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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag, 9.6
Always genuine, never lite: It's Miller time. Here's the latest Q&A from SPEED.com's IndyCar guru.
Ryan Hunter-Reay's pass for the lead has generated plenty of Mailbag questions and opinions. (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: Michael Andretti called in Ryan Hunter-Reay to pit after the track had started to dry ... this caught everyone off guard, including Team Penske. Consequently Will Power stayed out on rain tires. So my question is, was that a brilliant strategy call by Michael … or did he get lucky? Because it really ended up screwing Power. If Michael did that on purpose it might be the best call I've ever seen. I have a small second question, too: Was that not the best street race you've ever seen!? That was awesome!
John, Dayton, Ohio
RM: I think it was a good, risky call by a team trying to do whatever to win and some damn good driving by RHR in treacherous conditions. Power said afterwards that Tim Cindric was trying to tell him to pit but Will had the button pushed down and didn’t hear him so that was costly. I can’t remember a street race with more good, hard racing and passing. Hell, my cohort Dave Despain who can’t stand street courses even liked it.
Q: For the second year in a row, I went to the Baltimore Grand Prix, and for the second year in a row I had a blast! The racing was even better than last year ... I mean with a mix of literally everything you could possibly have in a race, could anyone really complain? The changes to Turn 1 made for a MUCH better track. I sat in Turn 1 both years and the passing was much more impressive. Also, I think Andretti Marketing did a great job of taking over the event and improving it. It seemed like there was a whole lot more to do this year than last year before the race. I was a bit disappointed in the increase in ticket price, but after seeing all the improvements for families, I would say those price hikes were justified.
Best of all I wrote in last year complaining about the lack of visible Jumbotron on the front straight by Turn 1. Somebody heard that complaint and trimmed the trees on Pratt St and raised the Jumbotron so the entire grandstand could see it. If anyone needs proof IndyCar sees this mailbag that is it. I also got a paddock pass for the first time ever and WOW. It was so much fun seeing the cars and crews up close and meeting some of the drivers. Everybody was very friendly and open (even Bryan Herta, who graciously signed an autograph whilst having a conversation with Jay Penske and a few of his crew members). And Marco Andretti went above and beyond with a 5-year-old who is now a big Marco fan. It is so refreshing to see these super star athletes doing as much as they could to please the fans and make the event special for them. So once again I had a blast at Baltimore and as long as there is a race there (and I am still living nearby), you can bet your bottom dollar my ass will be filling a seat. Kudos to Indy Car, Andretti Sports Marketing, the city of Baltimore, and of course the teams and drivers. You all put on an awesome show.
Dave Zipf, Newark, DE
RM: I had a lot of people tell me during the weekend they thought everything was better as far as access and vision so glad to hear Kevin Healy & Co. made your experience a good one. IndyCar drivers have always been more accessible than NASCAR in the past 20 years and, to be honest, they need to be.
Q: The only thing worse than Maryland roads are Maryland drivers, so please tell the series they need to get away from the cobblestone-like roads and railroad tracks of Baltimore and get back to Richmond, or a real road course like VIR. Townsend Bell had it right in the pre-race when he said street courses are all about "atmosphere"… cause they sure as hell ain't about racing. Baltimore is to racing what putt-putt is to the PGA and unless they are receiving federal funds, IndyCar needs to get away from these "shovel ready" repair projects of public streets and get back to racing on race tracks. The rain made this race entertaining, but manhole covers, railroad tracks, and miles of jersey barriers do not a race course make. Come back to Virginia where the traffic jams outside of the track, as opposed to on it.
Napalm Nick, Locust Grove, VA
RM: Did you watch the race Nick? Simon Pagenaud went from SIXTH to first on one restart and RHR won the race on the last one plus all the side-by-side stuff THROUGH the corners and all the out-braking maneuvers. I disagree my friend; it was damn entertaining except for Friday afternoon.
Q: What a race and what a weekend for IndyCar! When was the last time you can recall a season like this? Hope a lot of people aren't bitchin about RHR's restart because Briscoe was nappin’ — end of story! Sounds like Rubens is all but signed by Schmidt-Hamilton and he really seems to be coming on strong at the end of the season. Hope he has a great finish in Fontana. I would have to think if Rubens does make that jump that they will be a force especially with the "Friendly Frog" or "Flying Frog!" Being up here in Boston you know my race options are few so what will I be looking at in 2013?
Jake Murray
RM: Roger Penske was bitching the loudest but the fans are split about 50-50 as far as the mailbag. Barrichello and Honda is a natural and Sam already has a good engineering staff in place. It’s going to happen. As for eastern races, Pocono is looking strong and Providence, R.I. is in the conversation.
Q: Pathetic and amateurish are the words that come to mind after Baltimore and Spa. Last year it was made clear by the course designer that there was a fix for the RR track bump at Baltimore that would be in place for this year … obviously not! So we end with teams incurring huge bills for broken race cars that should never have happened. What is it with the new great BB having to explain himself after nearly every event? It's obvious the major focus the official’s desire is pandemonium on the restarts, who cares about what's fair and sporting? The drivers were clear on the radio after the race that they were unhappy with the complete lack of clarity on the restart procedures, and unhappy with the officials. Sounds like last year. Seems I'd be better off going to watch USAC short track racing then even trying to follow IndyCar and F1 any longer, Grosjean, the idiot at Spa and Tagliani at Sonoma neither would have lived long enough to pull those stunts if they had raced 30 years ago, they'd have bought it long before the big leagues. And they're simply this week’s examples. The lack of sportsmanship and disregard for other drivers and their equipment brought on by the safety improvements of the last 25 years is most troubling. What a crappy weekend to be a race car fan.
Alan
RM: I said on SPEED Center that Friday was a black eye for IndyCar and totally unnecessary and it was worse this year because it wasn’t a free day. But you need to know that one of the big stars of the series gave it his OK after driving around on Thursday in a passenger car so it was obviously a point of concern. The starts and restarts have been damn good most of the season and Pagenaud’s sixth-to-first move was as good as it gets. The last one is open for debate but the green flag was waving and Briscoe was in the cone zone. Friday was bad but I thought Sunday’s race made up for it. As for Tag, hard to compare his little bump of RHR with Grosjean’s banzai and, for the most part, IndyCar drivers have run harder, closer and cleaner this year than any in recent history.
Q: Year two was better than year one at Baltimore and I believe the attendance was down but not by much from the look of the stands across from our hotel room in Turn 3. The kinks and logistical pedestrian bridge nightmares from the first year we non-existent. BIG KUDOS to all involved! I brought my son and we collected enough autographs to cover his karting helmet. We could not have asked for more from the drivers. All were more than amiable while driving around on their scoters to stop and sign for my son. Baltimore IndyCar 2013 is a must!
Jim Langemeier
RM: It sounds like the Andretti group listened to the fans’ suggestions and complaints from 2011 so now let’s fix the RR tracks and it will be even better.
Q: After watching the Indy Lights race and seeing them split the chicane I was glad INDYCAR would be adopting the ALMS approach to make the starts more competitive. Then … the big race started and all those hopes died. I could go on forever but I'll keep it short. Those were the worst restarts I have ever seen, sans last year's "double file" restarts.
Ryan, Greenwood, IN
RM: It appears it would be much better to bypass the chicane on starts and restarts but Beaux Barfield is concerned those RR tracks would still wreak havoc on the inside line of cars from Row 5 back as they accelerated because they’d be going so much faster. But you really thought Pagenaud’s restart was bad?
Q: Wow what a great race! Changing weather, mixed/botched strategies, great restarts, and awesome driving! Would you be able to explain why Race Control did not issue the red flag for the final incident with less than 10 laps to go?
Kyle Lantz
RM: Because the safety crew hustled and cleared a path so there was no need for a red flag. Sounds like you watched a different race than a couple of our readers but I agree – it had a little bit of everything.
~Robin Miller
Q: Michael Andretti called in Ryan Hunter-Reay to pit after the track had started to dry ... this caught everyone off guard, including Team Penske. Consequently Will Power stayed out on rain tires. So my question is, was that a brilliant strategy call by Michael … or did he get lucky? Because it really ended up screwing Power. If Michael did that on purpose it might be the best call I've ever seen. I have a small second question, too: Was that not the best street race you've ever seen!? That was awesome!
John, Dayton, Ohio
RM: I think it was a good, risky call by a team trying to do whatever to win and some damn good driving by RHR in treacherous conditions. Power said afterwards that Tim Cindric was trying to tell him to pit but Will had the button pushed down and didn’t hear him so that was costly. I can’t remember a street race with more good, hard racing and passing. Hell, my cohort Dave Despain who can’t stand street courses even liked it.
Q: For the second year in a row, I went to the Baltimore Grand Prix, and for the second year in a row I had a blast! The racing was even better than last year ... I mean with a mix of literally everything you could possibly have in a race, could anyone really complain? The changes to Turn 1 made for a MUCH better track. I sat in Turn 1 both years and the passing was much more impressive. Also, I think Andretti Marketing did a great job of taking over the event and improving it. It seemed like there was a whole lot more to do this year than last year before the race. I was a bit disappointed in the increase in ticket price, but after seeing all the improvements for families, I would say those price hikes were justified.
Best of all I wrote in last year complaining about the lack of visible Jumbotron on the front straight by Turn 1. Somebody heard that complaint and trimmed the trees on Pratt St and raised the Jumbotron so the entire grandstand could see it. If anyone needs proof IndyCar sees this mailbag that is it. I also got a paddock pass for the first time ever and WOW. It was so much fun seeing the cars and crews up close and meeting some of the drivers. Everybody was very friendly and open (even Bryan Herta, who graciously signed an autograph whilst having a conversation with Jay Penske and a few of his crew members). And Marco Andretti went above and beyond with a 5-year-old who is now a big Marco fan. It is so refreshing to see these super star athletes doing as much as they could to please the fans and make the event special for them. So once again I had a blast at Baltimore and as long as there is a race there (and I am still living nearby), you can bet your bottom dollar my ass will be filling a seat. Kudos to Indy Car, Andretti Sports Marketing, the city of Baltimore, and of course the teams and drivers. You all put on an awesome show.
Dave Zipf, Newark, DE
RM: I had a lot of people tell me during the weekend they thought everything was better as far as access and vision so glad to hear Kevin Healy & Co. made your experience a good one. IndyCar drivers have always been more accessible than NASCAR in the past 20 years and, to be honest, they need to be.
Q: The only thing worse than Maryland roads are Maryland drivers, so please tell the series they need to get away from the cobblestone-like roads and railroad tracks of Baltimore and get back to Richmond, or a real road course like VIR. Townsend Bell had it right in the pre-race when he said street courses are all about "atmosphere"… cause they sure as hell ain't about racing. Baltimore is to racing what putt-putt is to the PGA and unless they are receiving federal funds, IndyCar needs to get away from these "shovel ready" repair projects of public streets and get back to racing on race tracks. The rain made this race entertaining, but manhole covers, railroad tracks, and miles of jersey barriers do not a race course make. Come back to Virginia where the traffic jams outside of the track, as opposed to on it.
Napalm Nick, Locust Grove, VA
RM: Did you watch the race Nick? Simon Pagenaud went from SIXTH to first on one restart and RHR won the race on the last one plus all the side-by-side stuff THROUGH the corners and all the out-braking maneuvers. I disagree my friend; it was damn entertaining except for Friday afternoon.
Q: What a race and what a weekend for IndyCar! When was the last time you can recall a season like this? Hope a lot of people aren't bitchin about RHR's restart because Briscoe was nappin’ — end of story! Sounds like Rubens is all but signed by Schmidt-Hamilton and he really seems to be coming on strong at the end of the season. Hope he has a great finish in Fontana. I would have to think if Rubens does make that jump that they will be a force especially with the "Friendly Frog" or "Flying Frog!" Being up here in Boston you know my race options are few so what will I be looking at in 2013?
Jake Murray
RM: Roger Penske was bitching the loudest but the fans are split about 50-50 as far as the mailbag. Barrichello and Honda is a natural and Sam already has a good engineering staff in place. It’s going to happen. As for eastern races, Pocono is looking strong and Providence, R.I. is in the conversation.
Q: Pathetic and amateurish are the words that come to mind after Baltimore and Spa. Last year it was made clear by the course designer that there was a fix for the RR track bump at Baltimore that would be in place for this year … obviously not! So we end with teams incurring huge bills for broken race cars that should never have happened. What is it with the new great BB having to explain himself after nearly every event? It's obvious the major focus the official’s desire is pandemonium on the restarts, who cares about what's fair and sporting? The drivers were clear on the radio after the race that they were unhappy with the complete lack of clarity on the restart procedures, and unhappy with the officials. Sounds like last year. Seems I'd be better off going to watch USAC short track racing then even trying to follow IndyCar and F1 any longer, Grosjean, the idiot at Spa and Tagliani at Sonoma neither would have lived long enough to pull those stunts if they had raced 30 years ago, they'd have bought it long before the big leagues. And they're simply this week’s examples. The lack of sportsmanship and disregard for other drivers and their equipment brought on by the safety improvements of the last 25 years is most troubling. What a crappy weekend to be a race car fan.
Alan
RM: I said on SPEED Center that Friday was a black eye for IndyCar and totally unnecessary and it was worse this year because it wasn’t a free day. But you need to know that one of the big stars of the series gave it his OK after driving around on Thursday in a passenger car so it was obviously a point of concern. The starts and restarts have been damn good most of the season and Pagenaud’s sixth-to-first move was as good as it gets. The last one is open for debate but the green flag was waving and Briscoe was in the cone zone. Friday was bad but I thought Sunday’s race made up for it. As for Tag, hard to compare his little bump of RHR with Grosjean’s banzai and, for the most part, IndyCar drivers have run harder, closer and cleaner this year than any in recent history.
Q: Year two was better than year one at Baltimore and I believe the attendance was down but not by much from the look of the stands across from our hotel room in Turn 3. The kinks and logistical pedestrian bridge nightmares from the first year we non-existent. BIG KUDOS to all involved! I brought my son and we collected enough autographs to cover his karting helmet. We could not have asked for more from the drivers. All were more than amiable while driving around on their scoters to stop and sign for my son. Baltimore IndyCar 2013 is a must!
Jim Langemeier
RM: It sounds like the Andretti group listened to the fans’ suggestions and complaints from 2011 so now let’s fix the RR tracks and it will be even better.
Q: After watching the Indy Lights race and seeing them split the chicane I was glad INDYCAR would be adopting the ALMS approach to make the starts more competitive. Then … the big race started and all those hopes died. I could go on forever but I'll keep it short. Those were the worst restarts I have ever seen, sans last year's "double file" restarts.
Ryan, Greenwood, IN
RM: It appears it would be much better to bypass the chicane on starts and restarts but Beaux Barfield is concerned those RR tracks would still wreak havoc on the inside line of cars from Row 5 back as they accelerated because they’d be going so much faster. But you really thought Pagenaud’s restart was bad?
Q: Wow what a great race! Changing weather, mixed/botched strategies, great restarts, and awesome driving! Would you be able to explain why Race Control did not issue the red flag for the final incident with less than 10 laps to go?
Kyle Lantz
RM: Because the safety crew hustled and cleared a path so there was no need for a red flag. Sounds like you watched a different race than a couple of our readers but I agree – it had a little bit of everything.
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