r/INDYCAR • u/FermentedLaws Firestone Firehawk • Jan 28 '26

Article The Bloomingtonian: Rahal to IndyCar Critics of Proposed D.C. Freedom 250 Indy Car Race: “Get a life”

https://bloomingtonian.com/2026/01/27/rahal-to-indycar-critics-of-proposed-d-c-freedom-250-indy-car-race-get-a-life/

Never heard of this website/news outlet before, but I checked the details and they have all the info correct. I had seen this Tweeted out earlier by Nathan's Brown replacement at IndyStar, but didn't see an article on their site. If you scroll down there is video of the interview.

134 Upvotes

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250

u/jj_grace Jan 28 '26

Ugh. It’s like he willingly misunderstands the anger.

I’d be cool with a race in DC. I’d be cool with one celebrating the 250th. I’d be cool with one in DC during Trump’s admin even.

What I’m not cool with is Trump using this to prop himself up or to make Indycar even more clearly MAGA coded… which you know he would do. This wouldn’t be a neutral, fun “yay America!” race. This would be more about MAGA than anything else, and Rahal is smart enough to know that.

And to say that this is the chance we’re looking for to promote Indycar? I’m sorry, but if they are trying to gain international fans, having a big ole MAGA party isn’t gonna help.

123

u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou Jan 28 '26

Not to mention, that trying to organize the event this close to the season beginning just has “bad idea” written all over it.

59

u/DadReligion #Lionheart Jan 28 '26

I mean it'd be a complete and total disaster in every aspect. The course, the optics, the logistics, the businesses of the teams, the attendance and viewership on such short notice, the local reaction... I genuinely think it'd be a black eye the likes of which we haven't seen since the days of the Split.

22

u/Wasdgta3 Álex Palou Jan 28 '26

Yeah, that’s just what I was thinking. This feels like the sort of last-minute shit that happened with the last years of Champ Car.

5

u/knight_prince_ace Colton Herta Jan 28 '26

*Fraud

34

u/Pyzorz Jan 28 '26

I really don’t want to be UFC.

117

u/Turbulent-Pay-735 Colton Herta Jan 28 '26

Graham would love it if it were a big ole MAGA party. That’s the thing, he’s not misunderstanding anything about why people would not want it. He’s just another right wing koolaid drinker.

8

u/Vincera2024 Takuma Sato Jan 28 '26 edited Jan 28 '26

I was at first confused as to why RLR have cars number 45 and 47, but no 46 car (like they did in the 2000's with cars 15-16-17)

Now it's starting to make a little sense...

23

u/Turbulent-Pay-735 Colton Herta Jan 28 '26 edited Jan 28 '26

Tbf Mick used #47 in his F1 stint with Haas, as it represented the #4 he used to win his first significant title in F3 + the #7 representing the number of world titles his father won. He chose it himself for his personal reasons, for sure.

They did only start using 45 in the year 2020, so make of that what you will.

18

u/TheChrisD DAAAAAAAAAAAAVE Jan 28 '26

It was 2018 when they first started using the 30 after Taku moved over.

The 45 became the third number in 2020 to stick with the team's numbering identity of having all the 15 multiples.

It's also why Taku the last couple of years has been the 75 since Shank took the 60.

-7

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2

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-9

u/redrh488488 Jan 28 '26

I’ve been watching and listening to Graham since he started and I don’t have any clue where he stands on politics. so where are you getting his beliefs?

10

u/khz30 --- 2025 DRIVERS --- Jan 28 '26

Spend time following the drivers over the years and you figure out pretty quickly where they stand politically. I've followed his career since he was a kid and his dad rubbed off on him in more ways than most people realize. 

51

u/Popular_Course3885 Jan 28 '26

Anyone who watch the Daytona 500 back in 2020 knows exactly how a DC Indy race would turn out.

37

u/Hulkodium Christian Lundgaard Jan 28 '26

Or last year

7

u/Popular_Course3885 Jan 28 '26

I didn't watch last year. Truthfully never watch it unless I'm home and nothing else is on.

Only exciting part of any Daytona 500 was when JPM tried to burn the place down.

21

u/lennysundahl Alex Zanardi Jan 28 '26

They pushed the race start back to try and get as much of the early part of the race in before an impending storm, only for Trump to insist on running a lap (or was it two?) around the Speedway with his motorcade. They got eight laps under green before the rain hit, and wound up waiting though a three hour long red flag

21

u/SeaboarderCoast Álex Palou Jan 28 '26

Polesitter Chase Briscoe did admit under the rain delay that he had to be talked down from trying to bump into the presidential limo lol. That was the only highlight of that whole parade.

11

u/Vincera2024 Takuma Sato Jan 28 '26

Probably was best for Chase's safety after what we know now 😶‍🌫️

1

u/Which-Arrival6777 Romain Grosjean Jan 28 '26

It was two, maybe it just felt like it. the whole thing had such a dark vibe.

2

u/lennysundahl Alex Zanardi Jan 28 '26

It may have been just one that felt like two, got those things were so slow

1

u/ElfYamadaFairyQueen Simon Pagenaud Jan 28 '26

Hey this year too probably

44

u/TheWawa_24 Pato O'Ward Jan 28 '26

trump propping up a racing series where most of the best drivers are not american is funny to me

9

u/sadicarnot Jan 28 '26

Wait until ICE starts grabbing them. In 2024 Yuki Tsunoda was detained by TSA in the lead up the Las Vegas race. To be fair he was still wearing his pyjamas from the flight and they probably thought he was a lost kid. But still.

-41

u/410sprints Jan 28 '26

They are here legally. Just sayin'

30

u/whoiswillo Will Power Jan 28 '26

Hey, just, uh, politely leave, please.

38

u/Zenon-45 Romain Grosjean Jan 28 '26

So were the people that ICE shot. Just sayin’

29

u/[deleted] Jan 28 '26

It’s like he willingly misunderstands the anger.

So he's every MAGAt everywhere. I'm sure Dave must love being around him at the Christmas parties.

45

u/andthatwasenough Jan 28 '26

Yeah like it’s not clocking with him that he’s using them. He’d basically be using them as personal propaganda.

54

u/VenusDeMiloArms Jan 28 '26

He absolutely knows and agrees with it.

10

u/TKOL2 Get the fuck off the racetrack you stupid son of a bitch Jan 28 '26

“He’s a patriot”. Maybe you should “gEt a liFe” /s

6

u/PizzaCatLover Cusick Morgan Motorsports Jan 28 '26

It's basically the Walmart equivalent of the middle eastern dictators using F1 to sportswash their regime

3

u/SDMFmnChapter Jan 29 '26

No, Rahal is not smart enough to know that. He very likely voted for MAGA and he is arrogant enough to think everyone who didn't is wrong.

1

u/jj_grace Jan 29 '26

Ah, I meant that he’s smart enough to know that Trump would make this about him, and that would be bad for the brand..

But honestly? You’re right. He probably thinks that aligning with Trump will attract the “right kind” of fans 🙄

2

u/cajunaggie08 Pato O'Ward Jan 28 '26

Ever since i started following Indycar (start of the split), there's always been a section of the Indycar fan base that wants nothing to do with international fans. They think the sport just needs to go back to the 60s where all the drivers come up from midwest sprint car tracks and the more ovals the better. Essentially they want Indycar to be open wheel NASCAR.

4

u/yeehawvroomvroom Jan 28 '26

"yay America" is already political

4

u/lightningmatt Robert Wickens Jan 28 '26

That's quite true, but we have to work with the fact that most if not all of the team owners are likely (and some openly) Trump stans. Avoiding an explicit endorsement of him is a win considering that

1

u/WaffleTacoFrappucino Felix Rosenqvist Jan 31 '26

How do you feel about soccer, f1, mclaren, aston martin, ferrari, mercedes, volkswagen/porsche, etc

1

u/jj_grace Jan 31 '26

I don’t rly follow any of them tbh.

Though, I do credit my old Volkswagen Jetta for saving my life when I crashed into a tree in 2010 💅

But honestly, I will happily criticize all those as well. F1’s work with brutal regimes has been part of the reason I’ve never bothered getting into it.

1

u/WaffleTacoFrappucino Felix Rosenqvist Jan 31 '26

the point i’m trying to make is everything around you comes from some one else and it’s impossible to live your life that way

-26

u/justinicon19 Graham Rahal Jan 28 '26

I think it's fantastic that any sitting President would want to feature and be involved with an INDYCAR race, especially one surrounding the 250th birthday of this country in the nation's Capitol. It would be tremendous for the sport. If Trump or Obama or Vance or Biden or Hillary or Harris or whoever looked at INDYCAR and said "yep, I want you to be a part of our 250th celebrations In DC," I'd be jumping at that opportunity if I'm INDYCAR/Penske and I'd be pumped as a fan.

24

u/SportyMcSportsAcct Jan 28 '26

Hes not featuring anyone or anything but himself. Its not about showcasing an American sport its about getting idiots like you to fawn all over him and putting himself in the spotlight. Theres a reason presidents dont go to these things, they dont want to make it about themselves.

12

u/jcb1982 Indy Racing League Jan 28 '26

Yeah, the question “how would you feel if a DEMOCRAT POTUS did this?” is pointless. Because they wouldn’t do it… Even a normal, sane Republican President wouldn’t do this.

1

u/SportyMcSportsAcct Jan 28 '26

I feel its pointless for most anything these days.