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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 3.4
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 March 04, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
IndyCar reserved the front cover of their 2009 media guide for its current champion, Scott Dixon. They saved the back cover for the rest of their big stars, with Graham Rahal right up front. Amazing how things change in one year. (IndyCar Series)
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: I enjoyed your piece on Graham Rahal the other day and coming so soon after the unveiling of the Delta Wing and other 2012 concepts has inspired me to write in and ask you a question - are you serious? I don't just mean you Mr. Miller but everyone in Indycar racing. As an outsider looking in (from Australia) I have to ask why you are all so blind to the obvious problem. There are no domestic stars in Indycar racing, that's why nobody is watching! Look at any successful domestic series around the world be it V8 Supercars, Japanese GT or NASCAR and you'll find they all have a field full of local stars for the people to not only watch but relate to, get behind and support. Indycar doesn't. I'm not saying the whole field has to be American but at least half (or preferably more) must call the US home if Indycar is to stand any chance of regaining ground on NASCAR. It doesn't matter if its Delta Wings, Dallaras, Lolas or Swifts on the 2012 grid if they are all driven by foreigners. What do you think would happen to the ratings of NASCAR if the field was made up of 90% imported drivers? And vice-versa what would happen to Indycar ratings if the field was full of the likes of Rahal, Andretti, Gordon, Stewart, Kahne and Harvick??? When do you think the sport will wake up to itself?

Mal, Australia

RM: I'm not sure you can write or preach any more about the importance (and lack) of American drivers in IndyCar than I have and you are 100 percent correct. But until the owners grasp that fact and the budgets are sliced to realistic numbers, I guess we're going to have as many full-time Japanese drivers in IndyCar this year as Yanks.

Q: Please answer me this: How the heck can Graham Rahal not have a ride? Sure, I understand McDonald's pulled out of the NHL deal largely because the Indycar Series isn't a sound investment (compared to the Olympics and NASCAR), and that most companies have already set their 2010 marketing budgets and thus have no money available even if they wanted to sponsor him. But those issues notwithstanding, I think Graham's situation is criminally insane. Here's a good-looking, talented, well-spoken American driver who wants nothing more to be in Indycar, and he can't generate enough interest?! To me, Graham not having a ride is enough to cancel out any of the positive news from the off-season. The IndyCar brass better think long and hard about letting him sit on the sidelines. It's bad enough that 90% of the field is foreign and doesn't strike a chord with Joe American - we need Graham, and other Americans like him. If he doesn't get a ride, there's a strong possibility I won't watch any Indycar this year. I'll follow Formula 1 with the same passion instead. At least those "foreign" participants can innovate. PS: I hope you consider forwarding this letter to Bernard and Barnfart, and any other parties that may give a damn.

Jeff Castellano - Mahopac, NY

RM: As I've being saying for more than a year, there should be a bidding war for Rahal between Penske and Ganassi because this kid is the future of IndyCar. He's got it all -- except a ride and that's almost as embarrassing to the series as it is unacceptable. Barnhart has actually tried helping Graham with some things and, believe me, Bernard understands this is a major problem that he needs to try and solve but he can't write a check.

Q: Top Five Reasons Graham Rahal Can’t Find a Ride
5. Izod doesn’t carry his size.
4. Demands series change its name to Mid-Ohio Racing League.
3. Holding out for Brian Barnhart to be his left-rear tire changer.
2. Clean-cut image offends Go Daddy.
1. Once tried to light Carl Haas’ cigar.
Should we be laughing or crying about this absurd situation?

Michael Balton, Brooklyn, New York

RM: We should be gnashing our teeth.

Q: His career won't be "destined for greatness" if he's not actually racing. If Justin Wilson can win in a Dale Coyne car, then what's Graham's excuse, especially when his replacement will be...Milka? And, too binding? Well, if Haas-Lanigan has three cars and he's not in one of them, what does he think is going to occur? Holding out for Ganassi, where he'll effectively have to buy the ride via sponsorship he brings? With American (not to mention international) economics in the shape it's currently in, why does he think that no deal at all is better than one with Coyne? It's not like Coyne wasn't the only non-Big Red car to win a race last year.

Fellow lifer, Chris Kelley

RM: Losing engineer Bill Pappas and a couple other key people tell me it won't be close to the same team that Justin drove for last year and Rahal doesn't need to go backwards at this stage of his career.

Q: We all agree that Graham Rahal needs to be in a good IRL ride this year. So why don't we do something about it? And when I say "we" I mean the roughly 200,000 hardcore Indy fans still out there. If everyone would put up at least $10, there would be $2 million for GR. That should at least get him a decent ride for Indy. Even more important, it would show potential sponsors there is core "18-34 male audience," the key advertising demographic, out there to sell to. I'm guessing there is at least one person out there with the skills to set up a PayPal account, website and Facebook account. I'm also guessing SPEED (and others) would provide some publicity for the effort. "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your credit cards!" Historical note. Dan Gurney did this when his AAR Eagle F1 team ran low on in money in 1967. And he didn't have PayPal!

Bob Kozak, Frederick, MD

RM: I told Graham about your letter (and another very similar to yours) and he was flattered that people cared enough to suggest something like this. But while it's a very noble gesture, it's just too little too late and nearly impossible to try and organize and control. Some folks in Canada wanted to do the same thing for Paul Tracy last year and it's actually been done (Grant King at Indy in the 1970s) before but at a much smaller level. Good tidbit about the All-American Racer.

Q: I flunked economics in school so maybe you can explain why drivers from South America, Europe, Australia and Asia can raise sponsorship and land rides for a US based circuit but American drivers that WANT to be in Indycar cannot? I'm all for the best earning rides but some of these drivers pale in comparison to American talent. Surely the new Indycar boss understands this problem as PBR would have not grown with primarily South American, Australian, English and Japanese bull riders. Why did D&R with Dad's root beer (American sponsor) drop Rice in favor of Conway? How is Rossiter more able to attract sponsor and Rahal cannot for potential third Ganassi seat? May the last one out the door please turn off the lights...

Roger, Greenwood, Ind.

RM: I flunked earth science and practical math at Ball State but I guess a possible answer is that some countries don't have as many major sports that require big budgets as we do so money is more accessible. But then you look at Canada and, other than Player's and Molson for many years, nobody has stepped up for Tracy, Carpentier, Tagliani, Ranger and Hinchliffe. And most of our bucks have gone south to NASCAR, where it has network television and American drivers.

Q: OK, I’m drawing a line in the sand. If Graham Rahal doesn’t get a ride then I’m not going to watch IndyCar any longer. I’m tired of watching races where only 4 to 5 drivers from two teams have a realistic chance of winning and where the rest of the field is mostly selected not on their talent but on how deep their pockets are. I can get that type of quality (or better) from several other racing series that are shown on TV channels that are easier to find and that feature better looking more technically interesting cars.

Alan Stamper, Lewis Center, Ohio

RM: Dario Franchitti and I were discussing this topic recently and I told him that he and Dixon, Briscoe, Power and Helio were obviously all good racers and deserving of their success but them winning every race doesn't resonate with the American public and media. In CART's heyday, it was a melting pot of talent with Mansell, Emmo, Moore, Tracy, Carpentier, Tags, Villeneuve, Blundell, Gugelmin, Dario, Montoya and Zanardi but it also had Andretti, Unser, Rahal, Sullivan, Vasser, Herta, Pruett, R. Gordon, Hearn and Gidley and they didn't have to bring money -- just their helmets. Two fulltime Americans out of 24 cars is a bad joke.

Q: In the sports section of yesterday's(Feb 28) Indy Star, there was a full page ad for the Cup race in Vegas. It had the local station, and time, as well as some nice art. I don't know if the local FOX station (WXIN), FOX Sports, or NASCAR placed the ad, but I do not recall ever seeing anything like this for the Indy car series. If anyone at 16th and Georgetown reads The Star, what do you think the odds are of them seeing this, and then thinking, "hey, what a great idea, maybe we should promote our series like this"?

Randy Easton, Westfield, Ind.

RM: I imagine it was a combo of big FOX and NASCAR but I must say that IZOD has been very visible the past six weeks promoting the IndyCar season opener during many major sporting events and you will see some print advertising as well. A full page ad in any newspaper to promote a race on VERSUS? Not a good buy until they get DIRECTV back in play.

Q: What is going on in the minds of the managers and owners Penske, Ganassi, Vasser, AGR, and Panther Racing, etc? I just read an article where Graham Rahal is now looking into a NASCAR ride. While, I must say, I do not fault the kid on bit for looking to NASCAR, and I believe he will be a fine stock car driver. But, can the IndyCar team owners and series get it in their head that without kids like Rahal, the Indy 500 will turn into a, dare I say it, NASCAR Nationwide Series race (since the Cup Boys can't have anything bigger than the Daytona 500). I love watching "Hollywood" Helio, TK, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. Those are great drivers who deserve to be in the IRL. But, so does Graham, Buddy Rice, even Ed Carpenter. Maybe those three can apply for some stimulus funding from President Obama? Give someone like yourself $10 million to hire and build an IRL team with American drivers. We'd create jobs and if a profit were turned, could repay the money. I know that I sometimes have a stressful and frustrating job where I work, but I can not imagine the stress/disappointment/anxiety levels of Graham. I feel for the kid. If he had anxiety problems, N/H/L could attract Lilly back as a sponsor with the amount of meds he'd have to take. He has done everything right (unlike Marco, who allowed his Dad to give him an IRL ride, not that I blame Marco for that, I just respect Graham for doing it his way), yet no one gives him much attention. What does the poor guy have to do just to get the attention of the IRL, team owners and TV networks?

Kevin Kirby

RM: Rahal on the National Guard car would certainly seem a better fit than an Englishman and I would think Target's demographic plays nicely with a 21-year-old kid who grew up in the midwest. But I guess it's a timing problem. And Graham is running out of time for 2010.

Q: Did McDonalds leave Newman-Haas for Jamie McMurray, or was it a cause (extra racing money and McMurray isn't popular) and effect (sponsorship) type thing? Also, I am starting to feel the brain trust at IMS can't make a single good decision. Why after a week of testing, would you end on Friday, with the Lights? If people are going to go, they will take off work/school Friday. When they did weekend testing last year, 15,000 fans showed up. Why change it?

Chagrined Chris

RM: I'm told that Bernie Haas felt McDonald's had given her a verbal commitment to sponsor Rahal this season but then opted not to in December so they were both screwed. Can't answer the second question, but unless the track was previously rented for the weekend, it does seem like testing on Friday and Saturday might have been a good way to create interest and sell tickets.

Q: Oh how quickly things change. In the press releases from Indycar.com on the Barber Motorsports testing, there has been a glaring absence of Danica Patrick's name in the press release. If her name did not appear in the test times list you would think she is not even there. I guess her foray into NASCAR land has made her persona non gratis in IRL land. Previously no matter how bad or good she did she garnered the front row in IRL PR land. To quote Heidi Klum from Project Runway " One day your in the, next day your OUT!!!!" Maybe there busy trying to get Graham Rahal a top notch drive for the year, .yeah right sarcasm intended.

Kevin Traynor

RM: Running 18th out of 20 cars isn't real newsworthy so I don't think there's any conspiracy to not promote DP, although I've been told there are two billboards in St. Pete that feature five or six drivers on them and Danica is not on either. Now that's just plain stupid if it's true and that's not on IndyCar, it's the promoters.

Q: I read that Phillip Morris is no longer Penske's sponsor. Will Power has Verizon, but who is paying for the other two cars? In an environment where even Roger Penske can't get a sponsor, what chance does the Rahal family have? We all know sponsors are hard to come by these days, but I think it really says something about the state of the IRL when they can't even get traditional racing/sports sponsors like beer companies and automotive related companies (oil, fuel, parts, etc) as sponsors.

Bill Guisto, St Pete, Fla.

RM: Tim Cindric said it's unlikely the type of sponsorship required by The Captain can be found for this season but they're still searching so one would assume RP is paying, although I find it hard to believe because he's always been too clever to spend his own money. But you raise a good point. Paul Newman couldn't find a sponsor for the second car at NHL and now the most successful owner in the paddock has two empty sidepods.

Q: Has any thought been given to innovation/evolution beyond 2012? Or are we gonna have to endure the same "new" car for the next thousand years like the old 2003 Dallara? I say let the 2012 proposals fight it out on track rather than having some IRL dictator choose the same chassis for everyone. But what the heck do I know? I'm just a fan.

Scott in Tennessee

RM: I say most of people who still care about IndyCar racing agree with you. But since it took Ben Bowlby's proposal to finally get IndyCar off its ass to address the new rules, I wouldn't hold out much hope for any progressive thinking.

Q: So are the Indycar brass happy with their TV deal???

Martin Moriguchi, Phoenix, AZ

RM: No. Randy Bernard knows he's got to try and mend the DIRECTV/VERSUS war and my understanding it that the lawyers are meeting.

Q: I can't see IndyCar making it past this season, and maybe that's a good thing. I've been a fan since my Mom took me to my first race at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1977. When I look back I'm amazed at how far its fallen, when I look to the promised land of the future I don't see any improvement. VERSUS, Rodeo Boy, and the Delta Wing driven by foreign born drivers. No thanks...this is where I abandon ship. Much like the fate of OMS, the series needs to be torn down to the ground. The powers that be in IndyCar make Congress look like overachievers.

Napalm Nick, Locust Grove, VA

RM: I'm afraid you speak for a lot of people and it may be too far gone to revive. No one person can save it but don't sell Randy Bernard short because he seems to "get it" and maybe open wheel has finally got a leader. If it's not too late.

Q: A new car for Indy is obviously required, and the DeltaWing just may be the answer. However, it seems to me the main point of the DW is to reduce costs (to the owners) and risk (to the owners). If everyone has a spec car, no-one risks being outclassed. It is the perfectly safe way for the owners to save and/or make money. Racing does not enter the picture. As for the DW saving money, if 3 or 4 chassis manufacturers can construct a car from DW specs/drawings, how does that save money? The best way for a manufacturer to save money is to build the MAXIMUM number of chassis, not share them out with rivals. The tooling, fixtures, dies, etc will have to be duplicated up to 5 or 6 times. With spec racing (current chassis or DW or whatever), a few teams will always win, just because they can spend the resources/time to make the spec chassis "perfect". If there was a formula to build to (as there was for what, 90 years??), at least a small team has a chance to "out think" the big teams, and we could go back to racing. How about a fuel flow formula, safety specs and maximum width/length. If there are designers able to come up with the DW, let the try designing a car w/o the safety net of forcing everyone to use the same (spec) design. Pure fantasy, I know, but the current inertia/stupidity has to end sometime. Given the state of Indy, I think it could be argued that the end is just about here. Probably not what anyone envisioned for the 100th anniversary.

Mark Hamilton

RM: You make some interesting and rational points. The theory that spec racing keeps everybody on equal footing has been proven wrong by Ganassi and Penske the last few years and I'm so tired of hearing people say it's too expensive to have more than one manufacturer. Really, more expensive than $8-10 million to run a Dallara/Honda into victory lane? You are so right in that for almost 100 years there were endless possibilities of older cars and bolder drivers or out of the box ideas that clicked in May. We need a formula like you suggested but first we need a few people smart enough to write it and now that Tony Cotman is gone there's nobody in the IRL office equipped to do that. The next set of rules may well be the most important -- or the last ones.

Q: I read over the weekend that Indycar will only approve one manufacturer for the new chassis. Is this true or is there still a chance we could see more than one? Now the rant. I’ve been watching the various forms of open wheel for over 30 years. A lot of the die hard fans are complaining about the look of the Delta Wing and saying they won’t watch again. I like the design but agree it is very radical and will take a long time to get used to. My thing is I looked at the other designs and they aren’t any better. The new Dallara looks like it’s ugly older brother, the Swift looks like the last Champ Car, and the Lola looks like a 10 year old F1 car. How is any of that new? If the Delta Wing will attract new manufacturers and sponsors, this is what they need to do. I understand a race car has to have 1000 horsepower but if you can accomplish the same with less with an engine that is relevant to today’s automotive industry, it has a better chance to succeed. And I know it may not be exactly what us fans are used to, but the fans of the future will probably like it just fine. And that’s what will help Indycar survive, not us older fans. There don’t seem to be many of us left anyway. If you think the older technology will attract new fans, just look at NASCAR. The last two races were half empty. Thanks for telling it like it is.

David, El Paso, Texas

RM: I think you just described Ben Bowlby's mantra. Whether you like the DW's look (and if he spaced those front wheels more people might according to my emails), his overall concept is what needs to be embraced and examined. Much cheaper cars and engines are a must. There's no money coming into IndyCar besides IZOD, but none of that makes it's way to the teams. More manufacturers have always seemed to generate revenue (whether it was Goodyear vs. Firestone in the '60s or four engines in CART in the '90s) and we also need new fans, as you said. The Delta Wing may not be the right design, but it's damn sure the right direction of thinking.

Q: Was I the only alert viewer that noticed the DeltaWing car on the front page at msn.com? Twice! Seems the mainstream media is taking notice. Also that same website included DeltaWing in it's slide show of cars at the Chicago Auto Show. Well I must say that is way more buzz than Dallara, Swift or Lola generated. That said, I like the new offerings from Lola, Swift and Dallara. However, what will fans say in five years when those chassis designs become stale? I love the DeltaWing concept. I do think the design could use a bit of tweaking. Maybe widen the front track and get the wheels a bit more outside the "fenders".

Paul, Indy

RM: There's no doubt it's created a buzz and some distinct opinions and I've heard people say it won't put an extra 20,000 people in the grandstands and that could be true. But I went to Indy to see Herk, Parnelli, Mario and A.J. and I also was drawn to the Novi, the Lotus, the Eagle and the turbine. I think race fans care more about the cars than IndyCar's brain trust realizes.

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