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INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 4.7
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 07, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
After two entertaining street course races, will the twisty 2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park circuit offer the same passing opportunities? (LAT)
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 think we can all take delight in a great start to the season with a lot of great competition on the streets. Long Beach should be more of the same. Do you have concerns about Barber putting a damper on things? It’s a great course, lots of pre-race buildup, etc. but I’ve tried to see any press about any modifications they made to increase passing zones. I vaguely remember hearing that expanding Turn 5 would help things? Did they, or are they taking a wait and see approach? Also, your thoughts on the way Swift is going about getting input on their concepts? I think it’s great.

Andy, Nashville

RM: Watching the Grand Am race at Barber last year, Scott Pruett in a prototype could not get around a GT car for FIVE laps so I wouldn't expect much this Sunday in the way of passing -- certainly nothing like the first two shows of 2010. My understanding is that Barber officials promised to make some changes if IndyCar agreed to run there but nothing has happened yet. Scott Dixon said that if the race is follow the leader, then the track will likely understand the necessity to make changes for 2011. I love the look of the Swift 23A chassis.

Q: A couple nights ago Randy Bernard was on Autosport Radio and it was AWFUL. The host was really bad, and the room was filled with the IRL devoted. Randy revealed that he has spoken with TONY GEORGE several times, as well as exchanged emails. He also said that he saw him at St. Pete. Randy said (I’m paraphrasing) that he welcomes Tony’s insight after all he has done for racing. What the hell? Is Tony REALLY out of the loop, or is Randy a puppet to make us believe things are going to change? Now Roger Penske has Randy’s ear and has him saying we may not get a new car. Is Gil de Ferran truly open minded or is he a Penske shill? All seemed like it was going in the right direction until the last week or so. Your thoughts?

Matt Nuckolls

RM: What do really expect Randy Bernard to say in that environment? He doesn't know the history of CART/IRL and he's not going to be disrespectful to the Hulman-George family. But, trust me, he is running the show and TG has little, if any, input into anything anymore. Bernard talks to Penske, Ganassi, Keith Wiggins, Derrick Walker..... he talks to everyone because he's trying to gather as much knowledge and information as possible in a short period of time. Some people are concerned that Gil is too close to Penske and Honda but he'll be fine as an advisor because he's very smart and I think he wants what is best for open wheel racing down the road.

Q: I guess I am in the minority here, but I feel Indy Car is setting its' sails towards recovery and greener pastures. I see a bright future for the series to be honest. I attribute that to Randy Bernard. This guy has impressed me thus far. I know you have mixed feeling about Brian (Barnhart) but I know BB wants what is best for the series to succeed. I have met BB and talked to him @ length and find him very fan friendly. Randy Bernard's is strong in marketing which is what the series needs and get put fans in the seats. I am more apt to go to a race besides Indy this year just for the sheer fact that I would like to see what Randy B. is up to on the marketing side of it. The good news for those of us who live in Baltimore, things are positive for us to get a Grand Prix next year. Okay, in terms of past Indy 500 races I would like to ask you what is your biggest disappointment and your largest delight (if that is the word I am looking for) over @ 16th and Georgetown? My largest delight or treat? By far Danica coming around Wheldon on that restart in 2005. I can remember looking over @ my wife and telling her how historic that is. I knew Dan maybe let her by but had she been able to maintain "full rich" who knows?

Greg (Maryland's biggest Indy Car fan)

RM: I've heard some of Randy Bernard's ideas and plans for the future and I, too, am very encouraged that we may finally have a real leader who understands the big picture and doesn't have any agendas. It sounds like Baltimore has a good shot at being added for 2011 and I just hope they make it racy like Brazil. My biggest delight was watching Jim Hurtubise pass Parnelli in the Novi to lead the first lap in 1963 and the darkest time was when my pal Art Pollard lost his life 10 years later.

Q: As I understand it, the IndyCar Series (ICS) just passed a rule allowing a 3rd shock, which Penske developed. This 3rd shock adjusts ride height. I can’t understand why in the world the ICS would allow a new shock rule when they don’t allow hardly any testing etc. It seems like the other owners would be up in arms about this. Clearly Penske does not really need another or more advantage (except over Ganassi). It seems like we have the fox (or Captain) guarding the hen house again!
Jim, Big Auto Race Fan

RM: I wrote a story last week after talking with Les MacTaggart and he says that Penske isn't using a fifth shock/spring, it's just a trick with the roll bar, which has been legal for the past two and a half years. Ganassi's team is upset because they maintain they were denied a chance to try something with their roll bars and they also claim this process will be a major expense. Another team says it only cost $200 so somewhere in there lies the truth.

Q: Could you please tell me what has become of Andretti Autosport? I mean they were a championship team and have/had the most wins in IndyCar. Now, however, they seem to be a shell of their former team. What's going on there? Does Michael have to many drivers? Not enough good engineers? I have been a big fan of Michael's since his Kraco racing days and would love to see him as well as his team do well. But I feel that they keep losing ground race after race and year after year! By the way will Ryan Hunter Reay be running a schedule? He does seem like the only bright spot on that team. I hope to hear from you one way or another. By the way I love reading mailbag each week.

Scott Narvesen

RM: They definitely struggled last year but I think they've certainly started off much stronger this season as Hunter-Reay nearly won Brazil and three of the four drivers qualified in the Top 10 at St Pete. Obviously, the chemistry between drivers isn't what it was in the Dario-Wheldon-Herta-Kanaan days but Michael is taking a hands-on approach to try and restore the team's performance. RHR may be allowed to run past Indy, likely depends on what else IZOD can add. Thanks for reading.

Q: My question is easy: what happened to Danica? Do you think that Indy has finally realized that she has no real talent then any other driver out there and she is no longer getting the best cars from Andretti? I mean you look at years past, were she was everything. She qualified good and raced good. But now it seems to me that since she has gotten into NASCAR her cars have become the "King Hiro" (see if you real fans know that one) of the pack and the only way she gets up there MUCH LIKE "Hiro" is by cars dropping out or luck on a pit strategy. She came from road/ street racing so there is no excuse to get her out of that. All of her teammates are running and qualifying in the Top 10. It seems to me that she is washed up and she knows it and is trying to get all the money she can before she hits the can. I know she doesn't ask for the media but she wants all the attention and gets it but doesn't deserve it. That race she won was again luck, not skill, she couldn't pass anyone let alone Helio if he didn't run out. Why don't we look at real talent like Sarah Fisher she did more than Danica could ever dream. With back marker teams (Walker, DRB) Danica came in with the silver spoon teams. (Rahal, Andretti) and she still can't do crap. I will be glad once they throw her the boot and let her ruin her life in NASCAR.

Scott Lyle

RM: Juan Montoya said before the season began that jumping back from stock cars to Indy cars would be very difficult and I think he'll probably be proved right. It's hard to hear her say she doesn't want to see any more road courses or street circuits because she's a road racer at heart but I understand why she likes ovals now -- it's her best shot at running up front, which she's done on many occasions. Finishing third at Indy last year wasn't luck and she's had some good runs at Milwaukee and Texas, as well, so to dismiss her as washed up, I don't think so. Sarah did have some strong runs but that was a different IRL, a much less competitive series, to be honest, than it is today. My only concern is that NASCAR keeps patronizing her and she might be buying into it.

Q: So we ventured to St Pete as we've done for each one of the events since they've been back there and, even for us open wheelers, eventually there is such a think as too much rain. And if you think I'm going to sit out there in metal grandstands with lightning all around me? I don't think so. It was good to see Graham Rahal there with Sarah and Bobby as well. Good on her for getting him in the car, and being willing to make that move. I think. Friday I'll be jetting off to Birmingham to see how they fair with Barber, I expect it should be a good weekend. Barber looks like a good photographic track too, something that us amateur shooters appreciate. One thing with Randy Bernard. He came and spoke to the Downforce fans assembled at St Pete. We probably had 30 or so folks there. He took questions, any of them that were asked, came through on his way out and said hello to each of us, asking where everyone was from. He seems genuine, and honestly I think we need someone from outside to get this job of restoring the series done. He also offered his email address for comments. Will he respond? Who knows...but it's nice to have the offer. One last thing, this whole deal with Simpson and Impact...crazy right? What the hell! Glad to see it's at least partially resolved but come on!

Kevin, SoFlo.

RM: Barber is beautiful, just don't expect a race like Brazil or St. Pete -- way too tight and no straightaway. Bernard will likely answer every question but he gets about 300 emails every few days so don't expect a quick answer. It made no sense for Simpson to save a couple thousand dollars with phony SFI tags so it sounds like some former employees were trying to ruin his reputation.

Q: What FAZZT is doing is so commendable! Bruno stepped aside so graciously last year for Tag. And for them to pay him back is unbelievable. They just got a new fan for FAZZT at Indy. Also wanted to tell you of an experience I had with Bruno. I was showing my wife around the garage and came to Bruno's garage. He was outside sitting next to the garage with his computer. If I did not know who he was You would not know he was a driver. I asked if we could get a picture with him.....he looked up and said one moment please. Thirty seconds went by and he looked up and said I am so sorry I have to finish this email. Please hold on. When done, he come over and apologized for making us wait. Bruno is an incredible guy and his humility blew me away. I work on a Indy Lights team in May and so I am around a lot of drivers.......he is one of a kind.

Tom Harleman, Oroville, CA

RM: Like I wrote last week, Tag's gesture restored my faith in racers because he truly wanted to repay Bruno for what he did last May. Junky is not only a very good racer, he's a helluva guy as you learned.

Q: Initially it seemed like reports from you and other reputable sources (obviously nobody associated with ESPN) didn't give the DW a chance for being selected because of the timeline factor - officials would like a selection made by the end of May, but DW wouldn't have a full mach up until August. However, at least DW had something to unveil at Chicago while the other contestants have only submitted paper drawings. So how does the timeline put DW at a disadvantage if it seems like they have done just as much, if not more, than the other chassis designers? Also, how much does the creation and composition of the ICONIC committee factor in to the DW design being selected? I would think that since Brian Barnhart (barf - sorry, I get disgusted just writing his name) is now only one member on a seven member committee, his obvious bias to Dallara and incompetence should be minimized. Finally, if the DW is not chosen, what kind of rift would that create within the ICS? It seems like a lot of heavy hitters (team owners and drivers) are supportive of the DW concept. With so many positive developments recently, I would hate for everything to go to waste if the owners revolt and have another split.

Kyle

RM: You raise a good point in that the Delta Wing appears to be way ahead of the competition, but I guess the concern is that until it's been track tested and proven, nobody wants to pull the trigger and make it the car of tomorrow. But if most of the owners and Firestone are behind the DW, then things get real interesting if it gets shot down. Obviously, open wheel could not take another war. Not even a small uprising. But I hope Ben Bowlby's overall concept will be embraced.

Q: Do you buy the excuse that the only way to build an affordable new 2012 IndyCar is to build all of the new cars? Of course the companies are going to say that, in order to try and get exclusivity on the contract! Here's my solution: approve them ALL, pending crash tests and set some common specs to get them around the same speed. Then simply give the proposals a salary cap, say $500,000 per car, and then run what you brung. It would be so cool to see the freaky Delta Wing going up against the BAT, Dallara, Lola and the Swift.

David in Reno

RM: You bring up something I've been saying for a long time. When did we suddenly start saying it's too expensive to have competition? Of course it's expensive, it always has been and always will be at the top level. And when did we say things like, 'What if the Lola is faster than the other cars?' Gee, I think that's called competition and trying to figure out your car and make it better. What if the Swift was best on street circuits, the Lola best on road courses and the DW ruled on ovals? That's kinda of why people built cars isn't it? And did Dan Gurney ever build an Eagle and demand that his be the only chassis? Hell no, he relied on his people and their ability to adapt and adjust, racing is a gamble and manufacturers understand that. If the rules were written smartly and then controlled, you could have a cost ceiling and open competition could return. What a novel concept.

Q: Everyone is debating Delta Wing, spec chassis, turbo 4, turbo V-6, lower costs, etc; but after watching the F1 race in Australia I know what will fix Indycar (OK-maybe not fix, but it would not hurt it)-GRID GIRLS. What do you think? To be politically correct the women racers can have grid guys.

Jamie

RM: I applaud your idea and I would like to see driver's wives and girlfriends standing by their man (Nicole Manske/Briscoe for Ryan, Emma Dixon for Scott, Ashley for Dario, Elizabeth for Will Power, Bronte for Tags, Katie for Graham Rahal, Becky for Ryan Hunter-Reay, Patty for PT) and that could only be good for motorsports. Champ Car went so far as to try a calendar with driver's wives and girlfriends but it never got marketed and I think it would certainly sell better than "I Am Indy" hats..

Q: Are IndyCar's top drivers as good as F1's?

Chris Greene, Miami, Fla.

RM: Good question, we'd like to think so but all we can really do is compare and that's no exact science because of the extremes in F1 and Indy cars. Mario kicked butt in F1 and Mansell followed suit over here in '93. Jacques Villenueve went from CART champ to F1 champ and Montoya was an F1 winner after leaving CART. But Zanardi and da Matta struggled with bad cars, while Bourdais never seemed to get embraced by his team. Is Dixon or Power or young Rahal as good as Vettel or Hamilton? If they all drove a Red Bull F1 car or a Dallara/Honda we might get that answer.

Q: In the US we have a folk legend in John Henry, the railroad worker who heroically raced a steam powered hammer and won - only to die from the effort. I think this suggests a perfect answer to the new IndyCar decision. It doesn't make sense to spend a lot of money on all new new spec cars for purely cosmetic reasons. And apparently many teams couldn't afford this anyway. On the other hand, a radical DeltaWing type car is an unknown. But a car based on newer relevant challenges is clearly needed. So IMS/IndyCar should announce that the Dallara/Honda has been proven in competition to be the ultimate car of the lineage. Proven in competition, and will die in competition - just like all of its predecessors. It will now be frozen and raced as the benchmark for the newer relevant technologies which will now be allowed. Let it defend its place at Indy for as long as it can against cars that are developed to more open regulations - but limited by a total fuel allotment of 50 gallons or by Bowlby's suggestion of a fuel flow limiter. The smaller teams can continue with the same equipment and can play the John Henry role. Meanwhile, teams with the desire, money, and connections to develop an alternative car can do so. In fact, if DeltaWing continues their development and it proves out by August, it seems plausible that they could get a couple on track for May 2011 - perhaps with some limitations that ensure that they only have a chance to qualify at best. But that would set the stage for 2012 in a big way.

Rob in Indy

RM: Clearly, you have given this more thought than most of the IndyCar officials so my question to you? How would like a job on West 16th Street? Seriously, you make a great case for trying to maintain some kind of aftermarket but not impeding progress, which was always the rule at Indy, and Randy Bernard has already asked why a smaller team like Sarah Fisher's couldn't be allowed to keep its equipment on track regardless of the new car/engine?

Q: What I think IndyCar needs more than anything is multiple engine manufacturers, and here's my reasoning: connecting with the general public. The IZOD IndyCar Series needs to attract the general public to its product. I bet that if I pulled about 100 random people off of the street and asked them what a "Dallara/Reynard/Lola/Panoz" are, I bet maybe 80 of them wouldn't know what I was talking about (and about 79 of them would say "Isn't 'Lola' the name of that one song in the 70s?"). Other than the tyres, the engines of an IndyCar are the only things on the car that the average Joe can identify; they know what Toyota/Ford/Chevrolet/Dodge/Nissan/etc are, and it would have the built in fanbase of the brand loyalists. I have seen a number of commercials of car owners stating how they love their [insert car name here], or hear about how loyal people are to their car of choice on the radio. Get the auto manufacturers in, and you'll have a chance of attracting the general public to follow the IndyCar series. To get the manufacturers in, the IndyCar series needs to come up with an engine rules package that caters to what the public wants now, and now that is high fuel efficiency cars, so that means, sadly, no more turbo V8 and hello to turbo I4s. The general public no longer leans more towards the gas guzzlers. I've seen and/or heard car commercials of the manufacturers praising how fuel efficient their cars are. Get the I4s in and you'll attract the car manufacturers. Also, allow different types of fuel into the series, like what the American Le Mans Series has been doing. Ethanol is good, but get other types in, like diesel, hydrogen (if you can keep it from blowing up if the car crashes), and possibly allow hybrid technologies in. Cater to the manufacturers, but try not to get too reliant upon them, because if/when there's another economic recession, the auto makers would then pull out and leave the IndyCar series in some serious financial hurt. Get the engine manufacturers in, and the money would flow as more people watch, and more money coming in to the series would eventually lead to, hopefully, multiple chassis competing. But get the auto makers in first. On to something less serious, why can't there be another race track built like the long-gone circuits like Trenton Speedway (kidney shaped), Riverside International Raceway (had some nice flowing turns from what I have been able to find on YouTube and such), Nazareth Speedway (1 mile triangular-shaped circuit). Heck, why not have the IndyCars try out Rockingham Speedway? NASCAR abandoned it in 2004, so why not have a chat with Andy Hillenburg and see if some IndyCars can test there to see how feasible a race there would be? Would be a nice coup to NASCAR if the IndyCar Series could hold a successful race at the circuit. Probably not a good idea, but it would be a pretty radical one at that. Of all of the circuits that have hosted IndyCar races that have been plowed over (Trenton, Nazareth, Riverside, etc), which one, if brought back exactly was it was, would you have on your dream schedule.

Kevin from Flat Rock, MI.

RM: I think Randy Bernard is trying to get that answer about global engines before any rules decision is made and Kevin Kalkhoven says he recently attended a summit in Europe where the inline 4-cylinder turbo was clearly the power of the future. So if you can keep Honda and add VW/Audi, Mazda, Maserati and Ford to the mix, isn't that what we need and want? As for old tracks, I'd love to see Riverside copied, what layout for drivers and fans, and I still want to go back to Phoenix.

Q: Thankfully the 3/31 Mailbag I just read was much more positive than usual. Anyone negative now, really can't be a TRUE IndyCar fan. We have unification, Honda, Firestone, IZOD as title sponsor, Peak, Apex Brazil, a new CEO, five chassis suppliers bidding, new road & street races, six different teams finishing in the Top 6 in Sao Paolo, four different teams qualifying up front at St. Pete, 24 cars at both races, two drivers successfully returning from broken backs, VERSUS back on DirecTV, 31 (Rahal would be 32) car & drivers announced for the Indy 500 before April 1st, and all of this in a tough economy. What more could we ask for? That's rhetorical, because if your readers can't enjoy IndyCar 2010, they should stay off the IndyCar blogs, message boards, and Q & A's. They are not a FANS and IndyCar fans don't care what they think! Anyway, is Rahal waiting to announce his N/H/L return because the sponsor hasn't signed or because he doesn't want to take away from his SFR/Dollar General effort at Barber?
.
Mark Z., Discovery Bay, CA

RM: The first good positive rant in a while.

Q: I know you have heard thing about a gazzion times...but...God i am soooooooooootired of seeing spec classes in motorsports...IndyCar needs to open up and let race car manufactures make some different cars...and get some variety out there on the tracks...I watch F1 for the difference in the cars...not so much the race...I watch Australian supercars for the difference in the cars...I watch the DP's and LeMans series for the variety of cars...I do long for the times gone by when there was a difference in the sound!...the "big" teams will always have the money to do more...so...does it really matter if there are 3 or 4 different chassis out there...or 4 or 5 different engines out there...OK...I feel a little better...but...we need variety on the track...not just different paint schemes...

long time fan, first time bitcher( a least to you)
Steve McInturff...Springfield, Oh

RM: A first time ranter.

Q: I know I've written some pretty harsh emails about Tony Stewart in the past and maybe I just feel a little betrayed since I've seen him do NOTHING but show up occasionally at the 500, but recent articles about how much $$$ Tony is pulling in and his crying about never being able to win Indy again just really get my blood pumping. For all the money he has made and all the success he has in fielding not just Cup, but sprint cars as well I just CAN'T understand what it is about IndyCar racing that lets him just ignore it. If there was any time that IndyCar NEEDED somebody like Tony to step in it's NOW (as a driver, owner, SOMETHING)! I understand the conditions a couple of years back might have not been right but darn it! What IS his problem? Fine, he can't drive anything other than a Chevy due to contract issues (which we all know he could probably BUY his way out of) but he can't even FIELD ONE INDYCAR? Not even a partnership with somebody like Sarah Fisher or Dale Coyne? I have NO idea if Tony reads your mail columns, but Tony...American OW racing gave you your career and it NEEDS you now more than ever. Would it be SO hard to part with some of the MILLIONS of dollars you have made to help American open wheel racing in arguably the most critical make or break period in it's history? I'm not asking you to field 3 cars and match Roger and/or Chip but at least they participate in the sport they love. Just get involved, somehow...some way. Is that so much to ask? Hey Montoya...Kiss my butt! You RUINED my only USGP by crashing out a good part the field. The current crop of IndyCar drivers would EAT YOU ALIVE. Have fun driving 50's tech push rod carburetor muscle car racing on ovals. It's slow...and suits you. Wow..that felt good! :)

Doug, Stafford, VA

RM: I don't think you can dismiss Stew's excuse for not being able to run Indy. He is a GM guy and they will not let him run a Honda and I think some other Cup drivers are facing the same situation. And I think some day he will field an Indy car team, probably after he's done driving. Not sure how many guys/girls would eat Montoya alive but I recognize your right to rant.

Q: Rant on. Have been reading mailbag for a while, it’s constantly inundated with people saying we need the major manufacturers to step up, or we need to just let out a spec and let everyone build the cars they want, and where are the sponsors and Americans and blah blah blah.. Simple: Wake up and smell the economy. The reason the major mfgs aren’t in it is because they get too little return on investment, and if people would come out of their rosey glassed past, they’d maybe realize that all our manufacturers recently needed bailouts, hello? The reason none of the teams would want an open spec is because it would cost boatloads of money to develop a car from the ground up, you think those with the most money winning all the time is bad NOW? Why should everyone spend a ton of money when, since car OW development has been going on for 100 years, and especially in the past 20, why reinvent a wheel that has already been optimized to it’s best possible performance? Go watch an F1 race if you want to see what happens when you let people spend $400 million to develop a car, hey, the car wins, not so much the driver, eh? You end up spending money nobody has on improvements nobody can see and still you get a procession, what fun! Get a grip people, nothing ever stays the same, and change is the natural order of the universe. If you want to spend money on IndyCar, spend it on new marketing or new tracks or new teams, not new cars. How about this, sponsor YOURSELVES to have the series broadcast on ESPN2 instead of some stupid poker tournaments, and let the racing do the talking..Rant off.

Robert Brock, Salt Lake City

RM: Ford didn't need a bailout but this was still the 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.
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