McDONALD’S DRIVER RAHAL RETURNS TO HOME TRACK FOR THE HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE; ORIOL SERVIA RETURNS TO TEAM THAT BROUGHT HIM THE BEST RESULTS OF HIS CAREER

LEXINGTON, Ohio (August 6, 2009) --- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing drivers Graham Rahal and Oriol Servia will both make memorable returns at this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It will be McDonald’s driver Rahal’s much-anticipated return to his home track while new teammate Oriol Servia will return to the team with which he earned the best results of his career.

“It feels great to run at Mid-Ohio, because it is so close to home,” said Rahal, 20, who was born in Columbus and resides in New Albany, Ohio, one hour from the track. “You get tons of fans and tons of friends and family that can come out and that feels good for me in the race. You think of racing in Ohio, and the Rahal name is very prevalent. For me to be representing that these days, and to get the opportunity to go race there, nothing feels better for me, and I’m certainly looking forward to it. I think that we as a team ought to be very competitive. I think the race will be a good one for us, our car has been very competitive on the road courses all year and I don’t see a reason why we can’t put the McDonalds car in victory lane. If there was a race I’d love to win, other than the Indy 500, Mid-Ohio’s the one.”

Graham is proud to carry on the racing legacy his father Bobby started at this track, where he made 16 starts (1983-98) during the CART days and posted eight top-three finishes, including victories in 1985 and ’86. Graham has many fond memories of long weekends here with his siblings and friends during that time. Those memories also include the occasional joyride on golf carts, much to the chagrin of security. After competing here a few times in lower formulas, he will return this weekend for his second major league event at this track and hopes to build on the knowledge gained here last year as well as during this season.

“Getting to do a home race is quite exciting,” said Rahal who would like nothing more than to earn his third IndyCar Series pole here as well as his second series victory and first this season. “Growing up, I came to Mid-Ohio and the Cleveland street course, which were the two closest courses for me. When I would go to dad’s races, I used to always take all my buddies. I have a lot of fun memories and this is only my second Indy car race here, but I’ve raced several other times at this place. It’s a circuit that means a lot to my family and to me. To do well there would mean quite a lot because I have a lot of friends and family who are coming here for that event, so to do well in front of them shows that I’m no slouch. I feel that I’ve got all the potential to be one of the best there and I think that there’s no reason that we can’t make that happen.”

The younger Rahal has had his own share of success at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile scenic road course. In 2005 he raced in the Formula Atlantic class and won the same national title that his father claimed 30 years earlier in the SCCA National Run-offs at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He hopes to add another title to his resume in a few years but his current goal is a top-five season-ending rank in the IndyCar Series standings. He started 14th here last year and was in eighth place when he spun and ultimately finished 16th. He qualified fifth at the previous road course in Watkins Glen but had to start 15th due to a technical issue. He is currently ranked ninth in series point standings with 265 and is hoping that a good result this weekend will help him close on fifth place Danica Patrick, who has 309.

“Mid-Ohio is just a great circuit,” said Rahal. “There are a lot of elevation changes. It’s very physical which makes it very exciting. It’s just a lot of fun. It’s tough to get the car right. You really have to push hard and it’s not something that happens too easily without mistakes so it takes quite a lot of effort but at the same time it’s a very good time. It’s a very demanding circuit, so I’m looking forward to it.”

In NHR/NHLR’s previous 22 races here, they won three events (Michael Andretti 1990-1991, Mario Andretti 1984), six poles (Mansell 1993; Mi. Andretti 1992, 1991, 1990; Ma. Andretti 1986, 1984) and 11 podiums (2nd – C. Fittipaldi 2002, Tracy 1995, Ma. Andretti 1990, 1988, 1983; 3rd – C. Fittipaldi 2000, Mi. Andretti 1996, 1989). Last year , Justin Wilson qualified fourth here and led two separate times before contact while trying to lap a car limited his finish to 11th place. Rahal and his new teammate Oriol Servia will attempt to pick up where Wilson left off and bring the team their 108th win overall here.

Every driver who has competed for the team for at least a full season has achieved success and although Servia only drove for the team for a partial season in 2005 he was able to post his most successful year to date with seven podiums in 11 starts, including his first series win at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal and his first pole in Australia. This weekend’s race will mark the sixth major event for him here and he is not only looking forward to his return to this challenging track, but also to his return to the team and the cockpit of a race car.

“Mid-Ohio is a very peculiar track with a lot of corners and elevation changes which demands that you find the sweet spot of the car setup,” said Servia, a native of Catalonia, Spain. “You don’t have to be very far off to be away from the sweet spot but when you get there the car improves a lot with little changes. I’m sure that Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and I can get there with some hard work.”

Of his previous five events at this track, Servia’s best result came last year despite the fact that both he and KV Racing Technologies were in the midst of their transition season from Champ Car to the IndyCar Series. During 2008, he posted a season-best finish of fifth place, four times including here at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and is looking to build on that performance.

“Last year, I missed being in the Firestone Fast Six by a small amount but then in the race we did find the sweet spot in the car and were moving forward and building up speed,” recalled Servia. “By the end of the race we had a car that could have been on the podium but it was a crazy race with the rain. In normal conditions I think we would have been much closer to the front. If we had the potential last year, we should be able to improve on that this year with better weather.”

Like Rahal, Servia believes this track is one of the most physically demanding the series will race on all season and he feels he is physically prepared after having spent more time than usual on his fitness program. He can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of an Indy car on a road/street course for the first time since the exhibition race on the streets of Surfer’s Paradise, Australia in late October 2008.

“I had a lot of free time on my hands so I was cycling, running and kayaking a lot,” said Servia. “I’m excited to get in the car again because in the end it’s the driving that gives you the best fitness level for driving and I am happy it’s happening this weekend. For me, Mid Ohio is one of the most physical places because of the number of corners there are all together. I was at the shop on Wednesday to work on the seat and get fitted for the car and Thursday I am traveling to Ohio and joining everyone for a barbeque at Graham’s house. I’m looking forward to spending some time with everyone before the real work begins. On Friday I finally get to do what I really like doing which is getting in the race car and getting comfortable with the setup and going fast.”

The 2009 IndyCar Series season continues Aug. 9 with the Honda Indy 200 presented by Westfield Insurance at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 1 p.m. (EDT) by VERSUS. A one-hour qualifying show will be telecast by VERSUS at 6 p.m. on Aug. 8. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 211. The radio broadcast also will be carried on www.indycar.com.




GRAHAM RAHAL, driver of the #02 McDonald’s Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
AT MID-OHIO: Will be his second major open wheel race here but he has competed in many other series at his “home track.” In 2008, he started 14th and ran as high as eighth, but an off track excursion on lap 53 limited him to a 16th place finish. At the age of 16 in 2005, he became the youngest to claim the SCCA National Formula Atlantic championship at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs here by a dominant 43-seconds. He also competed in the Star Mazda race here in 2005 (S/F 4/9). Tested a Grand Am car here in 2007.

2 POLES, 1 PODIUM SO FAR IN 2009 INDYCAR SEASON: Rahal ran the fastest lap times on Friday and Saturday on the streets of St. Pete to become the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old. As the field entered the wide Turn 1 at the start of the race, second place starter Justin Wilson pulled slightly ahead on Rahal’s left while fifth place starter Dario Franchitti made a daring move on his right heading into the right hander. Rahal was not only squeezed in the process, he was hit from behind by Tony Kanaan which spun him sideways and into the grass. He dropped to the rear of the field but rebounded to finish seventh…Qualified seventh in Long Beach and pitted from second place but was waved out of the pits before the fuel nozzle was disengaged. Was ordered to let three cars pass as a penalty then was served another one when the officials deemed he didn’t do it quick enough although he only ran ½ lap before doing so. After a drive through penalty he could only recover enough to finish 12th…Won his first oval pole in Kansas and led eight laps, maintained a top-three position for the first half of the race and top-five second half before a caution came out when he was preparing the enter the pits. Had to get back on track and enter a closed pit for an extra stop the next time by for a splash of fuel before he came in again when the pits opened on the next lap and lost four spots. Dropped to 10th but finished seventh…Qualified fourth for his second Indy 500 but made contact after attempting to lap Duno and retired in 31st place after 56/200 laps…Qualified 2nd in Milwaukee and briefly took the lead at the start but dropped to third by the end of the lap and ultimately finished fourth, his highest finish on an oval…Qualified 12th and retired in 22nd in Texas. Struggled to control his race car in the opening laps and dropped from 12th to 18th on the first lap and continued to fall back before he lost control and made contact…Started ninth based on entrant points in Iowa after qualifying was canceled and ran as high as sixth but contact with Patrick forced an unscheduled stop which put him two laps down and he ultimately finished 11th…Qualified fifth at Watkins Glen but failed the post qualifying tech inspection for being a few pounds underweight. Penalized 10 positions and started 15th, ran as high as second on an alternate pit strategy but finished 13th…Started third in Toronto but was hit by second place started Will Power who squeezed him to the wall on the opening lap before T1. A forced stop to replace his front wing dropped him to the back but he charged through the field into seventh place but held his position behind Patrick but flat-spotted his tires which led to losing three positions before his next stop. Tried to pass the lapped car of Carpenter on the inside a right hander but the contact ended his race in 20th place…Started fifth and finished seventh at Edmonton…Started 10th based on entrant points in Kentucky due to “weepers” but hoped to qualify much higher based on winning pole at similar track (Kansas; previous 1.5 mile track). Finished fifth in what he called “his best car on an oval ever”…Is ranked 9th in series points with 265.

YOUNGEST RACE & POLE WINNER IN SERIES HISTORY: Became the youngest winner in IndyCar Series history when he drove to victory in his series debut in St. Pete in 2008 at the age of 19 years and 93 days old. The previous mark was held by Marco Andretti who won at Infineon Raceway at 19 years, 167 days old. Rahal had only run 10 laps at testing speed in an ICS car on a road course (Sebring) due to a pre-race three hour test (4-1) being cancelled due to rain. One year later he became the youngest pole winner in series history at 20 years, 90 days old when he returned to St. Pete. He also became the youngest pole winner on an oval at Kansas Speedway on April 25, 2009.

GRAHAM RAHAL, No. 02 McDonald’s Dallara/Honda/Firestone: “I think that we as a team ought to be very competitive. I feel that I’ve got all the potential to be one of the best there and I think that there’s no reason that we can’t make that happen. It feels great to run in Mid-Ohio, because it is so close to home. You get tons of fans and tons of friends and family that can come out and that feels good for me in the race. You think of racing in Ohio, and the Rahal name is very prevalent. For me to be representing that these days, and to get the opportunity to go race there, nothing feels better for me, and I’m certainly looking forward to it. I think the race will be a good one for us, our car has been very competitive on the road courses all year and I don’t see a reason why we can’t put the McDonalds car in victory lane. If there was a race I’d love to win, other than the Indy 500, Mid-Ohio’s the one.

“Mid-Ohio is just a great circuit. There are a lot of elevation changes. It’s very physical which makes it very exciting. It’s just a lot of fun. It’s tough to get the car right. You really have to push hard and it’s not something that happens too easily without mistakes so it takes quite a lot of effort but at the same time it’s a very good time. It’s a very demanding circuit, so I’m looking forward to it.

“Getting to do a home race is quite exciting. Growing up, I came to Mid-Ohio and the Cleveland street course, which were the two closest courses for me. When I would go to dad’s races, I used to always take all my buddies. I have a lot of fun memories and this is only my second Indy car race here, but I’ve raced several other times at this place. It’s a great track and I’m just really looking forward to being back

“When I was a kid I spent quite a bit of time at Mid-Ohio anytime dad would race we’d be there. It’s a circuit that means a lot to my family and to me. As a kid, I have a lot of memories of going to that track, and hanging out with all of my buddies. To do well there would mean quite a lot because I have a lot of friends and family who are coming here for that event, so to do well in front of them shows that I’m no slouch.

“It (driving golf carts) was always illegal for us because we were underage, but we would always take the golf cart, and you had to be 16 to drive it. But at night when everything would start to shut down we would take the golf cart and terrorize the infield and go over the bridge and go flying through thunder alley and everything. That was fun for us as kids because its quite rough and we were bouncing up and down in the golf cart and going on scooter rides quite a lot. But it was always the track that made it feel so much like home to us as kids that we’d just walk around free. We didn’t really need dad, or anybody, to take us anywhere or lead us around. We knew where we were going and so it was always fun and relaxing for us to go there and it’s a joy to be back really.

“I think that I have covered every inch of the property and you know it is one of those places where you go around on a pace lap and you look around and there are a lot of people there you know. If you have fifty thousand people there, its packed. So for me to go there, to see it, to know the fan support that the Rahal name has always had at the track, that’s what makes it a lot more exciting to race there for me than most everywhere else we go. Anytime that you feel like your close to home and that you’re one of the favorites it’s a good feeling, it’s a feeling you like to cherish as much as you can.”




ORIOL SERVIA, driver of the #06 Dallara / Honda / Firestone:
ORIOL AT MID-OHIO: Will be his sixth major open wheel race here. He has competed in four CART/Champ Car races (2000-2003) and one IndyCar Series event (2008) here to date. Last year he started eighth and finished fifth for KV Racing. In his rookie CART season in 2000, he started 17th and finished 10th; started 26th and finished ninth in 2001; started 12th and finished 10th in 2002 and started eighth and finished 18th in 2003 after contact with NHR driver Junqueira.

INDYCAR SERIES: Ran a full season with KV Racing in 2008 and earned four top-5 and six top-10 finishes in 16 races to finish the season ranked ninth overall. Highest start was third place, two times (Edmonton & Detroit) and highest finish was four, fifth place finishes (Long Beach, Richmond, Mid-Ohio & Edmonton). Led two races for a total of six laps. In 2009, his only other ICS event was the Indy 500 where he started 25th for Rahal Letterman Racing and retired in 26th with mechanical failure.

2ND IN 2005 CCWS STANDINGS WITH NHR: Ran first two races with Dale Coyne Racing…Started 14th in season-opener in Long Beach and finished 11th…Started seventh in Monterrey, Mexico and was in second place late in the race before he spun and ultimately finished ninth in the event and was ranked 13th in the point standings…Made his debut for NHR in Milwaukee as the replacement for Junqueira who was injured in the Indy 500 on May 29. Qualified ninth and went on to pass his new teammate Bourdais and ultimately finish third and move up to sixth place in the standings…On June 9 was named to drive the PacifiCare car until Junqueira recuperates…Started 12th in Portland and had pitted in fourth place after running fifth when his drive shaft failed and he retired in 16th place...Started sixth and finished third in Cleveland as well as set the fastest race lap...Earned his best qualifying position with team of fourth place in Toronto and matched his best career finish of second place after he led 20 laps but lost the lead with 11 to go…Started fourth, led two laps and finished second in Edmonton to move from his fifth place rank in the standings to fourth with 135 points to leader Bourdais’ 182…Matched his best career start of second place in San Jose but dropped to a third place finish when Paul Tracy short-filled and passed him in the pits…Moved into third in the standings with a fourth place finish in Denver despite starting a disappointing 8th due to struggling to find a good set-up. Closed to within 13 points of P. Tracy for second place (196-183)…Matched his best qualifying position of second place in Montreal and remained in the top-three for the entire race. Was in second place in the final stage of the race and made two attempts to pass Timo Glock for the lead but the German made an illegal move and shortcut the chicane each time. He was warned after first time and served a penalty the second which enabled Servia to take the lead on the final lap and earn his first Champ Car win as well as take over second place from Tracy (215-211, plus 4) who finished eighth after a pit problem…Started second, ran although he was within 0.5 to one-second of the leaders for the majority of the race and finished second in Las Vegas to increase lead over third place Paul Tracy (243-216, plus 27) with two event to go in season…Earned his first Champ Car pole in Australia but was hit from behind by Cristiano da Matta before the first turn of L1 and dropped to the back of the field. Recovered to finish fifth…Started seventh in Mexico City and was in third when the team discovered a fuel pressure problem before his final pit stop and he ultimately finished fourth to claim second place in the season-ending point standings with 288.

1 WIN, 1 POLE & 14 PODIUMS IN CHAMP CAR: Of his 14 career top-three podium finishes, he has ONE win (Montreal 2005), and SIX second place finishes (2007: Long Beach; 2005: Toronto, Edmonton, Las Vegas; 2003: Milwaukee, Montreal). He has SEVEN third place finishes (2006: Cleveland; 2005: San Jose, Cleveland, Milwaukee; 2004: Laguna Seca; 2003: Denver; 2000: Detroit) and ONE pole (Australia 2005). Of his results, his 1 win, 1 pole and seven of his 14 podiums came with NHR.

ORIOL SERVIA, No. 06 Dallara-Honda-Firestone: “It’s a very peculiar track with a lot of corners and elevation changes which demands that you find the sweet spot of the car setup. You don’t have to be very far off to be away from the sweet spot but when you get there the car improves a lot with little changes. I’m sure that Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and I can get there with some hard work.

“Last year, I missed being in the Firestone Fast Six by a small amount but then in the race we did find the sweet spot in the car and were moving forward and building up speed. By the end of the race we had a car that could have been on the podium but it was a crazy race with the rain. In normal conditions I think we would have been much closer to the front. If we had the potential last year, we should be able to improve on that this year with better weather.

“I had a lot of free time on my hands so I was cycling, running and kayaking a lot. I’m excited to get in the car again because in the end it’s the driving that gives you the best fitness level for driving and I am happy it’s happening this weekend. For me, Mid Ohio is one of the most physical places because of the number of corners there are all together. I was at the shop on Wednesday to work on the seat and get fitted for the car and Thursday I am traveling to Ohio and joining everyone for a barbeque at Graham’s house. I’m looking forward to spending some time with everyone before the real work begins. On Friday I finally get to do what I really like doing which is getting in the race car and getting comfortable with the setup and going fast.”