What to make of the surprising news that Graham Rahal will contest two upcoming Izod IndyCar Series races for Sarah Fisher Racing?
My first reaction is: At least Rahal is in a car and will be able to bank some points and buy some time until he can hopefully put together a program for the rest of the season.
My second thought: It truly shows how bad the economic conditions are in Indy car racing when the most talented, articulate and marketable future American star has to resort to a last-minute, two-race deal with a developing part-time team.
My third point: What a brilliant move by Sarah Fisher as a team owner! Fisher the driver was intending to contest the St. Petersburg and Alabama races, making her first road racing starts in the IndyCar Series. And with all due respect, she wasn't going to be a frontrunner.
By stepping aside in favor of Rahal, Fisher will turn the spotlight onto her team and her sponsor, Dollar General stores. The limited program with Rahal (which includes a test day at Barber Motorsports Park) will also greatly benefit Fisher, her team driver Jay Howard and SFR's road course development program in general by giving them feedback from an established IndyCar star.
It's the kind of smart thinking that demonstrates no matter what happens in the rest of Fisher's career as a driver, she has the savvy to be a long-term player in the business of racing.
It's also a win-win situation for the IndyCar Series, because it teams Rahal, one of the sport's future stars with a pedigreed name, with Fisher -- who was the IRL's most popular driver until another female competitor who shall remain nameless came along.
The two-race collaboration is unlikely to lead to a season-long deal between Fisher and Rahal, but it certainly works well for both of them in the short term. Fisher's team will be more competitive with Rahal than it would if she was driving; Rahal is not going to drive the SFR car to victory in St. Petersburg or Alabama, but he has the chance to rack up points with a couple of solid top-10 finishes.
"Sarah has clearly done an impressive job building Sarah Fisher Racing and I really thank her, the team and Dollar General for this opportunity to compete in St. Pete and at Barber Motorsports Park," Rahal said in a statement. "I can't wait to get behind the wheel of the Dollar General No. 67 car and hopefully contribute to the success of SFR."
If Rahal can run in the top 10 for Fisher's small and growing team, he will only enhance his already stellar reputation. And he will leave the Roger Penskes and Chip Ganassis of the world no excuse to not hire him for 2011 and beyond -- if not for the rest of 2010.
