James Hinchcliffe relates to Graham Rahal's Indy 500 bump: 'His entire world was caving in'

INDIANAPOLIS -- James Hinchcliffe was on site at the Indy 500 Last Chance Qualifying on Sunday, watching as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal was knocked out of the race at the last second.

With three minutes left in Last Chance Qualifying, Rahal was 33rd in the field with an average speed of 229.159 mph, and his Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate, Jack Harvey, was out. In a last-ditch effort, Harvey pushed out onto the track as time was expiring and posted a 229.166 four-lap average in his the final qualifying attempt -- besting Rahal by just .007 mph.

For Hinchcliffe, watching the storied Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver get bumped brought back painful memories.

Hinchcliffe, who stopped racing in the IndyCar series following the 2021 season, was bumped from the Indy 500 in 2018 in devastating fashion. Hinchcliffe, who was on the bubble for most of the qualifying round, fell out of the field with 20 minutes left in the session and couldn't make it out to take another lap because of a tire pressure sensor failure with his car. He was second in line when the qualifying period ended, and then was officially out of the race.

"I can certainly relate," Hinchcliffe said on a conference call with NBC Sports on Monday. "I saw him last night, afterward, and basically just went up and gave him a big hug and just said, 'Hey man, I get it.' It really is one of the worst feelings on Earth as a driver, being there in that car watching Jack's run. ... As those laps started going off quicker and quicker; I'm sure his entire world was caving in, and that very small and tight cockpit felt even smaller and tighter."

Following his qualification, Harvey called Last Chance Qualifying, which had three of four total Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers, "The Hunger Games with our own team."

More: 'Hunger Games with our own team': Scene as Jack Harvey bumped Graham Rahal from Indy 500

Rahal was surrounded by his family, including his wife, children, and father and team owner Bobby Rahal, following his bump from the Indy 500.

"The way both drivers handled it was incredibly impressive, and two very class acts there," Hinchcliffe said. "I told him straight up, 'There's no words of wisdom here, I don't really have anything for you that's going to make you feel better, because nothing is going to make you feel better, but remember it's just a phase. Today is going to be one of the worst days of your career, but tomorrow will be a little bit better, and a little bit better the day after that, and eventually it'll just be a story you tell to your kids.'"

Rahal, like Hinchcliffe, has a strong reputation in the IndyCar series. Rahal has raced the Indy 500 15 times -- never starting in the last row -- and has posted three top-5 finishes.

More: Alex Palou wins Indy 500 pole, Graham Rahal bumped by teammate in tense, tight qualifying

But the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is unforgiving, former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick said.

"That was heartbreaking," Patrick said. "I watched that with my fists together going, 'Ah, I just know the pain.' I've been there before with rain conditions and various different things, and also just having so much empathy for Graham to just be the driver that he is, and just not be in it. I texted him and said, 'Everybody knows your talent, this just happens. The Speedway shows no mercy.' There was a point in time when Penske didn't make the field, and it's just one of those places where if it's not there, it's not there. ... Graham had so much poise, and he was so authentic, and he handled it incredibly well."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indy 500: James Hinchcliffe relates to Graham Rahal's bump