A hungry driver who can’t help but be consumed by a seven-year victory drought had to settle for second place in the second Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis.

That’s two Verizon IndyCar Series races in a row in which Graham Rahal has been the runner-up, the first time in his 116-race career that he’s stood this tall on two podiums in one season. It’s the seventh time he’s ever finished second, all since 2011.

That’s encouraging, for sure, but at times it’s almost impossible for the 26-year-old son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal to accept the reality that he hasn’t won a race since 2008 at St. Petersburg, Florida.

Rahal acknowledges how well his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team is working together. He qualified 18th and was the highest-finishing Honda entry in the race.

“A podium is a podium,” Rahal said after finishing 1.5023 seconds behind Team Penske’s Will Power. “It feels good, you know, but I feel like I’m always second. Every time I’m on the podium, I’m second.”

The humbling observation got the attention of Team Penske’s Juan Pablo Montoya, who has the most diverse racing background of any driver in the series. His 22 career victories, including the 2000 Indy 500, are spread out in IndyCar, Champ Car, Formula One and NASCAR. He finished third in the race -- the 65th time he has been that position or better in 414 races.

“Some people would kill for a second, believe me,” Montoya said.

“Hey, I know,” Rahal said. “But it’s only been like seven years for me.”

Montoya exited the day where he started, with the series points lead. Rahal climbed three spots to a tie for fourth with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon. Perhaps more importantly, Rahal has momentum entering the season’s most important race, the 99th Indianapolis 500, on May 24.

“The 500, that’s what counts,” Rahal said.

His father certainly can attest to that. His 1986 Indy 500 victory was easily the most important of 24 career wins and a 266-race career that included three series championships. Rahal stood on pit lane and gushed about how his son drove this day.

“He drove the wheels off the car,” said Rahal, 62. “I’m so proud, and obviously happy for Honda. Hey, I’ll take second place any day of the week. It shows that Alabama wasn’t a fluke, doesn’t it? This is a kid whose got tremendous talent, and we’ve seen it before.

“Everybody is clicking. What this does for your confidence is tremendous. A confident driver is the most powerful weapon you can have in your bag.”