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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 2.29
Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.
The topic of pack racing on 1.5-mile ovals continues to be hotly debated by Mailbag readers. (Photo: Benito Santos/Kanaan Racing)
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 love racing on the 1.5-mile ovals. There is nothing more exciting than a pack of 20 fender-less cars racing side-by-side at over 200 mph just inches apart. Who can ever forget Chicagoland in 2008 when Dixon was awarded the trophy only to have it later handed over to Helio because no one could tell who won? And, the Top 9 closest finishes in Indy-car history were all on mile and a half ovals. My question is how do we go back to the most exciting racing in the world? Nobody wants to watch cars race single file on an oval – it is boring! Have any tests been done on the new DW12 that show that the “fenders” actually reduce cars from being launched through the air like airplanes? Can there not be a technical solution on the cars that deploys some type of flap to keep the cars on the ground once the threat of becoming airborne is detected? When Bobby Allison crashed at Talladega in 1987, NASCAR didn’t stop going to that track, they found a solution, the restrictor plate. Although it is hated by many, it has led to some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR. INDYCAR needs to do the same and go back to the mile and half ovals.
Ed R. (Downers Grove, IL)
RM: No argument that some of the greatest “finishes” have come at 1.5-mile ovals but not sure I count that as great racing. Running (or stuck) next to each other lap after lap is boring to me. I’d much rather watch two guys chase each other through traffic at Milwaukee or Iowa. The first test at Texas last week wasn’t encouraging in terms of breaking up pack racing but maybe that can be remedied in the next few weeks before the next test.
Q: Regarding the dangers of pack racing on the 1.5 mile ovals - I am a racing fan - drivers first, competition second, everything else doesn't really matter. There is always danger in racing, but if the drivers don't feel safe enough, if they feel we have crossed a line, then I support them 100%. I would rather see the race cancelled, have them haul out a bunch of go-carts and watch my favorite drivers compete for two hours on a temp karting circuit at the track. I do not watch racing to see drivers get hurt. Any self-respecting fan would say the same thing. Let’s fix the problem first. INDYCAR will not lose me as a fan, I will stick around. The best racing is when great drivers feel safe enough to take bold moves. While I watch "pack racing," I don't really like it compared to something like a great midget races or a great battles at the Milwaukee mile. Tell Randy B. that real fans understand and we won't leave because of this.
Paul Diedrich, Wisconsin IndyCar fan
RM: Pack racing has always been the formula for disaster because low HP and high downforce jams everybody together and lifting off the throttle is not an option. Most of us knew that INDYCAR dodged calamity for 16 years until Las Vegas last year.
Q: To help avoid the boycott on ovals why doesn't Indy Car add the infield road course that would most likely break up the field and it will show case the skilled drivers and teams that you will have to make your car handle on the oval part then on the road course? I think that would be a win. Also to add a few more races. Why doesn't Indy Car go back to the same ovals twice a year? Look at an NASCAR they go to over half of their tracks twice. One time you go you can use the infield road course the second it can just be a pure oval race. You can make one race like Texas last year with the twin races if there is 26 to 28 cars have split races 14 in one the 14 in the other and the top 6 in both race that night. So to fill up the day one ticket get you three races with an hour break in between. Talking about bang for your buck start at 10am for the 2-hour practice (ends at noon) to tune the cars, first race is at 1est for the first 14, 2nd is at 4 for the other 14, then at 6:30 we have a 12-car, 120-lap shootout first two races pay out half the points with the third paying out full points. Now I know how you feel about this before I even type it but hear me out and have an open mind. Indy!! The Big Show. Why not the week of the 500 don't Indy car let the support series run that Thursday and Friday before the 500? (Mazda etc). That weekend that will also grow the sport by showing and getting the younger drivers to experience a little bit of the Indy magic and stay in open wheel and want to get to the 500 plus u will have better experiences rookies in the 500 when they make it one day. And that will make for better drivers and maybe some of those team owners will come up to Indy Car one day.
Joe Lawson
RM: It’s tough enough to get people to show up for ovals once a year, let alone twice (like the old USAC days). Just can’t see fans being enamored with the infield-oval circuit like Daytona uses for the Rolex. As for Indy, the Lights race is on Carb Day but the smaller formulas could only run on the road course and that would be a logistical and financial nightmare.
Q: I really am excited to be seeing more videos of the new car running tests at different tracks. KV and Panther have been awesome at providing on board videos of the cars. I noticed on Panther's test at Phoenix, Hildebrand was running flat out the entire lap. I love the fact that we may see a return to Phoenix but flat out racing just isn't exciting. It seems like it just leads to side by side for 20+ laps like we saw at Iowa. Will the horse power be upped on the short tracks or will the downforce be reduced or are we looking at flat out with no brakes? Also when you mentioned Rockingham along with other ovals last night on Wind Tunnel, is that Rockingham, NC or Rockingham in the UK? Either way it would be a great race at both facilities. Looking forward for 2012! Go RAHAL!
Alan Bandi
RM: I agree, no ovals should be flat out but it appears unless we add 200 HP and reduce downforce significantly, it’s going to stay that way. But Iowa didn’t look like a pack race, there was a lot of overtaking and some great 1-on-1 action for the lead. Rockingham in North Carolina, it’s the perfect size all the way around.
Q: After hearing about the new rules regarding heat races at Iowa, two ideas came to mind. First, would INDYCAR think about introducing the heat race qualifying sessions at the Milwaukee Mile? I thought that Michael would want to do whatever he can to help promote the event after last year's Father’s Day disaster. Secondly, do you know if the heat races will be available on television or streaming on the INDYCAR website? My second point came to me last night as I was going through my Xbox collection and found my Indy car Series 2005 video game which was actually quite good. Do you know if the series is planning on introducing a new video game, especially after what the ALMS has done with partnering with Forza Motorsport? As a teenager I know for a fact that having the game on store shelves and even a couple commercials during a race would help attract a younger audience to INDYCAR.
Rob, Windsor, ON
RM: I think Michael will be for it eventually but I guess he didn’t want to do anything radical for his first race. The talk is that by 2013 all the ovals (except Indy) could be one-day events so that would really cram a lot of action into one day and bring back memories of the Hooligan race at Milwaukee. As for video games, I know people have been suggesting that to INDYCAR for a couple years but not sure if they’re acting on it.
Q: My understanding of the circumstances surrounding Tony George’s incentive to create the IRL is that it had much to do with the fact that he wished to protect the heritage of the Indy 500…i.e. oval racing. If this is true, do you feel that INDYCAR has moved far enough beyond the pale of TG’s vision & stewardship to the point where the schedule might end up with the Indy 500 and perhaps one or two other venues being the sole remaining oval races? (Something that I’d hate to see happen). I’m in my mid 50’s and I go back a ways with open wheel. I listened on radio for years and the 1970 California 500 @OMS was my first live race (dozens of Sundays spent at Ascot Raceway notwithstanding). I personally would prefer all ovals, but I understand some of the realities of bringing an Indy-car race to town. You simply can’t spend 100’s of millions of dollars to build an oval track in every municipality for which there’s an interest (e.g. Baltimore)…heck they seem to lose enough already when they lay out some K-rails somewhere and call it a race course. That said, in the wake of Dan Weldon’s death last year, I fear that the pendulum may swing too far in the road course direction for my taste.
Chris from South Bay
RM: Many of us grew up on USAC and oval tracks and the Indianapolis 500. Ovals ruled for decades until The Split and then attendance and interest began to fade. TG finally realized an all-oval circuit was a big loser so he morphed the IRL into CART’s business model. We need good oval tracks and Randy Bernard understands and appreciates the heritage but he’s also realistic and finding promoters for ovals is not easy. Hopefully, Milwaukee can rebound and maybe Phoenix can be added in 2013 or Richmond or Rockingham to go with Iowa. INDYCAR needs variety but it has to make cents.
Q: How in tar-nation does Sarah Fisher Racing’s lack of engines mean anything to INDYCAR? A bottom tier team with almost zero success is causing this much controversy? Is this a sign of INDYCAR’s 2012 season... we're worried about "feel good stories" and not the racing? I think we need to get out of the IRL 1996 to 2011 mentality with the BS "feel good stories," that obviously got us nowhere. Let’s start worrying about the racing, and drivers who actually have a shot at winning and taking the sport somewhere.
Eric H.
RM: Well, first off Sarah’s team won the last race of 2011 and was usually very competitive on the ovals so to dismiss her as bottom tier is only accurate when talking road racing. That being said, she’s a loyal open-wheeler with many years ahead of her and exactly what INDYCAR needs for the future. Did I mention she’s got an American driver? Her not having an engine until Honda rescued her was not only a story, it was threatening to be a big black eye.
Q: I’m looking forward to the new season because of the engines. I like the way they sound, but I also like the unpredictability they bring to the race. You knew that Honda's tractor engine wasn't going to be a problem in days past. I like the idea that engines will play a role in races -- will it or will it not make it to the end. The pricing is screwed up, though. If you are charging only $700,000 a year for engines per team and are losing money, that pretty much guarantees there will be few suppliers. A subsidized price might work if there are a lot of television viewers, so the manufacturers can leverage their cost into marketing, but until that happens, there is little reason for Ford or the European and Japanese (and maybe Korean) manufacturers to get in the game. Sure, charge Ed and Sarah $1.2 mil per car, but also charge Penske, Ganassi et al the same too.
Chad, Grand Junction, Colo.
RM: There will be plenty of blown engines this season (at least early on judging by testing) and that’s something we haven’t seen in 20 years. So, yes, it should give us some interesting results. Not sure about your theory on new manufacturers but television drives everything, we know that. Nobody should have to pay more for a leased engine but not sure Sarah did. I think Honda may have just transferred the contract.
Q: I appreciate your passionate rant regarding Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing's engine plight...but I have a very blunt observation to make that will not go over well with your All-American, ovalite, xenophobic minions. Most of the fans that show up at all the 'twisty' tracks will not give a flip whether or not SFHR is on the grid. Just like they will not give a flip whether or not Conquest is on the grid...or Dragon is on the grid. Just like they wouldn't give a flip if Penske had 'Milk-maid' in one of his cars. CART proved that at places like Long Beach in the last few years before the merger. There were still decent crowds watching car counts as low as 17 with drivers that nobody knew (Figge, Halliday, Doornbos, Gommendy). Nobody is to blame for the engine supply issue. It's a good problem to have. All the pissing and moaning about whose left out when the music stops is absurd. The bottom line is whether there ends up being 30, 29, 28, or 27 full-time cars...that number will represent the highest full-time car count in the winged-car era. I don't know about everybody else, but in my eyes this looks like the healthiest start to an Indy-car season in my 41 year life.
Chris M., Long Beach, CA
RM: I was looking at it more from a practical, fair business standpoint because Sarah’s team has a new car, some equity and an American rookie so I think she deserves to be able to lease an engine. Thankfully, Honda agreed. It is good to have more cars than we imagined but it’s bad if owners like Mike Shank keep getting stonewalled.
Q: With so many positive things going on I couldn't believe your article about Sarah Fisher. I wouldn't want Randy's job for all of the Hulman-George money (OK maybe I would take the cash), but he's done so many good things it seems like whenever the series takes 2-steps up, it takes 1-back. I think we're seeing why Will Phillips needed to be on-board much sooner than he was and hopefully these engine & chassis issues are the last remnants of the Barnhart era. Let's hope Ford steps-up next year, especially since they're marketing the hell out of their Ecoboost line of engines. It's a marketers dream and goes with what Ganassi said to a Pittsburgh reporter about making INDYCAR more viable for the manufacturers and engineering and less of a marketing platform. I can't wait for St. Pete and am already planning on Indy, Mid-Ohio and maybe Milwaukee if I can swing it.
Scott St. Clair, Erie, PA
RM: The engine distribution wasn’t handled well and we can’t blame Barnhart but thankfully Honda and Bobby Rahal were able to make it work for Sarah and Josef Newgarden. Will coming on board sooner might have alleviated some of the car problems, for sure.
Q: Am I the only one here who isn’t thrilled about Sarah Fisher’s engine deal taking an engine away from another talented driver? I know it’s not a very popular opinion, but I’m really confused. If I’m not mistaken, Randy Bernard was the one who pitched the idea of Filippi coming to IndyCar at Monza last year. If the head of the series makes a pitch to someone to move away from the series he’s known and the career path he’s wanted his entire career, shouldn’t there be some credibility behind it? Perhaps more than a “we’ll have to see”? Seems to me that if you’re trying to gain a little international credibility and market share you’d be best served pitching international drivers with a few more guarantees. Currently we have Filippi and Barrichello wanting to drive here, both of whom can provide value to the series on and off the track, looking for rides based on sponsors. I understand every driver does that, but if you have guys that really can help that really want to be here, can’t there be something to help them get a ride in a competitive seat? And what does that tell other drivers in other series possibly about wanting to drive INDYCAR? “Leave home and maybe we can help?” I thought the help from “our financial partners” was going to steer us away from being a BYOB series. Can you help me understand what happened behind-the-scenes from the other side of the coin?
Dan Wagner, Burleson, TX
RM: Well, first of all, I think Josef Newgarden certainly has some talent so why should be denied? And why should a supporter of the series like Fisher be denied? Rubens will get INDYCAR media from everywhere and help at the box office as well and maybe TV ratings. He’s a star and Fillipi might be a good driver but he won’t sell one ticket in North America.
~Robin Miller
Q: I love racing on the 1.5-mile ovals. There is nothing more exciting than a pack of 20 fender-less cars racing side-by-side at over 200 mph just inches apart. Who can ever forget Chicagoland in 2008 when Dixon was awarded the trophy only to have it later handed over to Helio because no one could tell who won? And, the Top 9 closest finishes in Indy-car history were all on mile and a half ovals. My question is how do we go back to the most exciting racing in the world? Nobody wants to watch cars race single file on an oval – it is boring! Have any tests been done on the new DW12 that show that the “fenders” actually reduce cars from being launched through the air like airplanes? Can there not be a technical solution on the cars that deploys some type of flap to keep the cars on the ground once the threat of becoming airborne is detected? When Bobby Allison crashed at Talladega in 1987, NASCAR didn’t stop going to that track, they found a solution, the restrictor plate. Although it is hated by many, it has led to some of the most exciting racing in NASCAR. INDYCAR needs to do the same and go back to the mile and half ovals.
Ed R. (Downers Grove, IL)
RM: No argument that some of the greatest “finishes” have come at 1.5-mile ovals but not sure I count that as great racing. Running (or stuck) next to each other lap after lap is boring to me. I’d much rather watch two guys chase each other through traffic at Milwaukee or Iowa. The first test at Texas last week wasn’t encouraging in terms of breaking up pack racing but maybe that can be remedied in the next few weeks before the next test.
Q: Regarding the dangers of pack racing on the 1.5 mile ovals - I am a racing fan - drivers first, competition second, everything else doesn't really matter. There is always danger in racing, but if the drivers don't feel safe enough, if they feel we have crossed a line, then I support them 100%. I would rather see the race cancelled, have them haul out a bunch of go-carts and watch my favorite drivers compete for two hours on a temp karting circuit at the track. I do not watch racing to see drivers get hurt. Any self-respecting fan would say the same thing. Let’s fix the problem first. INDYCAR will not lose me as a fan, I will stick around. The best racing is when great drivers feel safe enough to take bold moves. While I watch "pack racing," I don't really like it compared to something like a great midget races or a great battles at the Milwaukee mile. Tell Randy B. that real fans understand and we won't leave because of this.
Paul Diedrich, Wisconsin IndyCar fan
RM: Pack racing has always been the formula for disaster because low HP and high downforce jams everybody together and lifting off the throttle is not an option. Most of us knew that INDYCAR dodged calamity for 16 years until Las Vegas last year.
Q: To help avoid the boycott on ovals why doesn't Indy Car add the infield road course that would most likely break up the field and it will show case the skilled drivers and teams that you will have to make your car handle on the oval part then on the road course? I think that would be a win. Also to add a few more races. Why doesn't Indy Car go back to the same ovals twice a year? Look at an NASCAR they go to over half of their tracks twice. One time you go you can use the infield road course the second it can just be a pure oval race. You can make one race like Texas last year with the twin races if there is 26 to 28 cars have split races 14 in one the 14 in the other and the top 6 in both race that night. So to fill up the day one ticket get you three races with an hour break in between. Talking about bang for your buck start at 10am for the 2-hour practice (ends at noon) to tune the cars, first race is at 1est for the first 14, 2nd is at 4 for the other 14, then at 6:30 we have a 12-car, 120-lap shootout first two races pay out half the points with the third paying out full points. Now I know how you feel about this before I even type it but hear me out and have an open mind. Indy!! The Big Show. Why not the week of the 500 don't Indy car let the support series run that Thursday and Friday before the 500? (Mazda etc). That weekend that will also grow the sport by showing and getting the younger drivers to experience a little bit of the Indy magic and stay in open wheel and want to get to the 500 plus u will have better experiences rookies in the 500 when they make it one day. And that will make for better drivers and maybe some of those team owners will come up to Indy Car one day.
Joe Lawson
RM: It’s tough enough to get people to show up for ovals once a year, let alone twice (like the old USAC days). Just can’t see fans being enamored with the infield-oval circuit like Daytona uses for the Rolex. As for Indy, the Lights race is on Carb Day but the smaller formulas could only run on the road course and that would be a logistical and financial nightmare.
Q: I really am excited to be seeing more videos of the new car running tests at different tracks. KV and Panther have been awesome at providing on board videos of the cars. I noticed on Panther's test at Phoenix, Hildebrand was running flat out the entire lap. I love the fact that we may see a return to Phoenix but flat out racing just isn't exciting. It seems like it just leads to side by side for 20+ laps like we saw at Iowa. Will the horse power be upped on the short tracks or will the downforce be reduced or are we looking at flat out with no brakes? Also when you mentioned Rockingham along with other ovals last night on Wind Tunnel, is that Rockingham, NC or Rockingham in the UK? Either way it would be a great race at both facilities. Looking forward for 2012! Go RAHAL!
Alan Bandi
RM: I agree, no ovals should be flat out but it appears unless we add 200 HP and reduce downforce significantly, it’s going to stay that way. But Iowa didn’t look like a pack race, there was a lot of overtaking and some great 1-on-1 action for the lead. Rockingham in North Carolina, it’s the perfect size all the way around.
Q: After hearing about the new rules regarding heat races at Iowa, two ideas came to mind. First, would INDYCAR think about introducing the heat race qualifying sessions at the Milwaukee Mile? I thought that Michael would want to do whatever he can to help promote the event after last year's Father’s Day disaster. Secondly, do you know if the heat races will be available on television or streaming on the INDYCAR website? My second point came to me last night as I was going through my Xbox collection and found my Indy car Series 2005 video game which was actually quite good. Do you know if the series is planning on introducing a new video game, especially after what the ALMS has done with partnering with Forza Motorsport? As a teenager I know for a fact that having the game on store shelves and even a couple commercials during a race would help attract a younger audience to INDYCAR.
Rob, Windsor, ON
RM: I think Michael will be for it eventually but I guess he didn’t want to do anything radical for his first race. The talk is that by 2013 all the ovals (except Indy) could be one-day events so that would really cram a lot of action into one day and bring back memories of the Hooligan race at Milwaukee. As for video games, I know people have been suggesting that to INDYCAR for a couple years but not sure if they’re acting on it.
Q: My understanding of the circumstances surrounding Tony George’s incentive to create the IRL is that it had much to do with the fact that he wished to protect the heritage of the Indy 500…i.e. oval racing. If this is true, do you feel that INDYCAR has moved far enough beyond the pale of TG’s vision & stewardship to the point where the schedule might end up with the Indy 500 and perhaps one or two other venues being the sole remaining oval races? (Something that I’d hate to see happen). I’m in my mid 50’s and I go back a ways with open wheel. I listened on radio for years and the 1970 California 500 @OMS was my first live race (dozens of Sundays spent at Ascot Raceway notwithstanding). I personally would prefer all ovals, but I understand some of the realities of bringing an Indy-car race to town. You simply can’t spend 100’s of millions of dollars to build an oval track in every municipality for which there’s an interest (e.g. Baltimore)…heck they seem to lose enough already when they lay out some K-rails somewhere and call it a race course. That said, in the wake of Dan Weldon’s death last year, I fear that the pendulum may swing too far in the road course direction for my taste.
Chris from South Bay
RM: Many of us grew up on USAC and oval tracks and the Indianapolis 500. Ovals ruled for decades until The Split and then attendance and interest began to fade. TG finally realized an all-oval circuit was a big loser so he morphed the IRL into CART’s business model. We need good oval tracks and Randy Bernard understands and appreciates the heritage but he’s also realistic and finding promoters for ovals is not easy. Hopefully, Milwaukee can rebound and maybe Phoenix can be added in 2013 or Richmond or Rockingham to go with Iowa. INDYCAR needs variety but it has to make cents.
Q: How in tar-nation does Sarah Fisher Racing’s lack of engines mean anything to INDYCAR? A bottom tier team with almost zero success is causing this much controversy? Is this a sign of INDYCAR’s 2012 season... we're worried about "feel good stories" and not the racing? I think we need to get out of the IRL 1996 to 2011 mentality with the BS "feel good stories," that obviously got us nowhere. Let’s start worrying about the racing, and drivers who actually have a shot at winning and taking the sport somewhere.
Eric H.
RM: Well, first off Sarah’s team won the last race of 2011 and was usually very competitive on the ovals so to dismiss her as bottom tier is only accurate when talking road racing. That being said, she’s a loyal open-wheeler with many years ahead of her and exactly what INDYCAR needs for the future. Did I mention she’s got an American driver? Her not having an engine until Honda rescued her was not only a story, it was threatening to be a big black eye.
Q: I’m looking forward to the new season because of the engines. I like the way they sound, but I also like the unpredictability they bring to the race. You knew that Honda's tractor engine wasn't going to be a problem in days past. I like the idea that engines will play a role in races -- will it or will it not make it to the end. The pricing is screwed up, though. If you are charging only $700,000 a year for engines per team and are losing money, that pretty much guarantees there will be few suppliers. A subsidized price might work if there are a lot of television viewers, so the manufacturers can leverage their cost into marketing, but until that happens, there is little reason for Ford or the European and Japanese (and maybe Korean) manufacturers to get in the game. Sure, charge Ed and Sarah $1.2 mil per car, but also charge Penske, Ganassi et al the same too.
Chad, Grand Junction, Colo.
RM: There will be plenty of blown engines this season (at least early on judging by testing) and that’s something we haven’t seen in 20 years. So, yes, it should give us some interesting results. Not sure about your theory on new manufacturers but television drives everything, we know that. Nobody should have to pay more for a leased engine but not sure Sarah did. I think Honda may have just transferred the contract.
Q: I appreciate your passionate rant regarding Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing's engine plight...but I have a very blunt observation to make that will not go over well with your All-American, ovalite, xenophobic minions. Most of the fans that show up at all the 'twisty' tracks will not give a flip whether or not SFHR is on the grid. Just like they will not give a flip whether or not Conquest is on the grid...or Dragon is on the grid. Just like they wouldn't give a flip if Penske had 'Milk-maid' in one of his cars. CART proved that at places like Long Beach in the last few years before the merger. There were still decent crowds watching car counts as low as 17 with drivers that nobody knew (Figge, Halliday, Doornbos, Gommendy). Nobody is to blame for the engine supply issue. It's a good problem to have. All the pissing and moaning about whose left out when the music stops is absurd. The bottom line is whether there ends up being 30, 29, 28, or 27 full-time cars...that number will represent the highest full-time car count in the winged-car era. I don't know about everybody else, but in my eyes this looks like the healthiest start to an Indy-car season in my 41 year life.
Chris M., Long Beach, CA
RM: I was looking at it more from a practical, fair business standpoint because Sarah’s team has a new car, some equity and an American rookie so I think she deserves to be able to lease an engine. Thankfully, Honda agreed. It is good to have more cars than we imagined but it’s bad if owners like Mike Shank keep getting stonewalled.
Q: With so many positive things going on I couldn't believe your article about Sarah Fisher. I wouldn't want Randy's job for all of the Hulman-George money (OK maybe I would take the cash), but he's done so many good things it seems like whenever the series takes 2-steps up, it takes 1-back. I think we're seeing why Will Phillips needed to be on-board much sooner than he was and hopefully these engine & chassis issues are the last remnants of the Barnhart era. Let's hope Ford steps-up next year, especially since they're marketing the hell out of their Ecoboost line of engines. It's a marketers dream and goes with what Ganassi said to a Pittsburgh reporter about making INDYCAR more viable for the manufacturers and engineering and less of a marketing platform. I can't wait for St. Pete and am already planning on Indy, Mid-Ohio and maybe Milwaukee if I can swing it.
Scott St. Clair, Erie, PA
RM: The engine distribution wasn’t handled well and we can’t blame Barnhart but thankfully Honda and Bobby Rahal were able to make it work for Sarah and Josef Newgarden. Will coming on board sooner might have alleviated some of the car problems, for sure.
Q: Am I the only one here who isn’t thrilled about Sarah Fisher’s engine deal taking an engine away from another talented driver? I know it’s not a very popular opinion, but I’m really confused. If I’m not mistaken, Randy Bernard was the one who pitched the idea of Filippi coming to IndyCar at Monza last year. If the head of the series makes a pitch to someone to move away from the series he’s known and the career path he’s wanted his entire career, shouldn’t there be some credibility behind it? Perhaps more than a “we’ll have to see”? Seems to me that if you’re trying to gain a little international credibility and market share you’d be best served pitching international drivers with a few more guarantees. Currently we have Filippi and Barrichello wanting to drive here, both of whom can provide value to the series on and off the track, looking for rides based on sponsors. I understand every driver does that, but if you have guys that really can help that really want to be here, can’t there be something to help them get a ride in a competitive seat? And what does that tell other drivers in other series possibly about wanting to drive INDYCAR? “Leave home and maybe we can help?” I thought the help from “our financial partners” was going to steer us away from being a BYOB series. Can you help me understand what happened behind-the-scenes from the other side of the coin?
Dan Wagner, Burleson, TX
RM: Well, first of all, I think Josef Newgarden certainly has some talent so why should be denied? And why should a supporter of the series like Fisher be denied? Rubens will get INDYCAR media from everywhere and help at the box office as well and maybe TV ratings. He’s a star and Fillipi might be a good driver but he won’t sell one ticket in North America.
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