The 34-year-old has pushed for the household Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing group since 2013 and made 275 begins thus far since 2007 for groups together with Newman-Haas Racing, Sarah Fisher Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.
Rahal says his Honda-powered #15 automotive has sponsorship for the whole thing of subsequent season, which suggests there’s “zero stress this offseason” and is “in place to go ahead”.
Nonetheless, he defined that he is nonetheless working via his contract and has set a self-imposed deadline.
“Subsequent week’s my aim,” mentioned Rahal, whose father and group co-owner Bobby received three IndyCar titles and the 1986 Indianapolis 500. “Truthfully, it is on me proper now.
“I advised all people – it is the reality – I began negotiating with dad. He obtained actually uncomfortable and backed off, mentioned, ‘I am unable to do that.’ So, I am going to get with Mike (Lanigan, co-team proprietor) subsequent week.”
One of many extra intriguing components of this course of for Rahal shouldn’t be going via a administration firm to barter his contract. As a substitute, he’s dealing with it on his personal.
“I discovered it was greatest to go off by myself,” Rahal mentioned. “I felt like I used to be doing a variety of the work anyway, so I would as nicely do it.
“On the level I am at in my profession, it simply made essentially the most sense. However having mentioned that, it is a totally different surroundings if you sit throughout the desk on a critical dialog and actually hash issues out.
Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Picture by: Phillip Abbott / Motorsport Images
“The household relationship’s one factor, however if you get to the enterprise facet, it’s extra of a problem.
“The one factor I respect my dad essentially the most about is he genuinely treats it like, when enterprise is enterprise, it is enterprise. I do not suppose there’s any flaw.
“In truth, I feel he beats me up greater than all people else as a result of I feel he seems like he has to. However I am going to get with Mike this week and we’ll see what occurs.
“I do not know. I do not know precisely the place it will find yourself time period size or any of these kinds of particulars, nevertheless it’s all good.”
Rahal has loved a slight resurgence as of late with poles on the Indianapolis street course and Portland in his final three outings, ending second on the former, however has endured a rollercoaster season.
Though he has 4 further top-10s, the low factors have been exceptionally painful. He did not qualify for the Indy 500 with RLL and though he discovered himself within the race as an alternative to the injured Stefan Wilson, his Dreyer & Reinbold-run machine suffered a problem forward of the tempo laps that put him behind initially earlier than ending 5 laps down in twenty second.
Uncompetitive outcomes at every of the opposite 4 oval occasions, together with crashing out underneath yellow on the streets of Detroit, prompted Rahal to elucidate that “there’s a variety of aid that it is over, frankly”.
“We have had run these days, however there’s been a variety of dangerous this yr,” he mentioned. “Iowa, clearly Detroit underneath yellow. Indy 500 was horrible.
Graham Rahal, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: Geoffrey M. Miller / Motorsport Images
“There have been a variety of occasions the place we, hell I used to be wanting the opposite day, we’re 14th in factors and that shocked me as a result of I’ve had extra DNFs [did not finish] I really feel like this yr than I’ve had perhaps any yr.
“I am simply able to flip the script just a little bit.
“To be trustworthy, I really feel like I am on the level within the season now the place I like really want to get my physique feeling higher. It has been a variety of aches and pains these days, so I must, and it is onerous to do in the midst of the season when all the things’s taking place.
“I feel it is good that we’re right here and we are able to flip the web page. I am excited.
“I do know quite a bit in regards to the schedule subsequent yr and I am excited. I feel they’ve carried out a very good job. It could be good to be re-energised for subsequent yr.”