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INDYCAR: Miller’s Mailbag For 7/1
Written by: Robin Miller   
07/01/2009
Indianapolis, IN
 
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'm sure your getting a million of these letters a week, but geeesh, even the die hards that have hung on for a long time, hoping for a miracle, for this Indy-car racing to turn around and be good, are starting to tune out and walk away. I'm very passionate about open wheel and have been for many years, but i just can't believe it's tanked this bad. I can't watch a whole race on TV (that's if I can even find it) anymore. Throw a friggin grenade at the current spec and blow it up cause waiting till 2011 there will be no fans left. There must be a few 100 Honda turbo V8's sittin in a warehouse somewhere that can be dusted off and somehow fitted to the current "crapwagon". The sanity of the current set up is nil. NASCAR trucks pumping out more HP than an Indy car...isn't that wonderful. It's not just the HP, it's EVERYTHING....someone please...blow it up and start over.

Dylan, Calgary AB, Canada
Bring back the big power IndyCars, says Canadian Mailbag reader Dylan. (LAT) ยป More Photos
RM: The logic had been with the current economic state it's too expensive to change cars and engines right now but after the past couple months it's changed to: we can't afford not to change the cars and engines. The problem is that IndyCar still only wants one chassis (Dallara) whenever it does change so it's imperative to tweak the rules and make sure there are plenty of options for the teams to try and create some separation.

Q: I'm from Oswego NY and have been a open wheel asphalt fan my entire life. As I'm watching the Richmond race I began to think about a few things. I have a lot of die hard NASCAR fans who have recently been complaining about how boring NASCAR has become. I keep telling them to watch IRL, F1 and ALMS just to open their minds a little bit and watch some exciting racing. As I watch the Richmond race I think about how boring this race is. What I am trying to say is, isn't this a golden time for the IRL to change their cars, add some horsepower, (to get people talking,) and do what ever it takes to add some excitement to their races? On another note how is it possible that five miles from my house their is a race track where supermodifieds race with 900 H.P. monsters that put on a great show and the IRL cars only have about 500 H.P. IROC spec cars?

Mike, Oswego NY, (Go "Double 0" Joe Goesek!)

RM: Almost every IndyCar driver wants more power (at least 200 more on road courses) but the IRL is wary about going any faster on some of its larger ovals because of obvious reasons. Of course if the cars had 1,000 horsepower and less aero assistance, the drivers would have to back off for the corners at Indy and they would actually being going quicker down the straightaway than through the turns. The cornering speeds on all ovals are insane because the driver has no reaction time.

Q: While other racing series around the world are evaluating their formulas in an effort to better position themselves during and after these tough economic times, less and less talk (and rumors) is coming out of the IRL regarding their future formula. The IRL should, like the other series, be evaluating its future and making plans to provide the best platform from which to build the series once the economic crisis is over. Why might the IRL delay the new car? Perhaps we can look to the addition of the new Brazilian race for the answer. As you reported Brazil will be a financial success for the series and the teams. Is it fair to speculate that by adding Brazil the IRL is making itself more attractive to potential buyers? Does the delay in determining the specs for the new car further support this theory? This delay would allow the new owner to determine the best formula for the future. I admit that this is all just speculation, but the current lack of activity surrounding the future of the series leads me to believe there are only two options left: selling the series or folding the series.

Joe Yack

RM: I don't
see many buyers out there and I also don't hear much on the IndyCar side about its new car/engine plans. I think we all believed VW or Audi was coming in but, after hearing VW met with NASCAR last week, not sure there's anybody new on the horizon. Brazil has more to do with ethanol, Brazilian drivers and a big sanction fee than enticing anybody to buy the IRL. But there is at least one current car owner trying to come up with a plan in case the IRL would be put up for sale.

Q: What do you think of this idea for starting positions when qualifications are rained out? Have the top two leaders in points start up front and have the other spots determined by the luck of the draw, even if the slower cars start up front and the faster ones are in the back. This should definitely provide more passing plus it may give some of the slower cars a chance to see how they may run in competition with the big boys. I was a big CART fan but I've just about given up totally on watching oval races, they've become terribly boring.

Ray Nache

RM: I like it but let's don't give the top two in a points such an advantage: everybody draws. Better yet, just invert the field according to points and you'll create some excitement.

Q: Wow, I think the racing is actually getting WORSE, if that's even possible. When Dixon and Franchitti are running a full second faster than Special Ed, but, cannot pass him, that's just stupid! I damn near fell asleep. Maybe they should just bungee cord a chrome horn on the front nose of those cars and run the race NASCAR style. I propose that when the winning pass takes place in the pits, the crew chief goes to the podium and gets the trophy instead of the driver! I thought you might be interested to learn about the survey I received from IMS about my 500 "experience." The funny thing about their survey is that it was all about concessions, souvenirs, camping, toilets, and not one thing about RACING! I used the comment blocks in the survey to excoriate them over the lousy race. I focused on several points.
1 - The Indy 500 has lost all its luster because it used to be about building a better mousetrap and now its just another spec race.
2 - The late starting time of the race to pacify the TV networks screws the paying customer. It eliminates all of the slop time to get the race in on race day in case of rain. It screws over people like me who need to start driving home after the race. I live in the Dallas area. It eliminates the possibility of any Nascar drivers running the race which would only pump up the visibility of the race.
3 - The race was boring and just sucked. Tell me why I should renew my tix and come back.

Tom Cain, Plano, Texas

RM: I like your idea about the podium for victories in the pits and it speaks volumes when the leaders can't pass the car in 16th place. I'd be interested in your response from your IMS questionnaire.

Q: I am really hoping that the IRL big wigs were listening to their drivers. When drivers realize that they are just completing high speed parade laps, something needs to change. Thank the racing gods we are at least road racing the next three races. Please abandon the crap wagons IRL

Eric Jackson, Hayward Calif.

RM: I think it's rather ironic and amusing that the Indy Racing League is actually thrilled to be going to road courses and street circuits to help people forget about their boring oval track races.

Q: The drivers have nothing to be sorry for. Its guys named Barnhart and George who should be apologizing for making the IndyCar Series a spec series and for driving out names like Chevy, Toyota, Panoz, Lola, etc.

Ray Hando

RM: To be fair, Honda drove Chevy and Toyota out of IndyCar but there's no excuse for not having Lola in the mix as well as Panoz. When Champ Car debuted its new cars in 2007, Newman/Haas/Lanigan ended up winning the most races but Derrick Walker and Keith Wiggins each won twice and Dale Coyne should have won at least once so a spec series can be competitive but maybe only for a short period. Different cars, engines and tires always created passing.

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