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RAHAL LOOKS FORWARD TO RETURNING TO ROAD AMERICA FOR THE KOHLER GRAND PRIX JUNE 22-25

- Third-Generation IndyCar Driver Cherishes The 4-Mile Course - 



ELKHART LAKE, Wis., June 20, 2017   -  Third-generation driver Graham Rahal has posted podium finishes in a pair of races at Road America, in 2007 and 2016, at the vaunted 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course.

Rahal is having a solid season in 2017, with back-to-back wins in Detroit. P rior to the June 10 Texas race, the 28-year-old Columbus, Ohio native took time to discuss a track that is steeped in race history for the Rahal family before retuning to Road America for the Verizon IndyCar KOHLER Grand Prix June 22-25. 

In 17 starts, Bobby Rahal secured two CART and Champ Car World Series poles, three runner-up and three third-place efforts between 1982 and 1998. 
            
Grandfather Michael Rahal took to the track for the first time in 1957 and raced many times in 500-mile events in sports cars at Road America in the 1960s. Michael Rahal passed away at age 93 on May 10 of this year.
            
"I used to love going to Road America as a kid. I went up there a lot," said Graham Rahal, who is named after two-time Formula One champ Graham Hill. "It's always great to go up there and relive some of those memories. 

"I spent a lot of time with my family camping out and things like that. The Rahal's have been going there - my grandfather raced there a long time ago. It's been a huge part of our lives forever."

In 2016, Penske driver Will Power won in the series' return to the road course, while Rahal finished third behind runner-up Tony Kanaan. Rahal led two laps of the 50-lap event for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.
Graham said he's also looking forward to connecting with sponsor Gehl Company, a construction, agriculture and industrial compact equipment manufacturer based in nearby West Bend.

"Road America has good to me in the past, certainly I'm hopeful it will be good to us again," Rahal said. "This year we're excited to have the Gehl car back out there, in the bright yellow (livery). We've had them as supporters of mine since 2006."



Bobby Rahal, a three-time CART Series champion and 1986 Indy 500 winner is now a team owner in the IndyCar Series.
Graham said he's eager to get back to Elkhart Lake.

"The long straights obviously produce high speeds - great, fast corners - very high-commitment corners that I think everybody really enjoy," Rahal said. "It's just a phenomenal track. It's really built so well for IndyCar racing. 

"We go to tracks that aren't necessarily ideal for what we're doing, but Road America is just perfect. A lot of guys have always loved it because of that."

The 2016 event was the first at Road America since 2007, where Rahal's teammate at that time, Sebastien Bourdais, took the checkered flag. Rahal finished second to Dan Clarke. Bourdais and Rahal both drove for Newman Haas Lanigan Racing.

"It's massive and great for our sport to be back there, and we're very proud to race there," Rahal said. "It's great to have the consistency and to have the opportunity to go there again. We all want to see Road America on the schedule, so there's no time off. It's one of the iconic open-wheel tracks in the world."
 
The green-flag will fly on the KOHLER Grand Prix at approximately 12:10 p.m. CST on June 25. 

  • The KOHLER Grand Prix will be broadcast on NBCSN at 11:30pm CT on Sunday, June 25th
  • Follow along on social media using @RoadAmerica@IndyCar and #KohlerGP
  • Live timing & scoring will be available on IndyCar.com for all sessions during the weekend 
  • Track the Verizon IndyCar Series while on-the-go with the IndyCar Mobile App
  • Schedule highlights:  Thursday, testing and practice for World Challenge, MX-5, Pro Mazda and USF2000. Friday, practice in all divisions (IndyCar at 10:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.), plus races for USF2000, MX-5 and Pro Mazda. Saturday, practice and qualifying, including IndyCar qualifying at 3 p.m., as well as races for MX-5, Indy Lights, USF200, Pro Mazda and World Challenge. Sunday, Kohler Grand Prix at 12:10 p.m., preceded by Indy Lights, with World Challenge both before and after. 

  • Tickets for the KOHLER Grand Prix are still available and additional details, including ticket pricing, an event schedule and camping information can be found at  www.roadamerica.com or by calling 800-365-7223. Anyone 16-years-old and under are FREE with a paying adult at the gate. All races will run rain or shine.
       
    About Road America: Established in 1955, Road America is located midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The world's best racers have competed at this legendary four-mile, 14-turn road circuit for over 60 years. The 640-acre, park-like grounds offer amazing viewing opportunities, fantastic concessions and high-speed excitement to hundreds of thousands of spectators each year. In addition to public race weekends, Road America offers a variety of group event programs, the CTECH Manufacturing Motorplex for karting and supermoto, and the Road America Motorcycle and Advanced Driving Schools. For more information, visit  www.roadamerica.com Follow Road America on www.facebook.com/RoadAmerica and on Twitter: @roadamerica or call 800-365-7223.


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