Yahoo Autos The RACER Mailbag, August 28
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: When the Penske cars got busted for using a P2P button that should have been inoperable, Colton Herta was among one of the most vocal people in the paddock. He said any excuse that Penske and Newgarden had “was bull***t.” He also said, “It’s not the driver’s fault that was in the car, but it is the driver’s fault that they used it and were going to use it again in Long Beach.”
Fast-forward to this weekend at Portland, and Herta pushed a button for a system that was supposed to be inoperable on the pit lane. When interviewed after the race on NBC, he said he didn’t know it was a rule that you couldn’t use the hybrid on pit lane. I wonder if Newgarden would say Herta’s excuse “was bull***t”? How did Herta not know a simple rule, or was he lying on TV? Why did he push it in pit lane? Why did he think he would have it in pit lane? Would he say it was his fault for using it?
And most importantly, why did it work in pit lane? Was that an IndyCar error or some Andretti code in the car? Does Colton feel that the Penske drivers are getting treated differently by being DQ’ed for using a button that was supposed to be inoperable, and he himself only had to drop behind a backmarker? Does he feel he should get Penske treatment?
I would love to hear him asked why it’s different. I would love your thoughts, too.
Mark, Cincinnati, OH
MARSHALL PRUETT: Because these were different things. Team Penske activated a system they were not allowed to use, were the only team to do so, two of its three drivers used the system, finished 1-2 in the race where it was used, and were penalized for it when it was discovered the following month.
Andretti Global did not activate a system they were not allowed to use. One of its drivers used a system which every team could use, was penalized for it right after it happened, and finished fourth.
After the activation/deactivation issues IndyCar had at Mid-Ohio and Iowa with the ERS units on pit lane, they series chose to leave them on at all times and rely on its drivers to comply by not using the ERS on pit lane. Herta, who said he was unaware of the rule banning ERS use on pit lane, received an in-race sanction from the series.
Newgarden and McLaughlin both said they were aware of the rule against using push-to-pass on restarts, with McLaughlin, specifically, saying his brief single-time use was a result of an error. Newgarden used it multiple times, but also said he and his crew thought the rule had changed. His team boss and race strategist Tim Cindric, in contrast, was not aligned with his driver’s view, and said there was no confusion about the rule being the same it had always been.
With the Penske usage taking place nearly six weeks prior to it being caught during the pre-race warmup at Long Beach, IndyCar was unable to apply in-race sanctions.
So, one team turning on a system for anytime use that no other team was supposed to use versus one team using a system everybody had the ability to use is not a like-for-like situation on the how and why side.
Where there is a point to be made, independent of the how and why the P2P and self-starting systems were used, is the fact that both were deployed and delivered time advantages to the users.
Whether it’s having more horsepower when others don’t and using that power to build a bigger lead, or saving time lost on pit lane by not having to wait for a manual restart to happen, the time-gain outcome is the same.
Since Herta’s was caught and rectified while the event was live, I struggle to see how or why further sanctions — loss of all points — would make any sense. In hindsight, do I think giving up five seconds was a sufficient penalty? No. As long as it’s illegal, the infraction needs to be stiffer so nobody will want to pay the price.
Since IndyCar did not catch and therefore could not rectify the P2P situation at St. Petersburg and erase the time advantage that contributed to the drivers’ ability to win and place second, taking away the spoils of that advantage — the points they earned — makes sense.
Not all “pressing buttons when you’re not supposed to” infractions are created equal. Perry Nelson/Motorsport Images
Q: It seems that Rahal is always getting a qualifying penalty for an illegal engine swap. What are the rules, and is the penalty really effective if so many Honda teams are opting to swap anyway?
Brian, Ohio
MP: The rule has been around since 2012, and the penalty has changed over the years from hurting the manufacturer in the manufacturers’ championship alone to hurting the entry/driver with a grid penalty and the manufacturer.
Here’s the rules that get violated:
Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event.
Q: In IndyCar P2 from Portland, Will Power just spun and stalled his Chevy. The safety team arrived and turned him around and restarted him with the external starter. I thought one of the benefits of the new hybrid system was that stalled race cars would be able to restart themselves (assuming the ERS system was working properly)? While I do recall a couple of instances of IndyCars self-starting in the last few races, it seems the majority still require an external start. Are my perceptions correct? If so, why have we seen so few onboard restarts?
Bill M, Austin, TX
MP: There were two self-starts at the hybrid debut in Mid-Ohio that I recall, and some at Portland, as well. It isn’t allowed on ovals. Overstating the obvious here, but if Power was able to start and leave on his own, he would have, so if he didn’t, that tells us there was a problem. As Herta learned, self-starting is also disallowed on pit lane, so external starts are required.
Q: My question is about what IndyCar viewers will be missing with FOX replacing Peacock? Currently we get to watch all the practices and qualifying on Peacock. Will FOX do the same or do we get cut off of all that action?
Greg
MP: The FOX Sports app (if you have cable with FOX in the plan) and/or an external streaming service (YouTube, Sling, Venu Sports) that offers FOX, FOX Sports 1, and FOX Sports 2 will be the way to get every session. We wrote about it here.
Q: Can you please explain where Conor Daly needs to finish the 78 car in each of the last three ovals to help secure the $1 million Leaders Circle contract for Juncos Hollinger Racing? Bell and Hinchcliffe mentioned something during the Portland race suggesting that the 78 car is competing against the 20 car of ECR.
Lori
MP: Hard to answer, right? There’s three races left and the results of each race dictate where he needs to finish at the next, based on where his closest Leaders Circle rivals finish. He is chasing the No. 20 ECR Chevy — they’re tied on points at 141, with the No. 20 placed ahead based on better best-finishes — but the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing Honda is only nine points behind him at 133. If the 51 has a better race or two than Conor in the No. 78 Chevy, the Leaders Circle ask gets more complicated.
The simple view is this: Place ahead of the Nos. 20 and 51 and he’ll be in great shape. If he doesn’t, he won’t, but there’s no “he must place in XX position to get the contract” we can offer with three races to go.
Q: It’s hard to believe today [ED: Sunday, Aug. 25, when this letter was submitted] marks three years since Robin Miller left us. In his honor, my submission will focus on one of his consistent pleas to IndyCar to bridge the gap between sprint car racers and the current IndyCar grid.
Is there any current effort or interest for an IndyCar team to look to WOO, High Limit or USAC to find talent for a seat in the Indy 500 or beyond? It seems that since Bryan Clauson died, there has not been another driver from the dirt open-wheel side to step forward. Does IndyCar even consider trying to engage the fans of these series to tap a new market?
I’ve attended numerous IndyCar races over the years, including the past 16 Indianapolis 500s. As an East Coaster (Maryland), I recently sought more local forms of racing to attend and the past two weekends have made the trip to Central Pennsylvania to check out the rich sprint car scene. Lincoln Speedway, Williams Grove, Port Royal, BAPS, Action Track, Selinsgrove and others are running weekly races with talent known as the PA Posse and a large fan base. It seems like an untapped market for driver talent and a potential opportunity for IndyCar to give a nod to its roots while bringing in a new fanbase.
Chris R, Olney, MD
MP: As much as I’d love to say yes, the series is looking to re-establish its midget/sprint roots, no, there’s absolutely nothing I’ve heard of on this front. Robin implored former IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard to make that link, which brought Clauson to the 500, but with Randy’s ouster, his replacement(s) saw no value in spending money to keep making it happen.
Q: At VIR, the No. 65 Mustang and No. 23 Aston Martin teams had to serve a drive-through for a fueling time penalty. So, how long is it supposed to take to fuel a car? If a team is running a fuel-saving strategy, they can fill the car in less time, then have a penalty. Are they required to remain attached, even if full, for a time limit?
It was good to see the Mustangs being competitive. I do fear that IMSA will now issue a BoP change to make them uncompetitive again.
Frank, Mooresville, NC
MP: Yes, there are minimum refueling times outlined in the regulations. Count me among those who were happy to see the Mustang GT3s up in the mix.
Quick pit stops are a good thing in IMSA. Really quick pit stops… not so much. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images
Q: Can you explain the level of interaction between Penske and A.J. Foyt Racing in terms of their technical partnership? Will Power mentioned that they would discuss the start. Does that mean they have joint strategy sessions?
Jim Doyle, Hoboken, NJ
MP: Yes, full interaction. Power referred to Santino multiple times on Sunday as a “teammate,” which speaks to how he and the Penske team view the Foyt program.
Q: Big Scott Dixon fan for years, but I feel like he should have taken the middle of the track at the dogleg. Since he was accelerating from being run off the corner before that, someone at speed might come up on the outside as Pietro Fittipaldi did. Not Pietro’s fault. Your thoughts?
Jeff, Colorado
MP: Looked to me like he drove the normal racing line, but was unaware he had Pietro and Rossi hot on his heels. In that situation, a driver is trying to stop the bleeding ASAP, so getting onto the regular line and accelerating hard — to try and prevent more passes being made — is fairly typical behavior.
Using race control’s logic, after it chose to not penalize Kirkwood for running Dixon wide and onto the rumble strips, which started this sequence, it should not have penalized Fittipaldi for being run wide and onto the rumble strips by Dixon. But that would require consistency, and that’s been out of stock for most of the season.
Q: On the Wikipedia page for Nicole Briscoe, it now contains this sentence under current career section: “On August 4, 2024 she announced she will be leaving the network at the end of the year to go to FOX Sports to become the new IndyCar host beginning next year.”
Can you find out any more about this? Studio host like Shannon Spake was for NASCAR?
Rob Joseph
MP: I spoke to Nicole, and no, this is fake news. There’s also no link or citation to where the “announcement” was made, nor can anything be found on her social media channels. The fun thing about Wikipedia is, anyone can go in and write anything you want. Did you, by chance, add this to her page? (Kidding. Kind of.) And do we think this would be something she announced before FOX announced its lineup?
Also, if she’s leaving ESPN, this announcement of signing a new multi-year contract in December sure seems odd.
Q: What’s the deal with reliability of Honda engines in IndyCar for 2023 and 2024? Scott McLaughlin’s engine penalty at Portland was the first of the season while Honda has had, by my count, 15! And this year is not an outlier: In 2023 Chevy had four engine penalties all season, while Honda had 10.
Any idea what’s going on? Perhaps the money HRC/HPD spent on the hybrid systems for IndyCar and IMSA over the last two years has eaten into the budget for basic R&D/reliability? Or is this a sign that Honda has lost interest and is playing out the string with an engine that can’t keep up with the Ilmor design? What are your thoughts, and has anyone at HRC talked about this?
Ed Joras
MP: I do not know what’s going on. As I’ve written on this topic when it was asked last year, manufacturers go to great lengths to not answer such things or explain in detail how and why they are failing. There are rare occasions where they do, of course, but since HRC (and Ilmor) aren’t prone to telling the outside world why they’re having ongoing high-mileage reliability woes, this is a dead zone for insights, unfortunately.
Q: Why would it be against the rules to use the hybrid to start a stalled car on pit lane? It would seem that from a safety perspective it would be the best option compared with having someone run out on pit lane to start the car. Or, if the car stalls and rolls down a couple of pits, again, safety-wise, it would make sense to have the driver start the car versus five or six crew members trying to push the car back to the pitbox to start the car as other pitting cars go by.
Ross Bynum
MP: It’s for crew safety and not wanting the stalled driver’s team to be trying to manually restart the car while their driver is trying to do it themselves and risk people — in a loud racing environment — from losing control and full awareness of what’s going on.
I agree with the rule, especially with the midseason rollout of hybridization. Play it safe, lock more things down, and then, after a half-season of use and familiarity from the teams, look to open things up like allowing self-starting in the pits.
Q: I will start off by saying I am a big Will Power fan so this will come off as a little biased. Whenever watching IndyCar the well-earned praise heaped upon Scott Dixon as being an all-timer and being up there with the greats is always mentioned. It does not seem Will receives the same praise. Why? I know he can be brash and a little rough around the edges, but based on IndyCar stats alone, an argument can be made that Power has a strong case to be on the Mount Rushmore of IndyCar legends.
Steve
MP: That argument cannot be made right now. But it could if he adds more major achievements to his résumé before he retires. Foyt, Gurney, Andrettis, Unsers, Rutherford, Rose, Mears, Franchitti, Bourdais, Bryan, Meyer, Murphy, Ward, Rahal, Dixon, etc., might want to weigh in on the topic and ask which one of them would be dropped in favor of Will. He’s the all-time leader in poles, which is obviously a big deal, and fourth on the all-time win list, and has an Indy 500 win, but the two championships are the same as Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden who, combined, have fewer years in IndyCar than Power.
So, why is a two-time champion receiving less praise than a six-time champion like Dixon? That one answers itself. There’s no question for me that Will is among the all-time greats of IndyCar. But Mount Rushmore? That’s a stretch which ignores decades upon decades of legends who achieved as much, if not more.
The easiest solution to the Mt. Rushmore debate is to redesign the mountain so that it can fit 40 heads. Joe Skibinski/IMS Photo
Q: My son is taking me to next year’s Indy 500, and we would like your advice on things to see and do during the race week. We will obviously go to the Museum, and hopefully see Carb Day — depending — but are there any other sites we should see on the once in a lifetime opportunity that my wonderful son has given me for my 70th birthday, like that hole in the wall restaurant where Bobby Unser used to hold court? Are there garage tours or pit tours available? Meet and greets?
Sean Raymond
MP: Have breakfast at Charlie Brown’s and don’t be surprised if you see A.J. Foyt there. Get donuts at Long’s and have a burger at the Workingman’s Friend. Go to Speedway Indoor Karting. Arrange a tour at the Dallara factory. Go to Indianapolis Raceway Park for junior open-wheel oval racing. Do a two-seater side at the Speedway. Get topped up on oil with anything on the menu at Mug n’ Bun. Go to the Indy Memorabilia Show. Buy a bronze badge so you can get into Gasoline Alley. Monitor the teams and track to see what kind of tours and events are offered. Buy a ticket to the Last Row Party and watch me roast the poor bastards.
Q: Is there any scuttlebutt to the re-arranging of NBC’s broadcast lineup? The mid-season shuffling of Diffey out to NASCAR seems a bit odd.
Shawn, MD
MP: Well, there is the part where IndyCar is leaving NBC, but Diffey isn’t, so NBC moved him to its biggest racing property.
Q: It was great to be able to watch the Rolex Reunion on YouTube courtesy of RACER TV — many thanks. From the overhead footage, it looked like the pavement, which was laid down at considerable expense and inconvenience only a year or two ago, has already had multiple repairs, with patches and tar snakes all over the place. Is that correct, or was it just the camera angles? Also, it seemed like there were a lot more oildowns than I remember from when I used to attend. Do entrants get penalized for this? Do that at your average motorcycle track day and they pull your ticket and hit you with a major fine.
RJBH20
MP: Sebastien Bourdais was telling me about the worn tarmac after one year when we were there in May for IMSA. Same story from drivers in June for IndyCar, and yes, the durability of the new surface appears to be… not super durable.
There’s a few blown motors per day at the Reunion, so the oil dry routine is expected. No, they don’t get penalized.
Q: I’m sorry but I don’t buy that race control plays favorites with Team Penske. I might buy it if you single out Newgarden. I won’t bore you with my Festivus Airing of Grievances with race control, but there have been so many non-calls that should have been called this year that the list isn’t just limited to Team Penske drivers getting a pass for sub-standard driving.
Is there any sort of an evaluation by the series when you consider calls made (like the one against Legge in Iowa) and calls not made to determine the competency of those in race control? Given the structure of the series (i.e., who owns it), I wonder if a panel of series owners reviewing and holding the stewards accountable might be in order?
Ryan, West Michigan
MP: I’m with you. If and when I have the time, I want to go back and do an accounting of how many penalties have been called since Penske bought the series and see where Team Penske rates by percentage among the other entrants. I feel like it would be a solid number.
But like I wrote in last week’s Mailbag, there is an ongoing belief that if there’s a hard call to make when a Penske driver is leading or capable of winning, no action will be taken. A belief is obviously not the same as reality, but I don’t see how this belief of an automatic bias gets dispelled without multiple instances of race control hammering Penske drivers when something important can be taken away while a race is happening.
Q: I remember Justin Wilson saying that Jaguar did not have the required resources to run two identical cars in F1 when he drove for them. I’m wondering if there is a parallel to CGR running five cars this season?
Oliver Wells
MP: There isn’t. Last year, with four, the team had three highly and consistently competitive drivers, and we saw those three win and run up front. This year, it’s five cars and two highly and consistently competitive drivers after Ericsson left, alongside two rookies and a sophomore doing his first full season. Drop three fast veterans in those cars, and the paddock has a five-car nightmare to deal with.
Ganassi has five good cars with five good drivers who are at different points on their learning curves. Motorsport Images
Q: Hello again, from your (least?) favorite student of the IndyCar rulebook.
Rule 7.7.1.3 states “The leader is required to maintain the pace lap speed until reaching the restart zone designated by INDYCAR when the leader shall accelerate smoothly back to racing speed and the Green Condition will then be declared.”
There’s nothing in the rule at all to suggest that race control throws the green if the leader fails to accelerate. Has Kyle Novak explained why that’s an unwritten rule? It seems as if there was mass confusion in the TV booth over that, and as a fan since the turbine era, I had no idea that was the procedure. There was also no visual indication of where the zone started or ended; the cones that were required to be place by race control in the previous rule no longer exist. Does race control depend on telemetry or simply visual observation to determine if the leader has crossed the exit line to go green if the throttle telemetry hasn’t indicated any acceleration?
The section times chart for WWTR proves beyond a doubt that Malukas, McLaughlin and Power all dropped from pace speed of 75-80mph at the point the pace car pulled off at the Turn 2 exit to as slow as 66mph through the Turn 3 section before the restart. Their average speeds through the Turn 4 section show that they accelerated to 110-150mph in the restart zone. None of them were penalized for failure to maintain pace speed. Why?
Next, one “reaches” the restart zone when one arrives at or enters it, not a handful of feet before leaving it. If the desired outcome is that the leader accelerates “within” the zone, then the rule should state that.
It also uses “shall,” which is discouraged in the legal community because 95% of the time it means the imperative “must” but in other cases merely means “may.” I took it to mean “must,” which is why I assumed Newgarden violated the rule and at the very least, the start should be waved off. Taken at face value, without knowledge of that unwritten rule, I wondered why a leader who failed to accelerate wouldn’t be given a drive through for failure to accelerate that resulted in a crash behind him?
Then there’s the phrase “smoothly back to racing speed.” It’s undeniable that Newgarden was nowhere near racing speed on exiting the restart zone, because the section chart shows his average speed through Turn 3 was 79.8 mph and through Turn 4, which per the diagram at the end of the chart, ends about 200 feet downtrack from the point where the green was shown. He could not have been going more than 88mph at the Turn 4 exit timing loop, otherwise his average speed would have been higher. What is “racing speed” supposed to mean?
I am unsure how open Kyle Novak is with you regarding details, but he really needs to explain clearly what fans should expect in enforcement of such a vague rule that isn’t written well in the first place.
Steve Jarzombek
MP: Kyle has been really good with me when I’ve had questions, but the series doesn’t like to make him available to answer for what I or others believe are mistakes. In my call with the series on the Monday after WWTR, I was told they will go green if the leader does not accelerate before they reach the end of the restart zone. Like penalties, race control has a matrix of actions they work from based on whatever takes place. They could have a similar sheet of restart actions to work from, and if they don’t, they also have the authority to do whatever they want.
Finally, Novak, who is a lawyer, is known for writing out and delivering explicit instructions to drivers and team managers. I do not believe the actions of race control at WWTR came as a surprise to those who sit in those regimented meetings.
Q: I’m indifferent to Penske’s simultaneous ownership of and participation in IndyCar, but reading Mailbag letters each week and the comments sections on IndyCar articles bemoaning and exaggerating the conflict of interest have gotten really old. There’s no cure for this mania, but let me suggest a new prescription to perhaps calm the symptoms:
What if Team Penske cars were ineligible to receive Leaders Circle payouts and any prize money (maybe the Indy 500 as an exception)? If you own the series, you don’t get to double-dip into the piggy bank. This won’t quell the fears of conspiracy with officiating or undo the blood oaths people have sworn against the contemporary axis powers Newgarden-Cindric-Penske, but it would be a real consequence that would hit right where it hurts an IndyCar team owner the most.
And an unrelated question: Why don’t they just make the 500 a non-championship event? It’s not like this would have any impact on the race’s reputation and standing. It already is the series’ de facto all-star event, and if a series regular fails to make the field, there’s no negative impact to their championship hopes. Or do you see decoupling the 500 from the championship equation as something that would remove incentive for full-calendar participation, or even totally sink the status and perception of the championship? But that’s one way to get to the new magic number 22…
Pete, Rochester, NY
MP: Convincing one of the great businessmen of the last 100 years to not allow his team to earn prize money and contracts — even if it’s his money — would be a wild conversation to hold. I’m not a conspiracy guy, and yes, it gets tiring. I also don’t love the conflicts, real or assumed. It’s just an uncomfortable situation, and whether it’s financial or officiating, I just don’t know how to quell the situation.
The Indy 500 without points would be like turning the Super Bowl into a flag football game. The last thing I want is for The Thermal Club’s non-points whatever-the-hell-that-was in March to be equal with the Indy 500.
Q: Dixon mentioned prior to WWTR, and Hinch and Rossi have joked in their podcast, about IndyCar no longer having a drivers association or union as it was dissolved, presumably by the series. What can you share about this development, and what’s the opinion amongst the garage?
Why was it dissolved? What was the role of the association/union prior to its dissolution?
Disappointing to hear, but as I haven’t heard much about the drivers association/union prior to the aforementioned comments by Dixon/Hinch/Rossi, my assumption is that the impact may be minimal?
Bill, Seattle, WA
MP: The series was never involved, nor did it have any authority over the various drivers associations that have been formed across the eras. The general premise has been to assemble and use the collective strength of the participating drivers to channel their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions through a formal channel. Could have been via email. Could have been through the appointing of a senior driver to do the outreach. It has been an informal thing, and the only item to add is since Penske Entertainment bought the series, Penske was not good with any of his drivers being part of an association.
Q: What does the future look like for Dale Coyne Racing? They’ve long been my favorite IndyCar team, but they’re not in a great position at the moment. Sponsorship is thin, neither car is likely to make the Leaders Circle, and while I’ve personally enjoyed seeing unfancied drivers get opportunities (something Dale’s been so good at over the years), the rotating cast is far from ideal — and may not even be possible from next year if Penske Entertainment get their way, which could leave a budget shortfall. Is the team sustainable in its current form? Are there any partnerships or changes on the horizon? Could Dale even cash his chips once the charters have made his team more valuable?
Also, as a UK-based IndyCar fan, I am desperately hoping the races will still be on Sky Sports F1 in the FOX era. Is anything known about this yet?
Lastly, I am sad that we’ve lost Leigh Diffey from the coverage, and disappointed that he won’t at least do one last race (the finale would’ve been perfect). He’s a brilliant commentator who has added much to my enjoyment of the series.
Rob MacDonald, Chippenham, UK
MP: Dale will be fine. There’s an abundance of drivers with budgets looking to race in IndyCar, and he has two good seats to offer. The last thing Penske needs is a pissed-off Coyne. No clue on FOX’s international plans; they’ve announced nothing about… anything. Leigh is a huge loss.
It feels like as good a time as any to revisit Coyne’s most recent win: Sebastien Bourdais at St. Pete in 2018. Motorsport Images
Q: Regarding IndyCar starts and restarts, why not have cars start when the starter sees a clean line up and waves the green flag, and only when the green flag is waved? I still don’t understand why they can’t have standing starts on road or street circuits, especially at Long Beach
Steve Shepherd
MP: First part makes sense to me, and is how 99 percent of all circuit-based motor races are started.
Q: What have you heard about Lundqvist, Rasmussen, and McElrea’s status for 2025? All three are young drivers with great potential, and I think they play an important role as representatives of the RTI ladder, so I hope they are full time next season on the grid. Linus in particular has been amazing and it would be simply criminal if he’s absent in 2025.
Owen, Omaha NE
MP: Linus hopes to get picked up and has a few more races to showcase his skills. Rasmussen told me at Portland that ECR wants to keep him, which I hope comes to fruition. If Hunter can raise more money, he should be a candidate at Coyne.
Q: With the new charter situation, I am concerned about Mid-Ohio because pit space is limited. This limitation may have resulted in IMSA not racing there. Could this limitation cause Mid-Ohio to leave the series?
Ryan, Cleveland, OH
MP: No. It’s one of IndyCar’s most popular events and one of its bigger audiences. The series fits 27 cars there, and could do 28 if it had to.
Q: Last week’s IndyCar race was moved from USA Network to CNBC because of the overly long NASCAR race. Then, the IndyCar race was moved back to USA Network. This has me thinking. If FOX is showing a NASCAR race that runs over the allotted time period, what happens to the IndyCar race should it be following the NASCAR race? Or, are IndyCar races going to have to start before the NASCAR race should the two races be on the same day?
Jerry, Houston
MP: Be sure to memorize the channel numbers for FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Business.
Q: Your answer to Joey from Florida last week seemed off-putting to me as a flag marshal.
Race control does have eyes at blind corners — typically a communicator is around the corner with a Light Panel controller (the eyes). The Light Panel and the flag marshal with cloth flags are prior to the corner to provide driver information.
The push of the Yellow Flag button on the Light Panel is the first and immediate notice to race control that there is a situation.
Kevin Young, Ohio
MP: Please accept my apology.
Q: First, I read your update on the McLaren-Palou lawsuit. That sure sounds bleak for Palou. (I believe you said the McLaren plan is to let it drag out as long as possible, which could leave Palou in financial ruin.) Could it be that McLaren is doing that in order to force Palou to drive for them eventually? Kind of a “if you don’t drive for us, we’re going to ruin you financially” kind of deal?
Second, there is so much fan opinion that Penske is cheating or favoring his drivers with the officiating. It makes me wonder, would bringing in a neutral officiating crew ever happen? My gut says R.P. is way too stubborn and stuck in his ways to do that, but it sure would help with transparency.
Randy, Milwaukee, WI
MP: Since that update, I’ve heard McLaren lost on a couple of items being contested in the Palou case. Not sure what the items are, though. Lawsuit aside, Alex is signed to Ganassi for a good while, so I can’t think of a legal route that McLaren would employ to void a Ganassi contract to get Alex, or that Alex could void to drive for McLaren.
Based on Roger’s heated response to my push-to-pass cheating question of why an independent investigation team wasn’t used, I’d think the proposal of a non-Penske-controlled officiating team would have me waking up to find a horse’s head in my bed.
Q: I write in response to Patrick Reilly’s letter last week regarding what the 499 stands for in the Ferrari 499P. Going back to the first ever Ferrari, the 125S, the type number has been based on the cubic centimeters per cylinder. In the 499P’s case, 2,996cc divided by six cylinders. There have been some deviations, though. For example, the Ferrari 512 was named for it being a 5 liter V12. The F355 road car was named for it being a 3.5 liter with five valves per cylinder.
Enzo did bend the naming rules sometimes, though. In 1963 he converted the 250 P prototype into a Berlinetta in an attempt to replace the 250 GTO in the GT category. Not wanting to have to homologate it, he called it a 250 LM, claiming it was merely an evolution of the already homologated 250 GTO. This was despite the LM being mid-engined and the GTO front-engined. This was also despite the engine size being bigger on the 250 LM, meaning it should actually have been called a 275 LM. Enzo didn’t get his way and the LM had to race in the prototype class.
Gareth Holt, London, UK
MP: History lessons! Thanks, Gareth!
Ferrari’s naming conventions mystery: solved. JEP/Motorsport Images
Q: My question has to do with making IndyCar more visible to fans. Why doesn’t IndyCar advertise on the top five or 10 local radio stations ahead of each race saying how to watch and start times? You could reach more viewers per race in the venues where races are located rather than making them surf the net for race dates, times and stations.
John Brinkley
MP: It’s a great question. As I understand, local radio is still among the most popular forms of media.
Q: I’m not a lawyer nor European; so I don’t quite understand how a Swiss court can direct Dutch authorities to seize the assets of an American company at the request of a blacklisted Russian corporation?
Laz, SLC
CHRIS MEDLAND: I can only claim to be European, Laz, but not a lawyer either! What I was told over the weekend is that the Swiss tribunal’s ruling that Haas had to return the money given to it could theoretically have been enforced in many places, but that Europe was the most efficient at this point given EU and Schengen collaborations, and Dutch courts recognized the ruling.
According to the International Bar Association, a Swiss tribunal is regularly used for international disputes due to its neutrality, its secure and predictable legal framework, access to both Swiss and foreign arbitrators, and a developed infrastructure.
As I understand it, while some assets were frozen, it’s also not Uralchem (the group Uralkali is part of) that is blacklisted, but Dmitry Mazepin who is. He resigned from the company, but does retain a shareholding. So commercial transactions with Uralchem do still take place globally, and while sanctions ensure it’s not easy to make payments when required, they are still possible.
Q: I’m apparently in the minority, but I didn’t really see anything all that wrong with Dillon’s action at Richmond. Over the top? Sure, but not too far outside what’s been done before. Then Phelps states, just days before Daytona where it’s all about “the big one,” “We’re not demolition derby.” I write this the Thursday before, so yet to know how the weekend goes; but I’ve been to the last three Coke Zero 400s and have personally witnessed tens of millions of dollars in damage. Way more than any local dirt track demolition derby. Again, I’m sure I’m wrong, I usually am; but that dog don’t hunt.
Bernardo, TX
KELLY CRANDALL: As NASCAR’s Elton Sawyer explained, the totality of what Austin Dillon did across both incidents is what crossed the line. If he had just spun Joey Logano, there likely wouldn’t have been anything that came from it. Logano, and others, would have complained and called it dirty, which would have been hard to deny because Dillon had no intention of making the corner, but as you said, it wasn’t too far outside things we’ve seen before. However, hooking someone cannot be accepted. So, both of those incidents together were a bad look. As for the demolition derby comment, it certainly was ironically timed with how superspeedway races play out. But a demolition derby is about intentionally crashing cars, right? So, that’s how Phelps referenced Richmond. Whereas Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta, you’re not actually out there trying to crash and destroy things, but yes, that is what happens at those races.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, August 29, 2019
Q: I swear, you just can’t make the new breed of IndyCar fans happy. “Ovals are too boring,” they scream. “Ovals are too exciting and dangerous,” they scream. “Bring back the CART days,” they scream. “Bring back pack racing,” they scream. The new breed fans are idiots, they wouldn’t know great racing from a loaf of bread — all you have to do is read the social media comments after the Robert Wickens incident to know this is true. Rossi (who I’ll confess I’ve come to respect after rejecting his aloofness) and Newgarden are the new Mears, Unsers, Sullivans, et al, of the series. They’ll dominate the series for years. Pocono’s race showed Rossi for the force he is.
How can anyone call dominance boring? It’s what every racing driver strives for: winning and crushing their opponents whenever and wherever possible. Thoughts?
Jake, Pasadena, CA
ROBIN MILLER: This is the 50th year I’ve covered IndyCar racing, and I’ve seen A.J., Mario, Uncle Bobby, Big Al, J.R., Gordy, Sneva, Mikey and Mears decimate fields on ovals, street and road courses, and never recall anyone complaining. It was accepted back then that somebody was going to hit the combination and kick everyone’s ass. When it didn’t happen, like the finish in 1982, we were thrilled beyond belief, and I stayed at the Speedway until midnight that night and watched the re-air because it was such a fantastic finish and such a rarity.
Obviously, with spec cars and very even engines and everyone on the same tire, the racing today should be close and competitive, and it usually is, but it can still be a good show if somebody dominates and there’s a dogfight for third through sixth.
