Start: Will Power, Team Penske and Graham Rahal, Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing battle for the
Eric Gilbert
Rahal Captures a Top-10 Finish on the Streets of Baltimore
BALTIMORE (September 4, 2011) – Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing (SCCGR) driver Graham Rahal finished 10th in the Inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix.
The IZOD IndyCar Series added a new venue to the 2011 schedule for Round 14 as drivers and teams prepared to compete on the streets of Baltimore for the first time using a new street circuit that incorporates many of the city’s most popular attractions. After Rahal turned his first laps on the 2-mile, 14 turn track, he and his competitors described the new course as exciting and extremely challenging while racing among landmarks such as Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
The Service Central team proved to adapt well on the Baltimore Grand Prix course when Rahal captured his season-best qualifying effort of second, making his fourth appearance of the year in the Firestone Fast Six. The No. 38 Service Central car would see the green flag wave from the front row for the 75-lap event and maintain a second-place run, creating a two-second gap from the rest of the field by lap 15. Rahal held on to his second-place starting position and kept the leader in his sight for the majority race until he made his final pit stop under green on lap 56 and dropped to 14th. The Service Central team battled their way back up to 10th when they crossed the finish line, marking their sixth top-10 finish of the season.
With the finish, Rahal sits 10th in the IZOD IndyCar Series points standings, 223 markers behind leader Dario Franchitti.
Up next for Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing is the Indy Japan at Twin Ring Motegi on Saturday, September 17, 2011 (11:30 p.m. ET, VERSUS).
SCCGR Quoteboard:
Graham Rahal: “The Service Central team did a fantastic job all day. Unfortunately, it didn't work out today. We ran a great race and the No. 38 Service Central car was really fast all weekend, it just didn't go our way. Up until those final 15 laps, we were one of the cars to beat and to finish 10th is just frustrating.”
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