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INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 12.31
We've got a fever, and the only thing that'll satisfy it is More Mailbag. Here's the latest batch of Q&A items from the best Indycar scribe on the planet.
Robin Miller  |  Posted December 31, 2009   Indianapolis, IN
One reader asks where Target's in-store IndyCar promotions have gone. There was a time where Target Chip Ganassi Racing clothes and accessories were easy to find on the shelves at your local Target store. (LAT)
Hello open wheel types and thanks for all your questions. I intend to answer your questions every week during the season, so just . Don’t feel left out if I didn’t directly respond. I appreciate your interest and passion.

~Robin Miller

Q: When you reported on the "Delta Wing" group, my first thought was, "Great! They are finally using the brains in the garages!" Then, as I read more, it almost seams like this is not a series sponsored group, but an independent collection of guys that are trying to come up with a new car and a very different way to build it. If this improves the performance of the car and lowers costs so that more teams or cars can afford to be on the grid, I'm all for it. But, why did these guys feel they had to go this route? Isn't this the same goals the series has? How far back do we have to go, to find a time when this stuff wasn't left up to Dallara, or Lola, or Reynard, or ..... ?

John W

RM: I guess the best way to answer your question is that most of the IndyCar owners are tired of Brian Barnhart's lack of response in bringing down the costs or coming up with new concepts so they decided to do it themselves.

Q: The Delta Wing concept sounds ugly as sin. I would rather see an evolution on an IndyCar, not a complete revolution to some Frankenstein machine that no long term open wheel fan can relate to. Would you want to see this formula replace a more proper open wheel type design? I certainly wouldn't.

Don, Minneapolis

RM: It's not ugly, it's just a radical departure from the car of the past 35 years. I have no idea if today's open wheel fan will relate or like it, or this new car will create more fans, but I guess the real issue is costs and budgets. The owners want cheaper cars and engines without depleting performance so we'll have to see what materializes in the next 18 months.

Q: Can you enlighten me on the IRL's sanctioning fee requirements. Does the IRL require a $1 million sanctioning fee at most places? I understand street course races having to pay more money because they can bring the city more money in return. Cities should want an economic boost. But, for an oval, if you do not have a major sponsor paying that fee, the tracks could have a hard time breaking even. Maybe that is why a lot of them don't bother anymore. The IRL usually doesn't provide any track action on Friday and very little on a Saturday so the track can't get much from the gate there. I understand little track time is needed with the old Dallara. This does leave the question then why would company XYZ pay a big fee to be the title sponsor for an event when they can fork over 20 or 30 thousand and have as many suites as they want and entertain their clients that way instead? I would love to see the IRL back at places like Phoenix and Michigan.

BSU Darren

RM: For a long time the purses were $1 million (because TGeorge once complained to an owner he'd already spent $90 million on them) but I believe the sanction fee varies from track to track. I have the old Champ Car sanction fees and they varied from $250,000 to $5 million so I imagine IndyCar's is structured in similar form. But whether it's an oval or a street circuit or road course, a good title sponsor is necessary to have any shot at turning a profit. And you are spot on about an oval promoter only having one day to make any money, although Edmonton had nice crowds for three days and the race reportedly lost $9 million.

Q: Considering Target has been one of the strongest IndyCar sponsors over the past decade, why is it impossible to find anything IndyCar related inside one of their stores? Their lack of sponsorship activation and/or Target Chip Ganassi Racing merchandise inside their stores is puzzling. Just getting some driver cutouts or some basic signage inside the Target stores would be huge for the IRL.

Jason, Champaign, Ill.

RM: I believe those old Zanardi/Vasser and Montoya/Vasser commercials were Target's best and only public promotions of the drivers, per se, and I cannot answer your question. I just know that Target's staying power can likely be traced to all its suppliers pitching in and helping sponsor the cars. Getting those folks publicity is Target's major objective, not so much the drivers.

Q: I've heard over and over again that a new car will bring back some much need parity in the series but I just don't get why that would be. Why does the law of diminishing returns not apply to IndyCar? You would think the Penske and Ganassi has just about got everything out of the current car which is possible. Any further improvements that these 2 teams make would be incrementally smaller and smaller. The lesser teams have greater potential improvement, it just takes them time to get there. So if Penske or Ganassi are one-tenth quicker at a your typical track next year, the lesser teams may pick-up 2 or 3 tenths. Well, that's the way in works in my bizzaro world. Why doesn't it work that way in real world?

Stuart Boyle, Dallas

RM: Your make a very logical point in that everybody should be equal because these cars have been around for seven years. But they're not, at least on the ovals, as we witnessed again last season. The only proof I can offer that a new chassis levels the playing field is Champ Car in 2007. Yes, Bourdais won the most races and the title but Derrick Walker (two) and Keith Wiggins (two) made it into victory lane and Dale Coyne should have. Don't get me wrong, Ganassi and Penske would likely figure out the new car sooner but that DP-01 gave everyone renewed hope and some fresh storylines for at least one year.

Q: I heard a commentator, maybe it was you, say that IndyCars should race around Thanksgiving time when there is no other series racing. I think it would be a great idea. If so, where would they race?

Chris Greene, Miami

RM: I guess I've said for years that I would run Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas just because you have a captive audience and no NASCAR. Obviously, you are probably limited to Florida and California (maybe Brazil) for two of those dates but when you're as far off the map as IndyCar is, you need to try something different and desperate.

Q: Do you think the IRL promotes Danica Patrick too much? Theres other drivers such as Helio Castro-Neves and Tony Kanaan that are more charismatic...yet they don't seem to get the air time. Yes its true that sex sells...but if the IRL is throwing everything on her then what happens when she leaves for NASCAR.

Ron. Portland, OR

RM: No, I think she is promoted by GO DADDY, Peak and the rest of her growing list of personal sponsors plus NASCAR's press contingent. IndyCar is pretty even-handed about trying to promote its drivers but, of course, many of the newspapers and television stations want Danica if she's coming to their town. And let's not forget that she's an AMERICAN woman competing against the boys.

Q: Unlike most fans I like the small teams like De Ferran, Foyt, and Dreyer and Reinbold. My question is what are the plans for these three team in 2010.

Zack

RM: Vitor Meira is set with Foyt but I guess everything else is wait and see. Mike Conway is likely to be back with Dreyer & Reinbold and hopefully Tomas Scheckter as well. All we know for sure about Gil, at the moment, is that he's still trying to put something together for 2010.

Q: Some questions from a Indy Lights fan: Are there any plans for a new Indy Lights car in the near future? How much does it cost to sponsor a Lights car for a year vs an Indycar? And do you think Cotman will mandate pit stops for fuel and/or tires for next year?

Michael, Lawrenceburg IN.

RM: There almost has to be but I suppose it depends on whether the Delta Wing is endorsed by IndyCar. I've heard talk that Barnhart wants the Delta project to be the new Indy Lights car for a year or two and then take it to the top after it's proven. As far as budgets, anywhere from $750,000 to $1.5 million is what I hear. Mandate pit stops? I have no idea.

Q: Who started the trend of looking outside the US for Indy car drivers. Don't count the foreign drivers that came to IndyCars on their own accord. I reckon the first "bigger" team to do so was Ganassi with Zanardi. After that (and the amazing success) everyone seemed to follow suit. What's your take?

Paul, Salem, Oregon

RM: As I railed for decades, 1970 was the beginning of the end for the American USAC driver at Indy when the dirt races were taken off the national championship schedule. The foreign invasion really started with CART in the mid-80s and escalated in the '90s. For all the true talents like Fittipaldi, Mansell, de Ferran, Fabi, Guerrero, Piquet, there were reams of ride buyers with more money than talent. Chip took a flyer on Zanardi (Honda, Reynard and Firestone) and it clicked. Ditto for Montoya. But it's mainly driven by economics.

Q: Will you please explain the new hierarchy and current structure at what was Andretti-Green (is Kim Green, et al. still involved?)?

Dan McConochy

RM: Michael Andretti bought out Kevin Savoree and Green on the racing side and they took over the promotion arm of AGR at St. Pete and Toronto. Was it an ugly divorce? Somewhere in between Charlie Sheen and Tiger.






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