Spurned Rahal Spurs a Danica Spat
Written by Allan Brewer · July 30, 2006
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Photo: Allan Brewer
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Bobby Rahal Talks Some Trash To Danica Patrick
“She only led the Indy 500 because of our strategy”
Sounding like a ditched boyfriend, Rahal/Letterman Racing co-owner Bobby Rahal set his sights and fired squarely at Indy Racing League star Danica Patrick’s ambition and racing skill-set.
In an interview with the Boston Globe’s Michael Vega, Rahal warned the tiny Andretti/Green Racing-bound speed-diva that, “The grass always looks greener on the other side”. Patrick announced on Tuesday of this week her intentions to join rival Michael Andretti’s four-car superteam next year. She will be partnered there with Andretti scion Marco Andretti, who completes his first year of big-time open wheel competition in September.
The Boston Globe: Rahal Rage Released
“Every driver who ever left us was looking to come back one year later” wanting to rejoin the team, he said. Rahal was quoted en route to California, where son Graham Rahal competed in the Champ Car Atlantic Championship series support race Saturday.
“I think we’re committed to winning,” Rahal said. “We went out and bought three new Dallaras this year and worked our tails off to make sure the drivers had them. At the time, she was very appreciative of that, but, obviously, in the end it wasn’t enough. That’s life. We’re not going to let her departure upset what we’re doing.”
Rahal’s team has struggled this year after losing driver Paul Dana in a practice crash during preparations for the first race of the season at Homestead, Florida. Rahal withdrew his remaining entries from the event, and Indy Pro Series driver Jeff Simmons was elevated to the car driven by Dana. Dana was in his first season with the team when his untimely death occurred.
Rahal snidely downplayed Patrick’s driving ability by remarking of her fourth place finish in the 2005 Indy 500, “Obviously, the fact she led the race at Indy — which was mostly because of our strategy — that made it a very exciting moment for the sport, and she’s been living off that since then.”
Patrick will start eleventh in Sunday’s Firestone Indy 400-mile race at Michigan International Speedway, driving the Rahal/Letterman Argent Mortgage Number 16 car. Today will mark her twenty-sixth career IndyCar start, the fourth longest run by any current driver without scoring a win in the open-wheel series. Four races remain in the 2006 IRL season for Patrick to grab the first win of her career before moving on to AGR for 2007. In her last two starts, after Rahal’s team abandoned an uncompetitive Panoz chassis and joined the rest of the league running the Dallara, Patrick has finished fourth. She also was the 2005 IRL/Chase Rookie of the Year.
Not content just to take a poke at his driver, Rahal went on to lambast her family and the notion that Patrick could be successful in the NASCAR stock car circuit. “I don’t think that she was anywhere close to looking at (NASCAR).” Rahal said. “I think that was more her father than it was her. He’s got his own agenda, which makes things interesting. I don’t think that was real.”
“I doubt she’d have much of a chance to do anything in NASCAR because that world down there, it’s a different world. Ask Scott Pruett about what happens when you go down there and you’re not part of the family.”
Patrick was not immediately available for comment on Rahal’s tirade. When asked about her interest in racing stock cars in a separate interview earlier, however, she insisted that a possible move to NASCAR was not just wishful thinking.
“I’m not lying when I say we had offers,” she said, declining to give specifics. “And, I’m not lying when I said I was interested. I’m not going to write that off for my future. I think it would be fun, eventually, but my heart is in IndyCar right now. I’m not done here.”
Rahal was caught up in a swirling controversy one week ago when he opined that Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi were contemplating leaving the open-wheel series for other racing venues. He later retracted the statement, admitting he knew nothing of what the other teams’ racing plans might be.
Only yesterday Rahal/Letterman driver and former Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice disclosed that he had been given permission to look for an IRL series ride elsewhere. Rice has one year remaining on his contract with the team, which is searching for sponsorship to keep the 2004 Indy champ on-track next year. The team previously had put a best face on the situation, declaring its intentions to remain a multi-car IRL competitor indefinately.
The next IndyCar Series event is the Firestone Indy 400 at 3:30 PM (EDT) today at Michigan International Speedway. The race will be telecast live by ABC Sports and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network. A Spanish-language telecast of the race will be carried by ESPN Deportes. The IMS Radio Network broadcast also is carried on XM Satellite Radio channel 145 “IndyCar Racing” and www.indycar.com. The fifth season of Indy Pro Series competition continues with the Kentucky 100 on August 13 at Kentucky Speedway.
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With childishness like Mr Rahal exhibits, It’s no wonder the sport remains split….
In the modern world of sports the concept of supply/demand is in full force. Danica is a desired comodity. I don’t know of her reasons for wanting to leave R/L but having her and Marco together seems fitting. Two young but obviously talented drivers.
But, I am wondering what the heck happened yesterday at Michigan. Onboard telemetry miscalc? Would BR allow her to run out of gas on purpose to put her in her place…I hope not, but isn’t it odd such a thing should happen in the aftermath of his aired grievances? Hmmm.
Well said Paul (above). Rahal’s treatment of Danica is like a jilted lover. It’s as if he doesn’t understand that their relationship is contractual, and at the end of the contract, the parties can choose to move on. This reflects a very immature attitude about business.