He moved up to the IndyCar Series for 2008 and won his first race, in St. Petersburg, Florida. With the win, Rahal became the youngest winner in open-wheel racing. He ran sixteen of the seventeen remaining races of the year. In his debut Indianapolis 500, Rahal hit the wall while trying to make a pass early in the race and finished in last place. A year later in St. Petersburg, Rahal became the youngest driver in open wheel history to win a pole. At the end of his first full IndyCar season in 2009, he finished seventh in points. For 2010, Rahal signed on for two races with Sarah Fisher Racing in the beginning of the season. He also ran the Indianapolis 500 with his father's team, and ran a few races with his old team, Newman/Haas Racing.