Some don’t buy Rahal’s reason for sitting out

Some IndyCar teams didn't swallow Newman/Haas/Lanigan's reason for pulling Graham Rahal's entry from Saturday's season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway — that a testing crash crippled its only race car. Enough spare parts and cars not set up to run on the streets of St. Petersburg on April 6 were supposedly available from other teams, so the former Champ Car driver could make his second career start on an oval.

"We would have liked to have been able to help with that but nobody asked," Team Penske president Tim Cindric said.

Added team owner Roger Penske: "We would give anybody (anything). We've got wings and stuff we'd help them, no problem."

Rahal Letterman Racing, co-owned by Rahal's father, former driver Bobby, also had said it would have helped.

Also, series CEO Tony George, owner of the Vision Racing team that is mentoring Newman/Haas/Lanigan, said Friday that he had an unused extra car.

Rahal, 19, one of nine drivers moving to the IRL, said missing the GAINSCO Indy 300 and beginning preparations for St. Petersburg could be "a blessing in disguise." Transitioning Champ Car teams are trying to schedule more tests. Tampabay.com