Rahal, who failed to qualify his regular Honda-powered Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car, takes over from the injured Stefan Wilson at Cusick Motorsports/Dreyer and Reinbold – which is a Chevy-powered team.
Rahal admits he has “spent my entire career with Honda”, and when asked by Motorsport.com if there were any subjects he’s not allowed to ask about the engine side, he replied: “Basically, I’m not allowed to ask anything. But that’s OK. I’m appreciative of the opportunity and that’s all I need.
“They don’t want to use the normal terms with me, which is fine and I respect it. I can’t thank Honda and Chevrolet enough for allowing this opportunity. It’s been a real shock to me [that they agreed to the deal], so I respect and understand the situation.
“I don’t really need to know a lot, I just need to know when they want me to go where, and how fast they want me to go.”
Rahal completed installation laps in a special session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, along with his former team-mate Katherine Legge – who was the other driver involved in the wreck that put Wilson in hospital with a fractured vertebra.
Wilson underwent successful surgery on Wednesday night, for a T10-T12 posterior fusion and internal fixation to the fracture, and said: “I’m really pleased with the results and feel a lot better today. I’ve been able to get on my feet and walk around. The recovery journey starts now.”
Source: Autosport