Graham Rahal gets Indy 500 ride as replacement for Stefan Wilson, who fractured vertebra in practice
Graham Rahal is consoled by a crew member and his dad, Bobby Rahal, after Rahal was bumped from the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Darron Cummings]
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Graham Rahal will replace the injured Stefan Wilson in the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entry for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday. Wilson was hospitalized with a fractured vertebra following a crash in practice on Monday. He was ruled out of the race, and that left car owners Dennis Reinbold and Don Cusick scrambling for a replacement less than a week before the green flag. Rahal was their first choice, but he’d spent his career tied to Honda, which powers the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team, while the Dreyer & Reinbold runs engines from rival Chevrolet. It took some tricky negotiations to get clearance from both manufacturers and sponsors and get the deal done.
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Graham Rahal hugs his daughter Harlan Ann, after he failed to make the field for the race during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Michael Conroy
Graham Rahal sits on the side of his car after failing to make the field during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Michael Conroy