Rahal makes last-lap pass on Canada’s Hinchcliffe to win IndyCar race at Texas
FORT WORTH, Texas — Graham Rahal lifted his arm over his head just as he reached the finish line at Texas Motor Speedway, then glanced to his right to make sure he had won the race.
After a last-lap pass of Canada’s James Hinchcliffe, Rahal did indeed hold on to win Saturday night in the closest finish ever for an IndyCar race at the high-banked, 1 1/2-mile oval.
“When I got to the stripe, I started to raise my arm and then I was like make sure,” said Rahal, who glanced to see the No. 2 on the LED panel of Hinchcliffe’s car signifying his place in the race. “I thought I was clear. I knew it was going to be very close.”
The only time Rahal led the race — competed over a 2 1/2-month span — was when he sliced to the bottom of the track coming off of the backstretch on that final lap. He won by eight-thousandths (0.008) of a second, crossing the line only inches and side-by-side with Hinchcliffe, with Tony Kanaan right behind them.