The Federal Bureau of Investigation was on site at the Zionsville, Indiana, headquarters of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing as part of an ongoing investigation Wednesday (Sept. 18).
What We Know:
- Federal agents arrived at the team’s Zionsville complex around 8:30 a.m.
- The FBI requested investigative assistance from local police.
- The nature of the raid was not shared with Zionsville Mayor John Stehr, who was part of discussions relating to the involvement of local police in the investigation.
- An Indiana Business Journal reporter found the doors to the team’s HQ locked just before 5 p.m.
- The FBI told local network FOX59/CBS4 that there is “no threat to the public.”
What’s Being Said:
- “We are cooperating fully with investigators,” RLL said in a statement Wednesday evening, according to a report by RACER‘s Marshall Pruett. “Given that this is an ongoing investigation, we are limited in what information we can share right now, but we intend to provide additional information as soon as we can.” The team has not released a statement on its website or social media.
- Pruett also reported that the bureau allegedly “instructed employees within RLL to leave their computers and related electronic devices in place, gather their belongings and depart the building,” as agents began working on-site.
- Mayor Stehr told IBJ that the FBI “was serving a warrant as part of a larger investigation” and that “they did not give us any information” as to the purpose or nature of the investigation.
- Alex Damron, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Penske Entertainment Corp., informed IBJ that INDYCAR is “aware and monitoring the situation.”
Who Is Involved:
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is owned by former driver Bobby Rahal, television personality Daivd Letterman and entrepreneur Mike Lanigan.
- The team currently fields three cars in the NTT IndyCar Series. Bobby’s son, Graham Rahal, occupies one seat, with the other two unconfirmed for 2025. The team’s other cars were piloted by Pietro Fittipaldi and Christian Lundgaard in 2023.
This is an ongoing development and this story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Alex is the IndyCar Content Director at Frontstretch, having initially joined as an entry-level contributor in 2021. He also serves as Managing Director of The Asia Cable, a publication focused on the international affairs and politics of the Asia-Pacific region which he co-founded in 2023. With previous experience in China, Japan and Poland, Alex is particularly passionate about the international realm of motorsport and the politics that make the wheels turn - literally - behind the scenes.