Yahoo Autos The RACER Mailbag, October 4
Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. Due to the high volume of questions received, we can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.
Q: I know that Roger Penske does not put rookies in his IndyCars, that he and Will Power have been influential in advancing Myles Rowe’s career, and that Foyt has a new alliance with Penske. I love the concept of Myles doing his rookie year driving a Foyt car. It worked for Kyle Kirkwood – any chance that it could happen?
Pete, Tucson
MARSHALL PRUETT: I probably failed to drive the point home hard enough in the story that revealed this Pete, but this is the exact reason why Penske is aligning with Foyt. Having the Foyts ready to run an extra car, on Penske’s behalf, for Myles, is what Penske wants in return — and it would be funded by Penske — for the technical support Foyt’s currently receiving. There’s one other thing that Penske wanted from the relationship, but that’s not for public consumption.
Q: Will fans be able to attend the Thermal Club $1 Million Challenge? I know last year’s testing was for media and IndyCar personnel only.
Martin West
MP: I’m told somewhere between 3000-4000 tickets will be made available for purchase, but let’s wait and see what the final number ends up being when they go up for sale, possibly first to members of the IndyCar Nation fan club.
Q: I have an idea to get the Cleveland race back on the schedule. Since Penske Entertainment has been adding rock and country music concerts to many of the races/events, why can’t we have The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Cleveland Grand Prix? Back in the day I attended two Cleveland Grands Prix and it was a great place to watch an IndyCar race. Also, I’m guessing most of our current fan base watched the many races held there back in the CART days. The Hall is right next door to the Burke Airport/racetrack, making it easy for the fans to visit the Hall of Fame and attend the races, and there could be nightly concerts Thursday through Sunday after the on-track activities. Could be a win-win for IndyCar fans and the Hall.
Rick Schneider, Charlotte
MP: I’m in—let’s go!
If someone had thought of a Cleveland GP/Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame crossover in the mid-2000s, you would have been able to check in with Jan Heylen and Van Halen on the same weekend. Motorsport Images
Q: We loved IndyCar at Texas Motor Speedway, but sadly there’s no stop there in 2024. If you had to choose between going to Mid-Ohio or Barber Motorsports Park, which would be the best place to get a great view of a large portion of the track? That’s what we like about ovals. We live in Pennsylvania, so Mid-Ohio would be a nice drive.
Keith and Lorrie Blaisdell
MP: Barber is clean and flawless, but some sections aren’t as easy to view as you’d like. Mid-Ohio isn’t a match for creature comforts or pristine presentation of its facility, but you can walk everywhere inside and out of the circuit and take it in with the cars seemingly within reach at almost every turn. If you want to be right up close, Mid-O is the way to go. It’s also a popular place for campers, so there’s a lot of friendly folks to meet around the property; Barber is more like a golf course where you come in, enjoy the day, and leave without fellowshipping in the same way as Mid-O or Road America.
Q: Since Penske Entertainment is going to be heavily involved in the promotion of the Milwaukee event, and since the organization performs the same functions for Detroit, how about switching the weekends of the events? That would return Milwaukee to its historical slot on the weekend after the 500, and Detroit would run on Labor Day weekend in a city that is very important to the Penske Corporation.
Mike Fox, Kalamazoo
MP: Let’s make sure the return to Milwaukee works before we start changing dates. Also, Detroit’s rather important for the series and one of its two key partners in a way that Milwaukee isn’t, so bringing the new Indy 500 winner — especially if it’s a Chevy driver — to Motown is an important thing for the series.
Q: Did anyone think RLL BMW would be 38 points out of first place at this point in the IMSA season? How does the team feel about it? They have to be thrilled with their performance given the late start compared to the other manufacturers. I think I need to add that to my calendar to watch. Or if my wife won’t let me, I need to go hunting so I can watch it via my phone in the woods. “I didn’t see a single critter all day. Weird, I know.”
John
MP: Nobody, including BMW M Team RLL, expected to be in the title hunt after royally pooping the bed to open the season at Daytona. The team’s surge with its BMW M V8 Hybrid has been among the best IMSA stories of the year, but we’ve also seen Porsche surge and while the BMWs are quick, I haven’t seen the kind of sustained speed they’d need to topple their rivals. Nick Yelloly and Connor De Phillippi have been strong all season, but the sister car is ripe for a new driver lineup if the team wants to pose a greater threat to the GTP field.
Q: Your concern over the Indy 2024 TV schedule on NBC is not unfounded, however it perfectly fits the pattern of how NBC is now operating. It, along with most other networks, is acting like it really doesn’t want to be in the broadcast business anymore. I’d say IndyCar is still looking pretty good. In years past I used to love sitting down on the weekend and watching English Premiership Rugby and also Biathlon on NBC channels. They have since moved all that to their streaming service, or gotten rid of it totally. I don’t think the bike people were happy with the Tour de France coverage this year. NBC’s MotoGP coverage is only marginally better than what you can get on YouTube.
I hope IMSA can stay on OTA NBC or at least USA, but I fear it will be pushed further off into the ether as well. I just can’t understand why these networks, which can reach almost every American household with a TV and antenna, prefer to broadcast infomercials and local news instead of solid, decent programming. Further proof we are living in Bizarro World.
Travis, Kansas City, MO
MP: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Travis.
Q: Is there still an IndyCar test in October at IMS?
Phil Berg, Homecroft, IN
MP: Yes, it’s next week.
Q: ‘Who peed on my Cheerios?’ Roger, Miles and Jay; aka The Three Stooges. Larry, Moe, Curly, Shep were professional actors giving a clown show for us. These guys are clowning us. Time-trapped in the survivor days of 2010, they are convinced that they can pee on heads, call it blessed rain and we will lap it up.
Truth is, we are in 2023, the survivor days are over and it’s grow or die time. There is nothing about 2024 that says ‘grow’. It screams ‘2012’.
FYI: I take Cheerios with whole, straight from the farm (in a glass bottle) milk and fresh fruit.
Stephen Archer
MP: Doom, meet gloom.
Q: IndyCar introduced those nice electric signs on the tracks that show what color flag is out. Why is it that they still stick out and wave flags right under these electronic signs? (ED: See this pic from the Mailbag a couple of weeks ago). Seems silly to me. I understand having them there as backup in case the system fails, but waving it right under a working sign?
Craig
MP: Because the many amazing volunteers who make racing possible don’t give their vacation days up to sit and let electronics do their job, and before anyone in IndyCar can spot a problem in a corner and flip a switch, the flaggers are reacting and managing the situation.
Q: I feel I must add something to the matter of the hate that Ilott has been getting from Argentinian fans that is not being sufficiently considered here.
Callum Ilott is British. There are still a great many people in Argentina who were alive during the Falklands War, and who harbor a dangerous level of hatred towards the British. I advise anyone who hasn’t seen it to look up what happened to the Top Gear crew when they visited.
If it were most other parts of the world, or involved a driver of another nationality, I would share your lack of concern. But this situation involves a nation whose citizenry includes members that have previously demonstrated a willingness to attack innocents of a certain nationality over something they had no fault in, and they are now targeting someone else of that nationality.
That Top Gear incident happened barely short of 10 years ago. This is absolutely not something to be taken lightly if IndyCar intends to pursue any racing in Argentina. It needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed soon. If I were Roger Penske, my statement on the matter would be simple, straightforward, and factual: “This kind of behavior is harmful to efforts to stage a race in Argentina.”
FormulaFox
MP: I’m in full agreement that IndyCar needs to do more, and faster, when the next social media firestorm of hate appears.
Not going to run an Ilott shot for the fourth week in a row, so instead here’s David Brabham firing an arrow from his Panoz during the ELMS’s visit to Donington in 2001. John Brooks/Motorsport Images
Q: For years, I’ve been hearing about IndyCar’s Leaders Circle and for some reason I thought that if I would just keep watching IndyCar or reading RACER.com I would someday understand what this group is and what they do and how they control things.
But no, I don’t get any of it. No other form of racing has ‘Leaders Circles’ making decisions. Do they wear dark robes and bang gavels and participate in hazing and initiation rituals? Do they light candles around pictures of Carl Fisher during a seance?
Can you explain in a basic, Moron 101 way what Leaders Circle means and when/why is it the cornerstone of everything IndyCar?
Brad, Hollywood
MP: Your depiction of the Leaders Circle is awesome, BTW, Brad. Blood oaths. Secret handshakes. Human sacrifices. It’s got it all.
OK, here we go:
In the mid-2000s, the smaller IndyCar teams grew tired of the big teams earning the vast majority of prize money, and made the argument that there was no way the ‘have nots’ would level up and compete with the ‘haves’ if that prize money payout inequity was allowed to continue.
And since the IndyCar Series set aside a bunch of money each year to pay for the top finishers of its races, and since that was the Hulman George family’s money to give, they sided with the bottom half of the grid and decided to take that big annual prize money fund — more than $20 million — and create a socialized program that would distribute it equally among full-time entries.
The Indy 500 was the only exception, because that big purse was an impressive number to tout, but the rest of it was split across the full-time entries, and in round numbers, the new Leaders Circle program guaranteed $1 million per entry in exchange for the contract recipients’ agreeing to appear at every race.
This gave the series a large and guaranteed grid to present to its promoters and ensured the biggest and smallest teams got the same majority slice of prize money. Now, there was and is still a prize money payout for the top finishers, but it’s tiny compared to what it once was.
And to make the Leaders Circle program a competition-based thing, the series capped the amount of contracts it would award, which helped to keep some of the worst entries from getting paid despite doing nothing to earn that $1 million. I hope that helps.
Q: Will push to pass come from the electric motor next year, or will it still come from the waste gate control on the turbo?
Brad Heuer, Idaho
MP: The electric horsepower from the energy recovery system is the new push-to-pass, so the turbos and wastegates will get their first break from delivering P2P boost since 2012.
Q: Why is Thermal Club not slotting either as the round before St.Pete, or after the season finale at Nashville?
Second, it is totally unfair for non-American race fans as IndyCar hasn’t uploaded upload full races since 2019. When will Penske Entertainment upload all the races? (Don’t give me any crap about rewind full races or highlights).
Darren, Johor Bahru, Malaysia
MP: As IndyCar mentioned, its place on the calendar is to fill a six-week void in action.
As for the charming tone with the second item, if it hasn’t happened in four years, you might want to stop hitting the refresh button.
Q: I am not complaining about the 2024 IndyCar schedule. I am thankful that Milwaukee is on the schedule. I started attending IndyCar races at The Meadowlands in 1987, near where I grew up. I then attended Nazareth Speedway from 1990 until its closing. I have attended all sorts of IndyCar tracks, and the thing that remains is that I have no choice but to travel to races as there is nothing anywhere near me (NYC area).
I think IndyCar is missing an opportunity with two races at Milwaukee. A Saturday night race would really add something different to the engineering side, as opposed to the daytime race on Sunday. I believe that would add to the challenge instead of two races in potentially identical circumstances. It’s not unprecedented – Champ Car raced under the lights at Milwaukee back in 2003. I am hopeful this can happen. Either way my brother and I are excited and will be in attendance in 2024.
Ray Tetro
MP: It will be interesting to see what the 2025 calendar looks like and whether Milwaukee drops to a single round. Like you, I’m stoked to return to the fairgrounds and hope it survives.
We have no idea what was going on during the pre-race at Milwaukee in 2003, but hopefully Penske Entertainment brings it back when IndyCar returns. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images
Q: I’m one of what sounds like a few that are looking forward to the exhibition race at Thermal. I sure can’t understand why IndyCar fans are upset about more racing, especially at a beautiful facility like Thermal. Good things can come of it, so why not give it a shot?
My question is, do you know who the two teams are that Don Cusick is talking to concerning entering a car at this event? My guess is Coyne and Juncos Hollinger. I am a fan of Cusick’s, and I really hope that he can enter more races outside of the Indy 500. Along those lines, any word on who Cusick may partner with for the 500? I’d like to see him with DRR again, and give Stefan Wilson a proper chance, but I read somewhere that Don is talking with other teams. I love his passion, and he needs to have a Cusick Motorsports entry in this May’s Indy 500!
Scott Freeman, Bloomington, IN
MP: I do know the teams, but that info wasn’t shared in an on-the-record conversation with Don. After our article ran, the series provided Don with additional clarity that he’d need to commit to a full-time entry to take part in the $1 million challenge, so for him to be on the grid with his own car, that’s the direction he’ll need to go to make it happen.
If DRR called and said it wanted to continue I’m sure a deal would get done by the end of the week, but I haven’t heard about that happening so far.
Q: This is my first submission since we lost Robin. I have struggled since Robin’s passing to send a note, but I had a moment a couple of weeks ago that made it easy. My youngest son and I went to a fairly low-key event at Canadian Tire Motorsprt Park. This was a combination vintage and modern sports car event. These guys are truly passionate about the sport that we love. This isn’t about fame or fortune. They are doing it for the love.
The event that took our fancy was one with modern sports cars. There was a Corvette that took the pole for the Saturday race but had a trouble with the window net and had to come in to fix it. His day was ruined.
We chatted with him in the pits and he was very matter of fact. ‘Poop happens’ were his exact words. Shortly thereafter, the team asked my 10-year-old son if he would like to sit in the car. ‘Enter this way and don’t touch the switches’ were the guidance. He did, and we had a guy to cheer for on Sunday.
Come the next day and the race started based upon the Saturday qualifying. One by one, our new hero picked them off and went on to win the main event of the weekend. My little guy and I went to the podium ceremony and the winner happily posed for a photo with him holding the trophy. What a class act. Thank you, Jim Beaton. You gained a couple of new fans. I attach a photo of a 10-year-old that had a blast (below). His Dad had a pretty good time too :-)
Duncan, Port Perry, Canada
MP: I spent time last weekend in Monterey with Porsche racing legend Jorg Bergmeister, who has won every major sports car race on the planet, and we were talking about the former Flying Lizard racing team he drove for in the U.S. The team was a ton of fun — and fiercely good — and Jorg recounted how the team owner, Seth Neiman, was always pushing his crew and drivers to actively invite kids to come and sit in their race cars because it was going to make lifelong fans of the sport, at a minimum, and create the same personal bond your son developed. Sounds like Jim is practicing the same thing, which is heartening.
Q: With the IMSA season coming to an end in a couple of weeks, have you heard any updates from MSR on its future IMSA plans? It would be a shame to have one of the original teams missing from the paddock next year.
Frank, Mooresville, NC
MP: By the time you’re reading this, the team’s plans for 2024 have been announced. When I spoke with Shank about it last week, he was bullish on MSR’s ability to return in 2025. He and Jim Meyer worked through a bunch of options with manufacturers, but nothing came together to keep the program going next year.
Q: RE: Fire breathing monsters. Several years ago I wrote and suggested that IndyCar take advantage of the unrelenting march of lunacy in F1, i.e., the environmental diminishment of the spectacle that was F1 in the V10 era. Nobody likes the current iteration of cars as much as they did the V10s.
I told IndyCar (they never replied) to adopt a 3.0 liter engine policy, leave it to the manufacturers to determine the configuration, have the cars rev to 18,000 rpms like the old F1 V10s, and voila!, soon IndyCar would replace F1 as the preeminent form of racing on the planet – at least for the spectators. I cannot see a flaw in this idea.
Racing fans to not want to hear engines that sound like Evinrude outboard motors (in the water!). They want fire-breathing, pulsing, hair standing on the back of your neck, beasts being gored like the V10s of yore sound. You did not just hear the vicious sound, you wore it.
Jerold Krouse, Natchez, MS
MP: It is indeed a great idea, and I’d kill for it to happen. The only flaws in the idea are as follows: It would cost IndyCar teams more than their current annual budgets to lease those engines and, unfortunately, Chevy and Honda aren’t interested in high-revving V10s as their preferred road-relevant technology, so there would be no support from the current manufacturers, or the F1 manufacturers who left V10s behind 15 years ago for V8s, and then tiny V6 turbos.
Never mind 18,000 rpm; some V10-era engine manufacturers – starting with Cosworth in 2006, when it powered Williams (above) – were topping 20,000 on the track before the FIA stepped in and introduced rev limits. Boooo. Michael Cooper/Motorsport Images
Q: So, the Milwaukee Mile is now back on the IndyCar schedule. I might upset a lot of people by saying this, but I never really understood the hype around this track. It probably has to do with the fact that I’m European, not American, and am among the younger fans, therefore I didn’t grow up with it. I don’t hate it, but don’t like it, either.
First, there’s the track layout. With two quarter-mile long straights and two quarter-mile long corners, you’re going to spend at least as much time cornering as going straight, so a following car will spend as much, if not more, time in the leading car’s dirty air than in its slipstream. One might argue that the same could be said for most ovals, except we’re not talking about a banked superspeedway but a flat, one-mile short oval. Doesn’t sound very exciting to me.
Speaking of the banking, this one confuses me. On one hand, I’ve heard it is pretty much non-existent; but on the other hand, both Wikipedia and this old video from the IndyCar YouTube Channel say it is nine degrees… do you know who’s right?
Then, there’s the racing it produced. You might want to refresh my memory, but among the last races IndyCar had over there, only the 2011 one comes to my mind as a good show. I can’t remember the other ones, as good as they might have been. And after having a look at a couple of videos from the 2012 to 2015 races, this looks to be a track where following another car is quite tricky, because of the dirty air generated by the short oval aero kit. I do recall seeing drivers passing around the outside, but because of the nearly flat corners, I’m guessing it must be rather difficult. And with the two short straights, drafting might also not be very easy. Combine those three points together and I get the feeling that Milwaukee looks to be a place where attempting an overtaking maneuver is rather complicated.
Lastly, there’s the fact that this is a short oval, which is the type of track that I’m having a hard time enjoying. Iowa is usually fun; however, Gateway is a mixed bag; and Phoenix looked to be a place where passing was really difficult unless you had fresher tires.
I get that people like Milwaukee because of its history; however, I would have preferred to see IndyCar prioritizing other venues. If I had to pick an exciting oval in the Midwest, I’d have chosen Michigan or Chicagoland. And for a short oval with a moderate or flat banking, I’d have gone for Puebla or Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’s oval layout, to capitalize on Pato’s popularity in Mexico. Why didn’t IndyCar think about these before Milwaukee?
Xavier
MP: With you having spent so much time describing all the ways you’re unimpressed by Milwaukee, I’ll skip the part of trying to convince you otherwise. Yes, the corners do have banking, but that measurement is taken from the top of the corners which, in all but the rarest scenarios, aren’t used, so the flattest parts of the corners are where most of the running is done.
Who’s to say IndyCar didn’t think about other tracks before Milwaukee? One thing we know for sure is those tracks didn’t pursue IndyCar to return in the same way Milwaukee did. Why isn’t IndyCar racing in Mexico? Because no track has tried to do a deal with IndyCar. Why isn’t IndyCar racing at Watkins Glen? Because nobody at Watkins Glen is trying to bring IndyCar to Watkins Glen.
I’ll keep using the phrase ‘It takes two to tango,’ and maybe that will start to register with folks who continually ask by IndyCar doesn’t race at Track X.
Q: Before IndyCar announced its race at Thermal Club, I read that they would have to spend millions on safety upgrades to the track. I have never seen mention that Thermal Club made these improvements. Has it done so?
Second, the 2024 schedule is a slap in the face to IndyCar teams after having the best year in racing in over 20 years. To manufacture 17 races out of 13 venues is sad, and a no oval events prior to Indy is not good either. I keep watching all these NASCAR Truck and ARCA races in front of empty stands at Chicago, Kansas and Michigan – why does IndyCar not try and piggyback with one of those series?
AE, Danville, IN
MP: The track made investments in the facility prior to Spring Training in February that allowed it to be given FIA Grade 2 certification, which is the base level IndyCar requires.
The lack of that oval prior to Indy is going to hurt the rookies for sure, and make the Indy 500 more of a jeopardy-fest than it should be. The kids coming up from junior open-wheel racing, or from F2, really need that weekend at Texas to learn the art of high-danger and high-speed oval racing before the 500, because they just don’t get enough training before they reach IndyCar like they once did.
Texas was always a great opportunity for oval newcomers like Augustin Canapino to bank some experience before heading to Indy. But next year, they’ll be doing all their learning on the big stage. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images
Q: I am wondering, on an extraordinarily hot and sunny day on a superspeedway like IMS, could having a lighter livery make any meaningful difference over a darker livery? Also, what about if there was a set of white alternate tires?
Norm Bob, New Bloomfield, PA
MP: Maybe if we’re talking about 110F and a ton of time running behind the pace car where heat soak is a concern, but we’ve seen dark blue NTT liveries win a ton of races and a championship in recent years, and dark liveries on other cars, plus darker colors on Red Bulls reach a bunch of victory lanes, so other than an extreme situation we might see once every couple of years, it’s a non-issue. These things make a ton of heat on their own. The writing on the sidewalls is white, so adding a white band wouldn’t do much I can think of to alter tire temperatures in a meaningful way.
Q: For the record, I am a huge admirer of Michael Andretti. In many ways his achievements as a team owner surpass his excellent career as a driver. His desire to expand into other series, and commitment to the ladder series and American talent, is admirable. The factory expansion and huge investment to grow further is even more impressive.
However, his most important racing program historically and today is IndyCar. Let’s be frank, AA has been a shambles for longer than I can remember. It hasn’t competed at the top on a consistent basis for many years. The success it has had in other series has largely been through buying into an existing organization. I hope for many reasons Andretti does make it into F1, however I am concerned that a team largely based in spec racing might struggle badly. Given the struggles Michael will now encounter with FOM, I wonder if he ever reflects on his comment made years ago about Joe Blows turning up in IndyCar and his desire for a franchise system?
Finally, as we approach another season in 2024 with the same car, broadly similar engine package and a questionable TV schedule, do you ever hear Penske Entertainment or team owners or any other stakeholders discuss doing things a bit differently? Trying something new? Something has to give eventually. IndyCar risks becoming a club event for rich owners.
John
MP: Yes, I do hear important folks in the paddock express significant desires for changes, but most fear the repercussions of speaking out in public because the series’ owners attack and combat such things on a daily basis. I wish it weren’t this way, but it is, and it didn’t exist to this degree prior to Penske’s purchase of the series in 2020.
Q: I don’t understand Andretti’s F1 plan. Why would he want to put so much effort and money into joining F1 so that he can fight it out with Williams or Haas?
Geoff
CHRIS MEDLAND: I imagine the aims are much higher than that, Geoff! Just look at how form has fluctuated over the last two years, as well. It’s a very close grid in terms of outright pace so every team can target points during a season at the very least, and the top six teams have all had multiple podiums this year.
But even ignoring all that, it’s a global advertising platform. Look at Haas – the whole reason Gene Haas expanded into F1 out of NASCAR was to take something that was great for advertising has machine tooling business in the U.S. and get it global recognition that has helped in international markets. Group1001 and GM/Cadillac, as part of the Andretti project, will be keen for the same.
And that part of it all is nothing to do with sporting performance, but business, which is one of the reasons rival teams and F1 itself have been less welcoming, because they don’t want lose out on any business aspects.
Q: Now that Andretti F1 has cleared the FIA hurdle, the question is making a deal with FOM/Liberty Media. The traditional all-American solution to such disputes is (a) sue them or (b) pay them off. What’s most likely to happen? Or is it possible that at the end of the day Stefano Domenicali’s views are not the same as Liberty Media’s corporate view? Back in June, Liberty CEO Greg Maffei was way more welcoming to an Andretti entry, and it was clear that Liberty’s priority is making money at Vegas and other U.S. GPs.
Al, Boston
CM: I think it’s possible that Liberty’s corporate view comes more into play at this stage than in the past. Once discussions start from a commercial point of view, then I think Liberty will hold a keen interest and it will be down to Domenicali – if he remains so strongly opposed to expansion – to prove why it’s better not to have another team on the grid. Up to now it has been hypothetical while Andretti dealt with the FIA process, so no need for those at the top to be too involved from Liberty’s perspective.
Personally I’m not convinced Andretti will lead to much of a change in profit at U.S. races, because those coming to races are F1 fans regardless (and can either afford it or not in the case of Vegas!) but it adds a fresh dynamic on a wider scale with wider coverage of a new team and the storyline of its progress.
FOM will need a strong reason for it to turn down Andretti, which I imagine would be very clear if it were to do so. In that case I don’t see legal action happening – that’s only likely if FOM rejects the bid without reasoning, as it then risks being accused of being anti-competitive.
I’d honestly call it 50:50 right now. Numbers are going to be put on the table that change loose opinions into hard facts, and I do think FOM will look hard at it because at the end of the day – just like with races – if it benefits financially and keeps the shareholders happy, then a new team is going to prove attractive.
Andretti’s taken another step towards the F1 spotlight, but there are still some hurdles to clear. Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Q: It is said during every NASCAR race that these are the best race car drivers in the world. With that said, why are we continuing to see F1 teams bypass these stars, or is it the drivers bypassing F1? I would have to think at least a few would like the $50-$150 million dollar salary the drivers are paid. I would think drivers like Ty Dillon or Todd Gilliland would jump at a chance for a fraction of that amount. And as far as top elite drivers, I’d imagine the IOC would reschedule the summer Olympics to allow these athletes to complete, if not dominate, at the games. Seems like a conspiracy to me to keep the world from seeing these top athletes from showcasing their talents.
Oh well, for now I guess we are all just fortunate to be able to witness some brave and amazing demonstrations of raw talent which brighten up our otherwise dull weekends.
Alex
KELLY CRANDALL: I don’t really know how to answer this, but there are open-wheel drivers, and there are stock car drivers, and not everyone has the dream of going open-wheel racing in F1 or IndyCar. Todd Gilliland, one of the drivers you mentioned, grew up in the stock car world watching his father race. So, it’s natural for him to do the same thing. Ty Dillon is the same. Just because there is more money out there doesn’t mean that’s what they want to do with their career.
Q: I don’t watch all NASCAR Cup races, but I do watch Daytona and Talladega to see the new and creative ways that the pack finds to destroy racecars. (And kudos to Steve Letarte, the best explainer in all of NASCAR broadcasting. He’s reason enough to watch NBC broadcasts.)
It is unfortunate that Harvick was DQed at his final superspeedway race. But that brings up questions…
How are windshield fasteners a performance advantage? You would think that after however many cars built to this specification windshield fasteners would be a no-brainer. Please explain.
What would NASCAR have done if Harvick had won the race and gone through all the post-race congratulatory hoopla? I recall earlier races where the winner had failed post-race inspection but had been allowed to keep the win.
Rick, Lisle, IL
KC: By no means am I an engineer, but it’s all about airflow at the superspeedway races. However, a rule is a rule, and NASCAR doesn’t have them just for performance advantages. In this case, it was also a safety infraction, and by letter of the law, whether intentional or not or an advantage or not, the fasteners have to be secure, and they weren’t, triggering the penalty. As for whether NASCAR would have DQ’d him had he won the race, I’m really glad we’ll never know. The winner did used to keep the win under previous rules, and it was considered ‘encumbered’, but NASCAR changed that recently and it’s why we saw Denny Hamlin lose his win at Pocono last season.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 1 October, 2013
Q: Thanks for your tribute to George Bigotti. Very educational. [ED: To anyone who clicks on the link in 2023, apologies for the lost formatting]. It does lead me to some questions I’ve had regarding the transition between crew chiefs/mechanics calling the car setup to engineers taking over. When did ‘setup engineers’ (as opposed to engineers who design cars) first appear in IndyCar? At what point did having a setup engineer become standard practice? If there was a championship for setup engineers, who would have won the most?
Eric On The Road
ROBIN MILLER: Hard to pinpoint the exact time, but engineers replaced chief mechanics in the 1980s when CART rose to power and road racing team owners like Newman/Haas, Jim Hall, Jim Trueman and Doug Shierson came to Indy cars.
Before that, the chief mechanic served as the setup engineer and Jud Phillips, A.J. Watson, Bill Finley, Wayne Leary, Mike Devin, Darrell Soppe, Jim McGee, John Martin, Duane Glasgow, Jerry Eisert, Jack Beckley, Herb Porter, John Capels, Roy Campbell, Mark Bridges, Bill Spangler, Bill Fowler, Dick Cecil, Jack Starnes, Chickie Hiroshima, Don Koda, Grant King, Dick Offinger, Howard Gilbert, Paul Brooks, Jess Alou, George Huening, Tommy Smith, Ted Swiontek, Danny Jones, Ted Hall and Bignotti all come to mind as some of the best that I knew. A.J. says George was super-smart about engines but he also knew chassis, and his record speaks for itself with 85 wins.
