INDIANAPOLIS - Graham Rahal says IndyCar racing needs bigger names, higher-profile sponsors, more fans, and a young driver to sell the sport. And he knows just the guy to do it.

A 20-year-old American.

"I'd love to be the face of this series, and I think the potential is there," Rahal said. "But you have to become successful first."

Rahal is making progress on that front.

After becoming the youngest winner in series history at the 2008 season opener in St. Petersburg, Fla., he won the poles on the road course in St. Petersburg and the Kansas oval this season, then narrowly missed qualifying for the front row of today's Indianapolis 500. Rahal will start fourth, on the inside of Row 2, as the top American in this weekend's 33-car field.

Challenging him as the future star of IndyCar racing are other youngsters such as 22-year-old Marco Andretti and 20-year-old Mario Moraes, who both qualified in the front three rows.

Moraes fits the old model. The Brazilian got his start in the South American F3 series and moved to Britain's F3 series in 2007 before joining IndyCars last season. In 19 career IndyCar starts, Moraes has three top-10 finishes - none higher than seventh.

And he fits right in among the first four rows of today's race, which include drivers from Brazil, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand, and England. The only Americans in the bunch are Rahal; Andretti, who starts eighth; and 27-year-old Danica Patrick, in 10th.

Longtime veterans acknowledge that, for the series' long-term health, it needs a young American to reach Victory Lane in its signature event.

"If it's not me, I think it would be great to have an American win, because the series has a lot of foreigners already," said 35-year-old Tony Kanaan, the 2004 points champion and a Brazilian. "It needs to be someone with a personality that fans love, and it needs to be someone that hasn't won it before."

Rahal has yet to join his father, Bobby, in the Indy winners' club.

And Andretti, who finished second in the 2006 Indy 500 as a rookie, longs to be the first Andretti to sip Indy's traditional milk since his grandfather, Mario, last did it four decades ago.

Clearly, having another Andretti face on the Borg-Warner Trophy would be a boon for the series.

"To bring the name back to Victory Circle would be awesome," Andretti said.

Still, Rahal believes he's IndyCar's best future hope because of his commitment to the series.

Most international drivers, such as Moraes, grew up dreaming of running Formula One and still aspire to that series.

Andretti also has openly expressed interest in F1, though his father's ill-fated overseas venture makes him leery of taking just a job.

"That's something you learn from; you need a team to be fully behind you," he said. "Looking back, I don't think he [Michael Andretti] had that. And you can't be the second driver on a team. You've got to be the first."

But Rahal insists he's here to stay as long as the series will keep him. In his second IndyCar season, he already has six top-10 finishes, including two this season and the one victory.

A second career win, at Indianapolis, would certainly boost his profile and give the series a bolt of excitement.

Bliss wins Nationwide race. Mike Bliss raced to his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory since 2004, catching a break last night to claim the rain-shortened event at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.

Bliss, who started from the back of the field, took the lead because he was in the right position when the caution flag came out with 39 laps to go.

The caution put Bliss ahead of series points leader Kyle Busch, who clearly had the car to beat most of the night. It looked as if Busch would get lucky when rain halted the race a few laps later and got him back near Bliss' bumper. But more showers came, and NASCAR officials called the Carquest Auto Parts 300 with 30 laps to go.

Brendan Gaughan was second, followed by Busch, Brian Vickers, and Joey Logano.