Yahoo Autos The RACER Mailbag, August 21
Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.
Q: Please tell me why Newgarden wasn’t penalized for that poor excuse for a restart? The video evidence is clear. He brake-checked the field and the expected accident occurred. What did he expect? His post-race interview was a bald-faced lie. “IndyCar threw the green before I went…” Are you serious, Josef? All the talent in the world. all that ability, ruined by your lack of integrity.
Wick in BRLA
MARSHALL PRUETT: He did not brake check the field. If he did, I’d say he did. I spoke with the series Monday morning and ran through all of the questions I had on the matter, and in each instance, I was told race control did not find anything punishable. The series says it reviewed his data and was satisfied that he maintained consistent throttle at 80ish mph. Now, did he waver from 80ish to 78ish or 77ish? I’d support that notion. But I didn’t find anything that was close to egregious in rewatching the sequence about a dozen times.
Having reached the end of the restart zone without going to full throttle, race control went green – while Newgarden wasn’t accelerating – and the series said this is a customary response. I’m not a fan of this approach.
When asked why it didn’t wave off the start and tell Newgarden to go sooner the next time around, I was referred back to the “constant throttle and we’ll go green if they aren’t going by the end of the zone” answers. There was nothing illegal in waiting until the end of the restart zone to restart the race. IndyCar chooses to step in to ensure the race goes green if the leader doesn’t go before reaching the end of the zone. I’d rather have the restart waved off, the leader barked at by race control to conduct a normal restart, and a second chance given, but that’s not what IndyCar prefers to do.
Here’s a thing we know: If you let 27 IndyCar drivers wait and wait and wait to go green, some of those 27 will get anxious, and aggressive, and outcomes like this become probable with the checkered flag minutes away from being waved. That’s on IndyCar. Yes, there’s an entire restart zone a leader can use to their advantage, but clearer expectations for a normal restart with only a handful of laps left to go need to be made at future races. Otherwise, we’ll have every leader wait until the last possible moment and hope for crashes and calamity behind them to thin the competitive herd.
Watching the in-car from Newgarden while pointed rearward, I thought I saw light color changes coming from the exhausts — flames produced with a slight lift or two — which was called out on the broadcast, but I went back and rewatched the sequence a few more times and I was wrong. There are reflections of light on the stainless steel heat shields directly behind the exhausts that made me think I was seeing exhaust flames from lifting.
The only thing I saw and heard after five replays was a slight lift while he was well back in the corner at the Domino’s billboard on the outside of the track. It’s a super brief lift, prior to any of the mayhem, but it’s also where teammate Scott McLaughlin goes from three-quarters of a car length back to closing right up to the back of Newgarden’s car.
Did that brief lift a few hundred feet before the restart cause McLaughlin to close that gap? Or did McLaughlin accelerate slightly — or was it a combination of Newgarden slowing and McLaughlin accelerating? I don’t know. But from the slight lift back in the corner next to the Domino’s sign, the gap between the teammates quickly went to zero.
As they rounded the turn and were past the start of the outer pit wall, contact between the nose of McLaughlin’s car and Newgarden’s attenuator happened. Feeling the nudge and twitch at the back of the car, it sounded like Newgarden lifted for a split second to gather the car, which led to McLaughlin lifting and gathering his car, which then caused Colton Herta and Will Power to lift in reaction to McLaughlin and caught the charging Alexander Rossi by surprise.
The trigger point to all the bad stuff that happened was the erasing of the gap between Newgarden and McLaughlin before race control flipped the light panels to green and the ensuing nose-to-attenuator nudge that unsettled the leader and second place. That’s what instigated the accordion effect that led to the crashing.
And behind them, Nolan Siegel nailed Jack Harvey and shot Harvey into the outside wall as Power, Rossi, and a nowhere-to-go Conor Daly went to the inside.
The whole thing was stupid, and a damn shame. Herta and Power and Rossi were on the wrong end of slowing in front of them when nose-to-attenuator contact happened, but I haven’t found the dastardly behavior by Newgarden that’s been alleged.
Was Newgarden deploying the “I’m here to win races, not make friends” playbook at WWTR? Yes. Was that legal? Also yes. Travis Hinkle/Motorsport Images
Q: Newgarden’s rear wheels were spinning while the car was in the air on last stop. Not so on McLaughlin’s car. Is this a penalty, or not? If so, why didn’t IndyCar call it?
Jeff, State College, PA
MP: It was a penalty years ago — it became a popular thing to do in the mid-’80s and was banned — but there’s nothing in the rule book under Pit Lane Violations that lists spinning the tires in the air as an infraction. But, as always, if IndyCar sees something it feels is unsafe during a pit stop, it can apply a penalty.
Q: No cable? Big problem! Venu Sports’ launch has been blocked and could possibly never see the light of day. Is there a backup plan in place? IndyCar should have taken whatever NBC/Peacock was offering. It’s starting to feel like the video game fiasco all over again.
Jared, Reading, PA
MP: The video game deal was different; IndyCar were warned to avoid the vendor, didn’t, and paid the price. Here, it’s a problem that’s not of their making, and admittedly, IndyCar is one of 50-plus sporting leagues affected by the temporary injunction against Venu.
Since the injunction was ordered on Friday, no, I wouldn’t expect IndyCar to have a workaround in place days later. Look for the series to monitor the legal developments and see what happens. This affects everything from the NFL to NASCAR to MLB to Formula 1, so I have no doubt Venu (ESPN, FOX, Warners Bros. Discovery) are highly motivated to come to a resolution and move forward for its biggest properties and its smaller ones like IndyCar.
Q: Are there some cracks in the wall at Team Penske? First there was the PTP issue, which I found unlike what we’d expect from the team in the first place, and compounded by the different explanations. Subsequently the teammates have raced hard, as I would expect, but have not closed ranks publicly as they historically might have.
Newgarden and McLaughlin’s bromance (however real or manufactured it might have been) imploded. Josef seems to have a new, much harder approach and seems very tight-lipped in public. It seems as if something in his personal and/or professional life may have changed in some dramatic fashion.
It’s perhaps unfair to take aim at someone with as much success as Tim Cindric has had, but it also seems possible to draw a line from Roger’s purchase of the series and subsequent distancing from the team to these events. Do you see this stemming from Newgarden’s free agency?
Jack
MP: Roger isn’t involved in the same day-to-day way at the races, but please do not think he’s stepped back from the team between events. As many have chronicled this season, Josef has tightened his inner circle, cut out the things he felt were distracting or unnecessary, and that’s resulted in a more focused and isolated work environment of his choosing. He’s beloved by his No. 2 Chevy crew, and has the full support of the team’s leadership. Those two things aren’t new.
What is new, over the last four or five years, is an ongoing change from the happy-go-lucky kid we got to known when he was making waves in Indy Lights, and in the first stage of his IndyCar career — and also in his first couple of seasons with Penske — to an adult with a family and lots of success and attention who’s changed and evolved into being his own man. And that man isn’t the same once who we got to know which, honestly, is fairly common. If anything, it would be strange for 2015 Josef to be the same guy in 2024.
With all that said, he’s gone from Penske newbie racing alongside legends and champions where he knew his place to the best driver on the team, to the team leader, to the longstanding leader who’s chosen to direct his energies more into the No. 2 program than anything else. That’s the same thing Pato O’Ward does at Arrow McLaren and Colton Herta does at Andretti Global; great guys, but they aren’t happy when they get beaten by a teammate.
On Cindric, as long as it isn’t hurting the team, it’s not incumbent upon him to change Josef’s personality or approach to racing. Newgarden isn’t the wide-eyed person who showed up in 2017 with two race wins to his credit. He’s Penske’s modern equivalent of a Helio Castroneves or Rick Mears — always fighting for big wins and championships — and if he’s become more selfish over the years, he’s earned the right.
Q: I was at WWTR and like to know why Josef Newgarden was not penalized for putting his car in gear/spinning his tires before the jack dropped, and for the slow restart? It was so slow I didn’t think the race went green, and I was sitting right there.
Lately Josef seems to be immune from being penalized. It appears that Penske owning the series has some advantages; the St. Petersburg race notwithstanding.
Kathy Melkey
MP: We covered off the first two items above. I had a lot of folks from the paddock express the same sentiment on the last part, which isn’t new. But yes, if it’s a clear-cut item like the cheating at St. Pete, IndyCar makes a clear-cut decision, like disqualifying the offending Penske drivers. And to your point, if it’s anything with a bit of wiggle room when a Penske driver is in a position to win, there’s a growing belief that IndyCar will swallow the referee’s whistle. I don’t see how this belief will change unless IndyCar rules against a Penske driver when the race is on the line and a penalty is awarded for whatever the infraction might be.
You don’t see the 2024-spec Newgarden busting moves like this as often as you might have in 2012, but the modern version wins a lot more races. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images
Q: To my untrained eye Newgarden might have maintained a consistent (slow) speed for the (late) restart that caused a big mess. Any word from race control on the telemetry to validate that? On a related note, what would have caused a penalty? Maybe technically there wasn’t reason for one, but that sure looked like one.
Ryan, West Michigan
MP: Per the series in our call, Newgarden’s throttle data was reviewed after the race and no irregularities were found. Failing to maintain a consistent pace would be grounds for a penalty. Power’s rage and Rossi’s launch created some strong feelings against Newgarden. Josef is more than capable of putting on the black hat, but I can’t find it here.
Q: Why does the IndyCar app not have the leaders circle points standings? Just discovered they have the rookie championship, manufacturer championship, even the pit stop standings, but not the leaders circle, which is actually quite useful for fans at this time of year.
Paul, Glasgow, Scotland
MP: I don’t know, but I rely on the app for almost nothing, so I’m not the guy to ask. I might open it twice a year. The Wikipedia page for IndyCar’s current season(s) is a delightful resource. Give it a try.
Q: Whatever happened to the oval alternate tires? I know they tested them out at Gateway last year but haven’t seen them return for this year’s ovals.
Michael, Halifax, Canada
MP: There wasn’t enough of a difference to the primary tires to warrant a continuation.
Q: What’s up with the Penske drivers bullying Lil’ Dave? The last two races, Power and McLaughlin have gotten into his face post-race, screaming and yelling. Whether Malukas deserved it or not, this type of behavior is unacceptable from two senior drivers in the series. Race fans grow up idolizing drivers like the ones at Team Penske. I’m sure David was no different as a young kid climbing the ladder series. And then he makes it to the big league only to get verbally abused by his heroes. How would you feel if this was you?
Bob Gray, Canoga Park
MP: Definitely a jerk move by Power in the moment. Between barking at Malukas outside of IndyCar Medical to telling NBC pit reporter Dillon Welch to ‘**** OFF’ when he asked for a post restart crash interview to flipping off pace car driver Oriol Servia, it wasn’t a day of model behavior for DJ Willy P. But after the race, he watched the replay of the incident, realized he was at fault, and called Malukas to apologize. He and Newgarden were on a boat together on Monday, wake surfing and having fun. Power’s explosive responses — and I realize they aren’t befitting of a role model — will be missed by me when he’s gone.
Q: When Penske bought IMS and the series, I thought it was great. I now feel that it was the worst thing possible for IndyCar. The fact that Penske owns the series, his team wins all the ovals and he was caught cheating earlier this year and did a poor job with disciplining the team and didn’t appoint an independent person to investigate is very disappointing. So now they keep winning, and as a fan I only wonder if they are still cheating?
Since Penske controls everything, they might be cheating and the stewards don’t look for it or choose to overlook it on orders from above. It is so sad that the person who owns the series has a team that keeps winning. I can’t ever cheer for Team Penske and I truly hope they lose every race and I would be happy if the team went away. Penske has taken all the joy out of IndyCar for me.
Paul, Indianapolis
MP: Team Penske has been the best team on short ovals for a good while, and that has nothing to do with the P2P cheating ordeal, or Roger buying the series. They’re simply the best in a specific discipline, just like Ganassi is the best on road courses. Does that mean Ganassi’s cheating with Palou and Dixon?
One complaint, however, is how much testing Penske’s team has done in the last year. Take that short oval mastery, then add being one of the two primary hybrid test teams to log huge miles in private testing, and to help assess Milwaukee’s readiness for a return to the calendar, and you have things like Penske cars going 1-2-3 at the June hybrid test at Milwaukee. Take Penske’s trio earning pole, leading 201 of 260 lap, and winning the race in a 1-2 finish that could have been a 1-2-3 if Power wasn’t wrecked.
Q: With the questionable restart tactics, will IndyCar institute new rules or enforce the existing ones? The “win at any cost” guy is such a different Josef than the one we met when he drove for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing. Being Penske Perfect doesn’t seem to be winning him friends.
Dino, New Hanover, PA
MP: Other than warning the leader to not wait until the end of the restart zone to go, I’m not sure what needs to be instituted or reinforced. Juan Pablo Montoya gave zero craps about making friends. A.J. Foyt gave zero craps about making friends. If Newgarden’s spoken of like any of them when he retires, I don’t think he’ll mind if he doesn’t get an invite to the IndyCar Driver’s Reunion 20 years from now.
Q: I’m not pleased with what I’ve read about the new charter with respect to limits on the number of drivers allowed per car per season (Coyne and the No. 51), and the apparent inability for a new team (PREMA) to beat out and replace an existing charter team for the charter team benefits. Plus, Bryan Herta’s comments about inconsistent officiating at the Gateway race ring true with me. Are we about to have another split in IndyCar racing?
I hope Mr. Penske can put the good of the sport above his personal interests and keep IndyCar racing open to everyone who wants to bring the resources and talent to try to win. I appreciate his investment in the Speedway but now fear that he is putting himself ahead of the greater good of the sport.
Richard, San Antonio, TX
MP: Stranger still, PREMA is the only non-charter team that’s been approved for full-season participation in the series, according to the owners I spoke with about the charter program.
Here’s what I can say from all I’ve witnessed: Prior to Penske buying the series, the series and its paddock was much closer. The owners’ needs were heard and often acted upon. It was a pretty solid dynamic with limited distance between the people running IndyCar and the people running the teams. With Penske Entertainment’s arrival, that changed. Now, there’s a lot of distance and not a lot of symbiosis as executives make the majority of the decisions independent of the paddock. Maybe the charter will bring some of that closeness back.
Might the charters be a way for IndyCar’s paddock to reconnect with its leadership? Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images
Q: There has been a lot of negative things this happen this year involving Penske Entertainment and IndyCar racing, from the cheating scandal at St. Pete to the officiating at Gateway last weekend. I would like to see Penske not be in control of the series. It is never a good thing to have one owner control the sport and call all of the shots. We used to be fans of Josef Newgarden, but his and the Team Penske cheating scandal has really soured our support. His classless move on the restart at Gateway deserved a penalty, but obviously the Captain would not let that happen. If Newgarden wasn’t his teammate, Will Power probably would have punched him in the mouth after the race.
Since Roger Penske has purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Car Series, do you think he has delivered overall positive value?
P.S. This year will be our 25th year attending the Indy 500. Every race morning, walking into the track on 16th Street, I’d point up to a metal sign on a pole that honors Tony Hulman and thank him for the Speedway. But this past year, the metal sign that has been there for many years near the main tunnel entrance was gone. It has been taken down by someone, and I would like to know who and why? I would hope that Roger Penske did not have anything to do with this…
Tim Doran, New Castle, PA
MP: Prior to the FOX deal, I would have said no on overall value. Since the FOX deal, which I consider to be the first significant addition to IndyCar since it was bought, my view has changed. Car counts are up, which is great, but costs have also gone up, which isn’t great. More teams (Foyt, Coyne, Juncos Hollinger, Carpenter) are struggling to find sponsors or properly-funded drivers than ever in the Dallara DW12 era, which is a heavy concern. Honda is looking at the front door, which is frightening.
On the other end, there’s big hope the new FOX deal will bring more sponsorship dollars in, so that’s good. And there’s a lot of great drivers in the series and wanting to get in — I’ve heard Ferrari F1 test/reserve driver Robert Shwartzman has a full-time deal, supposedly with PREMA — and that would be great to see if it happens. But then we have the stupid charter deal with a cap on three charters per team, so some people will lose their jobs at Ganassi because of Penske.
I wish we were talking about win after win for IndyCar, but it seems like every positive has a matching negative these days. My glass-half-full nature, which is losing its patience with IndyCar, is what keeps me coming back.
Q: With the Nashville Superspeedway finale coming up very soon, I wanted to ask if you know of any intentions from IndyCar and the city of Nashville to move the event back to the downtown streets post-construction of the new Titans Stadium? I can’t remember if there was a direct quote from any of your work or other sources that said so.
I love ovals, but I went to all three Music City GPs and I thought the event was a great experience. I was very much planning on going to the new street layout for this year’s championship finale. I won’t get into the specifics, but due to the logistics I will most likely not be able to make it for the event now that it is on the Speedway.
Obviously I know the announcement is six months old and I know I am on the minority on this (especially considering how the first two years of the race went), but I was really disappointed in the venue switch-up. I am a 19-year-old from a Philly suburb in the northeast region that we all know has lacked an IndyCar presence in recent years. The street race gave me the opportunity to see an IndyCar race in person and it was one of my favorite weekends of the year.
I start my freshman year of college next week and I would have gladly missed a class period or two to make the trip down there for the originally-planned modified street race.
Josh Crawford
MP: Great to have you in the series, Josh. I don’t recall any words spoken with confidence about returning to the revised street layout after the new stadium is done. But we’re a few years away from any real chance of it happening. My guess is we’ll need to see how the stadium and traffic flow goes before any new talks of hosting an IndyCar race downtown become real. Lots of bad press the first two events, much better on the third, and then a huge change for the fourth installment. If something positive and consistent can be made to happen downtown, I’d imagine the city would be open to it.
Q: Which series have rules that prohibit cars from having their wheels spinning while in the air? Do they typically give any leniency around this, perhaps when the car is put in gear?
Kyle
MP: I know IMSA doesn’t allow it. No.
Q: What are your thoughts on the yellow caused by Newgarden’s spin? I thought it should have been a line up and back to green immediately. I know that they had the sweepers out on every caution, but for Newgarden’s spin was different in that he didn’t hit anything. But then you realize that both Newgarden and Mclaughlin needed to pit. Hmmmm… a long yellow seemed very conducive to helping Team Penske and probably saved the race for Newgarden. Call me a conspiracy theorist if you want, but from the stands that’s what it felt like.
Joey, Florida
MP: Josef got up into the marbles and spun. He’s lucky he didn’t crash, which would have led to the same long(er) caution. This spin was a perfect depiction of how IndyCar can trigger a caution in a nanosecond on a short oval because it can see it happening right in front of them from race control, but lacks the same ability to do so at a Turn 1 in Toronto because it can’t see it and doesn’t have any extra eyes and a local triggers at blind spots to react with the same swiftness. That’s a problem to solve.
In a race with multiple race strategies working, Team Penske also had Will Power, who led more laps than anyone, in a position to win, so I might need more insight on how race control extended a caution to help other Team Penske drivers to win when Team Penske already had a driver who was in third — Power — who could have easily won.
Team Penske had plenty of organic pathways to victory at WWTR without having to ask for favors from race control. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
Q: I am not following the hate directed at Newgarden. Power was hit from behind; why isn’t he mad at that driver? Is this a case of pressure building around points and the number of races dwindling so tempers will just run hot? If it was a driver who is more widely liked in the paddock that was leading, would the reaction be the same?
Matt, Dallas, TX
MP: You’re onto something here, Matt. If it’s Pato or FRO, I don’t think we have the same meltdown. Power realizing his shot at a championship just took a major hit — in the twilight of his career — was evident in his reaction while speaking to NBC.
Q: Back in the IRL days, restarts seemed to be much better than the current system. Brian Barnhart correctly identified that removing the pace car from the track at the end of the pit lane and having the restart occur in the middle of the turn proceeding the start/finish straight gave the drivers maximum opportunity to settle things before Turn 1, and prevented the shenanigans we saw in St. Louis last weekend.
Any thoughts on why this rule was changed?
Don Anderson, Oak Park, IL
MP: Different era, different ownership, different leadership, different race control? If Newgarden hits the throttle one second sooner and we have a normal restart, we aren’t talking about restarts this week. If this was a routine problem, I’d be up for changes. But this isn’t a regular issue so let’s treat it like the anomaly it was.
Q: BMW’s drivers across RLL and WRT did not fall out of the coconut tree, but between Le Mans and numerous incidents in IMSA over the last two years, these cars seem to find the wall much more regularly than other Hypercars do. Is there anything in particular that is leading to a car that seems outright malicious? I’ve heard some people say that the LMDh cars are both very fast, and not particularly forgiving in general, but it seems like the BMW is especially ill-tempered.
Also, given how fast the Acura ARX-06 was at Road America, I really want to see how it’d fare at Le Mans, since it seems to be very well-suited to higher-speed tracks. Could be quite a surprise for Toyota and Ferrari to have to chase that little spaceship.
Duncan, Ottawa
MP: Dallara builds the BMWs and Cadillacs, so I doubt it’s the cars. If I was in charge of hiring BMW’s GTP/Hypercar drivers from Day 1, the rosters would look nothing like they do today.
I can’t say if it will be in 2025 or 2026, but I do expect to see ARX-06s at Le Mans.
Q: Pit lane size has been a big topic in regards to IndyCar charters and max number of entries per event. If there isn’t room, there isn’t room. However, all cars would be allowed to practice and qualify and therefore would need a pit space, so how does that work? Either there is space or there isn’t. Any insight?
Andy Brumbaugh
MP: We’ll have 28 this weekend at Portland with Juri Vips in a fourth RLL car. As I’m told, extra cars will be allowed to enter next year, but if it’s at a track where there’s no room for more than 27-28 (or whatever the max number might be), the series will politely urge the entrant to pick another event where their car can be accommodated.
Q: I have questions related to the recent reader inquiry about IndyCar drivers in F1 tests. Do you have any comment on Andretti’s decision to ‘commute’ to F1? I feel like it was a significant missed opportunity to become a part of the team.
I heard at the time that Michael wanted them to explore the kind of asymmetric setups he was used to, but the team refused to even explore the idea. True? That also strikes me as a significant error, especially given that the car was not stellar. Any opinions?
Finally, I concluded at the time that Al Jr preferred a car setup less on edge than Michael. In my mind, this gave Michel a qualifying advantage, but allowed Al to better adapt to changing conditions in the races. Do you see truth in this, or is it just overthinking from outside the car?
Jack
MP: Michael’s commuting on the Concorde was always a lame excuse to me by McLaren. Michael told me he was planning to move to the UK, but got the axe before a commitment was made to return in 1994. I’ve never heard the asymmetrical setup story. Little Al could drive anything, but wasn’t renowned as a big technical driver. Michael was able to drive anything and was deeply entrenched on the technical side. I’d say that made it easier for Michael to come up with stronger qualifying and race setups that were more effective.
Q: I was at the IMSA race at Road America and my question is about the yellow flag periods and lining everyone up by class. When a yellow happens, why doesn’t the safety car just pick up the leader, and everyone else behind the leader on track just hold position as they were when the yellow came out? Doesn’t matter if the field is mixed with different class cars, and when the field comes by pit entry, those that want to pit do so, and if you choose not to pit, so be it. When you come out of the pits you just line up wherever you are.
They wasted probably 20 minutes or more of racing time going around under yellow multiple times just lining up the classes. I know it is a NASCAR-owned series and a NASCAR-type alignment with classes is what they want, but we are just wasting time. Let’s just go old school.
RA veteran, Dan C
MP: It’s the main aspect of the events that fans continue to dislike. I’m open to any ideas that increase green flag running.
Q: Would a second tire manufacturer in IndyCar be a bad thing? If not, has it been discussed as a possibility?
Bradley ‘J’, Sussex, WI
MP: It wouldn’t. It has been a while since I heard of a new tire manufacturer being truly interested in IndyCar.
This town’s not big enough for two tire suppliers. Chris Jones/IMS Photo
Q: Please explain the charter situation in IndyCar. They seem convinced that capping fields at 27 cars is a good thing. I want to see as many cars as the tracks can fit, not capped at 27. It wasn’t that long ago during the Split when 18 cars was the bigger of the two fields in the series at most races. That sucked. Do they think capping the fields is going to add value because other potential owners are going to want to buy the charters from smaller teams for large sums of money? I’m guessing that they’d just opt to not buy in and go sports car racing instead. Can you enlighten me on the thought process? I love IndyCar, but I don’t understand what the powers that be think its major value is.
AJ, Indiana
MP: Wait until later in the decade when we’re looking at 24 cars. I’ve even heard of a goal to get it down to 22. As I wrote in our last charter story, there’s a Penske-led initiative to prioritize quality entries over quantity.
Q: My questions are about IndyCar marketing. Why is IndyCar never mentioned on the news unless it’s the 500 or something tragic? And why is IndyCar never marketed like NASCAR? You can go to just about any gas station or truck stop or convenience store or department store and find something related to NASCAR. The last time I saw something related to IndyCar was a few years ago at 7-Eleven!
Maybe if they did a better job more people would know what IndyCar is!
Eric Knackstedt
MP: It wasn’t always this way. IndyCar, in its former CART IndyCar Series guise, was the country’s most popular form of racing through the mid-to-late 1990s. It was the headline series mentioned first until NASCAR took the lead, which is has not relinquished.
In that rise, NASCAR amassed a fortune and has become a giant of an organization with riches and reach that dwarf IndyCar. Most of the major brands that were once found in CART moved to NASCAR (if they weren’t already there and competing in both series) exclusively, and that trend also continues, which is why you see the big activations at gas stations and wherever else.
It probably sounds like a consolation prize, but Penske Entertainment, which bought the series leading into 2020, has been making larger investments in marketing on an annual basis, but its budget for such things is a fraction of what NASCAR and its large sponsors spend each year. Most of the sponsors on Indy cars are comparatively small and don’t have the money or the reach to do national advertising campaign.
The “why doesn’t IndyCar do things like NASCAR” question comes back to size and scale. One’s the heavyweight champ, and the other is the middleweight champ. They might compete in the same sport, but aren’t in the same ring.
Q: Someone who matters at IndyCar needs to hear that with the new TV deal, they are losing a fan who watches every single IndyCar session. The cost of doing this with Peacock was around $20 annually with the right promotion. It increases about tenfold to $200 with Venu Sports.
I watched every session and attended my local race each year that IndyCar was on Peacock. As a reward for my loyalty, I am now forced to choose between doing one or the other. If the races themselves are not free-to-view on demand within either the Fox app or the Fox Sports app, I will do neither.
It takes courage to screw your most loyal customers this hard. I can’t support that no matter how much I love the sport.
Nick, FL
MP: I hate to hear this, Nick.
Q: I would have thought it be hard for Ricardo Juncos to part ways with countryman Augustin Canapino. I was under the impression Canapino brought sponsorship to the team, unless any Argentinian sponsors wanted an Argentinian driver. Was the split between Augustin Canapino and Juncos Hollinger inevitable, and why do it with a few races left instead of after the season ends?
Brandon Karsten
MP: I’ve heard the Canapino-brought-sponsorship thing a few times since his exit and can’t understand where this comes from. He was always a project for Juncos, who was responsible for finding the entire budget. We wrote plenty about why the split happened now when it happened.
Q: Did anyone ever consider the Ferrari Hypercar nomenclature (499P) could’ve stood for first Le Mans win year (1949) 49 and total Le Mans wins, at the time of introduction 9?
Patrick Reilly
MP: I’ve asked the other 8 billion people on earth, and they all said no, you’re the only one!
Q: Are the Steinbrenners still partners with Andretti?
Tim, Glen Ellyn, IL
MP: They are not.
Q: On any given IndyCar broadcast, I will hear at least three different pronunciations of Alex Palou’s last name:
– Pa-LOO
– Pa-LOW
– Pa-LAU
How does the man himself pronounce his own last name?
Wiscowerner
MP: Lots of different Spanish accents in play here. Alex pronounces it as “Puh-low.”
Who’d have thought there’d be so many potential ways to pronounce a five-letter name? Josh Tons/Motorsport Images
Q: I get why the existing IndyCar teams might want the charters, but as a fan, I hate the idea. The thought of parking tens of millions of dollars in a Cup charter with zero cash extra cash flow as a benefit is keeping the Earnhardts out of Cup. Would a Juncos, Schmidt, Herta, Vasser, Shank have been able to start a team and ease their way in if a charter system were in place back then? No.
IndyCar has healthy fields now, but that’s no guarantee for the future. While it’s healthy, let’s have qualifying mean something. Some F2 or Indy Lights ( whoever came up with NXT should be fired) kids have some money; that allows the Abel, Malukas, Prema, et al to come in and have a crack at making the field. Bumping doesn’t just have to be at Indy. The truth is most of the fans wouldn’t know who half the drivers were if they were clothes in the beer line next to them in street clothes.
Let’s have it be like the NHRA, where if the driver screws up, he/she really could go home.
Yes, charters do give an owner some value beyond used equipment at exit. But without an operating cash flow influx, does it really help that much? Is Earnhardt not owning a Cup team healthy for NASCAR?
Justin
MP: The back-end merits of the charters in giving something for team owners to sell and cash-out with has value. Other than that, in knowing there’s no owner looking to sell, I’m waiting to see what charters truly add that’s missing today.
Q: Is the Cyndi Lux mentioned in this 2022 “Preview: Trans Am 100s at Road America” related to Ron Lux, who was killed in the USAC race at the Tulsa Fairgrounds on July 16, 1966? In a moment, I’ll tell you why this may be important.
I was not sure if Lux was killed in a USAC Sprint or Champ Car race, but Robin Miller wrote in MILLER: The 1960s – a decade in headlines that it was indeed a USAC Sprint race in the sixth paragraph.
Miller writes:
* If any year [ED: 1966] stands out it’s this one, as new ideas overran Gasoline Alley, road racing got a revival as the Can-Am and Trans Am series started, and the Grim Reaper claimed six USAC drivers.
* Rutherford flipped out of Eldora and broke both arms in April, but was back racing the next year and never lost his sense of humor. “You find out quickly who your real friends are when it’s time to go to the bathroom,” said J.R. But it was a brutal year for open-wheelers as savvy dirt veterans Jud Larson and Red Riegel were killed in a sprint-car crash at Reading, Pa. Ron Lux, a promising rookie, died as a result of injuries in a sprint race at Tulsa, and USAC midget champion Jimmy Davies was fatally injured warming up his midget in Chicago. Two weeks after scoring his initial Indy car victory at Sacramento, Dick Atkins was caught up in Branson’s accident at Ascot Park and both were killed.
The reason why I’m trying to find out is that… wait for it … My late fiancee’s father was Jack Friedman, who was a mechanic on Ol’ Calhoun at Indy in… wait for it again… 1963. And Jack had the red, white & black ‘1963 Indy 500 Winner’ sticker on his toolbox at his home on Staten Island to prove it!
When I went to her home in nearby Sayreville, NJ for the first time in 2006, she said “I want to show you something in the garage,” and, wait for it again… it was a beautifully restored 1962 Leffler that she said Mario, JR, Mel Kenyon, and others had driven (I never verified the provenance), and, wait for it again… Ron Lux was killed in at the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1966.
Unfortunately, Adria and I never married, and then drifted apart; and a friend told me a few years ago she died (I haven’t tracked her down).
If indeed Cyndi Lux is related to Ron Lux, I — along with other Mailbag readers — will try to locate that 1962 Leffler, which Jack lovingly restored, for the Lux family to contact the present owner.
As Billy Mays used to say, “But wait, there’s more!” The No.93 Ol’ Calhoun in the Speedway Museum which won the `63 Indy 500 is a replica: The original was in Rufus’s private collection in California, and Jack saw it about 20 years ago when he & Diane went to visit.
Continuing the Billy Mays theme …“But if you order now, we have an extra bonus for you!” Turns out, while looking for a pix of Ol’ Calhoun, I stumbled across Angus McKenzie driving the IMS Museum replica around The Speedway in The Greatest: Driving Ol’ Calhoun – Motor Trend
McKenzie has the photo as his header photo on X, …but since he hasn’t posted since 2022, he never replied to my tweet!
Dan Schwartz, Atlanta, GA
MP: My friend Cindi Lux, one of the great women racers over the last 30-plus years, is from Oregon and her father’s name was Dick.
Q: I remember a Mailbag a few years back when Robin mentioned he was trying to convince A.J. to hire Kyle Larson while he was on hiatus from NASCAR. Do you know if Larson was ever in any serious talks with an IndyCar team prior to last May’s 500?
Ben, CA
MP: Not that I’m aware of.
Q: Social media discussion has been happening about the lack of a scoreboard at Milwaukee, as the previous scoring pylon was damaged and removed in 2016. Some say to get the IndyCar App on your phone and there is no need for any scoring display, but there will always be a sizable number of fans without this app. Sometimes this app goes down, as a fan reported from Iowa. Does Penske Entertainment or IndyCar provide or rent video boards to race venues? Is it the race venue’s responsibility for this? How is this done at other IndyCar tracks? Hopefully some type of display will be provided for Milwaukee races.
Bob Hunt, Milwaukee Mile fan
MP: According to the track, there will be multiple big video screens that will have the scrolling ticker and running order for IndyCar and Indy NXT. I’m also told there’s also a Dinosaurs of Rock concert from Quiet Riot.
Q: Where does Alexander Rossi land in 2025? He didn’t appear very prominently in the last Silly Season update, but I feel like a driver who’s very consistent in the top 10, capable of outracing Pato O’Ward reasonably often (even if the results this year don’t fully show it), and very good technically should be in high demand. I would hope that he could land in a Ganassi seat since Armstrong/Lundqvist don’t seem locked in and Palou might even leave for Audi.
If not, the new vacancy at MSR seems like the other best option, but maybe there’s too much Andretti baggage there given the current technical alliance and how he left that team? Or has he reached the stage of his career where he’s no longer of interest to the top teams, and he needs to be ready to step down the grid to help a DCR/ECR/Rahal/PREMA move forward a little? He seemed very relaxed about it all on his podcast with Hinch after the announcement he was leaving McLaren, but I haven’t seen his name in the news that much.
Max Camposano
MP: There’s a growing fear that Rossi will be out of IndyCar. He’s not going to Ganassi. As the last silly season piece offered, the team’s three-driver lineup is set. His manager has spoken to all the other teams, or tried to connect with all of them, and so far, the same message I receive is the price is too high for their taste or their bank account. I hope something changes because I’d hate to lose Alexander from the series. From all I’ve been told in the last week, if it isn’t PREMA, I’m not sure what else is left unless it involves a big price reduction.
If I were a team owner I’d put on a fake mustache and glasses, and trick Rossi into signing a contract disguised as a hero card during an autograph session. (Are contracts legally binding if they’re signed with a Sharpie?) Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images
Q: Just got back from a family vacation at Legoland where I saw a number of adult “Technic” racing Lego sets in the store, including models for F1, Formula E, and NASCAR. But there are no IndyCar Lego sets. Can somebody at IndyCar please rectify this so I can hide my own gifts on my kids’ Christmas lists?
Eric, Hawthorn Woods, IL
MP: Make the call, Mark Miles!
Q: What are the odds that Alex Palou will leave Chip Ganassi’s IndyCar team at the end of this season for Formula 1? There is a rumor that he might join Sauber from 2025 onward. Is there any traction to this?
I was under the impression that Scott Dixon and Palou were a lock at Ganassi in IndyCar for 2025. I had read that Chip wants to downsize to three cars rather than the five the team currently fields.
If Palou tried to leave for Formula 1, wouldn’t McLaren try to get an injunction to prevent it? They could still mess with him because of their lawsuit over his contract and cash advance.
The team deeply resents Palou and has publicly stated that its misfortunes this year are on him. They believe that his not honoring a contract to drive has led to the multitude of drivers being rotated into the car driven by David Malukas, who injured his wrist and had to be let go.
Wouldn’t it make for a legal quagmire if three teams wanted his services and McLaren believed him to be under contract? I can’t see Ganassi letting Palou go anywhere either considering his strength, precision and ability to win championships. A potential third within four years is an incredible feat.
David Colquitt
MP: The rumor is a nothingburger. Alex Palou is contracted to drive for Ganassi for the next few years, so if he wants to try and leave for F1, he’d have two lawsuits to deal with, and I’m confident his newest Ganassi contract has the harshest of penalties if he were to try and pull this on Chip again like he did in 2022 and McLaren in 2023. He’s been the best driver in IndyCar since 2021, and there’s no way Ganassi voluntarily lets his best driver leave to be an asset for someone else.
Q: Well, I think the recent Malukas headline should read, “Malukas signs a multi-year deal with Penske.” I see either two scenarios: a) interest in Malukas wasn’t as much as one would think (not likely), or b) this is a heavily backed Penske deal, he is being placed and developed at A.J. Foyt Racing in a low-pressure environment with lots of support, and he is Will Power’s replacement on down the road. Obviously, it doesn’t take too much to figure this out and I’m sure you’ve received many comments to this effect.
John Dowling, Ann Arbor, MI
MP: You write the news story as it’s presented. You write the silly season or Mailbag updates to color in the margins that don’t belong in a straight news piece. Malukas has been signed by Penske, I’m told, and is a one-year “rental” by Foyt.
Q: I have been trying to keep up with the early/limited information coming out about the FOX/Indycar broadcast situation for next season. On Peacock, if we miss a live broadcast (steam or TV) of a race, qualification, or practice session, it was archived on the app so we could view it later. With FOX, if we miss a live 2025 race broadcast, will we be able to view the race later via the FOX app?
Jason
MP: I’ve never used the FOX Sports app, so I can’t say.
Q: I read your article on next year’s IndyCar streaming options and found the Venu service to be potentially prohibitively expensive. Even if it succeeds in court, I don’t believe that IndyCar viewership should be valued significantly higher than F1TV or other existing options. It seems to me that IndyCar may not fully consider fans as stakeholders in this situation.
As a long-time fan who generally embraces change, this situation could be a deal-breaker for me, and may even lead to the end of my enthusiasm for IndyCar. I’m exploring alternative options and would like to know if “IndyCar Live” broadcasts practice sessions and qualifying rounds? Additionally, who handles the analysis for these broadcasts?
The current information on this topic seems unclear and possibly premature. Any insights you can provide on other available options (other than OTA) to view would be greatly appreciated, as I may need to consider spending my time and money on other forms of racing if the situation doesn’t improve.
Bruce
MP: I just don’t know, Bruce. I’m sorry.
Q: Is there any chance that Foyt would run three cars next year?
John
MP: Not that I’m aware of.
Q: Are there issues at MSR that keep drivers from staying? Looks like revolving doors.
Mark, Springfield, OH
MP: Jack Harvey was there from MSR’s debut in 2017 through 2021 and left for what he felt was a better opportunity. MSR hired Castroneves and Pagenaud from 2022-2023, and neither of them were spectacular — Andretti Global, its technical service provider, was also unspectacular — and weren’t retained. So that’s four years with Jack, two years with Helio and Simon, and other than parking Blomqvist in the second car and Malukas opting to leave for Penske by way of Foyt, I can’t see the revolving door.
There’s been some shuffling this year, but historically, MSR’s line-ups have been fairly stable. Perry Nelson/Motorsport Images
Q: Big Possum is appalled. Apparently Santino is being kicked to the curb at Foyt because he needs to come up with 10 million dollars for the seat. He’s the best driver for Foyt since A.J. himself. What has IndyCar come to? I guess we know the answer to that. And then apparently Ganassi is instituting a driver development program to take kids from karting all the way to IndyCar but it is not a talent search, it is a ‘how much money does dad have’ search.
Big Possum longs for the days where the sprint/ midget racers got to Indy on talent — maybe Tony George had the right idea. Just to illustrate how far we have fallen, during the 1973 three-day Indy 500 rain delay, on the third day Mel Kenyon was home cutting his grass when someone called him and said, “Mel, looks like they may run it today, you better come on down.” So Mel finished mowing the lawn and drove to the Speedway to finish fourth. Times have sure changed.
Big Possum once again suggests we go the small block Chev by Ilmor engines – cheaper, teams can work on them, and eliminates issues with Honda and GM wagging the dog. Just sayin’.
Big Possum
MP: I don’t know what Big Possum is talking about in the first paragraph. I expect Ferrucci and Malukas to be teammates next season. No, Ganassi hasn’t started the program. Its sponsor Journie started it and hired Ganassi to oversee it. Let’s just go to Flintstone foot-powered cars and really kill the series dead.
Q: I recently found a video produced by IndyCar talking about a prototype steering rack damper to prevent the steering wheel from spinning around violently during a crash. Do you know what happened to this technology?
Bernard Klespis-Wick
MP: A prototype was made, but never adopted. This is from a long time ago. I don’t remember why.
Q: I thought the No. 3 car banging through for the win at Richmond had Dale Earnhardt Sr driving it. Reminded me of the mid 1990s. A little scrappiness is what NASCAR was made of and it’s a welcome sight. Some controversy gets press, and it was to get into the playoffs. [ED: Turns out that it wasn’t… ] Bravo to RCR and Austin Dillon. Let them race!
Craig B, Leland, NC
KELLY CRANDALL: That wasn’t scrappy. It was egregious.
Q: Regarding the finish of the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond, help my memory but I believe there was at least one but maybe two races in the late ’80s where the winner was disqualified because they intentionally turned the previous leader in the last turn to win. I think they were both on road courses. Can anybody else recall this, and if so, are you like me wondering why they never made the same calls on ovals?
Craig C. Slinger, WI
KC: Denny Hamlin reminded everyone after Richmond Raceway that NASCAR does have rules to help keep drivers under control, but it’s about enforcing them. Particularly when the action is egregious, such as many felt about Richmond. So, now you have more drivers like Hamlin, and crew chiefs, calling for NASCAR to start making those calls in the moment. But NASCAR tends to stay out of policing how a driver acts behind the wheel; not wanting to make ball and strike calls. We’ll see if that mindset changes given what happened at Richmond.
As for your memory, that was before my time but I did ask a colleague who has covered this sport for decades and what came to mind for her was Sonoma Raceway when Ricky Rudd turned Davey Allison coming to the white flag and Allison was given the win as Rudd was black-flagged. It was 1991. And that moment is actually on the NASCAR YouTube page.
Q: Just wondering if you think Grandpa Childress is going to have a talk with his favorite grandson Austin about the fact that just because you have a mustache and the number 3 on your car, you are not the second coming of Dale Sr.?
Dan Schertner
KC: No, I don’t think he’s going to have a talk with Dillon. In the immediate aftermath at Richmond Raceway, there were no apologies or regrets from Dillon, Childress, or anyone from the organization. And considering they are appealing the penalty, it doesn’t strike me that Childress or anyone else thinks there is anything worth discussing.
Q: After watching the finish of the Richmond race, can NASCAR still be considered a legitimate racing series? It seems to have morphed into a more entertainment realm, like a circus. OK Kelly, do your best to spin this into something palatable.
John, Seville, OH
KC: Yes, it is a legitimate racing series that has its moments of absolute buffoonery. All series, all sports have their moments. Richmond was one of those moments for NASCAR, and I wrote after the race that the sanctioning body needed to take a stand and get the garage under control. NASCAR did with its penalties, so in this case, I think they are the right side of the moment by showing they don’t want that buffoonery.
Q: As Andretti Global is waiting in the wings for its own F1 entry, an FIA Formula 3 team will make its swansong at Monza. Jenzer Motorsport announced it is bowing out of the series. It is not much, but it could open a door to placing U.S. and North American talent on the grid. It is premature, but would this be the chance for Michael to take a first step towards Formula 1?
JLS, Chicago, IL
CHRIS MEDLAND: There is quite a regular turnover of Formula 3 teams, but you’re right about Jenzer’s departure leaving a notable hole, as it has been part of the series since it originally launched as GP3. It sounds like DAMS is more likely going to take that spot though, as it currently only races in F2, and in the past there was talk of a partnership with Jenzer in F3. (Plus, Jenzer will still run the car in the post-season test for the new team, which suggests a good working relationship).
It would be a great route for Andretti to get a foot on that ladder, and sometimes F3 does replace existing teams based on applications for each cycle (2025-27 is the next one), but the impression I’ve had so far is that the lack of support for the F1 project means Andretti’s plans to run junior teams are less likely to move as quickly.
Man, can you imagine the letters we’d have received if Newgarden had done what Austin Dillon did at Richmond? Sean Gardner/NASCAR
Q: There is a frequently repeated statistic during F1 broadcasts that, “If the car was x kg lighter the car would be y seconds a lap faster” and I was wondering if anyone has ever publicly done analysis to show if the stat was true?
All other things equal, a lighter car would be faster, but 1.5 kg in George Russell’s case for a 800kg car seems like it shouldn’t matter.
Will Coffey
CM: Publicly, no, teams won’t ever do that analysis because it gives away information about their car and performance, but internally they have done it because it can be worked out through simulations. You set the parameters exactly the same (track, grip level, weather, tires, set-up) and only change the fuel level.
What it does mean, though, is that it’s never as simple as the statistic you rightly cite Will, because it varies based on the track length, weather conditions, tires being used and where they are in their life etc. Over a lap as long as Spa-Francorchamps, a difference of 1.5kg would be at least 0.05s per lap compared to an identical car at the heavier weight, but of course Mercedes pointed out that the car only got lighter as the race developed (rather than its starting weight being 1.5kg lighter) so that wouldn’t be a static number either.
So for arguments sake, let’s say the lap time advantage started going up by 0.01s every five laps from the end. Using that hypothetical number over the last 25 laps of the race (so, nine laps longer than Russell’s final stint) would equate to 0.75s of race time, and it’s a race he originally won by 0.526s.
That shows that even a small single lap time gain can make a difference of a position, even before you factor in that running the one-stop strategy gained track position that means Russell could then influence cars behind him and hold them off. Having that impact on other cars in the race would be another reason such a penalty has to exist, even if the direct race time gain was minimal.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, August 21, 2013
Q: I was wondering what you remember about Bruce Jacobi? He seemed to be a “super sub,” often filling in temporarily when a team was between drivers or their regular driver was injured. He made a 10-year career of this in Indy cars before moving to stock cars where he sustained fatal injuries in a qualifying race at Daytona. If he had gotten a regular gig with a top team, how good would he have been? He seems to be an almost forgotten footnote in racing history, so any light you can shed on him or his career is appreciated.
Gregg Rauscher, Port Colborne, ON
ROBIN MILLER: Bruce was a journeyman who was entered at the Indy 500 almost every May from 1960 to 1974 but never made the race. He qualified in 1962 but the engine blew as he took the checkered flag and he crashed (only to be bumped a few minutes later). His best ride was in 1963 with the Vita-Fresh Special but he crashed that before qualifying. His best-ever result was a fourth at Springfield in 1970 (thank you Donald Davidson for the fact-check). The real tragedy is that he’d been away from racing for almost a decade when he went to Daytona in 1983 and had his fatal accident. He was a handsome, very personable guy who was at the right place at the right time to get some decent chances but never quite made it.
