IndyCar: Top 5 Races in St. Pete Grand Prix History

Above: Here, for some reason, is a music video about the 2008 race.

2008 – Rahal Runs Out The Clock

In 2008, St. Petersburg was once again a place for history for the IndyCar Series. Second generation racer and the “Son of ‘Stache” Graham Rahal ended up on the top step of the podium. It Rahal’s IndyCar Series debut and his first-even win. 2008 was also the first year of the official re-unification between CART/ChampCar and the IRL/IndyCar Series. Many fans, scorned by the split that started in 1996, still have difficulty recognizing the unified series, but the series has done at least a decent job of reconciling the histories from those dark years of American open wheel racing.

The 2008 St. Petersburg race was wet and shortened. Rain soaked the track before the start, leading to the first 10 laps being held under caution and causing several spins under green flag conditions. The race was shortened to 83 laps because of a two-hour time limit. Rahal lasted through all of the attrition and slipped past Ryan Hunter-Reay as the clock started to tick down. Rahal managed to hold-off Helio Castroneves and run out the clock to get his first win. He also made history by being the youngest driver to win an IndyCar race.

Next: 1. History Honors History