Bobby Rahal became the first person in the IndyCar Series to say the strained economy might push him out of the sport.
Rahal, who has been involved with this level of open-wheel racing since 1982, said it’s likely Rahal Letterman Racing won’t participate this season due to a lack of sponsorship.
The team, co-owned by Rahal and television talk show host David Letterman, lost its primary sponsor, Ethanol, at the end of last season.
“Unless pennies from heaven fall in our lap, I don’t see, at this stage, getting the appropriate level of funding to put forth a good, competitive effort for the season,” Rahal said.
Rahal said the team expects to participate in the Indianapolis 500, though there are no guarantees.
“Indy is a whole different (financial) animal, but we don’t want to just be there,” he said. “We want to be competitive.”
Rahal said today that “as of this time we do not have any sponsorship that will allow us to compete.” But he said in a statement that the team continued trying to secure a sponsor and “there is still time for us to put something together.”
The move leaves driver Ryan Hunter-Reay, who RLR helped become the Indy 500 rookie of the year last season with a sixth-placed finish, out of a full-time ride.
Rahal Letterman won the 2004 Indy 500 with driver Buddy Rice, and ushered Danica Patrick into the IndyCar Series in 2005, during which she was the Indy 500 rookie of the year. She jumped to the Andretti Green Racing team in 2007.
RLR will concentrate on its sports car alliance with BMW in the American Le Mans Series, according to the report.
| 
|