As we dip into the second half of IndyCar Wrap-Ups, we are starting to wade into race winners. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had all the pieces on paper to win races. On-track, the team wasn't quite getting it to click. It experienced some low points, and arguably hit rock-bottom at the worst time, and it even made a midseason driver change, but RLLR rallied, and showed it still had what it took to be a top team in IndyCar. What could have been a disastrous season turned into something promising.
Christian Lundgaard
Last season, Lundgaard was the top rookie and set high expectations for year two. The Dane avoided a sophomore slump, despite RLLR's struggles to show speed. Lundgaard drove above the car's capabilities and spent much of the season in the top ten of the championship. For all the team's shortcomings, it still got to experience the sweet taste of glory.
What objectively was his best race?
Lundgaard's first career victory came from pole position at Toronto. The Dane led 54 laps, but he was shuffled out of the lead with the timing of the Romain Grosjean caution in the middle of the race. Lundgaard made his final pit stop at that time while other stayed out. Many street course races have been lost this way, and Lundgaard went from a comfortable position to sitting in a hornet's nest.
At no point was Lundgaard shaken and he drove forward, putting himself in a position to take the lead when those who stayed out came in for their final pit stop.
What subjectively was his best race?
What subjectively was his best race?
Unquestionably, it is Toronto. Lundgaard caught a break with qualifying in mixed conditions and it likely got him further up the grid then if the session had been completely dry. Once in position, Lundgaard shined. He was the best driver on this day and it was a surprise that the RLLR driver could be this dominant.
Beyond Toronto, Lundgaard should be commended for his consistency. For as tough as RLLR's season was made out to be, Lundgaard spent a good portion of the season ranked in the top ten of the championship. He was a regular top ten finisher. The RLLR problems were not made up, but Lundgaard performed better than the equipment under him.
What objectively was his worst race?
Hangovers happen. Six days after his first career victory, Lundgaard had his worst finish of the season when he finished 20th. Nothing bad happened but RLLR's deficiencies were on display at Iowa.
What subjectively was his worst race?
Hangovers happen. Six days after his first career victory, Lundgaard had his worst finish of the season when he finished 20th. Nothing bad happened but RLLR's deficiencies were on display at Iowa.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What makes Iowa worse is it is HyVee's big IndyCar weekend and for the second consecutive year the HyVee-sponsored car and team were not even close to competitive. The Toronto victory probably papered over any sorrow. The team entered its "home" race as winners and they could continue the party, but finishes of 20th and 13th were a slap back to reality.
Christian Lundgaard's 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 8th (390 points)
Wins: 1
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 74
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 12.824
Average Finish: 10.529
Wins: 1
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 4
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 74
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 6
Fast Twelves: 8
Average Start: 12.824
Average Finish: 10.529
Graham Rahal
Rahal experienced each end of the emotional spectrum during the 2023 season. Most of it was on the lower end in a season fraught with slow cars and accidents. He also lived every IndyCar driver’s worst nightmare at Indianapolis. However, despite the body blows taken, Rahal fought back and had great days, preserving to show he is still a competitive driver.
What objectively was his best race?
Rahal had the August race from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course won. Rahal had the best car. He led the most laps from pole position, but the only thing that kept him from victory was Scott Dixon pulling off an absurd strategy that only Scott Dixon could manage.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is Rahal's runner-up result at the IMS road course. The entire RLLR organization ran terrifically in the two IMR road course races, but Rahal was the guy in the summer race. Nobody was close to him, other than Dixon when Dixon managed to run two 27-lap stints in the middle of the race to put him on a three-stop strategy and get him a seven-second lead over Rahal.
But Rahal clawed back that gap only to fall just under a half-second short of victory. It was a race where Rahal did nothing wrong and it still didn't work out, which in a way is the best encapsulation of his season.
What objectively was his worst race?
How do you want to look at this? What is worse, your worst finish or not even qualifying for a race? Rahal did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500. RLLR could not find any speed for any of its four entries. In the last round qualifying session it was two RLLR cars against two Dale Coyne Racing entries.
How do you want to look at this? What is worse, your worst finish or not even qualifying for a race? Rahal did not qualify for the Indianapolis 500. RLLR could not find any speed for any of its four entries. In the last round qualifying session it was two RLLR cars against two Dale Coyne Racing entries.
RLLR could not get its cars ahead of the DCR cars and it became Graham Rahal vs. Jack Harvey. It looked like Rahal would be set when Harvey did not have the speed on his second qualifying attempt, but inexplicably, Harvey went out immediately for a third attempt and found more speed despite no major changes to the set up and no significant changes to the weather. It left Rahal devastated on the outside.
Rahal ended running the Indianapolis 500 when Stefan Wilson was injured in the Monday practice session, but failing to qualify was the worst moment of Rahal's IndyCar career.
In terms of his worst race result, Rahal brushed the wall exiting turn four in the first Iowa race and it knocked him out of the race, leaving him 28th.
What subjectively was his worst race?
What subjectively was his worst race?
It doesn't get worse than failing to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, but the woes continued in Detroit for Rahal, and he clipped the inside turn one barrier under caution to end his race. He was already running at the back and was not competitive, but that was brutal way to his race.
Mid-Ohio should also be mentioned because though Rahal finished seventh, he qualified second and a pair of bad pit stops took him out of contention for a podium finish and a top five result. It isn't the same kind of pain as Indianapolis, Detroit and a few other races, but Mid-Ohio was his first showing of speed all season, and the team beat itself in this race.
Graham Rahal's 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 15th (276 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 67
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 4
Average Start: 15.647
Average Finish: 15.706
Wins: 0
Podiums: 1
Top Fives: 1
Top Tens: 9
Laps Led: 67
Poles: 2
Fast Sixes: 3
Fast Twelves: 4
Average Start: 15.647
Average Finish: 15.706
Jack Harvey
It was a disappointing 2022 season for Harvey after moving to RLLR from Meyer Shank Racing. Pressure was elevated as RLLR looked to improve and saw great promise from Lundgaard. Harvey could not assert himself as a leader within the team, and even when he had speed, he was still trailing his teammates by a good margin. The final result of his season became inevitable, and a decision was made before we even made it to the finale.
What objectively was his best race?
Harvey was 13th at Long Beach. He was the top finishing RLLR entry in that race.
What subjectively was his best race?
Harvey was 13th at Long Beach. He was the top finishing RLLR entry in that race.
What subjectively was his best race?
That final qualifying attempt at Indianapolis is a thing of legend and it will be mentioned for years to come, but Harvey followed it up in the race. It wasn't an impressive day. The RLLR cars were not much better in the race, but Harvey ended up the best finishing RLLR car in the Indianapolis 500 and he got up to 18th. This race could have been much worse. He didn't quite get into the top half of the field, but he didn't embarrass himself either.
What objectively was his worst race?
An error on the first lap after a restart at Road America saw Harvey spin off in turn three and lead to a 26th-place finish.
What subjectively was his worst race?
An error on the first lap after a restart at Road America saw Harvey spin off in turn three and lead to a 26th-place finish.
What subjectively was his worst race?
There are two that stand out. The Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May and Toronto.
Those were two races where RLLR showed speed across all three cars. Harvey qualified eighth in the first IMS road course race. However, while Lundgaard stayed in the top five and Rahal stayed in the top ten, Harvey spun off and cost himself many positions, ending up 20th. At Toronto, Harvey didn't have the speed of Lundgaard, neither did Rahal frankly, but Harvey caused the opening corner accident and took out a few other cars.
On the days when RLLR was at its best, Harvey didn't shine, and that is costly. The August IMS road course race was a good day for him. An engine penalty dropped him from eighth to 14th on the grid, but he still finished 14th, however it was too little too late and that ended up being his final race for the organization.
Jack Harvey's 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 24th (146 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 19.714
Average Finish: 19.643
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 1
Fast Twelves: 3
Average Start: 19.714
Average Finish: 19.643
Jüri Vips
After Harvey was relieved of his duties in the #30 Honda, RLLR filled the final three races with Conor Daly running at Gateway and finishing 16th, and Vips, a veteran of Formula Two who tested for RLLR during the offseason, was placed in the car for the final two races.
What objectively was his best race?
Vips' best finish was 18th at Portland, where he was set behind early after a long pit stop trapped him a lap down in the second stint. Vips kept the pace and still finished 18th right where he started this race, a lap down, but the top finishing rookie after Marcus Armstrong's botched pit stop late.
What subjectively was his best race?
Vips' best finish was 18th at Portland, where he was set behind early after a long pit stop trapped him a lap down in the second stint. Vips kept the pace and still finished 18th right where he started this race, a lap down, but the top finishing rookie after Marcus Armstrong's botched pit stop late.
What subjectively was his best race?
It is a qualifying session because Vips wound up seventh in qualifying at Laguna Seca, 0.0467 seocnds shy of advancing to the Fast Six in his second IndyCar appearance. Unfortunately for Vips, he had to serve a six-spot grid penalty for the #30 Honda taking on its sixth engine this season, knocking him down to 13th on the grid, and putting him in a poor position at the start.
What objectively was his worst race?
Due to the six-spot grid penalty, Vips found himself in the ripe position to be speared when Marcus Armstrong spun Graham Rahal into Vips in turn two on the opening lap. Vips' car was repaired, but Laguna Seca became an extended test session, and he finished 24th, 24 laps down.
Due to the six-spot grid penalty, Vips found himself in the ripe position to be speared when Marcus Armstrong spun Graham Rahal into Vips in turn two on the opening lap. Vips' car was repaired, but Laguna Seca became an extended test session, and he finished 24th, 24 laps down.
What subjectively was his worst race?
If there is one positive from Vips' two IndyCar outings it is we didn't get to see what he could actually do because of things out of his control. It is sad we didn't get to see him get a shot to complete a race without any hurdles, but neither result was Vips' fault. There is the encouragement of his speed from practice and qualifying and he has been closer to Lundgaard. Vips has done enough for this experiment to continue.
Jüri Vips' 2023 Statistics
Championship Position: 33rd (18 points)
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 15.5
Average Finish: 21
Wins: 0
Podiums: 0
Top Fives: 0
Top Tens: 0
Laps Led: 0
Poles: 0
Fast Sixes: 0
Fast Twelves: 1
Average Start: 15.5
Average Finish: 21
An Early Look Ahead
We were kind of in this same position with RLLR last year, optimistic for the future after a number of close calls and believing RLLR was set to take a step forward.
Of course, we know it wasn't that simple in 2023, though RLLR did take a step forward this season. It took a long way to move forward, and there are still areas where the team must improve.
RLLR had it figured out on most road courses and most street courses. There were a few where the team struggled. Ovals remain RLLR's greatest flaw. It didn't have speed at any of them. Didn't matter if it was the high speed ovals of Texas or Indianapolis. Didn't matter if it was Iowa or Gateway. For five races you could pencil in RLLR's three cars in the back half of the field. You don't need to win all the oval races to be champion, but you cannot be near the bottom in every oval race.
The pieces are there for RLLR to be something special. Lundgaard ended up eighth in the championship this season and for much of 2023 we viewed this as a bad year for the organization. If this was a bad year, what would a good year look like? Lundgaard can be the future for RLLR. At 22 years old, he could be the piece RLLR builds around. If RLLR can find some consistency, Lundgaard might feel compelled to remain with the team long term and not jump if Team Penske or Chip Ganassi Racing comes calling.
Graham Rahal looked defeated for much of this season, but on his best days Rahal showed he still has top-tier talent. It was eight years ago Rahal went to the finale with a chance at the championship despite RLLR being a single-car team. When you think about who has challenged for championships over the last decade, there have not been many drivers from teams other than Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport to go to the wire. Rahal has not completely lost that ability, and he will only be 35 years old at the start of next season.
RLLR arguably should have won two races this season. If all the pieces are in the right place, it could have two title challengers in its stable.
The third seat is not confirmed, but it feels like it is Vips for the taking. Vips has been a contemporary of Lundgaard's for most of their careers. Vips and Marcus Armstrong were teammates in multiple locations in the European junior series. Vips beat Armstrong almost everywhere they went. RLLR could have two of the biggest steals in recent rookie driver signings, and it could signal a turn in driver signings across IndyCar. These drivers weren’t Red Bull junior drivers, Ferrari Driver Academy members and Alpine development drivers respectively.
RLLR knew entering 2023 it had work to do. It didn't quite make the right corrections. It doesn't feel like that is going to happen again. However, improvements do not mean race victories. Sniffing the top ten would be a substantial leap forward for RLLR on ovals. It should keep Lundgaard in the top ten and maybe get Rahal back up there.
A championship is still a long way away, but RLLR ended 2023 heading in the right direction when it appeared to be on the verge of sliding further from desired glory.
