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INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 4.22
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 April 22, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
How will RHR fare when the series moves to ovals, asks one Mailbag reader. (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 . Don’t feel left out if I didn’t directly respond. I appreciate your interest and passion.

~Robin Miller

Q: Congrats to Ryan Hunter-Reay and the Andretti Autosport team for breaking the Penske/Ganassi winning streak and for getting an American driver back to the top of the podium! I have long-thought that, given the right equipment, Hunter-Reay could be a contender. He proved that at Long Beach. But, does Ryan have the oval prowess to continue this streak into Kansas, Indy, and beyond?
Jay Matheny, Mayfield, Ky.

RM: He's always been talented, just unlucky at team selections. RHR won in Champ Car for mid-pack teams, won with Rahal-Letterman before their sponsor bailed and now finally has a shot at his first full-time effort with a Big Dog. As for ovals, he led almost every lap in winning Milwaukee in 2004 and certainly has tools to win on ovals, where only Ganassi and Penske have ruled the past two years.

Q: Is RHR winning in Long Beach the best thing for open wheel since Dario returning???

Troy Hotten

RM: Absolutely, an American who grew up longing to be an Indy car driver and now lives in nearby Dana Point gets the job done on a team put together with castaways from TK's crew. If you followed Ryan's career, it's never been a question of his ability but rather could he ever find a comfortable home (he had one at Rahal before losing the ride) and Michael Andretti may have given him that. The overall best thing for IndyCar would be for Marco, Graham, Danica and RHR to take turns winning and contending for the title.

Q: Great event at Long Beach; happy to finally see Indy Car making a resurgence. Friday’s crowd was more than impressive, reminiscent of pre-split Long Beach. One major gripe about the race: Indy Car needs to adapt a point by/waive around/LUCKY DOG-type rule. In two major instances, (Lloyd splitting up Hunter-Reay vs. Wilson mid-race and more importantly Sato/Matos split up the fight for the win at the last restart) great potential battles were interrupted by drivers with no relation to the lead fight. If Randy Bernard stays true to his understanding that Indy Car needs to compete against other “entertainment” then they really need to consider some of the positives NASCAR has found. This year’s race would have been an all-time great if Power, Wilson and Hunter-Reay would have been nose to tail for the final fight. Instead, it was a predictable finish as Wilson and Power were stuck behind lapped traffic.

Frank Bain, San Diego

RM: Good point but it's a helluva lot easier to do on an oval than a street course. And, in pure racing terms, those lapped cars are kinda part of the process: getting through them cleanly and quickly can be the difference in winning and losing and maybe the leader deserves to have a little cushion. I understand your point, it makes the show better and maybe it needs to be looked at.

Q: Perhaps the best moment in IndyCar since Helio's Hollywood comeback story last year; IZOD's poster boy, AMERCIAN Ryan Hunter-Reay, wins North America's biggest street course race for the most recognizable name in American racing, and the best part...NA$CAR was rained out!!! Then there's the other American, Graham Rahal, who has an uncertain future. It seems that NHL is pulling a Kevin Kalkhoven; remember two years ago when the Champ Car/IRL agreement rumors were heating up and, because of that, the implication was that it may not happen? If they are re-signing Graham, why do they want to keep it a secret? I can't imagine that SOMEONE wouldn't put him in their car AT LEAST for Indy. Since Tracy's announcement in Long Beach, are there any other Indy 500 one-offs newly confirmed or eminent? (Lazier with Hemelgarn?).

Can't wait for Indy, IndySteve

RM: IndyCar did have a captive audience but, unfortunately it wasn't one of the ABC races. The VERSUS rating was better than Barber (approximately) 500,000 but still way behind a NASCAR rainout (2.1 on FOX with 1.6 million households). Rahal has nothing yet because the NHL sponsor didn't materialize so he may end up running for his dad at Indianapolis. Hemelgarn Racing is closed.

Q: Although he hasn't won in two races now, Will Power continues to be (by far) the fastest guy in qualifying. I honestly can't remember the last time a driver was so clearly faster than everyone else. Can you? Bourdais? Zanardi??

John, Pennsylvania

RM: Bourdais was the standard in Champ Car (eight poles in 2004) but Zanardi saved most of his speed for the races (he only had 10 poles in three years) and Montoya was another guy who always got right to the front, regardless of where he started. Kinda like Michael Andretti and Paul Tracy. But the yardsticks were A.J. (10 poles in 1965) and Mario (nine in 1966 and eight on three other occasions).

Q: I know Graham Rahal is the No. 1 free agent right know, but will de Ferran bring Pagenaud to Luczo/Dragon? The kid is bad fast and has showed he deserves a ride.

Ron Thompson

RM: Chatted with Pagenaud over the weekend (he was the show stealer in ALMS) and you wouldn't have to twist his arm to be in IndyCar, that's where he wanted to be after unification. I think Gil would snap him up if they had the funding. He's a damn good racer and a cool kid.

Q: Regarding the last mailbag’s rant from CatManDo. I have to differ on the women drivers. Sure, Milka is a moving chicane on every track and let’s not forget that Danica was the “best of the rest” in points last year and better than her teammates on a team that seemed to be foundering. Her performance has seemed to fall off this year so far but she admitted in a Road & Track profile last year that driving these cars on an oval is a lot easier for her: these three races seem to bear that out. But Simona de Silvestro has been impressive and has been running competitively at every race. Considering her rookie status, late signing by her team and running for a low-budget outfit, I think that she is showing a lot of skill and promise along with those couple of rookie mistakes that she has acknowledged. (And how many drivers these days would actually admit to missing the shift??)
What do the other drivers have to say about Ms. De Silvestro?

Royal M. Richardson

RM: Her fellow drivers have been quite impressed with the Swiss Miss and the results don't bear out how competitive she's been. The ovals will be a learning experience but Simona is proving she belongs. Now, if her team could only find some money. As for DP, she road raced well in Atlantics so I definitely think it's a combo of the car weight and the fact she's smooth but not aggressive enough, throwing her car over the curbs like it requires in qualifying. And it's all about qualifying at a street course. Having said that, she damn near made the Fast Six last year at The Glen but she's definitely struggling. Nobody is happier to see ovals for the next four races, which is kinda crazy when you consider her education in Europe and here.

Q: I can't take it anymore. Milka Duno has to go. Sorry that's just the way I feel. Completes 10 laps at LB and retires due to "handling." Give me a break. Couldn't they come up with something more creative than "handling?" How about a swarm of bees attacked--or a robin tried to build a nest in the cockpit? I'm guessing the IRL "parked" her before she became a threat to other drivers--or better said, a threat to drivers--including her doesn't seem right. Is the IRL doing anything about her lack of ability or is her money to good to pass?

David Miller

RM: She was parked for Saturday's qualifying (I understand Al Unser Jr. got that done so good for him) and I think she was told that her race was over as soon as the leaders were on her butt. A lot of drivers were complaining about her last weekend but now there's four ovals in a row so you know she won't be nearly as slow.

Q: It's late in the race at Alabama and Marco finds himself leading the pack, but sitting behind the Dollar General car driven by Graham Rahal. This went on for several laps. I was thinking maybe Graham could give a fellow yank some help by letting him by to put some distance between Marco and Helio. Nothin' doin'. Yet as soon as Marco ducked in for a splash, it seems like the front runners got by Graham rather quickly. Is this rivalry between the princes a lot more than we see? Or was it Graham new Marco needed fuel and wasn't going to win the race, so trying to give him some help was pointless. Your thought on these two sons of champions and their relationship.

Paul, Carmel, CA

RM: First off all, yes there's a rivalry between them and that's what IndyCar needs, only at the front of the field. Marco needs consistency (although he's running much better on road courses this season) and Graham needs a ride. As for the race in question, Marco knew he was going to have to pit again so it didn't look like he tried to force anything and was probably happy to save fuel at that point. Would Rahal make it easy? No. Would he try to help? No. But the future of IndyCar hangs with these two.

Q: How does it help the show for a driver to lead most of the race, and then lose because he didn’t get good enough fuel mileage (Marco @ Barber). It's racing so isn’t it time to remove the strict fuel regulations in IRL? Barber Motorsports Park appeared to be a very nice club track but too tight and narrow to host Indy Cars – wouldn’t Road Atlanta be a better choice for a road course in the south? Why hasn’t Roger Penske put some of his other businesses (Truck leasing, QEK, Davco, or even dealerships) on the sides of his cars?

Lee Robie

RM: I think we always scream give them all the fuel they want but the reality is that only so much fits in a tank and, if the driver makes better mileage, it's just a fact he's going to stop less and it happens in IndyCar and NASCAR and is just part of the culture. Dario used it to win the title and it happens all the time in Cup. Everybody would love to run Road Atlanta but the rub has always been that it needs runoff area updates to be safe enough for Indy cars. It would be great to be at both of those tracks. You might see The Captain promote one of his companies at Indy (he brought back the yellow Hertz paint job for Will Power last year at Edmonton).

Q: It looks like this IndyCar season has started off better than the past 10 and I'm not sure where the credit lies. Good to season RHR win and I hope he stays with Andretti all year, although IZOD is going a great job of promoting the series. My question: is it necessary to have a morning warmup on race day? Do the teams benefit or does it force small budget teams to spend more money?

Doug, Murrieta, Calif.

RM: Considering there's not much practice time anymore, yes, I think it's relevant and important to everyone and not that expensive. I'd just like the warmup later in the morning if it's one of those late afternoon starts. Warming up at 8:30 am in 'Bama when the race isn't for six more hours makes no sense. Waiting for more people (especially ones that had never seen an IndyCar race) and warming up at 11 am would seem smarter.

Q: Why can't we ever see a decent start for an Indy Car race? Long Beach was terrible, only three or four rows two by two and then 18 cars scattered behind for half a lap. That's one of the main reasons there isn't any passing because they give the front rows half a mile head start. Why can't they either start them on the longest straightaway so they can line up or have a standing start at the starting line? Either way would be better than the messes they have been having. Actually they should just have standing starts on road and street courses and rolling starts on the ovals. The start should be one of the most exciting parts of the race, not just a Keystone Cops style mess. While they're at it, why can't they line up three a breast at the Indy 500? The starts they have been having for the last several years are embarrassing. After all, these are supposed to be some of the best drivers in the world, they should be able to at least get a clean start. most of the time. If guys in midgets and sprint cars can stay lined up while going through turns three and four without even having a clutch or transmission, then these guys and the ladies in Indy Cars should be able line up correctly and wait for the green flag on a straightaway.

Andy Clark, Oskaloosa, IA

RM: Andy, you've watched too many real races (sprints in Iowa) haven't you? Well, you are SPOT ON in your analysis. Even though the Barber race had a rare good start, a standing start is the only way to go at street courses. Especially a place like Long Beach, where you can get everyone on the straightaway instead of that god awful mess they've got now. Indy simply needs a chief steward that understands the start is a big part of the mystic and that includes 11 rows of three on the same straightaway and not the front row single file by the start-finish line.

Q: Though there have been thousands of complaints about the Dallara, mine being one of them, has anyone in Indy Car considered just putting a different engine in the current car? After watching Sunday’s Long Beach GP, the thing the still bothers me most about the current car in the awful sounding Honda engine. If the picture went out on my TV you would think you were hearing a Super Vee race from the 80’s. I have never heard a worse sounding V 8 racing engine in any series. How difficult would it be to put in a stock block, pushrod V8 similar to the old F5000 series? Also, whatever happened to the Honda turbo that CART ran for so many years? Why couldn’t this engine be swapped for the current engine? The cost would be minimal and it would bring back the sound of a real race engine to a series that badly needs it. I know I am thinking logically so this letter may self destruct before it reaches any audience.

Rick Schneider, Charlotte

RM: Actually, the old GM engines were the loudest, worst sounding engines of all time and Honda actually made them bearable. But your point is well taken and, if a new chassis can't be unveiled by 2012 yet you have a couple new engine players along with Honda, I think your suggestion has merit. Regardless of whether it's got 4-6-8 cylinders, it must have a turbocharger.

Q: I understand that it is near impossible to run both the 500 and 600 in the same day. But what if we had the NASCAR guys qualify for the 500, run as long as they can before they had to get out to catch a flight to Charlotte and then have USAC guys replace them? Tony Stewart could put Levi Jones in for him, Kasey Kahne could get Joey Saldana to replace him, Ryan Newman could be replaced Tracy Hines, Dave Darland, Bryan Clauson, Bobby East all could get rides. Now in a perfect world we would have NASCAR guys and USAC guys running their own cars and no need for substitutes but this wouldn't be a bad alternative right?

Ray Hando

RM: This is exactly what might make a lot more people watch Indy but, sadly, I can't envision it happening. Just swapping seats would probably take two laps and besides, until we have a different time or date, no chance the NASCAR boys could come run. But I damn sure like you're thinking.

Q: I know this goes back years, but I really think Indycar should stop using 'Grand Prix' in the names of their events. To me the name invokes thoughts of Formula 1 (and of course James Garner flying around Monaco in the movie Grand Prix), not Indycar. In this day and age Indycar must re-make their identity. History is history, but moving forward Indycar must differentiate themselves. Naming events something similar to F1 races might not be a great idea (customer confusion/etc). How about calling the races something like the IZOD Indycar Series at Edmonton, Sony Studios presents the IZOD Indycar Series on the streets of Long Beach, etc? Thoughts?

Ryan McNallie form Milwaukee

RM: To be sure, it can be a little confusing (one of the celebrity drivers last weekend said that the F1 cars at the Long Beach grand prix were cool) but there's a huge amount of equity in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach and it's not going to change. The IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama might fly or Canada use to call it the Molson Indy. But sponsors usually dictate.

Q: Who will be the first driver in the IZOD IndyCar Series to be released from their current team and be replaced?
Chris Fiegler, Latham,NY

RM: I'd bet on Graham Rahal for Dan Wheldon if the contracts weren't so binding.

Q: Do you think Andretti Autosport figures Danica already has one foot out the NASCAR door, so they are - well, not sandbagging her - but giving their best road course equipment to Marco, Ryan and TK? She's never struggled on road courses like she has these first three races. I don't think there is any doubt they would make sure Danica had the best possible stuff for Indy and the other ovals, but is Danica's NASCAR-dalliance costing her with her IndyCar team?

JJD, Seattle, WA

RM: Nah, not sure what's going on with DP but, like I said in an earlier response, she did fine on street circuits in the lighter Atlantic cars and she was on the pole at Mid-Ohio once and real fast at Watkins Glen last year so we know she can road race. But no way she's not getting the best stuff.

Q: I guess that given his current job title there was no way to keep Barnhart off the committee but it bothers me to see anyone whose authority outstrips his capabilities. But what in God's name is Eddie Gossage doing on the panel? Offhand I cannot think of a worse candidate from the ranks of track owners/promoters. His mindset is so thoroughly NASTARD / WWE-On-Wheels that he probably doesn't realize there's a problem much less be able to develop a solution. The balance of the panel is so completely made up of the right people that those two stand out like the Village Idiots.

Miffed Mike

RM: I must agree with you on both counts (Barnhart isn't objective or smart enough) and I'd have rather seen Jim Michaelian or the Bama promoter than Look At Me Eddie. But it's just an advisory board so as long as Cotman has a major say, things should be OK.

Q: A little while back, I was bemoaning the stagnant state of Indycar. The chassis, engine and tire specs were, in my opinion, creating boring, repetitive processional races led by the same few drivers. You told me to be patient and expect some positive changes. I'm pretty pumped about the direction that the league seems to be taking The establishment of the ICONIC panel is the most promising development in Indycar in years. Had Tony George created the panel, I suspect that it would have been populated with a bunch of "yes-men." The fact that the league populated the panel with true racers (well, except for one) and knowledgeable guys gives me a lot of hope for Indycar. Hopefully the panel will issue some meaningful recommendations. The answer in my mind is pretty simple: more manufacturers + stable rules + spending cap = more competition. (But hey, what about taking away push-to-pass for top teams and give the others a bigger button? I know, it would be unfair to the top teams, but it sure would help us fans enjoy the show more if we had different guys win a race or two. Time will tell whether the panel's output is as impressive as its pedigree, and whether the league takes their recommendations seriously. Who knows, maybe I'll stop putting the races on TIVO to fast-forward through them and instead start watching them live again!

Jeff Kibbey

RM: Obviously, Randy Bernard must have some switched on people helping make the rules and major decisions and it's really something that should have been decided a year or two ago had Barnhart/MacTaggart done their jobs. Having said that, he's asked a lot of questions and tried to find a cross section of expertise with no agendas (almost impossible) so let's see what transpires. Bernard has a tough job, learning the ropes of Indy car racing, trying to figure out who he can and cannot trust and then helping to decide on the most important rules package of the past three decades. He's a very bright man but he needs a couple of strong/smart people to help him and, obviously, that didn't happen on TGeorge's watch.

Q: I took my daughter to her first IndyCar race last weekend, and after spending three days walking around the track and paddock and watching races, she’s hooked. I did want to take a minute and give out a couple of my own awards to a few drivers: Most fan-friendly: This is a tie between Graham Rahal and Sarah Fisher. Just about every time we passed the SFR hauler Graham was out there talking to fans and signing autographs. For Sarah, we ran in to her at her hauler on Friday and she came over to sign my daughter’s shirt. She also took the time to talk to her, which was huge. She asked if we were having fun, and she talked about the performance in Friday practice among other things. My daughter was thrilled, and SFR has a new fan. Cold fish: Again, a tie. This time between Danica and Marco. We managed to get Danica’s autograph as she approached her hauler before practice Saturday morning. She did come over and sign a few things, but really showed she didn’t want to be doing it. The kid next to us had this big sketch he’d done of her (head shot in her helmet) which was amazing, and she seemed less than interested in it. She asked if he drew it (in a low, monotone voice) to which he responded yes, then she said “really?” (in a low, questioning tone, not complimentary), to which he again responded yes. Just not all that cool to the fans. For Marco, he popped in on his scooter Saturday morning, pulled up to the hauler, looked at the three guys who were asking for his autograph standing five feet away from him, nodded at them and walked over to his car, where he joked around with a couple of his engineers for a couple of minutes before disappearing into his hauler. Never signed a thing, Nice. All in all, a great weekend. When we first started planning it, I was having a hard time justifying it, primarily because I’m a CART/ChampCar guy and spending this kind of money to fly across the country to see the current product gave me pause. In the end, I have no regrets and open wheel has a new 14 year old fan. Anyway, just wanted to pass along some thoughts on the weekend. Maybe things aren’t as bad as they’ve looked lately. I know I have a renewed interest in the series after this weekend.

Dean Cron, Charlotte N.C.

RM: This is a perfect illustration of why today's drivers need to taker a lesson for Mario, A.J. or Richard Petty. They always make time for fans and, like your daughter's experience with Sarah and Graham, they made a new fan. Thanks for sharing.

Q: I would like to see the Indy Car racing return to its rightful prominence and stature of years past. As a result I would like to get your feedback and thoughts on a few ideas. We've often talked about the Triple Crown of the past. I think bringing back this concept with a focus towards marketing, sponsors, & the fans would bring back year long week to week drama back to the league. Here's my vision (pun not intended towards Tony G). Selecting a race in the LA market (Long Beach), Indy, Texas, Michigan, Chicago, & finish the season with a street race in New York City. Utilizing the marketing machine and resources at IZOD who did an exceptional job with The Race To The Party Campaign would create similar campaigns in each of the aforementioned cities. As a result you would award points as usual for all races but for the select Crown races the top 10 finishers of each Crown race would be awarded points for finishing in the top 10. The total Crown purse could amount to $10,000,000 as an example. At the end of the season a series champion would be crowned and a Crown winner would be awarded $5,000,000. It would be a great marketing for a sponsor such as Crown Royal to support along with the Crown cities. In addition you are taking the series to big markets for maximum exposure. Finishing up in New York which would probably take an act of God for it to happen would too provide maximum exposure on the biggest stage which offer access to the major news networks and late night shows. It's also a great stage for sponsors.

Andrew Jones, The Woodlands Texas

RM: It's a great idea but, obviously, obtaining that kind of money today would be a pipe dream. The fact IZOD is on board with a big budget and doing an excellent job is one of the big surprises of the past couple years because of the economy. But taking a street race (Long Beach), road course (Mid-Ohio or The Glen) and oval (Indy) would be a nice package that would create some interest.

Q: Love the mailbag. Your mention of the late Art Pollard in the 07 Apr edition really brought back a memory. I was sitting in Turn 1 on my first ever trip to the Speedway at the age of 13 when he hit the wall. We found out later that evening he didn't make it and it made me realize how serious my favorite sport was. It was the start of essentially a year to forget, but one never forgets their first visit to 16th and Georgetown. I fell in love with the place then and still feel like a kid whenever I travel back.

Whenever the merits of spec cars are brought up, all I can think of is the number of brilliant race cars that would have never existed if Indy had always been a spec series. No Lotus, no turbines, no Eagles, McLarens, Penskes, Chaparrals, etc. Unfortunately, without innovation, the sport is much less relevant to the auto industry. I do hope some compromise can be found to allow some varying designs into the series. I was also wondering if you knew anything about the status of the Parnelli Jones museum in Torrance, CA. I found a page on the internet showing a picture of his Indy and F1 cars collection (talk about a team you waited to see what they brought every year – even when the Eagles and McLarens were the chassis of choice), but I can’t find any information about its location or opportunities to visit. It sure would be cool to see these cars again. I still have some old photos of them being towed by the wheel horse tractors from Gasoline Alley to the pit area.

Darren Keene, Carlsbad, Calif.

RM: Unfortunately, PJ's museum isn't open to the public but there's something in the works and you may be able to see his fabulous collection in the near future. Dario Franchitti was there last week and got to sit in the former Jim Clark Lotus that PJ drove to victory at Milwaukee.

Q: I've got an Indy 500 question for you: When did the Speedway stop forcing running drivers to finish the 500 miles? What was the criteria and cutoff point? It seems that at some point the speedway (1960 maybe) stopped the race once the leader reached the 500 mile distance and then 'flagged' the rest of the field. I can't seem to find the answer on the web.

Paul Stephani, Chicago

RM: Donald Davidson kindly answers for me: "The last time they let it go for reasonable amount of time was 1963. Typically, the Speedway tried to get 10 finishers in a reasonable amount of time. In 1963, Ebb Rose was 14th and did 200 laps and was 17 minutes behind Parnelli Jones. In '64, MCA TV televised the race on closed circuit and they wanted to end it sooner to interview the winner. But Dick McGeorge of the Champion Spark Plug Company said what about 100 MPH Club so they gave them an extra five minutes after the checkered flag until 1974. The largest gap was in 1932, where it was 32 minutes between ninth and 10th."

Q: I really don’t like the idea of taking away the best time of day (4:30 – 6:00) from those that need to get into the show (maybe to keep their program alive) and give it to the fast 9. While I sure this may provide some good TV, I would rather have it in the middle of the day on Sunday. That would prove who is really fast at a time similar to the end of the race, would fill a normally dead time and let the guys that need cool temps a chance to make the show. Call me crazy but I don’t like the idea as it stands! Thanks for the mail-bag & and for spreading the truth!
Jim, Big Auto Race Fan

RM: If it paid $1 million to win the pole and $500,000 to sit on the front row, I'd be all for it because then it's a much better risk vs. reward. I understand IMS is trying to create more interest and bring back the crowds but until we're running 245 mph, it's not going to happen, if then.

Q: I am sick and tired of people whining and crying about the lack of passing/raciness of the road course street races. The very nature of this type of racing dictates that there will not be a lot of passing. Never has been, never will. Look at F1, they continually make rules changes with the goal of increasing passing on the track, yet nothing ever changes. Appreciate the racing for what it is or go elsewhere and stop calling yourself a racing fan.

Gary, Pittsburgh, PA

RM: You are correct, road racing has always been an acquired taste for precision and speed more than beating, banging and passing (except for the original Trans Am series) but I must say that Brazil had all kinds of overtaking and there was even a pass for the lead at Barber. Long Beach was typical: great weather, good crowd and a dominant winner.

Q: I guess someone does from the IRL front office does read the mailbag! The idea of awarding points for qualifying, as was suggested in the 12/17 mailbag (along with the variation of 50% of race points), was adopted this weekend for this years race. The mailbag now has a place in "500" history! But don't blame us for the "Fast 9" idea, that wasn't us!

Mark Schneider, Columbus, Indiana

RM: It's true Mark, I have it on good authority that in Randy Bernard's first staff meeting, he made it mandatory for his staff to read the mailbag. We're famous! Nice job.

Q: First of all, could you please talk to your colleagues in the media (those that still talk to you) and help them get together and realize the Indy car series no longer calls themselves the "Indy Racing League"? My stomach curdles every time I read IRL in various articles and web reports. To Indy Car's (I should say "Izod Indy Car's) credit, they stopped using the term IRL, after they bought out what remained of Champ Car (I refused to call it a "merger"). People who aren't quite as plugged into the racing world hear "IRL" and assume it's just more of the same crap that it used to be. Second of all, it's interesting to me, being both an Indy Car fan and a Formula One fan, to see the irony in comparing the two. Indy car is trying to encourage more manufacture participation, while F-1 (at least under the previous leadership), seemed to do all it could to drive manufacturers out of the sport, thereby creating a self fulfilling prophesy. Indy Car is now what is for all appearances, a "spec" series, which most fans would agree should be diversified, yet F-1 seems to be heading the other direction, with less freedom with the rules and specifications. If the leaders of each sport could look across the water and see what the other is doing, where the successes and failures lie, I think each sport would be better off, both looking at what works best and using it. One thing both ruling bodies need to be aware of, "You cannot create more overtaking by making more rules." Less is better.

Mark Johnson

RM: Believe it or not, I've seen more stories and headlines calling it IndyCar this year but old habits are hard to break. And you're right, IRL does not have a good connotation.

Q: I thought I would share this story may be of interest. Recently the Legends of Riverside was held at the Riverside International Automotive Museum and if you don't know about you should. The event held over three days shows racing films, celebrates race drivers of the past and as you might expect the old Riverside Raceway. The great thing about it though is the part of reunion it plays for race drivers of the past. Let me tell you as a fan literally hanging around and talking to the likes of Tony Settember, Bob Bondurant, Rick Pearson plus many others was just astounding. Carroll Shelby was the gala featured guest and just before Mr. Shelby was interviewed a short film was shown that included the 1965 12 Hours of Sebring. For those folks who don't know that was the year the race had a little rain! The recent St. Petes. IRL race was postponed due to excessive weather and flooding on the track, well folks back in 1965 that didn't stop, cancel or even postponed the race. The track was submerged but the drivers like Gurney, Bondurant and others just plowed on without even a hint that maybe this might be dangerous. The point I am trying to make here is for the IRL to get back to it's former glory this is the spirit it needs to tap into. Yes all the recent developments within the IRL organization is positive and the endless call for American drivers to help. But the drivers themselves (be it American or otherwise) need to change and I would suggest they go and visit the next Legends of Riverside in 2011 and get a lesson in racing 101 from some truly amazing drivers.

Kevin Driver, Riverside, CA.

RM: I was talking about this very subject with Bill Vukovich, Lee Kunzman, Bubby Jones, Jerry Sneva and Johnny Parsons the other day at our weekly lunch. The old days were lethal but there was something about that element of danger that brought major respect and adulation to Indy drivers. They were warriors, just like the guys in F1 during that era, and it probably made the sport more popular with fans and media. It's good that today's racing is much safer but, at the same time, it lacks that aura of danger at every corner and your Riverside movie illustrates the difference: those old gunfighters had to race to make money, regardless of the conditions.

Q: I have been enjoying your work since "The Old Scout" days at the Indy Star. I love that I have a place to get my IndyCar fix at SPEEDtv.com but I have to tell you the people who keep rehashing the same old letters and comments on the Indycar series is getting really old. I don't mind people expressing opinions but if you can't come up with something new, for the love of God people stop rehashing the same old crap. Let me give everyone an example of what NOT to send in anymore. Bla bla bla bla need more American drivers in IndyCar. Bla bla bla bla bla bla Tony George ruined The 500. Bla bla bla bla bla bla we need more Foyts, Unsers, and Mears. Bla bla bla bla bla Penske should hire a midget driver. Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla Milka can't drive. Bla bla bla bla bla bla I wish CART was still here, bla bla bla bla I can't find Versus. Bla bla bla bla bla there isn't enough passing on street courses. Bla bla bla bla bla I am tired of hearing about Danica. Bla bla bla bla bla we need to bring back innovation to the Speedway. I think I just summed up 90% of the mailbag for the last thee years. Not that I disagree with any of those comments but, please, if you can't be more original than to cut and paste a letter from the last mailbag to send to the next one maybe you should just read the mailbag and wait until you have a new angle on something..........I'm just saying.

Here is an example of something fresh. I haven't heard anyone bring up the fact Versus just got the UFC from Spike TV. The UFC has a huge young demographic that the ICS has said they are trying to capture. With all of the ICS promo that runs on Versus I think this will only help expose the ICS to some new potential fans. What say you Miller?

TJ Indianapolis

(Bla bla bla bla bla, UFC. Sorry, TJ, couldn't resist. Ironic that your idea for something fresh is indeed old. We first mentioned the UFC/VERSUS/IndyCar angle in January. ~Ed.)

RM: Thanks for the rant of the week TJ and for remembering The Old Scout (he was living in a trash bin in Vegas last I heard). I say that IndyCar needs a younger demographic and, if this helps, great. But what's really needed is Comcast (which owns VERSUS and now a chunk of NBC) is to put IndyCar on NBC with the VERSUS crew and production. Either that or get a tag team of Helio and Simona against Marco and Danica to be UFC.

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.

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