Mid-Ohio – Race: Rahal takes a step towards the IndyCar title

Graham Rahal secures a crucial victory in the IndyCar championship race. The American claims his second win of the season, at home, and takes advantage of Juan Pablo Montoya’s misfortunes to gain valuable points.

Sébastien Bourdais finished in a disappointing 17th place after starting third on the grid. Simon Pagenaud took advantage of the yellow flags to finish on the podium. He started in 15th position. Tristan Vautier achieved his second-best result in IndyCar with a 6th place finish. The young Frenchman scored points again in the engine championship by being the third Honda driver.

Dixon and Bourdais in force

With 3 races left in the championship, the outsiders are the best positioned drivers at the start. The 2 drivers leading the championship, Juan Pablo Montoya and Graham Rahal are only 10th and 13th on the grid.

From the start, poleman Scott Dixon pulls ahead of Sébastien Bourdais, who had a very good start from his 3rd position. On the 3rd lap, Charlie Kimball, the winner of the 2013 edition, goes off track, victim of a puncture following contact. The safety car comes out to clear the American’s Ganassi. At the restart, Dixon and Bourdais pull away again. Will Power, second on the starting grid, drops to 6th place.

The Trapped Leaders

The first pit stops take place under a green flag, but debris on the track causes a new yellow flag in the 21st lap. The leading drivers, who had not yet pitted, are forced to stop at the pits and rejoin the race beyond 13th place.

Meanwhile, the Frenchman Tristan Vautier, starting last, finds himself in the lead thanks to his offbeat strategy ahead of the championship leaders: Montoya and Rahal. At the green flag, Justin Wilson makes a notable move by overtaking Rahal and Montoya in the same corner, from the outside.

A strategy race

The rest of the race is relatively calm, with drivers trying to save fuel. With 40 laps to go, the two fastest drivers on the track are Scott Dixon and Sébastien Bourdais, in 7th and 12th place respectively.

Scott Dixon closes to within 8 seconds of the race lead, thanks to an aggressive strategy, after being more than 30 seconds behind.

A spin by Sage Karam causes a second-to-last yellow flag right in the middle of the pit stop window. Juan Pablo Montoya and Sébastien Bourdais are caught out. The Colombian emerges 12th after his pit stop. The Frenchman is 18th. The lucky ones find themselves at the front of the race.

Graham Rahal is making a name for himself.

Often cited as the son of champion Bobby Rahal, Graham clinches his second victory of the season, the third of his career. With two races remaining, the 26-year-old driver positions himself for the championship against Montoya.

This victory is important for more than one reason. Graham was racing at home in Mid-Ohio, he is second in the championship while the Honda-powered single-seaters were considered less competitive than the Chevrolets. Last year, Graham finished 19th in the championship. His team, directed by his father, consists of only one car, with a limited budget compared to the big teams like Penske and Ganassi. They secured sponsors very shortly before the first race of the season, not even having the time to repaint the car in the colors of their new partners.

The Mid-Ohio race reignites the title race. Juan Pablo Montoya is no longer the favorite. The unlucky Colombian is only 9 points ahead of Rahal with 158 points still up for grabs in the last two races: the Pocono oval and the Sonoma road course.

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