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.
The flat-to-the-mat aspect of Chicago last weekend -- and similar super speedways the IZOD IndyCar Series visits -- can't disappear soon enough for some Mailbag readers. (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 don't understand IndyCar oval-racing fans (the ones that rant here and elsewhere) of these tracks. These fans are either NASCAR-ified to the point of racing delusion, mid-90's pro-IRL goons or just arm-chair A.D.D. racing hacks who need the threat of death every second or they get bored (read - the desired 'close racing' or 'lot's of passing'). The Chicagoland race was just so weird, pointless and soooo dangerous to me. Drivers hugging the white line all the way around, not even needing to track out to the wall, unable to even draft past.... Dumb, dumb arcade type racing. In fact, every one of these high-banked cookie-cutters are that way and need to be dropped from the schedule by 2011. Race car drivers rarely declare to be relieved that the race was over. Those sentiments seemed to be shared by a couple of Andretti Autosport drivers in the post-race interviews.. What is the draw to this type of racing by some of these out-spoken 'oval-racing' fans? Obviously there was very little interest in the way of attendance. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE some ovals (INDY, Phoenix, Milwaukee, Loudon, Michigan, Iowa, and so on) and they absolutely belong on an IndyCar schedule. But these off the shelf toilet bowls are perfect for NASCAR 'cars' and NASCAR fans of made-for-tv SHOWS, not races. I prefer actual races where teams and drivers skills combine to create a SPORT. If a team and driver dominates because they are on their game, so be it (like INDY or Sonoma this year). Displays of racing excellence are just fine with me. So long Homestead, Kansas and Chicagoland. I'd be happy if Kentucky and Texas joined them too.
Paul Stephani, Chicago
RM: I watched most of the race sitting next to Arie Luyendyk and his views are very similar. The pack racing is more running in place, trying not to interlock wheels and hoping nobody winds up in the grandstand. There is no skill set required compared to Milwaukee or Iowa or Loudon. I think you're going to get your wish in 2011.
Q: Indycar divers: Pros or Average Joes? I was bit disappointed to hear TK’s comments after the race. I am a TK fan but to hear him say it was too ‘scarey’ (my word) to be driving out there makes me wonder where he is now in his career. Is he a Pro or an Average Joe? That was by far the best race I’ve seen in a long time. I go back to loving oval racing and what should be the predominate type of racing for the series (at least 75% of them). The action was unbelievable. Yes, for a driver it might be ‘scarey’ to be running 3 wide at 200mph but for the fans it was off the hook! If we have more races like this all the time we’d have more fans. I didn’t turn away for an instant during the race (and got pissed when Versus did not go side-by-side for some of the commercial breaks).
Lawrence, Sanford, FL
RM: When you stick 20-some identical cars and engines on a banked oval and everyone runs full throttle and dodges disaster in every corner, it's not fun to watch and I imagine it's not a lot of fun to drive in. Of course racing sells because it's dangerous but that kind of madness belongs on a video game. And, judging by the poor crowds at all those tracks, it's not making people storm the turnstiles either.
Q: After the Chicago race I had to write. While the race went way beyond exciting it was also just a hair away from disaster. While many enjoy pack racing and the chance of the 'big one" in NASCAR, even the specter of a big crash has no place in open wheel racing. Using a Hanford device and giving the cars more power would create exciting racing and the tons of lead changes we all enjoy without putting the field and even the spectators at risk from a big high speed crash. Now if we could only get that kind of close racing on the street and road courses.
Bob Hendrickson
RM: When IndyCar finally has the big one and a car gets launched into the grandstands, we won't need any space for this Mailbag because there won't be any more open wheel racing. You are correct: a recipe for disaster and IndyCar has lucked out for the better part of 15 years.
Q: What a race! Too bad NASCAR is squeezing them out of Chicagoland. Helio, Tony and Ryan complained about crazy drivers especially Helio who said people were swerving back and forth. I saw Will Power doing the most. Who do you think they were talking about?
John G
RM: Everybody does something risky or stupid on almost every lap so I imagine they were all talking about each other. And NASCAR isn't squeezing them out, they're leaving all those empty seats on their own.
Q: I can sleep better at night knowing that Tony Cotman is at the help of the Great 2012 Project and that he will save the series from the coming implosion of Egos, etc. So now I am assuming that Randy Bernard has time to go back to what he is actually expert at: Promotion. I would assume that tops on his list is what I will call “The Chicagoland Situation”. That if nothing happens (and soon) that Indycar will be locked out of the Chicago-Milwaukee market in 2011. Randy, you MUST be in the Chicago-Milwaukee Market in 2011! ISC has called your bluff on this, and you need to show them that (and the rest of the racing world) it was their lack of promotion, not the inherent value of IndyCar as an attraction, that caused the Chicagoland Race to die on the vine. So Indycar needs to do one of the following: 1) Go ahead and try to make a deal work at State Fair Park. But give it a deadline. Something like Sept. 15. But don’t try to get an independent promoter for the race. Rent the track. Promote it yourself and show people how it’s done. It should be an easier sell than bull riding and there are only 40,000 seats. Get discounted tickets into Target and Menard’s. And CART got more than 60,000 people to Cicero a couple of times. But if you can’t pull it together by Sept. 15, then you need to go to Plan B: 2) Road America. Yeah, this screws up the whole “Road-Oval” balance thing. But you need to be in the Chicago-Milwaukee market more than you need to be “balanced”. And don’t go it alone on some random weekend. Either go in there on the SUNDAY after the Nationwide Series race in June or on the SATURDAY of the ALMS weekend in August. Leverage the crowds that are already there. If it’s the Nationwide Series weekend, make sure you run Indycar Practice RIGHT BEFORE the NNS race Saturday, and Qualifying AFTER the race. That way, the NNS fans will see what real cars are like on a big boy road course and come back on Sunday for the race. If it is the ALMS weekend, run the race right after ALMS qualifying on SATURDAY. 3) Rent Joliet. Do your own promotion. Get Target, Peak and Menards involved. Get people out there. You can’t skip Chicago-Milwaukee, not even for a year. People forget quickly. Let Tony worry about this new car stuff.
Ed Joras, Chicago
RM: Randy Bernard has been working hard to get IndyCar back at Milwaukee in 2011 so if it's feasible, it's going to happen. Elkhart Lake would be great as well but it's not going to happen by next year.
Q: I see that Chicagoland is going by the boards (for IndyCar) after this season. Now that the taxicabs have moved to Labor Day, the speedway apparently just can't find another acceptable date. Does this look familiar to the fiasco that cost Michigan its date a few years ago? And what will replace Chicagoland? A street race in Baltimore? Oh, joy. Even a return to New Hampshire doesn't make up for losing this great oval site, IMO. Why the hell doesn't ISC just come out and say that it doesn't want IndyCar racing at any of its venues? I'm not a huge Burrton Smith fan, but I hope maybe he can offer another site (Vegas?) so we don't loss all the big ovals.
MidWestMike
RM: It's obvious to Bernard that ISC isn't the partner IndyCar needs so he's cultivating a relationship with Bruton and Vegas is definitely in the frame. But as I said above, Milwaukee will be the replacement for Chicago if something sensible can be worked out.
Q: I decided to watch the Chicago race off the Indycar site and have some questions and comments: 1) Are the overly long cautions another product of TGBB? The Indycars seem to always waste a lot of time under the yellow flag. 2) I know TGBB is a factor in why the starts and restarts are horrible, but do any of the drivers know how to start/restart? It seems like they're not very good at it. 3) The racing was actually pretty good, a lot of pack racing and drafting, especially in the second half (seemed better than the other cookie cutter aero tracks). My only gripe is that the middle and outside lines weren't really effective for passing up front. Is that due to the flat out nature of the 1.5 mile tracks, something to do with the cars, engines, etc., and do you have any solutions for it? 4) Power, Fisher, and Carpenter impressed me with what they were able to do at times. Who impressed you?
CJS
RM: TGBB spends the whole race yelling at the drivers to back off, give each other space and run single file but nobody ever yells at him for his pathetic starts (Chicago was another single file farce) or extended yellows. He answers to no one and that's unacceptable. As for the race, I was impressed with everyone because there wasn't a 20-car pileup.
Q: Open wheel is in a sorry state these days, but if it is true that the owners are rejecting any new car and want to keep those pitiful, ugly, slow cars that they currently have, this could be THE nail in the coffin for this series. And don't give me that "well, the economy..." garbage. Look at F1! The fact of the matter is, they do need to bring turbos back, bring the horsepower up to at least 800 hp and make open wheel exciting again. Like CART!
P Mayer, Cincy
RM: The owners made some noise at Sonoma about not buying the new equipment but evidently they backtracked a little last weekend. Roger Penske said they know they need new cars and engines so maybe his fellow owners will follow his lead. The fans have made it clear they cannot take another year of the Crapwagons so hopefully these owners are listening.
Q: What a bomb! I'm not surprised by Gil de Ferran's or A.J. Foyt's reactions, but I have to say I don't buy the argument that here is no money to buy the new cars for 2012. We had teams buying the current (and expensive) Dallara from the merger on, and the economy was more uncertain then. Hey, if they don't like the new car, that's fine, neither do most of us. The plan to just not buy the new car is good though, nice to start the negotiations, but they need a stronger argument than just saying "we have no money" because it doesn't ring true. It sounds like a screen for an ulterior motive, and at this point secrecy won't win them any points with anybody. People are already thinking this is another move like the breaking away from USAC and the creation of CART, and that's not the kind of message that needs to be out there right now.
Juan de Dios Mastachi Borroel, Mexico
RM: The loudest complainers are the Delta Wing disciples and my take is that they can't afford not to change cars and engines. The same two teams win every race and at least the new equipment evens things up for the first season and restores a little interest. I guess if you can't raise $1 million for a car and engine, then maybe you shouldn't play.
Q: So with the owners about to jump ship over the 2012 cars, maybe running Silver Crown cars or modifieds at Indy isn't such a bad idea after all. In fact, let 'em both run! Or, "run-what-ya-brung." Sprints, midgets, Legends; anything you've got the nerve to try. (Yes, I know I'm going little overboard, but swing hard and go for the fence and maybe you'll hit a double or a triple.) Remember the "replacement teams" when the NFL players went on strike? The difference here is that these guys might put on a better show and no one will care if the "real" teams ever come back. Look how many midgets show up for the Chili Bowl. How many cars would you have going for 33 spots at Indy? You'd have to run qualifying the first weekend and heats the second. This is not complete lunacy, is it?. Compare budgets for car owners; you want cheaper cars? You want more exciting racing? You want American racers with a following? You want a bigger fan base? Help me with the reality check; how far can we go?
Jim Patton, Lindale, TX
RM: We can always dream of a return to those days but now the owners evidently regained their senses over the weekend and agreed they probably do need new equipment in 2012. But if they refused to buy new cars and we went retro, a lot more people would watch.
Q: What has to happen to force a solid rivalry in this "we are all nice guys/girls" league?!? JR gets booted by Marco at Sonoma and he basically sends flowers via his post crash interview. Dixie has been in a permanent dust cloud from Will and can't get it done (when Ganassi's willing to sacrifice team orders for the W) and afterwards basically says 'oh well'. Geez, what happened to 'whatever it takes' attitude & driving???
Louis Schifrin, California
RM: AJ says too many "Momma's boys" and I say not enough hate. Give me Tracy and Bourdais.
Q: Reading last week's mailbag, especially the part about Marco's hunger to win, brought me back a few years: Thursday August 16th 2001 to be exact. My father was in the wine business at the time and I received a call from him. "Do you want to have dinner with Mario Andretti?" Uh? Duh. YES!! Mario was showing off his wines at the time and was having a "dinner," mainly to lure investors. We got to the restaurant and my father informed me that I wouldn't be seated with him, but rather at the table with Mario. I thought I'd be at the end, but nooooo sir. I was next to his wife and she was next to him! The conversation at dinner was lovely. I had known that Marco was working up through the ranks at the time, so once I built up the nerve, I asked Mario "How is your grandson doing in racing?" The response was unusual. He mentioned that he had to "decide if he wanted to race cars or not." He was distracted, took some time away. All of the things that seemingly are still apparent today. At the time he seemed convinced that Marco wanted to race. I left it at that. I always admired Michael for what he has done, but he was always whiney-er than Mario, and it seems that Marco is whiney-er than Michael. He has shown ounces of brilliance, but not more. As you mentioned RHR is faster. Michael was winning convincingly in his early years. Maybe the kid just doesn't 'have the gift.' One name won't save ICS as you have suggested. The hole is deeper than that.
Paul, Salem, OR
RM: Marco is one of the real puzzlers because he does have talent but with all his cars and money he might lack that hunger that's needed. IndyCar needs him to be a presence at every race: not just every now and then. But maybe Mario's original statement to you still holds true.
Q: I know that I'm late for this week's mailbag but this question again refers to the start of races. TGBB as you have termed him, is so afraid of having multi car pileups @ the start of races why doesn't he red flag the race and allow teams to bring out the spare car. Formula 1 did this in the 90's and I don't know if the practice is still in use but seems like it would make sense. It also doesn't seem to matter anyways because regardless if they are 4 wide or single file, there is a crash.
Brandon Stevens
RM: Taking away the excitement of a flying start, two or three abreast, is a sin and of course there's always a chance of an accident -- that's why people watch. The backup car rule would be just fine (like the US 500 in 1996).
Q: I have been, still am, and probably always be a diehard fan of Sports Car Racing (#1) and Indy Car Racing (#2). I cannot believe that we are back into this mess regarding the 2012 car. I fairly believe that the Indy Car decision makers should open things up as far as chassis and engine manufacturers. Give them a set of rules and a maximum cost and just go. I like the idea that the ACO came up with for their LMP2 class. Why something similar wouldn't work for our Indy Car series? And remember, the ACO are specialist in making stupid decisions so I am sure that the Indy car series are capable of coming in with a reasonably good idea. I think it is now obvious that a spec series does not eliminate domination.
Dan, (Gatineau, Québec)
RM: I guess my best response is that just because you open up the rules doesn't mean anybody is going to play and there doesn't seem to be much interest, be it from inline 4s to V6s right now. Getting a car and engine for under $1 million is also pretty damn good compared to what it's been. I know we all want to see different cars and engines but it probably isn't going to happen in this economy.
Q: Is Vasser selling his house? Because with the current Three Musketeers that make up KV racing he must be scrambling to keep three cars running full-time. I can't see the team retaining any of the three drivers. Rahal is ahead of Sato in points and has missed five events. Tracy is on the outside looking in, Hildebrand wants to drive Indy Car full-time, Wade Cunningham has done way more than enough to be driving in the IICS. Buddy Rice is a 500 champion without a ride, Junqueira shows up on bump day, does 6 laps, has one of the fastest times of the month and we don't see him again until bump day next year where he will repeat. Please tell me KV will have new drivers for 2011?
Ray Hando
RM: JV is too smart to spend his own money and that's why KV took sponsorships from those three: who now have 34 accidents in 14 races. But it hardly surprises anybody, given the driver's history.
