Did Graham Rahal make the Indy 500? That's a complicated question

Graham Rahal is in the 2023 Indianapolis 500 in a most unusual manner. Rahal Letterman Lanigan's lead driver will compete for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing with Cusick Motorsports in Sunday's race on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

How is that even possible?

First, Rahal failed to make the race in qualifying, getting bumped by teammate Jack Harvey at the last moment on Sunday.

Second, Katherine Legge ‒ also an RLL driver ‒ crashes with DRR/Cusick driver Stefan Wilson in Monday's practice. Wilson suffered a fractured vertebrae, leaving him unable to race.

Third, Rahal is the best available option at IMS, considering the tight time frame. DRR/Cusick has to prepare a new car, Rahal has to be fit for a seat, and they must test the car on Carb Day to get race-ready.

Wilson qualified for the 25th starting position. Per race rules, Rahal will start 33rd.

Gut-wrenching day: World watches as Rahal family suffers through Indy 500 qualifying

Here's more about Graham Rahal.

Did Graham Rahal make the Indy 500?

Not in the conventional sense. Thirty-four drivers competed for 33 race spots, and he was the odd driver out. He said Monday that he wouldn't try to take over a teammate's seat in a qualified car. Not long after, Wilson and Legge crashed, changing the equation.

Here is Rahal's Indy 500 record:

Year / finish / start / laps led

2008 / 33 / 13 / 0

2009 / 31 / 4 / 0

2010 / 12 / 7 / 0

2011 / 3 / 29 / 6

2012 / 13 / 12 / 0

2013 / 25 / 26 / 0

2014 / 33 / 20 / 0

2015 / 5 / 17 / 0

2016 / 14 / 26 / 0

2017 / 12 / 14 / 2

2018 / 10 / 30 / 12

2019 / 27 / 17 / 0

2020 / 3 / 8 / 0

2021 / 32 / 18 / 8

2022 / 14 / 21 / 0

Rough season: Rahal weighing options, including leaving RLL: 'I don't enjoy not being competitive'

Does Graham Rahal have any children?

Rahal and his wife Courtney Force, a retired NHRA drag racing star, have two daughters, Harlan and Tinley.

Who got bumped in the Indy 500?

RLL struggled to find qualifying speed all last week, and three of its drivers – Rahal, Harvey and Christian Lundgaard – were left in last chance qualifying. Those three and Sting Ray Robb competed in a one-hour shootout on Sunday. In Harvey's final attempt, he found enough speed to knock Rahal from the 33-car starting grid.

When was Graham Rahal's last win?

Rahal has won 6 IndyCar Series races, most recently taking both weekend races on Belle Isle in Detroit in 2017.

Graham Rahal is Bobby Rahal's son

Graham Rahal is the 34-year-old son of RLL team boss Bobby Rahal, who knows his son's predicament. Bobby Rahal won the 1986 Indy 500 as a driver but failed to qualify in 1993.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500 2023: Graham Rahal to replace Stefan Wilson after crash