Rahal sees future in IndyCars not F1

Graham Rahal is mature enough to admit when he's wrong and has the smarts to realize a Formula One future doesn't make sense unless it's with an elite team.

After qualifying for his first Indianapolis 500 on Saturday, the 19-year-old rookie showed why he's an atypical teenager in a fast-paced world. He humbly apologized for a pit road outburst toward his team on pole day and offered some foresight in acknowledging his career should be in the IndyCar Series and not F-1.

"I really do feel bad about my comments last week," said Rahal, who had questioned the preparedness of his Newman/Haas/Lanigan team after the No. 06 car was pulled from the qualifying line during happy hour. "This is a team that's always been known for its preparation and I think, in the past, we've shown that because of how many championships these guys have won."

The eight-time Champ Car World Series titlists put both cars in the 92nd 500 field. Rahal qualified for the inside of row five with a four-lap average of 222.531 mph. Rookie Justin Wilson's No. 02 car was directly behind on the inside of row six with a 222.267 run. The Indianapolis Star