Rahal to Drive for Fisher at Barber and St. Petersberg

Cue the headline: FISHER SAVES SERIES BY GIVING RAHAL TWO-RACE RIDE

Graham Rahal will drive for Sarah Fisher Racing at Barber and St. Petersberg to start the 2010 IndyCar season, according to Curt Cavin and Robin Miller.

Rahal will replace Sarah Fisher in both races.

Fisher has very little experience on non-ovals since her karting days and has been far off the pace in races and at tests.

It was widely assumed that Fisher was running the two non-ovals primarily to qualify her team for league TEAM money, a pool that gets divided by teams who run a minimum number of races. The league also reportedly wanted Fisher herself involved in more races, prompting her twisty drives. 

After reportedly turning down a two-year contract with Dale Coyne racing, Rahal and others have been confident he would be in a car for some races. Many in the league have suggested that Rahal's lack of ride somehow "sent the wrong message" to other young American drivers, or was otherwise detrimental to the league.

Fisher stands to land massive publicity for her team by keeping Rahal in the league given the extreme urgency some inside and outside the league felt to get Rahal in a car.

Sarah will race seven ovals in 2010: Kansas, Indianapolis, Texas, Iowa, Chicago, Kentucky and Homestead.

Read Robin Miller's take on it HERE.

UPDATE: Many quotes from Sarah in this USA Today article.

Comments

[Tom G.]

Great for Sarah and Graham. I do feel a little bad for Jay Howard. Unless he still runs the same # of races, and Graham is only replacing Sarah for a few twisties. Or maybe they plan to run a second car? Doesn't seem likely that SFR has a the money for a spare car. Ah... so many questions. I suppose we'll get answers soon enough, time to just enjoy the moment.
Stache-Fisher-Racing.
I like it.

[Chad Paff]

This sport DESPERATELY needs more Sarah Fisher's as owners.

Sarah is wise beyond her years.

My guess, is that Bernard and league is helping fund this 2 race deal, until Rahal's full-time ride comes to fruition.

Sarah and Dollar General (one of the few REAL sponsors any team has that a driver didn't bring to the table) get bookoo publicity and attention (at least as much that any Indy Car team could get) and Sarah gets a good race driver in her car to help her team improve and grow.

Win, win, win, win for everyone involved.

[pressdog]

I can tell you one thing for sure: Sarah Fisher truly cares about IndyCar racing and the Indy Racing League. At the molecular level. Sometimes even to her own detriment, I'd say. So I am not even slightly surprised she would do something like this.

[Robert]

Thank God someone listened to me- two weeks ago I said Sarah should sign him....All I can say now is Win Baby Win!!!

[Chad Paff]

P-Dog:

She is also being very unselfish, taking HERSELF out of the car and putting another driver in in, for those two races.

She now will do just 7 races herself.

I am sure she wanted to get out there and race. She spent a lot of time in the off-season preparing herself for those 2 non-ovals. She wouldn't have been competitive, but it still has to be hard for ANY race driver to make this decision.

In a sport where we still have Milka Duno farting around pretending to be a racedriver and so many other "vankers" taking up spots on the grid, its refreshing to see a driver look at something that will help the sport and her team in the long run.

A car owner doing something for the betterment of the sport and something that will help improve the show and appeal to fans? What planet is Sarah living on?

[Marcbever]

SFR already had the funds in place to race these to events.

[The Speedgeek]

That picture is going to give me nightmares tonight.

Oh, and nice one by Sarah. Yet another reason to like her. I do hope that she's getting compensated at least a little for this.

[Sue]

Sarah rocks! What else can I say?

[Spencer]

Here's a question that keeps coming to the front of my mind.....With Dollar General welcoming Graham "into their racing family" and Fisher having said once or twice that she is getting close to stepping out of the car and into an ownership only role, could this be a trial period for Graham and Dollar General? If so, think what this could do for SFR, DG, and the IICS. Another if theory: Graham has said he has sponsorship lined up for 2011. Could he take it to SFR?

Ahh, to dream a dream.

[Savage Henry]

I presume that Rahal is going to be driving the new Dallara that Sarah was surprised with on her birthday last year. What happens if he walls it? Does the totally screw Sarah's season if he wrecks her car?

No pressure there, Graham.

[Savage Henry]

Oh jeez. She's never driven that car, has she? At least not in a race. I'm even more impressed with her since she's letting someone else get into her new baby before she does.

REALLY no pressure, Graham.

[pressdog]

Yeah, I wondered about the car thing too. Sarah will get to feel what it's like to be a non-driving car owner for the first time. She's said she wants to eventually retire from driving to have a family and be a team boss, so this will be a taste of that. I hope Rahal doesn't spear or get speared during the race.

[The Speedgeek]

I thought Sarah drove the new chassis at Homestead last year, when it was the Pink Pony. No?

[Chad Paff]

"With Dollar General welcoming Graham "into their racing family" and Fisher having said once or twice that she is getting close to stepping out of the car and into an ownership only role?"

I have never heard her say she is "close to stepping out of the car".

Heck, she isn't even 30 years old yet and just now has good equipment under her, so she can race. Why would she get out now, with everything she has built FOR HERSELF?

She won't be stepping out of the oval stuff anytime soon.

[pressdog]

You're right, Geek, the first race for the chassis was the Homestead.