Q: Correct me if I’m wrong here but I think it’s fair to say that AOW racing (IndyCar/IRL) has not flourished under the Hulman-George ownership regime. Perhaps that’s an understatement. Several of the few fans that remain say that to save the sport it should be sold to NASCAR, maybe even get Tony Stewart back in the Indy 500 that way; a win-win for NASCAR and NASINDY. I propose an alternate plan – a organized Boycott of the 2013 Indy 500 unless Hulman & Co. sell the entire IZOD IndyCar Series to someone like Dan Gurney, Derrick Walker, or Gil de Ferran - for $1. A fair price I’d say for the condition the series is in now compared to when they forcibly took control of it in 1996. You can probably think of a good candidate as well. I would trust any of the above listed individuals to be a custodian for IndyCar Championship Racing compared to the current crop of underachievers running the show now. The family keeps IMS and accepts a binding 50-year contract to play nice with the newly formed series and allows use of the IndyCar name. I think most enthusiasts of AOW racing would agree; the sports legacy is far too valuable to leave in the hands of such incompetence.
Ron Pantzer, Calgary, AB

RM: Gurney is too smart, Walker isn’t wealthy enough and Gil wouldn’t be interested. I think Tony George still wants to buy it but Mark Miles claims it’s not for sale.

Q: I was curious as to if the old Group C regulations could work in IndyCar? One of your readers stated last week that people don't want to see high horsepower motors and all the jolly's that come with it. But many do. And personally I think advances in tech have hurt racing. Group C produced some of the best sports car racing ever. It was a unique set of rules placed on the amount of fuel one could use. You had all different types of engines. It wasn't one standard of engine everybody applied to. Companies known for smaller engines like Mazda didn't have to spend lots of money on big V8's or V10's. They could use what they knew best. The Rotary. Is it possible? I know that it worked well in a long distance endurance format so not sure how or if it could be applied to Indy cars. But if implemented it would help open up the engine regs.

Kyle Bennett

RM: I asked Marshall Pruett to flag this one for you, Kyle:

Kyle—I’d wager that motorsports as a whole began to lose its status as a must-see sport in the country when spec racing and low-buck racing took hold in the 1990s. Anybody that says they don’t care about engine power must like racing for reasons that I’ve never thought of before. Look at any modern era of racing that’s beloved, and you’ll likely find the cars were scary-fast to drive and semi-terrifying to watch. The average person goes to a race to be thrilled, not to give golf claps as watered down cars with restricted power limp down the straights. I’d argue with your recollections of Group C; the cars were great, as were the drivers, but rarely did you see them pushing anywhere near their limits because fuel economy came first. F1 dealt with that for a period in the 1980s as well when there was no refueling allowed, and it meant the world’s best weren’t allowed to give everything they had—if they did, they’d run dry before the finish.

Racing should be like MMA. It’s a hedonistic sport that’s at its best when it’s free from made-up nonsense. Punch hard … race hard. ~MP

Q: ...and so we got Belskus talking ‘bout nothing and Mark Miles with crazy plans not givin' a damn about the old school-traditional fans. I’m kinda afraid. There so much to do to help IndyCar and seems that no one is using their heads. Why not to put IndyCar at some Popular Cable TV Channel? Why not allowed the teams to produce their own aero kit? (OK using the same chassis, safety cell and the design for the mushroom buster, because IT WORKS). I don’t know if there’s an already obligation, but why not to put NECESSARY to each tire and engine manufactorer to be the title sponsor for two races year? WHY DA HELL IndyCar still doesn’t show the broadcasted races on their Race Control for the rest of the world who doesn’t have the American TV at their homes, like In Brazil, Australia, Europe ....? Where’s the TV GUYS to transform some drivers intro HEROES and others into VILLIANS... everybody likes that. IndyCar needs to put a COOL driver at the Global Rally Cross to call the rad kids from skate and X-Games ... IndyCar needs to put Montoya, Sam Jr. and Danica at the Indy500 and Pocono … Needs to put Kyle Busch, JJ and Austin Dillon at Fontana and Texas. Needs to create a COOL qualify at Milwaukee and Iowa puttin' the 26 cars on track and after 30 laps, cuts out the 13 last ... and then restart and after 20 more laps cut of the 7 worst cars ... and then a 10 laps FAST SIX qualify. They could put the 'BLACK CAR" IndyCar sponsored by the Series Title Sponsor in a few races to allowed any driver from another series to try to qualify for the race. Needs a Reality show or a "Hinch show." There’s so much to do ... and nothing has been done ... Miller… PLEASE... use your influence and HELP IndyCar from the POTENTIAL FAILURE.

Giu from Brazil

RM: IndyCar has contracts with NBC Sports Network and ABC, no NASCAR stars are going to run Indy or anywhere else and black cars are reserved for Danny Ongais. But I do like the Hinch reality show.

Q: 1. Randy Bernard was GREAT for IndyCar (Better spelling than INDYCAR) and was upset he was FIRED. 2. Don't let Tony George have any influence in series management OR purchase the series.
3. Beaux Barfield and Will Phillips are worth EVERY PENNY they're paid and MORE.
4. Brian Barnhart lacks competence in on-track activities and should have ZERO influence (a la Tony George).
5. Get MORE races on Network TV
6. Be IndyCar and stop imitating NASCAR.
7. PLAYOFFS!?! The points system/championship works GREAT
8. Add Phoenix, Richmond, Watkins Glen, Elkhart Lake to the schedule YESTERDAY.
9. Function as company, not as an inbred dysfunctional family unit.
10. Owners need to remember WE THE FANS have a voice and they need to realize CART and Champ Car FAILED because of their arrogance. DON'T LET MALCONTENT CAR OWNERS RUIN MY PASSION FOR IndyCar.

Gordon from Dallas

RM: A small Xmas rant from the southwest.

Q: I have been thinking long and hard and trying to give the Hulman Family, Jeff Belskus and IMS a chance to win me back as a fan since the firing of Randy Bernard. I was so upset at his termination that I just about threw my PC through the window. I sent a hand-written, hard copy of a letter to both Mari Hulman and Jeff Belskus to voice my displeasure, and all I asked for was some kind of response to why Randy was terminated and to try and give me reasons for hope. I sent that letter November 6th. As of December 15th, I have not received a reply. I am done with Indy Car racing Robin. It is truly sad for me to say it, but this is the last straw for me. I have attended 71 Indy Car / Champ Car races over the last 35 years, and stayed loyal through all of the years of the split. Firing Randy Bernard, the continual Gong Show that has gone on at 16th and Georgetown since that firing has just finished it for me. I hope the racing is good in 2013, because this will truly be the beginning of the final spiral down the tubes for open-wheel racing in North America. I vowed back in 1997 not to give Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One a single dime more of my money, and I kept true to my promise. Well, here it is in 2012, and I am going to do the same to Indy Car.

Paul O., Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

RM: A sad farewell from north of the border.

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.