Steak ‘n Shake makes debut with Rahal at Long Beach

Rahal with his latest Steak n' Shake livery

Steak 'n Shake, home of hand-crafted, premium Steakburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes, today unveiled its No. 15 Indy car at a first-look fan event in Santa Monica.

Steak 'n Shake will debut as the primary sponsor of the No. 15 Indy car, driven by Graham Rahal and co-owned by Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan, at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend.

Driver Graham Rahal was on hand today at the Santa Monica Steak 'n Shake with the newly wrapped No. 15 Indy car.

"I'm a longtime fan of Steakburgers and milkshakes, so this new relationship with Steak 'n Shake really fits perfectly," said Rahal. "I grew up going to Steak 'n Shake with my family, and I'm thrilled to welcome the brand to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and the IndyCar Series."

Steak 'n Shake will be the primary sponsor at six Verizon IndyCar Series races including the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500. The partnership includes races at Long Beach, two events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Detroit and Mid-Ohio. Steak 'n Shake will remain an associate sponsor of the No. 15 Indy car for the rest of the 2015 IndyCar Series season. It is the first time that the Indianapolis-based company will be involved in IndyCar racing.

"We are extremely excited to debut the No. 15 Steak 'n Shake Indy car and look forward to our partnership with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team," said Steak 'n Shake Senior Vice President of Marketing Jim Flaniken.

Steak 'n Shake commemorated the debut with a fan event at its Third Street Promenade location Wednesday featuring a meet and greet with Graham Rahal, live music from celebrity DJ Casey Connor and photo opportunities with the Maxim Girls in attendance. Guests at the event entered to win autographed merchandise, Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach race tickets, VIP pit passes and all-access race day passes and a limited number of exclusive IndyCar Experience 2-seater rides.

Steak 'n Shake's Santa Monica location opened last October with counter service that offers a menu of only the freshest ingredients, serving up its famous Original Double 'n Cheese Steakburger, along with hand-dipped milkshakes and fresh, hand-cut fries.