Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio box score
LEXINGTON, Ohio – Engulfed by cameras, Bobby Rahal was the first to greet his son when the No. 15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda rolled to a halt on pit lane.
They shared a hug and exchanged a few words through wide smiles before Graham Rahal’s – and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s – Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio victory celebration began in earnest with family, longtime friends and tens of thousands of new friends who had cheered on Ohio’s favorite race car driver.
Rahal led the cheer from the stage, “O-H,” to which it sounded as if the disbanding throng of ecstatic spectators replied in unison “I-O.”
“I’m so happy for him,” said Bobby Rahal, who was the spotter in the tricky Esses on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. “To win at home is a big deal.”
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been “home” for the Rahal family for decades. Bobby Rahal won Indy car races in 1985 and 1986 – exactly three months after winning the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race – for track owner and Truesports team owner Jim Trueman among his eight podium finishes at Mid-Ohio.
A decade later, the facility was an expansive playground for a young Graham Rahal as his father competed under the Rahal-Hogan and Team Rahal banners. Bobby Rahal secured a third-place finish in his final Indy car race at Mid-Ohio as a driver in ’98.
“My grandfather (Mike) used to race here many, many, many years ago,” Graham Rahal said of the venue that opened in 1962. “I guess my dad said his first race he saw here was '63, 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,’ 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. Of all the races, and the ‘500,’ this would be the one to me that means the most, the one I'd want to win the most.
“I dreamt of this for a long, long, long time. In fact, I had a dream Friday night that I won. I guess sometimes dreams do come true.”