18-Year Old Colton Herta is Youngest Winner in IndyCar Series' History

Colton Herta, the former son of retired IndyCar driver Bryan Herta, has just broken Graham Rahal's record as the youngest winner of an open-wheel racing series in history.

He was also the youngest person to drink alcohol on the podium after his spectacular victory, according to FoxNews.com.

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"I didn't switch back," Herta said. "I took a swig and said, 'This is real!"

Herta, who was just a few days away from celebrating his 19th birthday on March 30, was 18-year old, 11 months and 25 days old when he  beat Rahal's record of 19 years and 93 days old when he won in 2008 at St. Petersburg.

According to CarThrottle.com, it was only Herta's third race. Despite this, he performed strongly and finished a strong eighth in the season opener. He also qualified fourth at COTA.

"I'm going to live and die an IndyCar winner, which is spectacular in itself," Herta said. "But to be standing up here kind of feels surreal."

Herta's team is currently the Harding Steinbrenner Racing Team.

"I've been bit by the bug now," Herta said. "One race isn't enough. I'm going to go for another one at Barber. I just want to get there and drive again."

When asked how he felt when he created history by becoming the youngest person to win in an American open-wheel racing history, Herta's only reply was that ":I need a nap, man."

The IndyCar Series is currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series. It's considered the premier level of open-wheel racing in North America, and has merged with the Champ Car World Series.