Mid-Ohio Holds A Lifetime Of Memories For Bobby And Graham Rahal
Photo by Paul Hurley/Penske Entertainment
By Dennis Krause
This weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course presented by the 2026 Passport NTT INDYCAR SERIES race represents a special homecoming for Bobby and Graham Rahal. In addition to celebrating the 40th anniversary of his 1985 win at the track he calls home, Bobby Rahal will serve as the grand marshal for the event.
“Yeah, very honored and appreciative. Mid-Ohio is kind of like my home track. I went there with my dad. He drove in the first race there, I think it was 1962, and every year we would go there at least once to race, all during the '60s, and then I started there in 1974 in SCCA National and of course won a lot of races at Mid-Ohio, and the fans are the best at Mid-Ohio. I just love -- again, it was like my home track.
“Of course the relationship I had with (team and eventual track owner) Jim Trueman and seeing what he did with that track and winning in front of him in 1985 was really special.
“So yeah, I'm really pleased and am looking forward to a great weekend.”
Archive Photo - Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Of all the memories he has at Mid-Ohio, the ’85 win ranks at the top for the now 72-year-old Rahal.
“Well, I will say just right off the bat, 40 years ago was a long time ago. It's nice to be remembered.
“I think that certainly '85, I remember it was going to be a really hot day or was a really hot day. I remember Jim Trueman leaning into the cockpit, and I'm on the grid, I think I was on the front row, and it was hot, and he said, hey, just think of it as a qualifying session, lap by lap by lap. Don't think of it as being 90 laps where you're counting down. Just think of it lap by lap, which I did.
“So winning that race was certainly -- we've been competitive in the previous '83, '84 Mid-Ohio races, but that was a big one for sure.
“Of course '86 unfortunately Jim was no longer with us, so we couldn't celebrate with him. But that was an important race that kept us towards the championship that year. That was the third race I won that year.
“I think that it's hard because I look back, both my IROC victories were at Mid-Ohio, I won a couple IMSA races at Mid-Ohio, one with Jim in '83 in Al Holbert's car. So there's a lot.
“As I say, it's really been like my home track, so it's one that we always look forward to going to.”
Photo by Matt Fraser/Penske Entertainment
Making the weekend even more special for the family, Graham Rahal, driving the No. 15 Fifth Third Bank Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, will be making his 19th start at Mid-Ohio - a track the younger Rahal credits for his falling in love with the sport.
“For me, Mid-Ohio is mainly the reason I fell in love with the sport I would say. You've got to remember in that part of my life, Indy 500 wasn't really a thing for us, right, kind of in those instrumental years, mid '90s, late '90s. So Mid-Ohio, Cleveland, Burke Lakefront, those were races for me that I really fell in love. I have so many fond memories of Mid-Ohio in particular, staying in the bus, creating all kind of hell late at night, which now I look back and I think I don't know how dad dealt with us doing that.
“There were so many great memories, and now a lot of the reason why I do what I do and what I fell in love with.
“To me, to win there in 2015 was a huge moment in my career. It would have obviously been great to win more there. I thought in -- what year did we start in the front row, 2023? We had a great chance at it. Unfortunately weren't able to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
“We've had good speed on the road courses this year. Obviously last race strategy-wise really shot ourselves in the foot and we've had some hiccups this year in that regard, but the pace has been there, and we're going to certainly try to maximize that and do a really, really great job this weekend.”
Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Looking back, Mid-Ohio stirs up memories of career-defining race wins, family time and a forgery incident for father and son, according to Bobby.
“Yeah, I'm not sure if I was 100 percent aware of all the trouble he was creating,” Bobby recalled. “But he and Mark Blundell's son used to hang out, and I still have -- I think one of the greatest pictures, it just brings a smile to my face is Graham must have been five or six, and he would hang around with the staff that would take care of the motor home back in those days, and it was after a race or maybe after practice or qualifying, he was on the tire carrier just covered in brake dust and just a complete mess, and he had the biggest smile on his face.
“I don't know where that photo went, but it kind of just said it all.
“Luckily, I had a lot of people -- his mother took care of him. Luckily I had a lot of people that were helping out as well. It didn't really infringe on my activities.
“But again, tracks like Mid-Ohio, Road America, Watkins Glen, the camping out, the trees, the park-like atmosphere, that's just so special.
“I guess he had to do something. I think that's where he actually tried to write one of his mother's checks and buy a shirt or something at the shirt stand when he was about eight years old —“
“I successfully wrote it,” interjected Graham. “I got caught. It was Gator sunglasses, and the guy brought the check -- he gave me the glasses, in the end took them back. He brought the check to my mom and asked if it was really her writing, so I got busted.”
As an Ohio native, and with so much history at the circuit, Bobby was more than pleased to be asked by the promoter to be grand marshal this weekend.
“Well, first off, it means a tremendous amount, being a Buckeye, born in Medina, Ohio, and went to Denison University and lived in Columbus from 1981 to I think 2010 or thereabouts, Truesports -- so many great memories, so much time spent in the Buckeye State. I was an Ohio State fan before Graham, by the way.”
“Not to my level,” replied Graham.
“But yeah, it's awesome,” said Bobby. “I can't wait for the weekend.”
“Graham and I, on Saturday nights it's become kind of a tradition to get in our golf carts and drive around the campgrounds, and it's so much fun, and the people are magic. As I said earlier, great fans at Mid-Ohio, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
“People have said, oh, you shouldn't have a race on the 4th of July. Well, you'd have to tell that to an awful lot of people who come to Mid-Ohio that weekend, and I just think it makes it more special.
“Yeah, very pleased, very honored, very appreciative that Mid-Ohio, Kevin Savoree and his group would ask me, and as I said, I'm really looking forward to a great weekend.”
For Graham Rahal, winning at Mid-Ohio in 2015 was one of the highlights of his life, not just his career. A win this weekend would be just as big for the 36-year-old.
Photo by Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
“Well, it would always be awesome to win at home. I think for me, it was obviously one of the highlights of my life, not just my career, but my life winning there in 2015 with my dad and most of my family was there, which I anticipate having this weekend as well.
“It would be huge. There's nowhere -- I think Dad would probably say the same. There's nowhere we possibly go year in and year out that we have the support like Mid-Ohio. On a personal level, it feels so much more special than any other race. I mean, honestly even in Indy for me sometimes. Indy is huge and it is what it is, but Mid-Ohio hits you in the heart. It hits you in a different place that I don't think any of the others really do.
“Mid-Ohio hits you in the heart. It hits you in a different place that I don’t think any of the others really do.”
“It's going to be special to be back home with Dad being the grand marshal and knowing all those memories we kind of touched on earlier and all the positive things, the Trueman family and Jim Trueman owning the track for all those years, what he did for my dad, what he did for my family, what he did for people like Clay Filson and Jimmy Prescott that work for us still, that Clay was the mechanic on Jim's sport racer back in the old days, and Clay and Don, it's like a big family event for us every time we go to Mid-Ohio.
“I certainly look forward to going back. I just hope that we can perform really well for all the local fans and family and friends and everybody that will be out there. It's a special weekend, and I'm excited to get there.”
Looking back, the elder Rahal couldn’t imagine that the little boy running around the camp grounds and paddock, raising hell and forging checks at Mid-Ohio, would grow up to be an INDYCAR winner with over 300 starts in his career.
Photo by John Cote/Penske Entertainment
“No, no, no, not at all,” said Bobby. “I wasn't really in favor of him driving, so I tried not to think of that potential. But it was pretty clear from a very early age that anybody who knew Graham when he was five or six, they would not be surprised as to where he is today and where he's been over the last 18 years in INDYCAR racing. This is where he's wanted to be, and it's been fun to watch, and I've been very proud of not just what he's done on the track but his charitable activities that he and (wife) Courtney have done over the years, his support of people like Justin Wilson's family after poor Justin perished. That's what I'm most proud of, frankly. Just the way he carries himself.
“While I wasn't necessarily in favor of it initially, you've got to look back and say, wow, it's been a great career and he's been a great person within and without the series.”
On what will be a memorable weekend for the Rahal family, both father and son look to make it a happy homecoming at Mid-Ohio.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.