late-season surge is possible. Early on, Rahal's strength came in race pace more than qualifying. He climbed nine spots in the Firestone Grand Prix St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding to finish 12th in the season opener. He gained seven spots at The Thermal Club, finishing 11th. At Barber Motorsports Park, he started 21st and finished 14th. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13 was the lone race day setback. He started 16th but finished 22nd. Rahal's average starting position in the first four races was 19th. But in the next three, that's improved dramatically to 9.3. That's a tangible result of the team finding direction. He qualified an impressive second in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He led a race-high 49 laps May 10 in that race but finished sixth. Two races later in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Rahal qualified fifth, but a six-spot grid penalty dropped him to 11th in the starting lineup. With better qualifying form, consistent race pace and a tight-knit team, Rahal looks more poised than he has in years to end his win drought. 'I've said this since Sebring (preseason) test that I love working with (engineer) Yves (Touron),' Rahal said. 'I love working with (engineers) Tim (Trowbridge) and Grant (George), (race strategist) Tisch (Akulich) on the stand, all the mechanics who are pretty young, several new guys, I'm really enjoying this group of guys.' recommended
Fox Sports
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox Sports
Rahal Reflective, Still Hungry as Milestone Approaches This Weekend
INDYCAR Graham Rahal reaches his 300th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline on Sunday, June 15 at World Wide Technology Raceway. The start in the 260-lap race airing at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network places Rahal in an exclusive group of drivers. Rahal joins Scott Dixon, who will make his record-extending 410th INDYCAR SERIES start, Mario Andretti (407), Helio Castroneves (395), Tony Kanaan (390), A.J. Foyt (369), Al Unser Jr. (329), Al Unser (320), Michael Andretti (317), Johnny Rutherford (315) and Will Power (310) as drivers reaching the triple-century mark. His dad, Bobby Rahal, made 264 career starts. Rahal's commitment is also reflected in a streak of consecutive starts. He hasn't missed a race since July 25, 2010, at Edmonton. Rahal will tie Marco Andretti for third-most consecutive starts with 249 in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America on June 22. Only Dixon's 346 and counting, and Kanaan's 318 are more. 'Success is measured in many different ways, and when you look at wins, maybe it's not enough, but I've been fortunate to have a long career here,' Rahal said. 'But hopefully there's still a ways to go. 'Three hundred races, I think what I'm most fortunate about is to have been able to stay, knock on wood, pretty healthy through those times, and hopefully that will continue, as well.' Rahal is acutely aware he hasn't matched the resume of his father, Bobby, who won the 1986 Indy 500 among his 24 career victories and three championships. With six career wins and nearly 50 percent of his 299 starts ending in top-10 finishes (146), Rahal admits he wishes his trophy case was fuller. But he also understands and respects what he's achieved. 'There are a lot of people who come to this sport, have extended careers and never have that sort of success,' he said. 'But I'm not oblivious to the fact that I wish I had a lot, lot more. But I feel that in some ways, too, I've been through a lot in this sport. I've been to a lot of different teams. I've been through good years. I've been through years where we've really, really struggled. 'What I've been most proud of is being able to find our way out of those holes.' A recent example is 2014, when he finished 19th in points with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. He bounced back in 2015 with the same team, breaking a 123-race winless streak with wins at Auto Club Speedway and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and finishing fourth in the standings. Rahal is winless in his last 134 starts, dating back to the June 2017 doubleheader sweep at Belle Isle Park. He also entered this season after an 18th-place points finish last year. He has climbed to 15th in points after seven races – a modest position, but with indicators that things are heading the right way. A late-season surge is possible. Early on, Rahal's strength came in race pace more than qualifying. He climbed nine spots in the Firestone Grand Prix St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding to finish 12th in the season opener. He gained seven spots at The Thermal Club, finishing 11th. At Barber Motorsports Park, he started 21st and finished 14th. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13 was the lone race day setback. He started 16th but finished 22nd. Rahal's average starting position in the first four races was 19th. But in the next three, that's improved dramatically to 9.3. That's a tangible result of the team finding direction. He qualified an impressive second in the Sonsio Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. He led a race-high 49 laps May 10 in that race but finished sixth. Two races later in the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, Rahal qualified fifth, but a six-spot grid penalty dropped him to 11th in the starting lineup. With better qualifying form, consistent race pace and a tight-knit team, Rahal looks more poised than he has in years to end his win drought. 'I've said this since Sebring (preseason) test that I love working with (engineer) Yves (Touron),' Rahal said. 'I love working with (engineers) Tim (Trowbridge) and Grant (George), (race strategist) Tisch (Akulich) on the stand, all the mechanics who are pretty young, several new guys, I'm really enjoying this group of guys.' recommended
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How to watch 2025 IMSA Laguna Seca on NBC, Peacock: Streaming info, start times and daily schedules
Bobby Rahal is getting using to his BMW 8 Hybrid V8 cars being at the forefront of IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races this season. So it's fitting the U.S. auto racing legend will kick things off for the Monterey SportsCar Championship on Sunday, May 11. Advertisement Rahal will be the grand marshal for the fourth round of the IMSA season, giving the command to start engines for two-hour, 40-minute race (3 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock) around the historic road course on the Montnerey Peninsula. "It's a great honor and privilege to be the grand marshal at obviously what is one of my favorite tracks," said Rahal, who made his Laguna Seca debut in 1976 with a Formula Atlantic race. "There's been a lot of success here, both as a driver and as an owner. It's a real thrill to have part of the racetrack named after you. Going out to Laguna, one of the crown jewels really of American road racing circuits, it was a thrill then, and it's a thrill even today." IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship The straightaway at Laguna Seca leading to its famous Corkscrew turn was renamed more than a decade ago in honor of Rahal, who will be at the track on multiple race weekends in 2025 with his IndyCar and IMSA teams. Advertisement It's been a swift start for the No. 24 BMW M Team RLL M Hybrid V8, which has won the Grand Touring Prototype pole position in three consectuive races with driver Dries Vanthoor to start the 2025 season. After lagging through the first two years of IMSA's revamped premier hybirid prototype category, Rahal's cars have improved in a critical season. But some driver, team and tactical errors have contributed to an absence from vcitory lane as the Porsche Penske Motorsport No. 7 963 has swept the first three races. "Unfortunately, we haven't been able quite put it all together," said Rahal, who hinted the BMW teams have tweaked their pit stops for Laguna Seca. "Come race day, we've had on-track, but lapped traffic at Daytona and Sebring hurt our chances at the end of the race. Looking at Long Beach, we got held up in the pits a little bit and that's all it took, I'm afraid. IMSA Long Beach results, points: Nasr, Tandy stay perfect for Porsche Penske in 2025 season Advertisement The No. 7 963 has won the first three IMSA races this year. "So, we've got to hopefully complete the job this time around. We were pretty quick there last year, so we have a reasonable chance. ... We've learned more about the car this year. The Laguna track, especially since they repaved it (in 2023), that's kind of come into our wheelhouse a bit." There is a sense of urgency for Rahal, whose sports car teams have been racing BMWs in GT and prototype classes since 2008. It's a contract year for RLL with the German manufacturer, and multiple outlets have reported that BMW has been considering options with other teams for 2026. "I don't want to get into the specifics of that, but we're obviously hoping to continue this long relationship that we've had with BMW that's dated back to 2008," Rahal said. "I know you see some of these articles and a lot of guessing and a lot of speculation, but there's three quarters of the season left. For us and BMW Motorsport, it's the same thing. Everybody's just really focused on this coming race and the race after that and after that and after that. Auto Racing: Rolex 24 At Daytona What's next for Felipe Nasr after second Daytona dandy? Le Mans awaits ... and maybe more Advertisement With a win in France, the Porsche Penske Motorsport star could earn history and a career springboard. "We go win some races, and that solves a lot of problems. So that's what we're intending to do." But the competition is very stiff in IMSA's top class, which will feature 11 entries and five manufacturers at Laguna Seca. Acura, Cadillac and Aston Martin will be battling BMW to detrhone the unbeaten Porsche. "It speaks volumes about IMSA the number of manufacturers that are involved in all classes," Rahal said. "It's phenomenal how many of all types are involved in in sports car racing and IMSA today compared to years ago. And the complexity of these cars is, in some respects, they may be more complex than a Formula 1 car. It's just at a different level. Advertisement "I think the GTP category but IMSA as a whole is just in a phenomenal place right now, and we haven't seen anything like this maybe ever." Here are the start times, daily schedules and streaming info for the 2025 IMSA Monterey SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca: 2025 IMSA Laguna Seca SportsCar Championship WHEN: Sunday, May 11 at 3 p.m. DISTANCE: A two-hour, 40-minute race on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile road course in Monterey, Califiornia. FORECAST: According to Weather Underground, it's expected to be 47 degrees with a 4% chance of rain at the green flag. ENTRY LIST: Click here to see the 36-car field in the GTP, GTD Pro and GTD classes for the 2025 IMSA Monterey SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca. How to Watch IMSA at Laguna Seca TV/STREAMING: The Monterey SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca will be televised on NBC and streamed on Peacock from flag to flag beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 11. Advertisement The NBC Sports broadcast will feature announcers Brian Till and Calvin Fish. Dave Burns, Chris Wilner and Matt Yocum are the pit reporters. RADIO: All sessions live on SiriusXM live race coverage begins May 11 at 3 p.m. (SiriusXM channel 206, Web/App 996) IMSA Laguna Seca SportsCar schedule, start times Here's a rundown of the IMSA schedule this week at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (all times are ET): Friday, May 9 11:25-11:45 a.m.: Mustang Challenge practice 12:10-1:10 p.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge practice 1:25-2:10 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo practice 3:10-3:40 p.m.: Mustang Challenge practice 4-5 p.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge practice 5:20-6:50 p.m.: WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice 7:10-7:55 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo practice 8:10-8:25 p.m.: Mustang Challenge qualifying 8:40-9:15 p.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying Saturday, May 10 11-11:35 a.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo qualifying 11:50 a.m.-12:35 p.m.: Mustang Challenge Race 1 (Peacock) 12:55-2:25 p.m.: WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice 3:45-5:45 p.m.: Michelinn Pilot Challenge WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca 120 (Peacock) 6:15-7:25 p.m.: WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying (Peacock) 7:45-8:35 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 1 (Peacock) Advertisement Sunday, May 11 11:25 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Mustang Challenge Race 2 (Peacock) 12:35-1:25 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 2 (Peacock) 3:10-5:50 p.m.: Monterey SportsCar Championship (NBC, Peacock) 2025 SEASON RECAPS ROUND 1: Porsche Penske's Felipe Nasr closes Rolex 24 at Daytona win for second conseuctive year ROUND 2: Porsche Penske Motorsport sweeps top two spots at Twelve Hours of Sebring ROUND 3: Nasr, Tandy stay perfect with Porsche in victory at Long Beach
Perth Now
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Is this Perth's best Dubai chocolate?
Dubai chocolate is suddenly popping up all over the Perth with cookie shops and ice cream parlours offering their own takes on the viral foodie trend. Even supermarkets have started offering imported bars for upwards of $15. FEA Milla Munro with Nabils Acai chocolate. Credit: Iain Gillespie / The West Australian The Lebanese sweet shop was one of the first in Perth to offer their own take of the chocolate treat after Mahmoud Rahal, whose family own Nabil's, saw the bar trending on social media and set about creating his own version. 'After lots of trials we worked out the best recipe,' Mr Rahal said. Nabil's have been inundated ever since posting about the bar on their Instagram page and regularly sell out of their chunky $28 bar. Mr Rahal said a subsequent story in The Sunday Times and Perthnow, published in February, is still helping attract queues of people, keen to see what all the fuss is about. 'We had a huge response,' Mr Rahal says. 'It's still going.' While the trip to Ballajura is worth it, I was tempted to try the imported bar at my local IGA. Priced at $15.99, it is much smaller and the pistachio taste is also more pronounced which may suit some tastes but felt a touch too intense for me. I also found it lacked a pinch of salt. If you'd like to view this content, please adjust your . To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide. Mini chocolate connoisseur Milla, gave the bar a score of seven out of 10. I awarded it a lower, five out of 10. And as for Nabil's huge slab, $28, Milla was effusive in her praise. 'It's so good,' she said. Declaring it a straight out 10 out of 10. FEA Milla Munro with Nabils Acai chocolate. Credit: Iain Gillespie / The West Australian I had to agree. The bar is both sweet and salty, crunchy and delicious. And, to me, there's a hint of nostalgic hiding between the layers of chocolate, knafeh pastry and pistachios. It reminded me of when, as a child, I would smother my cornflakes in sugar, creating a crunchy, sweet, salty dopamine hit. So, the verdict is in. Whenever I feel like Dubai chocloate, I'm going to bypass IGA and head straight to Nabil's Acai Station.
