Zoom A tough start to the IndyCar campaign

Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing announced today that they are to withdraw their entry for Graham Rahal at this Saturday’s Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the first event in which former Champ Car teams join the IndyCar series.

The Dallara Honda sustained extensive damage when Rahal crashed here on Tuesday night during the final day of a two-day test for teams transitioning over from the Champ Car World Series.

In spite of the best efforts of the IndyCar Series and series suppliers, the team was unable to overcome the shortage of some key parts and the time needed to prepare for Friday’s first practice.

“It’s disappointing that we’re not going to be racing in the season-opener and I feel bad about it,” said Rahal.

“It will be tough not to be out there but at the same time we need to take it slowly and not rush putting the car back together," he continued.

"Even if we had everything available, there aren’t enough hours before the first practice on Friday to get the car put back together. The guys have worked awfully hard to be in the position to run here and it’s not the time to pull all-nighters. At this point we are going to focus on the St. Pete race."

E.A. © CAPSIS International
Source: NHL