Q: The debate of "traditional" shape versus Delta Wing is probably never going to resolved. Admittedly, when I see the Delta, the theme song for SpeedRacer does go through my head but I am open minded to see how it is going to run. But if savings are such a big concern, why not just make the series a spec engine series--not special Honda racing engines but rather develop a list of closely matched, off-the-lot, engines from BMW [M Series], Merc [AMG], Hemi, Subaru [STI], etc. and let the teams just buy a dozen or so cars, tear the engines out and require them to use them stock, as-is, without A/C, etc. Then they could use whatever chassis approved by IRL they wanted to make the fastest car possible with the stock engine. Engineering would be paramount to make sure the car is fast, the engines last, and there will be a real connection for the fan and the cars on the road.
And if a team were running, lets say a BMW Spec M engine, BMW might step up with some team support, etc. More money to a team could not be a bad thing could it? And it would be relatively low cost to the car maker, they already built the car anyway--and that means no crate motors. This might help feeder series, making the cost of fielding some good young drivers [American or not] reasonable where a family or small group of backers could help field a car. A Viper V10 leading Hemi, Merc AMG, and BMW M engine powered cars down the straight at Indy would get me back in the stands.

Sean Jones, Trinidad and Tobago

As one Mailbag reader reminds us, Joe Saldana, father of World of Outlaws star Joey Saldana, raced at the Indy 500. (IMS)

RM: I'm not technically savvy enough to answer your question but if your suggestion drove more engine companies into IndyCar, that's a good thing.

Q: Not to sound brash, but it makes absolutely NO DIFFERENCE whether the Executives, Teams, Engineers, Drivers, Media or even Space Aliens like the cars a racing series fields. If the fans don't like it, they may not watch, buy tickets, and all of the other stuff the love to sell us. Indycar, then CART, IRL, and now again IndyCar people haven't got "The Formula" down for decades now. Not just the Car formula, but the FAN FORMULA. Each of these series attempts at getting it right seem to have gone downhill in every case. It's nice everyone wants to come up with a Car of Tomorrow, and all of the old timers like to reminisce about some of the wild designs of yester year, but how many of those lasted more than a few seasons? NONE.
The Champ Car and IRL bosses should have put their egos aside and fielded the Panoz DP01's with engines from series owned Cosworth. I witnessed Bourdais shatter the F1 set track record during DP01's SECOND TEST at Laguna Seca. It's the safest, fastest, coolest open wheel formula car AMERICA has ever produced. There's no reason to go off into left field in the middle of the worst recession since the depression. Everyone complains the drivers aren't Americans, yet we have an awesome AMERICAN designed and manufactured car that even bridled beat the megamillion dollar euro Formula!

Vern in South Dakota

RM: Damnit Vern, there's no place for logic and common sense in this forum. Stop it.

Q: Weather I like or don't like the look of the Delta Wing or the Lola is not the point or important. Bring on the Delta Wing, Lola, Dallara, Panoz, Swift or Watson and let the creative juices flow. Rules sure: No wings (Ask .Chip or Roger how much they spent on wings last year) Minimum weight. Three plus wheels. All safety rules now in place and a engine equivalent formula such as 2.0 Liter four cylinder gas/alcohol Turbo/Supercharged. 2.5 Liter Diesel Turbo/Supercharged.3.2 Liter four or six cylinder, gas/alcohol natural aspirated. Electric ? Hybrid? Sure. Ovals? Road courses? Street courses? All of the above. Don't be afraid of change. Embrace the different. Stop covering your ass i.e. your self interest or opinion. Most of all have a good time and buy a ticket.

Erik Ranger, Taos, NM

RM: Well put Erik, would you like to relocate to Indy?

Q: I am a 23-year old fan of the IndyCar series and for my entire life I have enjoyed the "500" more than anything else in life. Yet, the current state of affairs makes me want to give up on the sport. If Graham Rahal can't get a ride, if Roger Penske can't find sponsorship, how in the world does anyone expect the IRL to survive? I place all the recent blame with Barnhart. That arrogant, over inflated ego of a man has done nothing except to kill the series. Even my basic college econ classes would tell me how to fix the problem in a series that's worth $1-2 million but cost $4-8 million to run per car: bring the cost into $1-2 Million range! What an amazing concept (if your reading this Brian, look up: Delta Wing)! This is something that could have been seen 3-5 years ago, but good ol' Brian was too worried about letting the polesitter lead the first lap and Dallara and Honda's kickbacks to the IRL. And could you imagine Barnhart looking at Shaw, Vukovich, or Jimmy Bryan and saying "Give me 4 good ones..." Ha! I have one question: Before it's too late, if it isn't already too late, is there anyway Barnhart leaves his post at the IRL? And if Rahal is not in a ride, good luck getting me to watch a bunch of Brazilian ride buyer race because IndyCar as I have loved it, is dead (well, I still might watch out of habit, but the enthusiasm won't be there). I just hope the "500" can survive this and evolve into something when "modern" IndyCar finishes dying its slow, painful death.

MS, Indiana

RM: Like I said last week, the fact that Barnhart is suddenly concerned about too many manufacturers driving up the cost is classic since the prices from Dallara and Honda didn't seem to bother him. He cannot be allowed to chose the car or engine, there must be a small group of savvy racing people (my committee would look like Steve Horne, Tony Cotman, Mike Hull, Dale Coyne, Scott Roembke, Kyle Moyer, Ben Bowlby, Mike Cannon, Andy Brown, Bill Pappas, Tim Cindric, Terry Lingner, Erik Berkman and Rick Long) who represent many fronts and understand the product, plus the pitfalls. Not sure why Barnhart still has a job because several of owners have finally grown tired of his rhetoric and lack of leadership. To think this guy tries to orchestrate the Indy 500 from start to finish is beyond maddening.

Q: Out of curiosity, how many emails did you get about the new cars? (I'm guessing 500). I love the concepts that went into making the Delta Wing car. Attracting manufacturers (and their pockets) will prove very beneficial for the IICS, and engines that resemble those found in road cars (lower horsepower) will make it easier to justify the cost of racing to corporate execs who are not race fans. However, I can't say the same for the Delta Wing car itself. I've read this comment from several people, and I agree: the car looks like a land speed car, not like and IndyCar. While manufacturers are crucial, I fear that fans will lose interest in the IICS if the cars do not look like a traditional IndyCar. Swift and Dallara both had designs where the endplates on the front wings were the width of the front tire, something that DW listed as a major cause of aerodynamic inefficiency. Admittedly, these cars seemed to lack space for sponsors, although there were relatively few angles/pictures of these two cars. Overall I liked Lola's option, but it was probably the least innovative. I'd like your thoughts on the way that IICS dealt with the DW launch. I agree with Marshall Pruett. It was just childish to launch all of these before the DW launch and steal their thunder.

Kyle, Chapel Hill, N.C.

RM: I think Ben Bowlby has made it clear he's open to suggestions and ideas and maybe it's decided by the people who make the new rules (see the answer above) to tweak the Delta Wing, take some of its best points and merge them with the best ideas of Swift, Lola and Dallara. I think it was very obvious to the car owners that Barnhart deliberately tried to sabotage the Delta Wing announcement and it's clear that he copied Bowlby's blueprint with the 2012 rules that also, ironically, came out just before the DW press conference in Chicago. The running email count on the Delta Wing is 532 and counting.

Q: I miss Mickey Thompson. I miss Smokey Yunick. I really miss Barney Navarro and his Rambler. I miss cars that didn't look alike or sound alike. I miss the innovation and experimentation. I miss Herk's Mallard roadster. Am I getting old? I miss the turbines and the stock blocks. I already miss The Milwaukee Mile. I miss watching roadsters, rear engine cars and dirt cars run side by side, some times with surprising results. The only bad thing was a hand full of drivers won all the races. I guess not everything has changed.

Rick J, Milwaukee

RM: The good news? Carl Hungness Indy 500 yearbooks are on sale at the IMS gift shops so you can go back in time and enjoy the times that hooked you on Indy car racing. True, Foyt and Mario won the most, but the Unsers, Rutherford and Johncock always figured into the victory lane photo.

Q: Here's something to delve away from the Delta Wing questions. According to this link from IMS (http://www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com/news/1578 /Popular_Indianapolis_500__Brickyard_400_Yearbooks_On_Sale_Now), The Speedway will be selling yearbooks made by Carl Hungness. The only year not mentioned was 1973, for reasons we all know. My question is, do you think with Tony George out at the Speedway, do you think there might be an offer to Carl to make more yearbooks? Do you think he would he accept the offer if made? Thanks for reading, and looking forward to May as always.

Chris, Luling, LA

RM: Bill Vukovich, Jerry Sneva and I were at the gift store on Monday browsing and buying some of the Hungness treasure (I bought AJ a hardback copy of 1977 because he doesn't have it and I can use it to bribe him into being on WIND TUNNEL again) and it's $10 for soft covers and $20 for hardback. A definite bargain. As for whether Carl would want to start publishing again, tough to say. He was treated very poorly by the TGeorge administration and still harbors a grudge.

Q: All of the recent discussions about the new rules and cars for 2012 has really reminded me of what race fans are really looking for. It is not as much about a lot of passing and close racing, as it is about what is running on the track. My case in point is what I think was perhaps the greatest racing series of all – the Can-Am from 1966 until Porsche put it out of business in 1974. It was great racing, even though McLaren, and then Porsche dominated. The big companies came in with great innovative cars and new ideas, while the privateers managed to be on the grid and have an occasional good finish. What Indy car needs for 2012 is a very limited set of rules, so that the innovation can come back into racing. I say 1 litre engines that have to get 10 miles per gallon and a limited amount of chassis rules. Imagine the sound of a 1 litre engine revving at about 20,000 rpm. The second issue is the struggle to find an identity. In the old days the Indy Car champion was considered to be the National Champion. Now days, what does the Indy Car championship really mean? It is very undefined and downright contradictory! What we have now are drivers from Brazil, Columbia, Australia and Great Britain driving an Italian car, with a Japanese engine, around a three-quarter mile oval in the middle of Iowa, claiming to be the heart of Americana. The whole series makes no sense and (with all due respect) the championship means very little. If Indy car is going to survive, it needs to reach deep into it’s own soul and find it’s identity. It is up to more than the Hulman family and Indy car management to do this. Today’s news only adds to the frustration. Brazilian Mario Romancini, the sixth place finisher in the Indy Lights series, is signed to drive a full season in Indy Car, while last year's champion, JR Hildebrand sits on the sidelines. Are the owners ever going to get that they are helping to kill Indy Car racing?

Joe Walsh, Sacramento, CA

RM: No doubt, the Can Am cars captured the public's imagination and had sports car racing booming. And the USAC National Champion was the top of the heap. The CART champion in the '90s was also a badge of honor. J.R. can call Jon Edwards, Jonathan Bomarito and Johnathan Summerton to commiserate.

Q: As a fan of open wheel that long ago distanced himself following the "rift," I for one love the idea of the Delta Wing. In any proposal, you always shoot for the moon and hope to "reconcile" differences to work your way to a compromise that works for all of the parties involved. Yes, the Delta Wing does have a phallic look to it, but hey low drag is low drag. I LOVE the lack of wings, and especially the idea of using fuel consumption as the limiter. This easily opens up the playing field to any kind of engine. Want a sweet sounding turbo 4? Bring it on. Think that you can stuff a 2.0 liter n/a V-12 in there and make the power (perhaps with a variable firing cylinder approach to save fuel at speed)? Then try it. I just love the idea that the rule book would be opened back up under reasonable costs. As an engineer, it is the innovation that drives me. I pay attention to Formula 1 for the simple fact that at least on the engineering side of things, guys and gals are doing their best to interpret the rules and make the fastest car possible using their own philosophies. The only thing that I would suggest to change in the Delta Wing, and this is in the way of a "compromise" with those who feel it is too far out there, is to make one simple change: take those front wheels from being tucked in to sticking out there in the open wind (aka open wheels)! Maybe it is a pipe dream to hope that a simple and open rule book will once again govern the top level of open wheel racing in America, but it is a nice dream that seems to be shared by more than a few!

Eric Streich, Butte, Montana

RM: Again, your letter is representative of most of the ones I receive and it's clear the Indy car fan wants a return to the good old days of innovation and possibilities.

Q: With Wilson and Z-Line’s $$$ moving to D&R, Bill Pappas surfacing with KV, and Duno the only mentioned driver so far, this must spell B-A-C-K-M-A-R-K-E-R for Dale Coyne, right? After years of anguish at the back, he finally puts together one good season, and now it’s all gone away. Why did he take a hard line on two-year deals for Wilson, then Rahal?

Tony I, Toronto

RM: I talked to Justin and Bill at the Alabama test and they were genuinely sad to see the best story of 2009 come apart. But after finally scratching and clawing his way to the top, it appears Dale's descent could be rapid.

Q: What happened to Mario Moraes. You reported that Vasser came back from Brazil, and that Mario was a shoe in at KV, but I have heard nothing of him. Last season he was one of the best drivers out there and was contending for wins. I really thought he was going to be something this year. KV is running out of cars for him and he has been listed no where is a maybe or even a long shot. Where has he gone to?

Buddy Campbell, Marietta, GA.

RM: I was told in December that Mario was looking solid but his father passed away last year and evidently his trust and his uncles and all the legalities have slowed, or ended, the process. Mario was having dinner with Jimmy Vasser last week and he's still trying to put something together but not sure KV can accommodate four fulltimers and PT at Indy.

Q: I have been on the list to be a lap sponsor for quite a while and am almost at the top. If I do make the trip to Indy for the 500 I would love your opinion of where to sit?? Hulman, Tower and Gasoline alley suites seem to be more about the suite than the race?? Stand E penthouse looks great. If you were paying to attend the race where would you sit?
Tom Patrick, Lake Arrowhead, CA

RM: Any vista in the corners is perfect. Good price, great view. With the big screens you don't miss a thing. E Penthouse is sweet but most of those seats are in the Hulman-George enclave.

Q: I know that Joe Saldana (Joey Saldana's father) was an old USAC/CART racer "back in the day" who had two starts in the Indy 500 (1978 & 1979). I also know that he won the Knoxville Nationals once. What else can you tell us about Joe Saldana?

Jay Matheny, Mayfield, KY

RM: One of the last USAC sprint drivers to get a shot at Indy without bringing sponsorship. Joe was a tough competitor when USAC sprints and midgets were at their baddest and he was also a good fabricator.

Q: Time for rant. We're kinda tired of all the bitchin' and moanin' going on. Lots of whimpering from you and some other "fans". Indycar is too expensive. Waaaaa. There aren't enough Americans. Waaaaa. Barnhart is a moron. Waaaaa. Graham can't get a ride. Waaaaa. Penske and GanASSi win all the time. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!! Are things perfect? No. Will they ever be? NO! So, instead of continually crying about how bad things are or better yet, things you don't like, how about focusing on some of the positives like increased attendance, new drivers that will bring more international attention, new tracks, a new series sponsor that seems very energetic, Randy the new BMOC, three solid, race-proven manufactures with new car designs, pre-season testing, better push-to-pass this year, standing starts (hopefully), DD being back on Wind Tunnel, Comcast taking over NBC (and hopefully putting some races on NBC), and the fact that the Daytona 510 was a complete joke, the more Darrell Waltrip talks the more of a redneck hillbilly idiot he shows himself to be, and Danica is bringing a ton of AOWR attention to the "world". And gimmie a break with any serious chatter about this ridiculous Delta Wing "car". The free advertising has been great, don't get me wrong, but for people that are actually taking the "car" to heart? Makes me wonder about their true intentions, like a demented desire to see that ridiculous crapmobile roll around the Speedway as a final embarrassment and F.U. to Tony George for "doing what he did". I suspect you, Chip, and whoever else know full well that thing is a complete joke and has no business at Indy or any other track under the Indycar banner. Open wheel relevance means an open wheel car, not Jimmy's Johnson with covered wheels and a wing. Maybe it was the longer-than-needed offseason or a just sustained bout of indigestion from the onion rings at Mug-N-Bun, but the future is not nearly as dark as you imagine or report it to be. Okay, soapbox yielded.

Derek, Sterling, VA

RM: Not sure about increased attendance (except Indy was up in 2009) and IZOD is definitely a huge plus but still lots of consternation over VERSUS/DIRECTV and American drivers (more than 80 emails about young Rahal in the last 10 days) so there's reason to bitch (my forte, as you know). But this was the best rant of the week.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Robin Miller became an Indy-car junkie in late 1950s and stooged for his hero, Jim Hurtubise, at the 1968 Indy 500. He went on to work as a vent man and board man on Indy pit crews from 1971-77. Miller bought a Formula Ford from Andy Granatelli in 1972 and raced it in SCCA until 1974 when he purchased a midget from Gary Bettenhausen, competing in the USAC midget series from 1975-82.

Robin flunked out of Ball State College in 1968 and began working at The Indianapolis Star sports department in 1969, covered motorsports there from 1969-2000.

In addition to his broadcast work. Miller's also covered IndyCar racing for Autoweek, Autosport, Car & Driver and On Track magazines over the past 35 years.