Luther Automotive Group, the largest new and used car dealership group in the Midwest, has been named the primary sponsor of the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda of driver Graham Rahal for the Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway on July 8. The team announced that Luther Automotive Group will also be an associate sponsor for Rahal’s entry for the 2018 season.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, co-owned by three-time Indy car champion Bobby Rahal, late-night talk-show icon David Letterman and Mi-Jack co-owner Michael Lanigan, is expanding to two full-time entries this season in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, who drove for RLL in 2012, rejoins the team this season and will drive the No. 30 Honda alongside Graham Rahal.
“We are proud to be part of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing family and do our part to support Graham and Takuma as well as Bobby, David and Mike," said David Luther, president of Luther Automotive Group. "We’re honored to be associated with such a wonderful organization and are looking forward to the start of the IndyCar Series season as well as the race at Iowa Speedway.”
Bobby Rahal, the 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner, is familiar with the auto dealership industry. The Bobby Rahal Automotive Group operates dealerships throughout Pennsylvania.
“Luther Automotive Group is one of the top auto dealers and service providers in the Unites States with 38 dealerships,” Bobby Rahal said. “David Luther and the Luther Automotive team have built an incredible business and quality reputation throughout the Midwest and he and I have grown our mutual business respect for one another into a friendship. It’s great to have them on board and help them showcase their brand, especially to those in the Midwest, which has traditionally been a strong audience for Indy car racing.”
The 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season begins March 11 with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (12:30 p.m. ET, ABC and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network), where Graham Rahal became the youngest driver to win an Indy car race in 2008. The Iowa Corn 300 on July 8 (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN and Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network) is the 11th of 17 races on the schedule.