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Will Rahal Letterman get a win in 08?

Ryan Hunter Reay got back into an IndyCar last season at mid-Ohio and placed 7th. This was with very little seat time. He also placed 7th at Chicagoland and 6th at Michigan. Do you guys think that he can give Rahal Letterman a win this season. I personally think he will have a strong showing on the road and street courses. Rahal Letterman has not really been a top tier team except in 2004 when Buddy Rice won the Indy 500. I believe they had a 3 pete that year with the pitstop competition and pole for the 500.
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Permalink Reply by JDB on March 1, 2008 at 11:06pm

I doubt it. They have little development if any at all and don't test as much as they should. Well at least that's why Scott Sharp filed breach of contract and left along with Patron.

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Permalink Reply by indyracing on March 1, 2008 at 11:15pm

No, the team really hasn't been a contender since Buddy Rice was on the team which was forever ago it seems..... With Penske, AGR and Ganassi usually taking the top spots(and now Newman HAss will be a factor as well), RHL will probably end up getting consistent top tens this year, but top fives won't come very often in my opinion.... Plus, we don't know who is going to be Hunter-Reay's teammate... maybe Paul Tracy?? I'm not saying Hunter-Reay isn't a talented driver, but RHL has not recovered since Danica and Buddy Rice left the team. Personnel changes could be an issue, or a lack of sponsership idk..

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Permalink Reply by Troy&Chrissy on March 1, 2008 at 11:44pm

I got to talk to him a little at KY. last year, seems like a good kid I hope he does well.

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Permalink Reply by xorpheous on March 2, 2008 at 9:13am

On the ovals, I expect Ryan to place in the top-10 with regularity, but not much higher. On the road courses, don't be surprised to see him in the top-5 or on the podium frequently! The kid is fast on the road courses. The weak engineering of late at RLR will hold him back, though. I doubt that he'll get a win.

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Permalink Reply by KoHoSo on March 2, 2008 at 12:44pm

RLR's motto seems to be, "Commitment to mediocrity." In my view, they are sliding down the slippery slope to becoming a Foyt-like operation. That is a shame because RHR deserves better and will probably make this team look better than it really is before a higher quality team lures him away. It is also a shame because having David Letterman as a part owner gives IndyCar a level of publicity that cannot be attained elsewhere at the moment -- but, that doesn't do any good if his team is always an also-ran. I have a feeling in my gut that RLR will end up being one of the first of something we see in NASCAR -- a satellite (and thus an eternal second-tier organization) of one of the truly good teams (probably NHL).