With new open rules for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, fans all over are speculating about who will build the engines that power the next generation of IndyCars. Plenty of opinions have been voiced already, and plenty more will still come out in the coming weeks and months.
We all know Honda will be there. Lotus, too, is a likely bet, with their involvement with Cosworth (whose owner, Kevin Kalkhoven, also runs KV Racing Technology). Mazda has been mentioned by a handful of folks as a potential candidate; I wrote an article about their IndyCar potential yesterday. Ford and Chevrolet have been bandied about as returning to the sport, while Fiat and Volkswagen AG brands went deep into preliminary engine discussions that the series had within the past few years.
But in my opinion, the next brand that ought to look into the IZOD IndyCar Series is BMW.
Hold on, you say. BMW pulled out of Formula 1 after last year, is currently restructuring their junior formula series (which no longer even operates in the United States), and has never even competed in an Indianapolis 500. So what makes me think I know what I'm talking about? How does bringing this completely foreign brand into the sport make any sense, when past examples of such new programs (think Alfa Romeo and Patrick Racing in the early 1990s) have been disastrous?
What makes BMW such a solid fit for IndyCar is their relationships with current prominent team owners in different areas of motorsport. They currently provide the engines for two of the top sports car teams (in their respective classes) in all of American sports car racing: Chip Ganassi Racing's Daytona Prototype in the Rolex Sports Car Series, and Rahal Letterman Racing's pair of GT2 M3s in the American Le Mans Series. Those two teams have won three of the past seven Indianapolis 500s, and Ganassi has won the past two series championships.
I don't need to get into describing a Ganassi-BMW alliance, but the natural continuation of the Rahal-BMW alliance only makes sense. While they have mostly been involved in sports car racing as of late, everybody knows that Rahal is, first and foremost, an open-wheel team; its storied history in CART and at Indianapolis leaves little doubt of that. Bobby Rahal has been attempting to run a full-time IndyCar program for each of the past two years to no avail. If the BMW brand, which will likely maintain its connection with Rahal for the foreseeable future, was to move to IndyCar, there's almost no doubt who would get the factory sponsorship.
The same folks who own Dreyer & Reinbold Racing also own a pair of large BMW dealerships in central Indiana, making them a solid fit as well. Assuming all three of these teams maintained their relationships with the brand and continued racing at their current or potential capacities, BMW could have a stable of five to seven cars in 2012, were they to enter the series.
The driver stable would also likely be one of the best of any brand. Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti will probably remain with Ganassi until they each retire, unless somebody has an unlikely plummet down the standings. Rahal could be blessed with the services of his son, Graham, if he continues to struggle finding sponsorship as he has this year. And DRR has made its way up the ladder in IndyCar year by year, rung by rung, to the point where it is now one of the more respected teams in the sport. With that prestige comes at least one, if not two marquee drivers, depending on the market in any given year. Though Justin Wilson may be gone, Mike Conway could develop into a top talent by 2012.
The engine itself would likely be a new creation. BMW has an existing 2.0-liter I4 that currently competes in the World Touring Car Championship, and won the 2005-07 titles with Andy Priaulx behind the wheel, but that motor is not turbocharged. While BMW does have an existing twin-turbo motor for that car, the E90, it exceeds the 2.4-liter limit that IndyCar has put in place.
Were BMW to pursue IndyCar competition with the three teams, with whom they have already established solid business and racing relationships, the results could be devastating for the rest of the series. A proper BMW effort would claim some of the best minds and drivers in the sport, and challenge for the first Indianapolis 500 win by a German automaker since Al Unser Jr. drove a Penske-prepared Mercedes to victory in 1994.
Showing posts with label Rahal Letterman Racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rahal Letterman Racing. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Finally, Rahal Returns to Newman/Haas
Earlier in the season, Robin Miller at SpeedTV.com reported that Graham Rahal would reunite with his old team, Newman/Haas Racing, at Long Beach and beyond, saying that the young American talent had finally found sponsorship to resume his IZOD IndyCar Series career.
That didn't happen; instead, Rahal lent his services to Sarah Fisher Racing for that event, while also making appearances for Rahal Letterman Racing at Indianapolis and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at Iowa. But after tweeting last night that he had "good news" to announce today, Rahal and Newman/Haas have revealed that they will return the No. 02 car to the track for this weekend's Honda Indy Toronto, as well as subsequent races at Mid-Ohio, Infineon, Motegi, Chicagoland, and the season finale at Homestead.
Quick Trim, which backed the father-son Rahal effort at Indianapolis, will sponsor the car.
Rahal finished 7th in points last year with Newman/Haas in the No. 02 car, scoring a pair of pole positions and third-place finishes at Richmond and Motegi. Last year, Rahal qualified sixth or better in each of the six events that he will drive for Newman/Haas this year.
Rahal did not return to the team this year when sponsor McDonald's exited the sport and the team could not find a replacement in time. Subsequent offers from Dale Coyne Racing and a handful of other teams were not to Rahal's liking, and so he sat until Fisher offered him her seat at the three road course events at St. Petersburg, Barber, and Long Beach. A poor chassis kept the team towards the back for the greater part of those runs, and a crash at Long Beach ended his SFR tenure.
Rahal finally finished an Indianapolis 500 this year, coming home in 12th, though not without controversy, as drivers complained that he was blocking too aggressively on the track. Regardless, Dreyer & Reinbold, looking to replace the injured Mike Conway, gave him the call two races later, and he matched his best finish of the season by coming home ninth.
Now Rahal gets to go home again with the team that launched his major open-wheel career and try to re-establish them as contenders. While Hideki Mutoh has proven himself a worthy driver in the past, luck has not been on his side for much of this year. The No. 06 team has finished no better than 12th all season, with more DNFs (four) than lead-lap finishes (three).
That didn't happen; instead, Rahal lent his services to Sarah Fisher Racing for that event, while also making appearances for Rahal Letterman Racing at Indianapolis and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing at Iowa. But after tweeting last night that he had "good news" to announce today, Rahal and Newman/Haas have revealed that they will return the No. 02 car to the track for this weekend's Honda Indy Toronto, as well as subsequent races at Mid-Ohio, Infineon, Motegi, Chicagoland, and the season finale at Homestead.
Quick Trim, which backed the father-son Rahal effort at Indianapolis, will sponsor the car.
Rahal finished 7th in points last year with Newman/Haas in the No. 02 car, scoring a pair of pole positions and third-place finishes at Richmond and Motegi. Last year, Rahal qualified sixth or better in each of the six events that he will drive for Newman/Haas this year.
Rahal did not return to the team this year when sponsor McDonald's exited the sport and the team could not find a replacement in time. Subsequent offers from Dale Coyne Racing and a handful of other teams were not to Rahal's liking, and so he sat until Fisher offered him her seat at the three road course events at St. Petersburg, Barber, and Long Beach. A poor chassis kept the team towards the back for the greater part of those runs, and a crash at Long Beach ended his SFR tenure.
Rahal finally finished an Indianapolis 500 this year, coming home in 12th, though not without controversy, as drivers complained that he was blocking too aggressively on the track. Regardless, Dreyer & Reinbold, looking to replace the injured Mike Conway, gave him the call two races later, and he matched his best finish of the season by coming home ninth.
Now Rahal gets to go home again with the team that launched his major open-wheel career and try to re-establish them as contenders. While Hideki Mutoh has proven himself a worthy driver in the past, luck has not been on his side for much of this year. The No. 06 team has finished no better than 12th all season, with more DNFs (four) than lead-lap finishes (three).
Monday, May 17, 2010
Indianapolis or Bust: Graham Rahal
Both Graham Rahal and Rahal Letterman Racing have fallen from the peaks of IndyCar racing. A lack of sponsorship has put the driver's immediate future into question, and limited the team to Indianapolis 500-only entries for each of the past two years. In a way, both view a chance at winning Indy as redemption after some tough times.
Rahal, seventh in points last year, lost his McDonald's sponsorship at Newman/Haas Racing, and the team kept him hanging on a thread in the offseason as other rides filled up. He turned down an opportunity at Dale Coyne Racing, instead running a limited schedule with Sarah Fisher Racing at the beginning of the season.
Last year, neither driver nor team had much success at Indianapolis; while Graham Rahal qualified fourth, he crashed coming out of turn 4 in the race for the second year in a row, and finished 31st. Meanwhile, Rahal Letterman's lone car, which had been qualified 26th by Oriol Servia, finished 25th after a fuel pump failed just before the halfway mark.
The one-race dream team of father and son will get a chance to show their stuff. Team owner and father Bobby Rahal has always wanted son Graham to establish his own identity as a racer instead of driving the family equipment (a la Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter), but the combination of Graham's unemployment and Bobby's need for a driver who can attract sponsorship dollars made perfect sense. Indeed, the team signed dietary supplement Quick Trim to back them before even unloading for the first practice on Saturday; last year, many teams had to wait until later to attract sponsorship.
Rahal's driving talent has never been brought into question, even if he's failed to finish both Indianapolis 500s he's started, crashing the same way in both events. This is still the same driver that won his first IndyCar race, finished fifth in points in the final season of Champ Car, and improved tremendously as a driver last season, securing all of his top five finishes on ovals. As far as Rahal the driver goes, nobody should have anything to worry about.
Rahal the team, however, is a different story. It's important to note that Rahal Letterman has never found much success with the Dallara chassis. Its Indianapolis 500 win with Buddy Rice in 2004 came with a Panoz G-Force chassis, and since the team's switch in the middle of 2006 it has only won one race, with Ryan Hunter-Reay at Watkins Glen in 2008.
Add to this the fact that Rahal's is obviously old equipment, perhaps even the car that experienced mechanical failure last year, and the team will enter this year's 500 with some major question marks. While the car has been solid thus far in practice, turning a hot lap good for 10th in Sunday's veteran practice, it remains to be seen if the car will have the durability to go 500 miles.
Chances of winning the Indianapolis 500: C+
Chances of leading the Indianapolis 500 specials: B+
Rahal, seventh in points last year, lost his McDonald's sponsorship at Newman/Haas Racing, and the team kept him hanging on a thread in the offseason as other rides filled up. He turned down an opportunity at Dale Coyne Racing, instead running a limited schedule with Sarah Fisher Racing at the beginning of the season.
Last year, neither driver nor team had much success at Indianapolis; while Graham Rahal qualified fourth, he crashed coming out of turn 4 in the race for the second year in a row, and finished 31st. Meanwhile, Rahal Letterman's lone car, which had been qualified 26th by Oriol Servia, finished 25th after a fuel pump failed just before the halfway mark.
The one-race dream team of father and son will get a chance to show their stuff. Team owner and father Bobby Rahal has always wanted son Graham to establish his own identity as a racer instead of driving the family equipment (a la Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter), but the combination of Graham's unemployment and Bobby's need for a driver who can attract sponsorship dollars made perfect sense. Indeed, the team signed dietary supplement Quick Trim to back them before even unloading for the first practice on Saturday; last year, many teams had to wait until later to attract sponsorship.
Rahal's driving talent has never been brought into question, even if he's failed to finish both Indianapolis 500s he's started, crashing the same way in both events. This is still the same driver that won his first IndyCar race, finished fifth in points in the final season of Champ Car, and improved tremendously as a driver last season, securing all of his top five finishes on ovals. As far as Rahal the driver goes, nobody should have anything to worry about.
Rahal the team, however, is a different story. It's important to note that Rahal Letterman has never found much success with the Dallara chassis. Its Indianapolis 500 win with Buddy Rice in 2004 came with a Panoz G-Force chassis, and since the team's switch in the middle of 2006 it has only won one race, with Ryan Hunter-Reay at Watkins Glen in 2008.
Add to this the fact that Rahal's is obviously old equipment, perhaps even the car that experienced mechanical failure last year, and the team will enter this year's 500 with some major question marks. While the car has been solid thus far in practice, turning a hot lap good for 10th in Sunday's veteran practice, it remains to be seen if the car will have the durability to go 500 miles.
Chances of winning the Indianapolis 500: C+
Chances of leading the Indianapolis 500 specials: B+
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Rahals Find Indy 500 Sponsor
Rahal Letterman Racing and driver Graham Rahal will carry the purple and white colors of Quick Trim on their No. 30 Dallara-Honda for this year's Indianapolis 500.
Putting to rest earlier theories about the car's number change from No. 17, such as the return of former IndyCar sponsor Domino's Pizza, the team unloaded the car on Saturday with the new sponsor already on the car. It will be Quick Trim's first IZOD IndyCar Series race as a sponsor, and the younger Rahal's first race for his father Bobby's team if the car qualifies for the event.
Quick Trim is a popular diet system that claims to burn calories and supercharge workouts. It is endorsed by popular celebrities like the Kardashian sisters, Kim and Khloe, stars of popular E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The product is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee as advertised on its website.
Putting to rest earlier theories about the car's number change from No. 17, such as the return of former IndyCar sponsor Domino's Pizza, the team unloaded the car on Saturday with the new sponsor already on the car. It will be Quick Trim's first IZOD IndyCar Series race as a sponsor, and the younger Rahal's first race for his father Bobby's team if the car qualifies for the event.
Quick Trim is a popular diet system that claims to burn calories and supercharge workouts. It is endorsed by popular celebrities like the Kardashian sisters, Kim and Khloe, stars of popular E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The product is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee as advertised on its website.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Theories Behind No. 30 For Rahal
Since today's announcement that Graham Rahal will be driving a No. 30 car for Rahal Letterman Racing in this year's Indianapolis 500, speculation has run rampant as to why the car's number was changed for No. 17. RLR has run a No. 17 car throughout most of its time in the IRL, and has never run a No. 30 car. Some of the theories include:
- A reference to the No. 3 Truesports car that team owner Bobby Rahal won the race with in 1986. No. 3 itself is unavailable, as is No. 33, but No. 30 has not been taken in the 500 since 2002, when George Mack drove the number to a 17th-place finish, two laps down. The last team to campaign the No. 30 full-time was McCormack Motorsports, which shut down in 2001.
- A reference to the 30th season that Bobby Rahal has been involved with major open-wheel racing in North America, but unless there's some data from 1981 of which I am unaware, 2010 marks his 29th season. Rahal made his CART debut in 1982. No. 29 is taken by Sebastien Saavedra and Bryan Herta Autosport.
- Finally, the theory that makes the most sense (and is the most exciting for history buffs) refers to a No. 30 car from the heyday of the 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Between 1982 and 1990, Shierson Racing entered a No. 30 car sponsored by Domino's Pizza in every Indianapolis 500, usually posting strong results. In its final year, 1990, driver Arie Luyendyk took the team to victory. Other former 500 winners to drive the car included Al Unser Jr. and Danny Sullivan.
Explaining the car number, Domino's Pizza offered a "30 minutes or it's free" guarantee for pizza delivery throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It reintroduced the concept, though not the money-back guarantee, in 2007 with its slogan "You Got 30 Minutes." Most recently, Domino's has been reinventing itself as a brand, going to great lengths to promote its new pizza recipe.
The brand has been out of racing since 2007, when its NASCAR sponsorship proved unsuccessful, but may be looking to return for Indianapolis with the right combination of driver and team. The father-son combo at RLR may just be it.
- A reference to the No. 3 Truesports car that team owner Bobby Rahal won the race with in 1986. No. 3 itself is unavailable, as is No. 33, but No. 30 has not been taken in the 500 since 2002, when George Mack drove the number to a 17th-place finish, two laps down. The last team to campaign the No. 30 full-time was McCormack Motorsports, which shut down in 2001.
- A reference to the 30th season that Bobby Rahal has been involved with major open-wheel racing in North America, but unless there's some data from 1981 of which I am unaware, 2010 marks his 29th season. Rahal made his CART debut in 1982. No. 29 is taken by Sebastien Saavedra and Bryan Herta Autosport.
- Finally, the theory that makes the most sense (and is the most exciting for history buffs) refers to a No. 30 car from the heyday of the 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Between 1982 and 1990, Shierson Racing entered a No. 30 car sponsored by Domino's Pizza in every Indianapolis 500, usually posting strong results. In its final year, 1990, driver Arie Luyendyk took the team to victory. Other former 500 winners to drive the car included Al Unser Jr. and Danny Sullivan.
Explaining the car number, Domino's Pizza offered a "30 minutes or it's free" guarantee for pizza delivery throughout the 1980s and 1990s. It reintroduced the concept, though not the money-back guarantee, in 2007 with its slogan "You Got 30 Minutes." Most recently, Domino's has been reinventing itself as a brand, going to great lengths to promote its new pizza recipe.
The brand has been out of racing since 2007, when its NASCAR sponsorship proved unsuccessful, but may be looking to return for Indianapolis with the right combination of driver and team. The father-son combo at RLR may just be it.
Father-Son Effort For Rahals at Indy
You wouldn't really know it by looking at his popular Twitter account, but the news is starting to come out in earnest that Graham Rahal will finally drive for father Bobby's team, Rahal Letterman Racing, in this year's Indianapolis 500.
Rahal posted to Twitter last night, "Everyone check out USA Today tomorrow, news flash." USA Today racing reporter Gary Graves first reported the deal between father and son, and now both the driver's site and the team site confirm it.
Rahal's car will carry No. 30, likely in reference to the No. 3 car that won the 1986 running with Bobby Rahal behind the wheel. Originally, the car was recognized on the entry list as No. 17.
Graham Rahal ran three races earlier this season for Sarah Fisher Racing, with a best finish of 9th at St. Petersburg. Last year, driving for Newman/Haas, he finished 7th in points, with third place finishes at Richmond and Motegi his best showings. His last win came in 2008 at St. Petersburg.
Rahal Letterman Racing has not competed full-time in the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2008, when they won at Watkins Glen with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Last year they only contested the 500, with Oriol Servia qualifying 25th and finishing 26th due to mechanical issues. The team won the race in 2004 with Buddy Rice. Its best points finish since joining the IRL also came with Rice in 2004, when they finished third overall.
Sponsorship for the car has not yet been announced, but is expected to be in place before cars first take to the track on May 16.
Rahal posted to Twitter last night, "Everyone check out USA Today tomorrow, news flash." USA Today racing reporter Gary Graves first reported the deal between father and son, and now both the driver's site and the team site confirm it.
Rahal's car will carry No. 30, likely in reference to the No. 3 car that won the 1986 running with Bobby Rahal behind the wheel. Originally, the car was recognized on the entry list as No. 17.
Graham Rahal ran three races earlier this season for Sarah Fisher Racing, with a best finish of 9th at St. Petersburg. Last year, driving for Newman/Haas, he finished 7th in points, with third place finishes at Richmond and Motegi his best showings. His last win came in 2008 at St. Petersburg.
Rahal Letterman Racing has not competed full-time in the IZOD IndyCar Series since 2008, when they won at Watkins Glen with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Last year they only contested the 500, with Oriol Servia qualifying 25th and finishing 26th due to mechanical issues. The team won the race in 2004 with Buddy Rice. Its best points finish since joining the IRL also came with Rice in 2004, when they finished third overall.
Sponsorship for the car has not yet been announced, but is expected to be in place before cars first take to the track on May 16.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Rahal Back With NHLR At Long Beach?
The panic within the front office of the IZOD IndyCar Series can begin to subside now, as American Graham Rahal may finally have lined up a full-time ride for the rest of this year.
Multiple sources have reported that Rahal will return to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, the only team he has ever driven for in IndyCar, beginning at Long Beach. He will first fulfill his obligations to Sarah Fisher Racing for the next two races, at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park.
NHLR currently fields one car for Hideki Mutoh, down from two last year and a planned three for this season. Unfortunately, sponsorship for Rahal and Alex Lloyd fell through over the offseason, putting Lloyd in a car with another team and leaving Rahal's prospects totally up in the air.
One of the more widespread rumors was that Rahal Letterman Racing, the former Indianapolis 500 winning team owned by Rahal's father Bobby, would return to fund Graham out of pocket. Other top owners were scrambling to assemble sponsorship packages to at least field the young driver at Indianapolis.
Originally, it appeared that Rahal would only drive these next two races, as team owner/driver Sarah Fisher decided to remove herself from the car on road courses after disappointing preseason test results. Rahal tested sports cars at Sebring recently for Corvette Racing, and was rumored to meet with NASCAR representatives, but has said all along that open-wheel racing is his home and where he wants to continue his career.
Rahal will likely return to the No. 02 Dallara-Honda that he piloted last year, though it is unclear whether or not the sponsor will again be McDonald's. NHLR left the number open in case they could secure sponsorship for Rahal, putting Mutoh in their second car, the No. 06. Mutoh came to the team with Formula Dream and Panasonic backing, as has followed him for the past two years.
Last season, Rahal finished eighth in points with two poles, five top five finishes, and nine top-10s. His best finish was third, which occurred twice, at Motegi and Richmond. His poles came at St. Petersburg and Kansas.
Multiple sources have reported that Rahal will return to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, the only team he has ever driven for in IndyCar, beginning at Long Beach. He will first fulfill his obligations to Sarah Fisher Racing for the next two races, at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park.
NHLR currently fields one car for Hideki Mutoh, down from two last year and a planned three for this season. Unfortunately, sponsorship for Rahal and Alex Lloyd fell through over the offseason, putting Lloyd in a car with another team and leaving Rahal's prospects totally up in the air.
One of the more widespread rumors was that Rahal Letterman Racing, the former Indianapolis 500 winning team owned by Rahal's father Bobby, would return to fund Graham out of pocket. Other top owners were scrambling to assemble sponsorship packages to at least field the young driver at Indianapolis.
Originally, it appeared that Rahal would only drive these next two races, as team owner/driver Sarah Fisher decided to remove herself from the car on road courses after disappointing preseason test results. Rahal tested sports cars at Sebring recently for Corvette Racing, and was rumored to meet with NASCAR representatives, but has said all along that open-wheel racing is his home and where he wants to continue his career.
Rahal will likely return to the No. 02 Dallara-Honda that he piloted last year, though it is unclear whether or not the sponsor will again be McDonald's. NHLR left the number open in case they could secure sponsorship for Rahal, putting Mutoh in their second car, the No. 06. Mutoh came to the team with Formula Dream and Panasonic backing, as has followed him for the past two years.
Last season, Rahal finished eighth in points with two poles, five top five finishes, and nine top-10s. His best finish was third, which occurred twice, at Motegi and Richmond. His poles came at St. Petersburg and Kansas.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Ex-Newman/Haas/Lanigan Drivers Land on Their Feet
Graham Rahal and Alex Lloyd, the two drivers who ran the final race of last season for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and were supposed to return this year, have both secured rides for this year's IZOD IndyCar Series season, although their new team situations are completely different.
Lloyd, the 2007 Firestone Indy Lights champion and part-time IndyCar driver for the past two seasons, will step into a fully-sponsored ride for Dale Coyne Racing. He will drive the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Dallara-Honda for the full season.
Rahal will miss the season-opening race in Brazil, however he will drive the next two races for Sarah Fisher Racing in the No. 67 Dollar General Dallara-Honda that Fisher herself normally drives. Originally, St. Petersburg and Barber were on Fisher's schedule, but owing to Rahal's 2008 win at the former track and her relative lack of speed testing at the latter, the decision was made to give one of the sport's best American drivers the ride.
Rahal is still looking for a ride for the rest of the season. There is the possibility of driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, his father's ex-IndyCar and current sports car team, if they can secure a sponsor.
Both drivers were supposed to return to N/H/L for this year alongside Hideki Mutoh, who would drive a third car. However, both Lloyd's backing from Her Energy Drink and Rahal's McDonald's backing fell through, leaving N/H/L with only one car for Mutoh, who brings his own sponsorship to the team. Since then, both have faced tumultuous and uncertain offseasons, with these deals coming together at the last minute.
This lack of rides for two of the top young talents in the sport suggests the long way that the once-mighty team has fallen. N/H/L used to employ former Formula 1 champions and some of the most talented drivers the sport had ever known, but in recent years has slipped since the loss of its Texaco/Havoline and Kmart sponsorship deals. McDonald's is the latest big backer to go, although their deal was supposedly more of a kickback as a result of owner Paul Newman's food production company, Newman's Own, supplying the golden arches with coffee.
Lloyd, the 2007 Firestone Indy Lights champion and part-time IndyCar driver for the past two seasons, will step into a fully-sponsored ride for Dale Coyne Racing. He will drive the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Dallara-Honda for the full season.
Rahal will miss the season-opening race in Brazil, however he will drive the next two races for Sarah Fisher Racing in the No. 67 Dollar General Dallara-Honda that Fisher herself normally drives. Originally, St. Petersburg and Barber were on Fisher's schedule, but owing to Rahal's 2008 win at the former track and her relative lack of speed testing at the latter, the decision was made to give one of the sport's best American drivers the ride.
Rahal is still looking for a ride for the rest of the season. There is the possibility of driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, his father's ex-IndyCar and current sports car team, if they can secure a sponsor.
Both drivers were supposed to return to N/H/L for this year alongside Hideki Mutoh, who would drive a third car. However, both Lloyd's backing from Her Energy Drink and Rahal's McDonald's backing fell through, leaving N/H/L with only one car for Mutoh, who brings his own sponsorship to the team. Since then, both have faced tumultuous and uncertain offseasons, with these deals coming together at the last minute.
This lack of rides for two of the top young talents in the sport suggests the long way that the once-mighty team has fallen. N/H/L used to employ former Formula 1 champions and some of the most talented drivers the sport had ever known, but in recent years has slipped since the loss of its Texaco/Havoline and Kmart sponsorship deals. McDonald's is the latest big backer to go, although their deal was supposedly more of a kickback as a result of owner Paul Newman's food production company, Newman's Own, supplying the golden arches with coffee.
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