INDYCAR: Miller's Mailbag, 7.12

IndyCar

INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 7.12

Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.

Robin Miller | Posted July 12, 2012

With the success of teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and James Hinchcliffe, Mailbag readers have asked why the third member of the team has yet to produce a similar string of results. (Photo: LAT)

Hello open-wheel types and thanks for all your questions. I intend to answer your questions every week during the season, so just email me at . Don’t feel left out if I didn’t directly respond. I appreciate your interest and passion.

~Robin Miller

Q: How about that All American winner!!! Hard to believe he was almost shoved out of open-wheel racing thanks to Paul Gentilozzi. I’m glad to see RHR finally receive the acclaim he has so deservedly earned and it should be pointed out that he earned his way up to where he is by working his way up every level of the "open-wheel ladder system"... all the way from Karts to Indy cars. I just hope this adds fuel to his hopes of a street race in Ft. Lauderdale in the coming years. An American consistently winning in open wheel is the best thing for the sport and should only help the exposure in this country!

Bill, West Palm Beach

RM: That’s what I tried to point out in my story on SPEED.com that despite his obvious ability RHR nearly fell through the cracks of open wheel racing and got rescued by IZOD and Michael Andretti. This is the first time he’s ever had some security and look how he’s responded.

Q: Ryan Hunter-Reay is without doubt on a roll. I couldn't have imagined that he would win three consecutive races. After the second win, I thought that he would fall back on the road and street races. Then he wins Toronto. In your opinion, does Ryan Hunter-Reay have a legitimate shot at the title?

Cameron Taylor, Cleveland, Ohio

RM: Hell yes, a 34-point lead with five races to go isn’t by any means insurmountable but it’s a nice cushion considering how competitive things are in this series. Ryan won on the streets of Australia and Long Beach, Milwaukee and Watkins Glen before this season so he’s always been versatile.

Q: Maybe open-wheel racing has a future after all. Sunday was what the sport needed. An American three-peat winner. And for a while an All-American podium was possible. When was the last time that happened? Side question — is it true when you translate Josef Newgarden into Japanese it comes out Takuma Sato?

Walt Slade

RM: In the old IRL it was Hornish, Marco and Michael at Indy in 2006 and the last all-American CART podium was way back in 1996 at Long Beach when Jimmy Vasser beat Parker Johnstone and Al Unser Jr. Don’t be too hard on Newgarden, he put on one helluva drive before that deal with Pagenaud and he’s only going to get better. He’s a rookie, remember.

Q: I thought that was a pretty decent race with most people having their head screwed on straight until the third-to-last lap. Then they seemed to realize that the Golden Bowling Ball was still up for grabs. Seabass’ whiny comments in the post-race interview reminded me why I hated him in CART and Champ Car. I assume they showed him the replay and it should have been obvious that Conway punted Kimball into Bourdais. Other than that I thought Pagenaud’s blocking was brutal as was Hildebrand’s. Again, Pagenaud’s response was laughable and he did his reputation some damage. At least when Will Power punts someone, he realizes it, accepts responsibility and apologizes.

Trevor Bohay, Kamloops, BC Canada

RM: Can’t blame Seabass for being upset and I doubt if he had a chance to see the replay before his interview. Simon did make a few enemies over the weekend but he’s a good racer and doesn’t drive like that so it will all pass.

Q: So glad to see RHR kicking tail. Great guy, humble and loved what he said about being in one place for three years helping so much. I just hope his performance is rewarded and he's able to stay with AA or another top team. What are the tea leaves saying? Why is everyone always so eager to send Briscoe packing? He's on a run of bad luck worse than Dixie, but hope he can break through before the year is done. Like RHR, great guy, good with the media, humble, and has really overcome the brain fade of his early career. We all heard the excerpt of his rant about the car in Iowa with The Captain. Is there any discord there? As long as he funds three cars does it look like the lineup stays the same?

Do you cringe every time young Rahal walls it? At your insistence, I'm trying so hard to like him since he lacks the petulance of Marco and talks like a big boy, but still nerfs it way too much. Sensing any frustration from Chipster yet? I guess the visibility comes from having a big name, but it seems like they have to be pretty happy with Kimball's steadiness and year to year improvement. Maybe GR's just pressing?

Andy Hylton

RM: I think Michael, DHL and Dr. Pepper (Sun Drop) are certainly ecstatic and intent on re-signing RHR and hopefully it’s with a nice raise. You are spot on about Briscoe, his luck is the worst and a win might quiet everyone down but I do think The Captain might be looking at a 21-year-old rookie from Tennessee. I’m sure Rahal is pressing, especially after Texas, but haven’t heard much from Chip on that subject.

Q: Another pretty good race for IndyCar and it's great to have some parity this season. But there are two things that are really starting to annoy. I've got to agree with Mike Hull (RACER blog a few days ago) and others... the engine change rule penalty is ridiculous. I do believe this is something you can't change mid-season - for this one "you gotta dance with who brung ya." But I do believe the teams have a legitimate beef with the grid penalty. It seems the engine manufacturers have all the responsibility for the useful life and reliability of the engine. The teams just bolt the engine into the car and go. If the Andretti boys are forced to change Hinch's engine again, will they get a second grid penalty in as many races? If so... that's ludicrous. I think the series needs to figure out some sort of independent manufacturer points competition with a season ending prize and publicity for the winning marque, then apply some sort of penalty via a points deduction when an engine fails or when there is a premature engine change.

The second complaint — get IndyCar OFF ABC. Marty Reid is AWFUL. He shouldn't be the announcer for lawnmower races. And while I like Scott Goodyear as a racer, he's not progressed much as a broadcaster. I'm tired of feeling like ABC believes EVERYONE who tunes into the race broadcast is watching IndyCar for the first time. I fully expect Goodyear to explain that there are pedals down by the driver's feet that they use to accelerate and brake. And the production crew stinks too. How many times —again yesterday — has ABC missed restarts and on-track action while away at a commercial? I fervently hope Mr. Bernard, even while he is dealing with a partner with a long term contract, is not in the faces of the ABC Sports execs lobbying for a better broadcast ... including EVERYONE involved in the broadcast, on air or not. ABC really needs to "step aside" as Marty says... for the NBC boys! NBC GETS racing!

Alan Edmonds

RM: No doubt the engine penalty is way too severe and needs to be tweaked or eliminated altogether for 2013. I understand the premise but not the punishment. Hinch blew during the race so no penalty. As for your last wish, the NBC Sports Network team will cover the Mid-Ohio race for and on ABC. But there is no getting rid of ABC.

Q: SPEED’s Steve Matchett always says, “First you must beat your teammate.” RHR has three straight wins and is leading in points while second-year man Hinch is in fifth. And bringing up the rear in 15th in the standings is Marco. His points are closer to Simona, than RHR. Over the past several seasons, he doesn’t seem to get it done. If his name were John Smith, would Michael keep him on the team? Does Marco bring in vast amounts of money like Danica did? The way I see it, Michael’s in a tough spot. If he fires Marco, it becomes a family problem. The kid will be mad, and Mario will also be PO’d. How does Michael replace Marco, and allow all concerned to save face? It would have to be if Marco signed elsewhere, but right now who would want the underachieving third driver on an otherwise strong team?

Bob from Excelsior, MN

RM: Since the merger, Marco has pretty much been a non-factor in street and road courses and no matter how many times he changes mechanics or engineers – nothing changes on track. He’s got Alan MacDonald, one of the best engineers in the paddock, this season and it hasn’t helped to any degree. He races OK but can’t qualify and that’s game, set and match. He doesn’t bring money and I doubt if anybody else would hire him right now.

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