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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 2.8
Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.
One Mailbag reader is curious about Davey Hamilton's relationship with HP. (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 find Hewlett Packard’s relationship with Davey Hamilton to be both fantastic and usual in today’s Indy car environment. It seems most owners and drivers have to fight for every sponsorship dollar that’s available. Yet HP is obviously very loyal to Davey and it seems they will follow him wherever he sees fit. How did this relationship develop and how did it become so strong?
Jason, Champaign, IL
RM: When Davey decided to make his comeback in 2007, he said he gave HP a cold call to see about a little sponsorship. That’s blossomed into one of the best and longest associations in IndyCar and here’s why: “It’s not just having Hewlett-Packard’s name on my car, it’s a partnership and it’s about selling computers,” said Hamilton, one of the most likeable people in the IndyCar paddock. “It’s grown and we’ve added partners like this year we’ve got Microsoft and Intel. It’s been a great partnership and I feel very lucky.”
Q: With the 2013 field coming together, it looks like we will have about 2-3 fewer full time entries for 2013. This is a shame, because 2012 seemed like a year in which the series made a lot of forward progress. I know a lot of this problem is sponsor driven, with even teams like Penske and Ganassi taking a step back due to a lack of funding, but do you think that IndyCar brass could do anything to promote more entries?
Tyler from Fontana, CA
P.S. What race this year, outside of the 500, are you most excited for?
RM: No, the days of buying cars and engines (IRL) appears to be over (of course they do fund just about everyone with Leader’s Circle money) and I just hope the non-Leader’s Circle program continues because it helped people like Sarah Fisher in 2012. But 22-23 full-timer cars are fine. Always like Milwaukee and Long Beach but I’m too old to get excited.
Q: A friend of mine and I try to attend a second IndyCar race yearly other than the Indy 500. We have had great times at Cleveland, Mid-Ohio and, our favorite track, Road America. Last year we had a blast at Milwaukee but cannot return this year as the date doesn't work for me. Looking at the schedule, trying to keep within reasonable driving distances, I see three possibilities: Alabama, Detroit and Mid-Ohio. All have pluses and minuses compared to the others. I hear Barber is great but prefer a summer date. Love the doubleheader idea in Detroit but my friend is worried about crime in the city. I like Mid-Ohio but there is very little passing and not much to do at night.
Can you help us with any insight or suggestions?
Steve Gray
RM: ‘Bama is beautiful and you can walk everywhere with all that great elevation. There’s also a good barbeque place close to the track. Detroit is safe enough and there are casinos and plenty of great food downtown, plus maybe the Tigers are in town. And Windsor is just across the river if you like clubs with gorgeous women. If you like to camp, Mid-Ohio is your place but I think I’d try Motown and the initial doubleheader.
Q: It's been a while. I've been quite despondent with the whole RB mess ... but now that I'm seeing news on up and coming young guys like Colton Herta, Conor Daly and Austin Cindric I'm beginning to get pumped for the future of the series (despite their shockingly inept ownership group) my quick question to you is, do you know where Jarett Andretti stands in terms of his likeliness to get a shot at Indy Lights? Is he IndyCar material? I surely hope so as I'm a huge Andretti fan and more to the point my Dad has always told me that Mario considered Aldo the better driver of the two of them, so it would be sweet to see his grandson in the series, especially if he's inherited any of the skill and bravery that his grandfather apparently possessed.
Dan Hanke, Milwaukee
RM: Jarett ran sprinters last year and that’s his primary focus in 2013, although John Andretti is also trying to get him in some modifieds to get some pavement experience. Too early to say what his future might be but he’s got the right genes.
~Robin Miller
Q: I find Hewlett Packard’s relationship with Davey Hamilton to be both fantastic and usual in today’s Indy car environment. It seems most owners and drivers have to fight for every sponsorship dollar that’s available. Yet HP is obviously very loyal to Davey and it seems they will follow him wherever he sees fit. How did this relationship develop and how did it become so strong?
Jason, Champaign, IL
RM: When Davey decided to make his comeback in 2007, he said he gave HP a cold call to see about a little sponsorship. That’s blossomed into one of the best and longest associations in IndyCar and here’s why: “It’s not just having Hewlett-Packard’s name on my car, it’s a partnership and it’s about selling computers,” said Hamilton, one of the most likeable people in the IndyCar paddock. “It’s grown and we’ve added partners like this year we’ve got Microsoft and Intel. It’s been a great partnership and I feel very lucky.”
Q: With the 2013 field coming together, it looks like we will have about 2-3 fewer full time entries for 2013. This is a shame, because 2012 seemed like a year in which the series made a lot of forward progress. I know a lot of this problem is sponsor driven, with even teams like Penske and Ganassi taking a step back due to a lack of funding, but do you think that IndyCar brass could do anything to promote more entries?
Tyler from Fontana, CA
P.S. What race this year, outside of the 500, are you most excited for?
RM: No, the days of buying cars and engines (IRL) appears to be over (of course they do fund just about everyone with Leader’s Circle money) and I just hope the non-Leader’s Circle program continues because it helped people like Sarah Fisher in 2012. But 22-23 full-timer cars are fine. Always like Milwaukee and Long Beach but I’m too old to get excited.
Q: A friend of mine and I try to attend a second IndyCar race yearly other than the Indy 500. We have had great times at Cleveland, Mid-Ohio and, our favorite track, Road America. Last year we had a blast at Milwaukee but cannot return this year as the date doesn't work for me. Looking at the schedule, trying to keep within reasonable driving distances, I see three possibilities: Alabama, Detroit and Mid-Ohio. All have pluses and minuses compared to the others. I hear Barber is great but prefer a summer date. Love the doubleheader idea in Detroit but my friend is worried about crime in the city. I like Mid-Ohio but there is very little passing and not much to do at night.
Can you help us with any insight or suggestions?
Steve Gray
RM: ‘Bama is beautiful and you can walk everywhere with all that great elevation. There’s also a good barbeque place close to the track. Detroit is safe enough and there are casinos and plenty of great food downtown, plus maybe the Tigers are in town. And Windsor is just across the river if you like clubs with gorgeous women. If you like to camp, Mid-Ohio is your place but I think I’d try Motown and the initial doubleheader.
Q: It's been a while. I've been quite despondent with the whole RB mess ... but now that I'm seeing news on up and coming young guys like Colton Herta, Conor Daly and Austin Cindric I'm beginning to get pumped for the future of the series (despite their shockingly inept ownership group) my quick question to you is, do you know where Jarett Andretti stands in terms of his likeliness to get a shot at Indy Lights? Is he IndyCar material? I surely hope so as I'm a huge Andretti fan and more to the point my Dad has always told me that Mario considered Aldo the better driver of the two of them, so it would be sweet to see his grandson in the series, especially if he's inherited any of the skill and bravery that his grandfather apparently possessed.
Dan Hanke, Milwaukee
RM: Jarett ran sprinters last year and that’s his primary focus in 2013, although John Andretti is also trying to get him in some modifieds to get some pavement experience. Too early to say what his future might be but he’s got the right genes.
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