Kyle Whittingham participated in the Fastest Seat in Sports last weekend. This happened just before the start of the Detroit Grand Prix. It saw Whittingham sitting in a specially designed backseat of a race car as it led the starting field to the green flag.

Excitement surrounding the Michigan coach's appearance reached its peak during the event. However, nobody was more excited than Indy racer Graham Rahal. Rahal openly confessed that, despite having immense respect for Whittingham, he can't support him anymore.

 "I mean, now I can't cheer for him anymore, but when he was in Utah, he did a hell of a lot of good for a long time. (Michigan) has had an interesting last six months, but hopefully he'll bring a little bit of calm to the whole thing," said Rahal, as per Detroit News.

Rahal not choosing to cheer for Whittingham is understandable. Being a hardcore Ohio State fan makes it difficult for him to cheer for Michigan. Especially since both teams share such a deep rivalry. Known as the Game, this rivalry dates back to 1918 and has a history of over 100 years.

Unlike Whittingham, Rahal, however, didn't have the same amount of respect for Sherrone Moore.

"I will say I wasn’t a fan of the way Sherrone Moore handled himself. I wasn’t a big fan of his, and I thought there was a lot of arrogance even amongst the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry," said Rahal.

Few coaches command respect from rivals as effectively as Whittingham.

Coach Kyle Whittingham Enjoys Joyride In Denver

Coach Kyle Whittingham may be 66 years old, but his thrill-seeking nature doesn't stop him from taking adventurous steps. Sitting in the backseat of an Indy racecar was one such moment.

"Let's go, I can't really hear you," said an ecstatic Whittingham.

As a guest of honor, he got to experience a quick tour in a second seat in an actual race car.

On the work front, many rival coaches are breathing a sigh of relief that Whittingham is not part of the Big 12 anymore. Athlon Sports recently polled anonymously among coaches.

"But yeah, it’s definitely a relief that (Whittingham) is out of the Big 12 because he’s a great football coach, and he’s an even better person," said an anonymous coach

Concluding his 21-year stint with the Utah Utes, he joined the Michigan Wolverines in December 2025, signing a five-year contract.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Rudra Dubey