ZIONSVILLE, Ind.–The business of motorsports affects all of Indiana and not just in the month of May.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing recently opened its own $20 million headquarters in Zionsville.
“The amount of our month and year that we dedicate to that facility specifically is tremendous. And if you’re from out of town, like we used to be, you got guys living in a hotel for a month, which isn’t exactly what you want to do. And so, I think quality of life-wise for our people, it was a lot better to be here,” said Indycar driver Graham Rahal in a recent interview with Inside Indiana Business.
His team is not the only one investing in Indiana.
You might remember in December, Andretti Autosport broke ground on a $200 million motorsports headquarters in Fishers. McLaren Racing plans to invest more than $25 million to build a new Indycar facility in Whitestown, which is supposed to employ nearly 200 people.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan will also open a luxury motorcycle dealership in Carmel next month before moving it to the headquarters.
“First off, I think the state has made it attractive. When you look at the industries that Indianapolis has to offer, the talent pool that it has to offer, the cottage industries whether it be carbon fiber shops, whether it be the actual Firestone Performance Tire…everybody’s here. So the ease of that side of the business is critical,” said Rahal.
Rahal also credits the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Roger Penske for all he’s done.
“I think Roger provides a lot of stability to the sport. He’s a very conservative minded guy, in my opinion when it comes to marketing and stuff like that, but he’s got a good group around him. And I think that they’re going to continue to push the sport forward. And it’s on us as teams and all the faces like myself to help take it to the next step and hopefully we can do so,” said Rahal.
The Indy 500 is May 28.
