"Not gonna race much longer": Graham Rahal shares IndyCar retirement timeline

IndyCar veteran Graham Rahal has shared a timeline for his racing retirement, indicating that he doesn't expect to continue after two more seasons. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver shared a couple of reasons that would spur him towards hanging up his boots, including increased familial commitments.

Rahal began his IndyCar career in 2007 with the now-defunct Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and completed his 19th season in the series this year. The 36-year-old has won six races during his open-wheel racing career, the last of which was part of his sweep of the Detroit doubleheader in 2017.

In a recent appearance on the Off Track with Hinch and Rossi podcast, Graham Rahal spoke about his performance business, Graham Rahal Performance, which is generating a nine-figure revenue. He described the business as his future, with his time in IndyCar running out.

"For me, it's fun, and it's the future," he said [7:20 onwards]. "I mean, I'm not gonna race much longer. It's just a reality."

When host James Hinchcliffe asked Rahal if he had a retirement timeline in mind, the RLL driver replied:

"I think I'll do a couple more (seasons). To go beyond that is honestly really depending on my life, with my kids, and also to be real clear, it's depending on my body. Dude, I'm on the foam roller every freaking night. Even if I don't work out, I'm on (it) because my body just aches. My back is destroyed." "I look at my dad and all the surgeries he's had over the last eight years, and I'm like, dude, I'm gonna need them anyway, I mean, it's gonna happen, but I don't think I really want to become crippled by making it worse," he added.

In 2025, Rahal recorded his first IndyCar Top 5 finish, a P4 at the Sonsio GP, since his podium finish at the same track in 2023. In the offseason, he and his wife, Courtney Force, welcomed their third daughter, Fallon Ruth Rahal, on October 17.

Graham Rahal shares his crystal clear stance about staying with RLL in IndyCar after retirement

Graham Rahal at the 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Graham Rahal drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, a team co-owned by his father, Bobby Rahal, a three-time IndyCar champion and 1986 Indy 500 winner. On the aforementioned podcast, he said that he won't distance himself from IndyCar even after retiring as a driver.

"I'm not gonna go away," he said. "Dude, I love racing and I love IndyCar racing, particularly. So I'll be totally engaged, there's no doubt."

When Hinchcliffe asked him about a succession plan and whether he plans to show up at IndyCar race weekends in an RLL polo and be on the pit wall, i.e., take up a managerial role, Rahal said:

"Yeah, I'll be there. I'll be there, there's no doubt. I'll be there. I mean, I love it. I love the competitiveness that it gives me."

Graham Rahal also shared that he loves mentoring the younger drivers at the team, like 2025 Rookie of the Year Louis Foster, and witnessing their progress. Having a positive "influence" on such careers motivates him to remain in the paddock.

Edited by Yash Kotak