Robin Miller's Mailbag for October 30

RM: I feel the same way; it seems like the driver who wins the most races should be the champion. I always liked the old Formula 1 point system (10-6-4-3-2-1 and only paid six places) because it rewarded performance, but IndyCar's point system does have enough merit that winning races does seem to make a difference.

RM: My immediate response is that Dixon is a class act 95 percent of the time, on and off the track, and every racer in the heat of battle is entitled to express rage. He got spun out and then speared at Baltimore and I sure didn't blame him for being pissed off. Did he go too far in blasting Beaux Barfield? I think it's part of sport, an angry reaction to the media, and he was fined and apologized and Barfield moved on. Zanardi did his share of ranting at Wally Dallenbach when he was CART chief steward and JPM was no angel.

RM: The downforce levels at Fontana made it tricky, according to the drivers, and when you're pushing for the lead like Seabass or Tag, sometimes you cross the limit. RACER has some great plans for 2014 and beyond. I talk to Randy a couple times a week and he's preparing for the world's biggest rodeo in Dallas this March but still watches every IndyCar race because he's a fan. The NBC booth had immediate chemistry and it shows. I hope your prediction is correct.

RM: I think the trophies need to have large sponsors (money) behind them to really get attention because you're the first fan to mention it. I think the idea of Asia and Australia together is in play " providing IndyCar can get the needed sanction and travel fees. But I'd go to Australia and New Zealand before heading to Japan.

RM: First off, winning Indy has ALWAYS been more prestigious than the championship whether it's AAA, USAC, CART, IRL or IndyCar. But one of Dan Gurney's most relevant points (and he made a lot of them) in his White Paper from 1978 is that the USAC Championship Trail was Indianapolis and a bunch of satellite races nobody cared about. Other than Long Beach, there's not a lot of prestige at other tracks right now and part of the problem is the ever-changing schedule, tiny purses, apathy with the cars and engines and no series title sponsor. The racing is great and that's obviously not enough to get people's attention so it's very frustrating.

RM: I'll admit the cars and engines don't take my breath away anymore but the racing has been so damn competitive it doesn't bother me that much. But you speak for a lot of people who write in or stop me in the pits. Montoya will be very interesting to watch in 2014. No offense to Paul, but I think Nigel Mansell, Emmo, Mario, P.T., Rahal, Mikey and Little Al had a lot to do with CART's ratings in the '90s.

RM: I think the drivers' concern was the dependability, or lack thereof, in launching and, obviously, some of their concerns were well founded. Champ Car used standing starts to perfection in 2007 but all the cars had the same engine and software.

RM: There's a change coming to try and alleviate the hand/wrist injuries but that's all I've heard about so far. I guess my thinking is that the Dallara is more stout and safer than its predecessor but it can still be improved and likely will be ASAP.

RM: I like your imagination and I know Randy Bernard met with Audi and Dodge but nothing materialized. But a start-up Indy engine program would be in the $30m neighborhood.

RM: The racing was good at the front, although Newman/Haas and Forsythe were clearly the class of the field, but it just wasn't very deep past those 5-6 drivers you mentioned " plus AJ Allmendinger and a rookie named Will Power. Certainly not like today or CART in the '90s.

RM: It's puzzling on many fronts but you wonder if Ganassi even bothered to offer JPM a ride in IndyCar. I think The Captain must have a South American sponsor in the wings but maybe he did it to punk Chip. My question is why wouldn't either team owner want Justin Wilson with two-thirds of the schedule road and street races?

As for getting along, Penske likes to breed harmony but Tracy and Little Al were an exception. And JPM was in F1 so his mind games are ready to come out of mothballs. Hope you caught our comprehensive review of Tony Kanaan's season.

RM: The word at Fontana was that Viso didn't want to run Fontana following a bad test and that makes more sense than the other rumor (his check didn't clear because of the government investigation into various sports stars). The plan all along for Andretti Autosport has been to bring in Munoz and most seem to think E.J. is headed for sports cars.

RM: Not being able to test like the old days certainly hurts rookies but it has helped even the playing field. There were 10 different winners in 19 races in 2013 " including little guys like Coyne, Foyt and Schmidt. Sure, the title came down to Ganassi vs. Penske but they hardly dominated. And after talking to Will Power the other day, it sounds like horsepower could approach 800 very soon so that's encouraging.

RM: I guess I'm too old school but adapting to track conditions, be it Terre Haute, Long Beach, Langhorne, Eldora, IMS or Fontana, would seem to be part of the talent required. I don't know if those seams at Fontana are hazardous or fixable but they didn't bite everyone.

RM: I say that oval attendance is down across the board but it's all relative. Sure, Charlotte was half empty and so was Bristol, but that's still 65,000 and 80,000, respectively. Both are damn good crowds in today's sporting worlds. Fontana was up for IndyCar's finale and Pocono was encouraging, but 30,000 is considered a good oval crowd for IndyCar nowadays.

RM: Yup, I thought the biggest mistake at Loudon was not giving it three or four years (like Fontana or Milwaukee or Pocono). When you've been away for 20-some years and then just show up, you can't expect miracles and I think with the right date Loudon could have drawn as well as any oval on IndyCar's schedule in time. But I don't think they had 15,000 in 2011.

RM: Considering the TV ratings and sponsorship challenges, I'm thrilled there have been 24-26 regulars the past two years. The only time more cars are necessary would be Pocono and Fontana. But the only way to raise the car count would be lower costs and raise purses. I guess IndyCar sees the success NASCAR has with keeping the same number and I know Target likes Dixon 9 and Franchitti 10.

RM: Aero kits are on schedule for 2015 with Honda and Chevrolet the only two participants so far. No new engine rumors and a couple of GP2 teams inquired about IndyCar but that was a long time ago and that's all gone quiet.

Q: Robin, in the battle between Bronte Tagliani vs. Kirsten Dee, who is the winner and why?David, Waxhaw, N..C

RM: Good Lord, David, that's tougher than A.J. vs.Mario. It's a dead heat. Two dazzlers from Australia who are as pretty on the inside as they are when we're staring at them. Bronte keeps getting better looking and Kirsten has the prettiest eyes in the paddock. Tag and Hinch are the luckiest men in North America but hopelessly out of their league. Bastards.

RM: I'm not privy to numbers but ABC has owned the Indy 500 since the 1980s and it pays a fee (although nothing like the old days) to air Indianapolis and five other races. NBC Sports Network signed a 10-year deal (when it was VERSUS) to show IndyCar for supposedly $5 million a season. Both networks try to work in harmony with the series and promoters but not sure market size is a determining factor.

RM: Actually it's more like three hours on NBC Sports Network so it might make more sense on ABC on a packed weekend.

RM: I think we were hoping that Greg Pickett or Wayne Taylor would jump to IndyCar but it's not happening. I had lunch with Alex Gurney a couple weeks ago and it didn't sound promising for GAINSCO to even be in sports cars, but just this week Stallings confirmed to Marshall that a solution had been found and they were sticking with the TUSCC.

RM: First off, I think if Brazil stayed on the schedule, Go Daddy might have stuck around to at least be an associate sponsor for Hinch. It's true, they want to conquer Europe and Formula 1 would be a natural. Would Bernie welcome Danica with open arms? That would be the key.

Q: Could IndyCar have bets like horse racing? I think they could increase ticket costs by $5 and use that as a bet, where you pick a winner and if he wins, that money will be split by everyone who'd picked him/her. That would increase attendance numbers for sure. Since you can buy a ticket, bet on a wild-card and go home with more money than you came.Giu Canbera, Sao Paulo, Brazil

RM: There is no doubt that parimutuel wagering at the track would help attendance and Randy Bernard looked into it back in 2011 but didn't get much support. He was told the threat of fixing a race would likely prevent it ever happening. But he kept telling those people he was in IndyCar " not NASCAR.

RM: Originally I figured it would either be one of those series that lasts six months or it would never get started at all, but it sounds like it's got some potential because of the manufacturers and groups who want to get involved. But I can't see Baltimore hosting another race, too controversial and expensive.

RM: I had dinner with Will Power the other night and he was saying the engines are starting to get some muscle and may be near 800hp next year on road courses. He said for the first time it felt a little like a Champ Car, so that's encouraging. But I'm not sure people are suddenly going to flock to the track or turn on television just because there are some different cars and engines. It might help Indy for practice and qualifying but not sure we can go back in this economy. Maybe blow up the rules and open things up to anything with four wheels and an engine.

RM: USAC cut the arms and legs off every midget and sprint driver in 1970 when it took the dirt races out of the national championship. End of story and it's never coming back as much as many of us would love to see dirt races return. But at the risk of sounding blasphemous, IndyCar is still the most diverse series in the world because it has four disciplines.

RM: My take is that Scott Brayton would have won because A.J. would have stuffed Mario into the wall as he tried to pass on the last lap. I think Honda wants Sato to stay with A.J.

RM: You want to sit in one of the Vistas in the corners so you can see the action. Vista Deck is the primo ticket but I think they raised the price. But also get a bronze badge so you can hang in Gasoline Alley and take a ride on the IMS tour bus after you visit the museum. Go to the Little 500 or Night Before 500 midget race at IRP and get a breaded tenderloin at the Mug N Bun on West 10th Street?and charge it to Ganassi.

RM: No Fast Freddie stories but I was lucky enough to race a midget at Williams Grove and Penn National and they were both great, tacky tracks with super fans.

Q: How good do you think Little Al could have been if he had been able to stay focused on racing? Also I have been a Tony Stewart fan for many years and have always wanted him to take another shot at Indy and then maybe further down the road go to Le Mans. Is there any chance of either happening and do you think Roger Penske might end up with a Porsche P1 at Le Mans in 2015?

RM: Well he'll go down as one of the best of his era anyway, but I suppose he could have easily been a three- or four-time Indy winner. Doubt if we'll see Stew run the Indy 500 again and who knows about The Captain? He's full of surprises.

RM: I saw Lawson got a raw deal and was a helluva racer who I wish would have stayed with Steve Horne. And Pelican Joe is still one of my heroes.

RM: I think Kurt has refocused on NASCAR, but AA's switch probably didn't help.

RM: That's the popular theory that kids don't care about fast cars and engines anymore and it's likely true since iPads and smart phones rule the day. I was at Dan Gurney's shop recently with Parnelli Jones and we were looking at the pictures of kids from a bygone era street racing, throwing together jalopies, tinkering with cars and I'm not sure that happens anymore. Instead, they play racing games on computers, where the crashes don't hurt and don't cost a dime.