Q: I just finished reading your last Mailbag. You mentioned the roar of the crowd during the Mears v. Johncock battle. I was inside pit exit when Danica was leading and the crowd went nuts. Can the drivers hear the crowd? I suspect not but I still have to ask.

Sincerely, Janis Vitolins, Fishers, IN

RM: I think Tom Sneva heard the crowd during the first 200 mph lap in 1977 but Gordy was about deaf anyway in 1982 so I’m sure he didn’t hear a thing.

Q: I liked Earl's question last week that looked at the elimination of Indy risk takers and the Speedway rules packages that helped that process along. There was a great innovator at Indy who sounded the alarm on how Indy rules were going to squash all the creativity of chassis designers and engine builders decades ago. He was the original "Smoke" - Smokey Yunick. Here's a softball question for you, Robin. Do you have any Smokey Yunick stories for those who might not be acquainted with this brilliant mind that always pushed the envelope for change?

Gerry Courtney

RM: We were at Pocono in the early 1970s and Jerry Karl was driving for Smokey. They had been among the fastest cars in practice and were looking forward to qualifying. Well, ‘ol Smoke misread his stopwatch on Lap 1 and gave Karl a lap speed that was several MPH slower than he’d been running. So Jerry (plenty brave) drove 150 yards further into Turn 1 on the next lap, lost control and pounded the wall. Yunick cussed and threw down his stopwatch. Then he apologized to Jerry.

Q: I just watched an hour of Goodwood on SPEED. There were more interesting and entertaining performances than IndyCar and NASCAR all year (except for Kurt Busch at Sonoma). Adrian Newey spinning and coming back through the pack. The little 700 cc BMW passing the big boys (OK, Jackie Oliver driving on 2 wheels) and the Can Am cars passing and repassing - where do we see this kind of passion in professional racing? You have to admire the commitment that sees rare and expensive classic cars piled into the fence.

John McManus

RM: Whoa now, I’d have to take exception to that statement. I saw more good racing in IndyCar this past season than I have in a long time and Indy, Texas, Brazil, Iowa, Baltimore and Fontana were chocked full of passing.

Q: The reason that auto racing in America is experiencing a slump is because of three factors: 1) It is no longer cost effective to advertise on an Indy car. Web ads expose more, probably for less. TV isn't what it used to be for anyone, not just IndyCar. 2) Auto racing, in general, is no longer relevant to the auto industry. In fact, I would argue that the auto industry, in many ways, is more advanced than the race cars these days. And 3) When the American public is shelling out $3-5 a gallon for gas, who wants to see it blown out a 900 hp (ok -I lied - 600) tailpipe? *I do realize that they don't use "gas", but the general public doesn't. The coalescence of these three issues had resulted in a "perfect storm" that has owners and sponsors worried and fans disappearing.

My three solutions: 1) give up on TV. Go web-based only. It's a reality now - charge $40 for the season to see all the races. I'd buy it. 2) Create a novel, risky, and RELEVANT set of rules for 2015. Solar power, battery power, whatever moves a car — make it legal. Fix the amount of energy a car can make per race. Make racing important to the auto industry again. Lead, don't follow. 3) Concomitantly with #2, push the hell out of the series to all the major media outlets. Can you imagine the buzz if a "solar car" won the 500? How about a electric Chevy?

Paul, Salem, OR

RM: I have no doubt the internet will replace all newspapers in another five years but right now you need national television to sell your sport and your product. I do agree that opening up the rules at Indianapolis is probably the only way to restore the luster to May and qualifying and bring in new players.

Q: I know Bill Simpson has two books out and I was wondering if you've read either of them. I don't see you as much of a reader but I know you hold Bill in high regard. I'm particularly interested in the second book as it covers the Earnhardt accident and the controversy that followed. I still think there is a lot of information that was never made known about Dale's death. As a journalist have you ever heard anything outside of the public disclosures? Anyway, do you have any opinions on the books?

John Fulton

RM: I’ve read almost every book ever written on auto racing and Simpson’s two books were entertaining but the second one had more meat in it. Not enough sex, booze and brawling to tell the real story but Bones Boucier did a nice job of capturing Simpson’s personality.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED.

Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.