Bobby Rahal has won the Indianapolis 500 as a driver and a team owner. Today, Rahal, 64, runs Bobby Rahal Automotive Group in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with 10 dealerships selling 10 brands.
He also owns a 10,000-square-foot race car garage near Chicago. Think two-story man cave/museum, holding much of his racing memorabilia, a workshop, his car collection and an “extensive” book collection on motor racing. Oh, and a two-bedroom apartment.
He spoke with Staff Reporter Jamie LaReau about racing, retailing and more.
On lessons learned from racing.
“The biggest attribute you learn out of racing is a true understanding of what teamwork is about. There’s a lot of talk about teamwork, but it’s something to really understand what it is and you learn that in racing very quickly. You can take it into the business world and use it to your advantage.”
Rahal drove for Rick Hendrick’s team in 1988, then opened his first dealership in 1989.
“Rick gave us his operations booklet and said, ‘Here’s how you run a dealership.’ Rick was fundamental to me and my partner. He helped us learn the ropes very quickly.”
On family.
“My dad was an amateur driver. He was in the food business so we never had the latest race car; we had the hand-me-down. His business came first. But as a teenager, my life revolved around racing.”
Rahal’s father was recovering from back surgery and did not see Rahal win the 1986 Indianapolis 500. Rahal called him with the news, to which his father said, “Well, now you can pay for your house.”
Years later, his mother had a T-shirt made that she wore to his vintage races that read: “I taught Bobby Rahal how to drive.”
On winning the Indy 500.
“It changes your life professionally and personally, frankly. The year I won, the team owner, who’d been a sponsor of mine since I started racing, died of colon cancer a week after we’d won. So winning the race for him and our team meant a lot.”
On a car he won’t drive: a buddy’s McLaren M8F with a 1972 chassis and 840 hp.
“I find that I drive these things too hard because I’m still competitive. So I’d damage it and it would damage me.”
He stopped driving professionally in 1998, and stopped driving in vintage races in 2015.
“I’m gone 30 weekends a year as it is. With [vintage] racing, I’d be gone 40 weekends.”
Plus: “I wasn’t being paid to do those races. It was something I paid to do.”
