Notes from IndyCar Media Day

Graham Rahal believes the National Guard partnership will take RLL Racing to a "whole new level."

Notes from IndyCar media day:

• Graham Rahal said the National Guard signing will "take the team to a whole new level." He drew a parallel to the old CART days when Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had Shell and Miller. Rahal also interestingly noted that he was going to seek cross-promotional opportunities with NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
• The subject of a second RLL car came up. Graham mentioned that he didn't want anything taking away from his program, and that the team may remain a single-car operation. (Editor's note: Graham's father Bobby did win three championships as a one-car team. However, those were very different times. And in this limited-testing, spec era, much of a team's development is done on race weekend, when it helps to have another set of data. For young Rahal to take a step forward, we at AR1 believe as second RLL car is not an option, but a necessity.)
• Allan Bestwick has been confirmed as the play-by-play voice for ABC's IndyCar coverage in 2014. Eddie Cheever and Scott Goodyear will remain in the booth alongside Bestwick, with Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl and Vince Welch in the pits.
• Noting he "has been the quickest guy in testing," Team Penske's Will Power says he expects new KVSH Racing signee Sebastien Bourdais to be a championship contender.
• Ryan Hunter-Reay as he has noted on many occasions talked about how thankful he is to be where he is. This is now RHR's fifth season with Andretti, and he enters 2014, the undisputed team leader.
• The question of running NASCAR or other series came up for RHR. He essentially said he'd be willing to try anything, but "you have to do it right."
• Takuma Sato credited the team's early success last season to understanding the 2013 Firestone tires. He mentioned that other teams caught up as the season went on, explaining the team's second-half fade.