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IndyCar
MILLER: Robin’s IndyCar Mailbag For 5/22
We've got a fever, and the only thing that'll satisfy it is More Mailbag. Here's 17 Q&A items from the best Indycar scribe on the planet.
Who will win Indy this Sunday? RM thinks you're looking at one of the top-3 candidates. (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.
We'll alternate Mailbag weeks, doing Live Chats one week, and Mailbags the next. That way you'll get a good mix of written and real-time exchanges, gang.
~Robin Miller
Q: I'm excited about Indy, and the rest of the season, aren't you? I've never seen so many cars with a legitimate shot to win the Indy 500 or any race this season. you pick anyone from the Top 15 and you could have the winner. Never before has teams like Coyne been so competitive with teams like Penske on the road courses. Sure, things could be better, certain drivers should have full season rides instead of one off's but honestly, with the level of competition this year, I can't believe how many negative letters you get every week. I mean even during the "glory" days it was Penske, Newman/Haas, and Ganassi dominating the field, now you've got Coyne, Luczo Dragon, KV, AGR, along with the aforementioned other three....fully half the field on any given day has a shot at it! This season is turning out to be a good one don't you agree?
Andrew, St Thomas, Ontario, Canada
RM: You make some good points. A few teams have always dominated (although maybe not to the extent of winning 47 of the last 50 oval races like Ganassi, Penske & AGR) and since everyone has spec cars and engines, the street and road courses are much more open to good drivers with good engineers running up front instead of an aero exercise. But, in reality, there are about 6-7 drivers with a legit shot at winning Sunday. The first two rows and maybe Marco or Will Power. Paul Tracy is a long shot because his crew hasn't made a pit stop together yet in 2009.
Q: The past two years have had the lowest amount of American drivers in the Indy 500 starting field in its 93-year history. In 2008, there were just 13 Americans in the race (and 15 were entered). This year, there are just 11 Americans in the race (33%) and only 13 total entered. Go back to the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. Everyone of those Indy 500 races, saw at least 25 American drivers, in the field. And, the few foreign-born drivers at Indy in those years, were usually top-notch, world-class competitors. For all the talk about shortening the month of May, better marketing, better TV partners, a better technical package, etc..don't you think the thing that would do the most good, to get more American drivers (and potential American fans) interested in the Indy 500 and the sport as a whole again, would be a reversal of those current trends/numbers of American driver participation? This isn't rocket science, is it? And, with current entrants like Hamilton, Sharp, John Andretti and Lazier near the end of their Indy careers age-wise, with the possible impending move of Patrick to NASCAR and with far fewer then 50% of Indy Lights drivers being American-born, this downward trend does not look to be stopping anytime soon, does it, for the big race in Indy?
Denny, Maplewood, IN
RM: Wait a minute, the IRL was formed for the American short tracker, American engine builder, American car designer, ugh, oh no? You are so spot on with your analogy. Indy took off in the '60s when Clark, Stewart, Hill and Rindt did battle with Parnelli, Mario, A.J. and while CART got foreigner-heavy even in its heyday, there were still a dozen American drivers being paid to run good cars and they were the stars. It's fine to have Kanaan, Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, Helio and Power up front because they're all good racers but other than Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Danica, where are all the Yanks? Will somebody promote J.R. Hildebrand, Jonathon Summerton, Dane Cameron, John Edwards and Jonathan Bomarito? Don't bet on it. Not until costs and budgets are greatly reduced and owners can afford to hire drivers instead of taking money. As long as 2004 Indy winner Buddy Rice is watching Sunday's race and Milkmaid drives in it, open wheel has a big problem.
Q: As I sit and watch the end of qualifying today I cannot decide whether I should be laughing or throwing my remote at the TV. I am a lifetime American open wheel fan from Motor City and now being a Phoenix resident have become a good friend of Buddy Rice. I know you continually keep him in your news, notes, and mailbag throughout the years and at this point think that you are about the only one still promoting him. Five years removed from his Indy win and it seems like the league has almost abandoned him as a driver. It's a shame that an American racing league can't support a talented American driver and instead gives trust fund kids with less talent rides because they drive for free. The primary reason I write is to let you know that Buddy is busy making a living - running his business, Tony Kart West - and teaching hopeful 2020 Indy 500 entrants this weekend in Button Willow, California. He is even running in a couple classes himself to sharpen his skills, but mostly because he lives for racing. He did bring his speedway suit and helmet with him when he drove to LAX on Friday morning to head to Indy thinking he had a deal put together.
Arizona Mike
RM: Buddy gave the most honest quote of the month. "I don't own a money tree and I'm not driving for free." Therein lies THE major flaw with IndyCar.
Q: I think Bruno got a raw deal. He hung his butt out for them, then got crapped on. I think there should be a penalty for deals like this. Conquest Racing should start one lap down or pit after the first lap then change drivers. Sounds fair to me. Bachelart should get the poor sport award.
Don Betsworth, Torrance, CA
RM: It sucks for Bruno and, as I've written and said on SPEED, Bachelart had better pay him fairly for what he did. But because IndyCar racing is so expensive and it's so hard to find money, Bachelart's decision is understandable, just regrettable.
Q: How are so many lesser-qualified drivers able to attract sponsor money more easily than better-qualified drivers? If it's not about driver skill, what is it about?
David L. Neal
RM: A friend of mine in NASCAR said it's not about the racing, it's about everything else and that also applies to IndyCar. CITGO loves what Milka does for them and she is an engaging woman who is good with fans. She just shouldn't be in the Indy 500. Stanton Barrett decided, at age 36, to be an Indy driver and despite no experience, he promoted enough money to get a team together. Bruno can't talk but he damn sure can drive. And as I continue to say, over and over, until the IRL's financial pyramid gets turned around, nothing is going to change.
Q: I'm writing after Tags just got put into the show over Bruno's great effort. I don't have a big issue with it, because it has happened in the past, most notably 1992 with Scott Goodyear replacing Mike Groff. But, my interest was piqued when Bruno said half the field are ride buyers. Can you explain how this problem has occurred over the years, did this exist before the Split, is it a problem in other motorsports, and how can the IRL alleviate the problem.
Tom, Killeen, Texas
RM: Read my last two responses but ride buying really became prevalent in the '80s after the USAC/CART split. It's gradually gotten worse and will continue as long as the budgets are out of whack. If an owner only had to spend $3 million to be competitive, maybe he'd hire a real racer instead of having to take money. NASCAR has a few ride buyers, as does Formula One, but nothing approaching IndyCar. It hasn't been the 33 fastest or best drivers for a long, long time.
We'll alternate Mailbag weeks, doing Live Chats one week, and Mailbags the next. That way you'll get a good mix of written and real-time exchanges, gang.
~Robin Miller
Q: I'm excited about Indy, and the rest of the season, aren't you? I've never seen so many cars with a legitimate shot to win the Indy 500 or any race this season. you pick anyone from the Top 15 and you could have the winner. Never before has teams like Coyne been so competitive with teams like Penske on the road courses. Sure, things could be better, certain drivers should have full season rides instead of one off's but honestly, with the level of competition this year, I can't believe how many negative letters you get every week. I mean even during the "glory" days it was Penske, Newman/Haas, and Ganassi dominating the field, now you've got Coyne, Luczo Dragon, KV, AGR, along with the aforementioned other three....fully half the field on any given day has a shot at it! This season is turning out to be a good one don't you agree?
Andrew, St Thomas, Ontario, Canada
RM: You make some good points. A few teams have always dominated (although maybe not to the extent of winning 47 of the last 50 oval races like Ganassi, Penske & AGR) and since everyone has spec cars and engines, the street and road courses are much more open to good drivers with good engineers running up front instead of an aero exercise. But, in reality, there are about 6-7 drivers with a legit shot at winning Sunday. The first two rows and maybe Marco or Will Power. Paul Tracy is a long shot because his crew hasn't made a pit stop together yet in 2009.
Q: The past two years have had the lowest amount of American drivers in the Indy 500 starting field in its 93-year history. In 2008, there were just 13 Americans in the race (and 15 were entered). This year, there are just 11 Americans in the race (33%) and only 13 total entered. Go back to the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's. Everyone of those Indy 500 races, saw at least 25 American drivers, in the field. And, the few foreign-born drivers at Indy in those years, were usually top-notch, world-class competitors. For all the talk about shortening the month of May, better marketing, better TV partners, a better technical package, etc..don't you think the thing that would do the most good, to get more American drivers (and potential American fans) interested in the Indy 500 and the sport as a whole again, would be a reversal of those current trends/numbers of American driver participation? This isn't rocket science, is it? And, with current entrants like Hamilton, Sharp, John Andretti and Lazier near the end of their Indy careers age-wise, with the possible impending move of Patrick to NASCAR and with far fewer then 50% of Indy Lights drivers being American-born, this downward trend does not look to be stopping anytime soon, does it, for the big race in Indy?
Denny, Maplewood, IN
RM: Wait a minute, the IRL was formed for the American short tracker, American engine builder, American car designer, ugh, oh no? You are so spot on with your analogy. Indy took off in the '60s when Clark, Stewart, Hill and Rindt did battle with Parnelli, Mario, A.J. and while CART got foreigner-heavy even in its heyday, there were still a dozen American drivers being paid to run good cars and they were the stars. It's fine to have Kanaan, Dixon, Franchitti, Briscoe, Helio and Power up front because they're all good racers but other than Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Danica, where are all the Yanks? Will somebody promote J.R. Hildebrand, Jonathon Summerton, Dane Cameron, John Edwards and Jonathan Bomarito? Don't bet on it. Not until costs and budgets are greatly reduced and owners can afford to hire drivers instead of taking money. As long as 2004 Indy winner Buddy Rice is watching Sunday's race and Milkmaid drives in it, open wheel has a big problem.
Q: As I sit and watch the end of qualifying today I cannot decide whether I should be laughing or throwing my remote at the TV. I am a lifetime American open wheel fan from Motor City and now being a Phoenix resident have become a good friend of Buddy Rice. I know you continually keep him in your news, notes, and mailbag throughout the years and at this point think that you are about the only one still promoting him. Five years removed from his Indy win and it seems like the league has almost abandoned him as a driver. It's a shame that an American racing league can't support a talented American driver and instead gives trust fund kids with less talent rides because they drive for free. The primary reason I write is to let you know that Buddy is busy making a living - running his business, Tony Kart West - and teaching hopeful 2020 Indy 500 entrants this weekend in Button Willow, California. He is even running in a couple classes himself to sharpen his skills, but mostly because he lives for racing. He did bring his speedway suit and helmet with him when he drove to LAX on Friday morning to head to Indy thinking he had a deal put together.
Arizona Mike
RM: Buddy gave the most honest quote of the month. "I don't own a money tree and I'm not driving for free." Therein lies THE major flaw with IndyCar.
Q: I think Bruno got a raw deal. He hung his butt out for them, then got crapped on. I think there should be a penalty for deals like this. Conquest Racing should start one lap down or pit after the first lap then change drivers. Sounds fair to me. Bachelart should get the poor sport award.
Don Betsworth, Torrance, CA
RM: It sucks for Bruno and, as I've written and said on SPEED, Bachelart had better pay him fairly for what he did. But because IndyCar racing is so expensive and it's so hard to find money, Bachelart's decision is understandable, just regrettable.
Q: How are so many lesser-qualified drivers able to attract sponsor money more easily than better-qualified drivers? If it's not about driver skill, what is it about?
David L. Neal
RM: A friend of mine in NASCAR said it's not about the racing, it's about everything else and that also applies to IndyCar. CITGO loves what Milka does for them and she is an engaging woman who is good with fans. She just shouldn't be in the Indy 500. Stanton Barrett decided, at age 36, to be an Indy driver and despite no experience, he promoted enough money to get a team together. Bruno can't talk but he damn sure can drive. And as I continue to say, over and over, until the IRL's financial pyramid gets turned around, nothing is going to change.
Q: I'm writing after Tags just got put into the show over Bruno's great effort. I don't have a big issue with it, because it has happened in the past, most notably 1992 with Scott Goodyear replacing Mike Groff. But, my interest was piqued when Bruno said half the field are ride buyers. Can you explain how this problem has occurred over the years, did this exist before the Split, is it a problem in other motorsports, and how can the IRL alleviate the problem.
Tom, Killeen, Texas
RM: Read my last two responses but ride buying really became prevalent in the '80s after the USAC/CART split. It's gradually gotten worse and will continue as long as the budgets are out of whack. If an owner only had to spend $3 million to be competitive, maybe he'd hire a real racer instead of having to take money. NASCAR has a few ride buyers, as does Formula One, but nothing approaching IndyCar. It hasn't been the 33 fastest or best drivers for a long, long time.
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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