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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 1.26
Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.
The fate of IndyCar driver Ryan Briscoe remains a topic of interest for Mailbag readers. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
Hello open-wheel types and thanks for all your questions. I intend to answer your questions every week during the season, so just email me at . Don’t feel left out if I didn’t directly respond. I appreciate your interest and passion.
~Robin Miller
Q: I've been a dedicated open-wheel fan since the roadster days and I'm not seeing much to instill confidence for the 2013 season. Rubens to stock cars and Ryan Briscoe without a ride? Seems pretty sad to me. Please update us on what the grid looks like for 2013 based on what you know now.
Peter K.
RM: Losing Barrichello hurts because he obviously was a popular addition and Briscoe certainly deserves a good ride but if this year is anything like 2012 in terms of competition you should have plenty to hold your attention. The battle among Penske/Ganassi/Andretti figures to resume where it left off and hopefully there won’t be much separation between the Big 3 and the field. Marshall Pruett’s latest update on SPEED.com breaks down who is out there and where they might be going.
Q: Is there any chance that we could see A.J. Allmendinger in a DW12 at some point this year? Driving for Penske's third car perhaps? Also, how many cars do you think will make the grid as far as full-time rides go?
Ryan Gansemer
RM: Sounds like he wants to stay in NASCAR and is working on at least a part-time ride but it would be great to see him at least run Indy for The Captain. At least 22 full-timers and maybe as many as 24 depending on Viso, Legge, Vautier, Briscoe and Jakes.
Q: I like the qualifying heats and transfer format for the Iowa race, but 9 points for pole down to 1 for 9th or 10th. Iowa is now more important than the Indy 500! Even if they did something reasonable, like 3 points for pole, 2 points for second or third and 1 point for 4th through 6th, it becomes the second most important race of the year. Should Iowa be the highest point paying race weekend of the year!? I cringe just typing that. Who is responsible for this and can you talk some sense into them?
Mark Z, Discovery Bay, CA
RM: Since they aren’t offering money as incentive, points are the next best thing and I don’t mind because it’s going to make people race harder in the heats. Iowa has been one of the best races and best crowds the past few years so I don’t have a problem with anything Beaux Barfield has laid out for that weekend.
Q: I was happy to see Dario Franchitti commemorate Parnelli Jones on the 50th anniversary of Parnelli's victory at Indy. When I look at Jones's accomplishments, I begin to think the guy is underrated even though he is one for the most famous Indy drivers ever! You must have some great stories about Ol' Rufus since he worked closely with Jim Hurtubise at one point. How would you sum up Parnelli's career?
Gerry Courtney
RM: A.J. Watson says Rufus is the best he ever saw at Indianapolis and with a little luck he could have easily won five times. He was magic in midgets, sprints, stock cars, sports cars and off-road. Listening to Parnelli talk about running IMCA and going down the road with Herk makes me appreciate their desire and ability. Along with A.J., Mario and Dan Gurney, Parnelli was one of the best ever on four wheels.
Q: I remember reading an article about Jim Hurtubise and how he kept trying to qualify front-engined cars all the way through 1981. I'm too young to have seen this and I've always wondered if he added some wings or ground effects to the front-engined cars to try to qualify in that era. You don't happen to have a picture do you? Do you know how far off the pace he was?
John, Dayton, Ohio
RM: I was lucky enough to get to stooge for Herk in 1968 when he qualified the last roadster at Indianapolis and he was fast enough in 1969 before something broke and then he crashed in 1970. He tried wings but that big old Mallard was no match for an Eagle or McLaren by 1971-72 and it’s amazing how brave Jim was to go as fast as he did. I’ve got a photo and I’ll see if I can send it to Marshall and have him post it with this week’s mailbag.
Q: So I can't resist this one. I know we've all pledged to not say the D-word (Danica), but I am a curious if you could go a little TMZ on what happened led to the divorce. It's been surprising to me that the major outlets have left that alone, but maybe closer to the Daytona build-up we'll hear the rumors leak out. So far it is air tight. The "irrevocably broken" statement in the filing is interesting.
Andy, Nashville, TN
RM: Her husband was much older and kind of controlling so after seven years I guess it was time to move on. It lasted a helluva lot longer than I figured any marriage will last nowadays. But I don’t think there’s any TMZ elements to it. Just two people going different directions.
Q: In your last mailbag, you casually mentioned that Bernie might be interested in buying the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Really? Why? Could you expand on this a little?
Steve, Indianapolis
RM: I heard it from a buddy in England who works at McLaren but I don’t have Bernie’s home phone number anymore (he changed it after I called him and woke him up in 1979) so I can’t really check it out.
Q: I see the teams applied for the Leader’s Circle funds this week which now gives people an idea on how many cars may run. Do the engine manufacturers have a deadline with teams on supply? And as an observant fan, can you tell me why team owners & managers who get interviewed on TV usually have a white shirt on with maybe the team logo. This seems weird as the rest of the crew are in uniforms which have sponsor logos who are indirectly paying the team members wages. Maybe this is one reason companies won’t invest in IndyCar. You don’t see Christian Horner at Red Bell F1 in a plain shirt or Chad Knaus for that matter.
Mick
RM: Honda’s deadline for a full season is the end of January and to run Indianapolis it’s April 1 and I imagine General Motors is similar. As for your shirt theory, every time Mike Hull, Michael Andretti, Dennis Reinbold, Derrick Walker, Tim Cindric or Chip Ganassi are interviewed during a race they’re always wearing a shirt with the team sponsor’s logo on it.
~Robin Miller
Q: I've been a dedicated open-wheel fan since the roadster days and I'm not seeing much to instill confidence for the 2013 season. Rubens to stock cars and Ryan Briscoe without a ride? Seems pretty sad to me. Please update us on what the grid looks like for 2013 based on what you know now.
Peter K.
RM: Losing Barrichello hurts because he obviously was a popular addition and Briscoe certainly deserves a good ride but if this year is anything like 2012 in terms of competition you should have plenty to hold your attention. The battle among Penske/Ganassi/Andretti figures to resume where it left off and hopefully there won’t be much separation between the Big 3 and the field. Marshall Pruett’s latest update on SPEED.com breaks down who is out there and where they might be going.
Q: Is there any chance that we could see A.J. Allmendinger in a DW12 at some point this year? Driving for Penske's third car perhaps? Also, how many cars do you think will make the grid as far as full-time rides go?
Ryan Gansemer
RM: Sounds like he wants to stay in NASCAR and is working on at least a part-time ride but it would be great to see him at least run Indy for The Captain. At least 22 full-timers and maybe as many as 24 depending on Viso, Legge, Vautier, Briscoe and Jakes.
Q: I like the qualifying heats and transfer format for the Iowa race, but 9 points for pole down to 1 for 9th or 10th. Iowa is now more important than the Indy 500! Even if they did something reasonable, like 3 points for pole, 2 points for second or third and 1 point for 4th through 6th, it becomes the second most important race of the year. Should Iowa be the highest point paying race weekend of the year!? I cringe just typing that. Who is responsible for this and can you talk some sense into them?
Mark Z, Discovery Bay, CA
RM: Since they aren’t offering money as incentive, points are the next best thing and I don’t mind because it’s going to make people race harder in the heats. Iowa has been one of the best races and best crowds the past few years so I don’t have a problem with anything Beaux Barfield has laid out for that weekend.
Q: I was happy to see Dario Franchitti commemorate Parnelli Jones on the 50th anniversary of Parnelli's victory at Indy. When I look at Jones's accomplishments, I begin to think the guy is underrated even though he is one for the most famous Indy drivers ever! You must have some great stories about Ol' Rufus since he worked closely with Jim Hurtubise at one point. How would you sum up Parnelli's career?
Gerry Courtney
RM: A.J. Watson says Rufus is the best he ever saw at Indianapolis and with a little luck he could have easily won five times. He was magic in midgets, sprints, stock cars, sports cars and off-road. Listening to Parnelli talk about running IMCA and going down the road with Herk makes me appreciate their desire and ability. Along with A.J., Mario and Dan Gurney, Parnelli was one of the best ever on four wheels.
Q: I remember reading an article about Jim Hurtubise and how he kept trying to qualify front-engined cars all the way through 1981. I'm too young to have seen this and I've always wondered if he added some wings or ground effects to the front-engined cars to try to qualify in that era. You don't happen to have a picture do you? Do you know how far off the pace he was?
John, Dayton, Ohio
RM: I was lucky enough to get to stooge for Herk in 1968 when he qualified the last roadster at Indianapolis and he was fast enough in 1969 before something broke and then he crashed in 1970. He tried wings but that big old Mallard was no match for an Eagle or McLaren by 1971-72 and it’s amazing how brave Jim was to go as fast as he did. I’ve got a photo and I’ll see if I can send it to Marshall and have him post it with this week’s mailbag.
Q: So I can't resist this one. I know we've all pledged to not say the D-word (Danica), but I am a curious if you could go a little TMZ on what happened led to the divorce. It's been surprising to me that the major outlets have left that alone, but maybe closer to the Daytona build-up we'll hear the rumors leak out. So far it is air tight. The "irrevocably broken" statement in the filing is interesting.
Andy, Nashville, TN
RM: Her husband was much older and kind of controlling so after seven years I guess it was time to move on. It lasted a helluva lot longer than I figured any marriage will last nowadays. But I don’t think there’s any TMZ elements to it. Just two people going different directions.
Q: In your last mailbag, you casually mentioned that Bernie might be interested in buying the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Really? Why? Could you expand on this a little?
Steve, Indianapolis
RM: I heard it from a buddy in England who works at McLaren but I don’t have Bernie’s home phone number anymore (he changed it after I called him and woke him up in 1979) so I can’t really check it out.
Q: I see the teams applied for the Leader’s Circle funds this week which now gives people an idea on how many cars may run. Do the engine manufacturers have a deadline with teams on supply? And as an observant fan, can you tell me why team owners & managers who get interviewed on TV usually have a white shirt on with maybe the team logo. This seems weird as the rest of the crew are in uniforms which have sponsor logos who are indirectly paying the team members wages. Maybe this is one reason companies won’t invest in IndyCar. You don’t see Christian Horner at Red Bell F1 in a plain shirt or Chad Knaus for that matter.
Mick
RM: Honda’s deadline for a full season is the end of January and to run Indianapolis it’s April 1 and I imagine General Motors is similar. As for your shirt theory, every time Mike Hull, Michael Andretti, Dennis Reinbold, Derrick Walker, Tim Cindric or Chip Ganassi are interviewed during a race they’re always wearing a shirt with the team sponsor’s logo on it.
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