After missing his shot at college, Graham Rahal keeps high priority on higher education

Graham Rahal still has the letter signifying when his college dream essentially ended before it ever truly started.

“I think it’s huge to go, and it was always my full intention,” Rahal, 33, told NBC Sports. “I applied. I was accepted. In fact, I found my letter when I kept deferring, and they were finally like, ‘Hey, you’re like 30 years old, you can’t defer anymore. You have to reapply.’ ”

Rahal, of course, did not resubmit an application to Dennison University (a liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio, where his father, Bobby, went before winning the 1986 Indy 500), having already established a career in the NTT IndyCar Series that began when he was 18.

The six-time IndyCar winner is ninth in the points standings four races into his 16th season and soon will begin preparations for his 15th start in the Indy 500 (the 106th running will take place May 29 with coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on NBC).

But Rahal’s passion for getting an education also remains strong and was evident as he helped Fifth Third Bank (which co-sponsors his No. 15 Dallara-Honda at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) with a promotion for establishing college funds.

“College is a great asset,” Rahal said. “I think it’s also important to have a balance and understand working because the common sense of real life sometimes is eye-opening, too.

“But I think (college is) really, really important and also with tuition just climbing so much that we’ve got to be prepared as a society for our kids. And I think parents as best as possible need to help plan for that, too.”

Rahal visited three Indianapolis area hospitals Tuesday as Fifth Third celebrated its namesake day (May 3) by providing the parents of 77 newborns across 19 health systems with $1,053 gift