Robin Miller's Mailbag for June 18 presented by Honda Racing/HPD

And if you have a question about the technology side of racing, remember that Marshall Pruett tackles them in his Tech Mailbags each week. Please send tech questions to PruettsTechMailbag@Racer.com.

RM: Tony is a co-owner of ECR and goes to all the races but prefers to be in the background. He was in victory lane at Texas and NBCSN interviewed him after the race. I usually mention their relationship in stories but not always because it's not always pertinent (like when Ed named Mike Conway to run all the road races) and, to be honest, not as newsworthy as it was a few years ago. TG is just part of the team.

Q: Ordinarily I take anything posted in forums about IndyCar with a grain of salt. That is especially so with rumors as quite often the poster is way off or doesn't know what they are talking about half the time. However, something caught my eye on a forum re: Ed Carpenter. The poster says Fuzzy's Vodka is dropping him and the team for 2015. They said in the post that a Larry Walker, whomever the heck he is, is the source of that info. What's the real deal on this? I haven't heard it reported or rumored elsewhere by anyone remotely credible in racing journalism so I'm doubting it thus far.
Geoff in Toronto

RM: First off, Larry Walker is a former Indy car owner who is one of my best friends and a longtime Indy 500 fanatic. We have dinner once a week with a bunch of old racers and he asked me the other night if I'd heard that Fuzzy's might be in financial problems and getting out of sponsorship in 2015. I said I'd heard the rumor but that the man who owns Fuzzy's (Stuart Reed) wasn't dependent on the sale of vodka so it might not have an affect on the sponsorship. Hope not anyway; it's too good a team and story to lose the main sponsor but, if it would happen, I think the success of Ed and Mike Conway make it easier to find another one. I have no idea how it ended up on a forum.

Q: Every race/qualifying session this season has been more interesting for me due to the participation of Will Power. As an example, at the most recent Texas race, when it seemed like the race was a foregone conclusion, here comes Will barreling past everyone in front of him only to fall a half a lap short and I was rewarded for watching the entire race. That is why I watch the races – to see drivers give it everything they have every race.

My frustration is it seems like most of the conversation about Will is about his mistakes, penalties, (comments like "dive bomb" and "amateur move") and how other drivers are suffering because of his driving style (poor Mr. Pagenaud), etc. It seems most viewers have conveniently forgotten the past three years and the many times Will has been driven over (thanks JR) and into and so on. I guess what I am trying to say is: quit bitching and just understand it is just racing. If you are looking for perfect racing, well I have never seen it, and every driver is guilty of bouncing somebody out of their way (just ask Josef Newgarden about Indy 500 champ Ryan Hunter-Reay) but I want to watch drivers racing each other, not being polite to each other, and the occasional incident is "just racing."

If viewers are so worried about Will and his driving...as the wise one Mr. Miller said "He's consistently been the quickest and winningest driver of the past five years because he's damn good and I don't see him throttling back any time soon. Might it cost him the championship? Sure, but he gets Verizon a lot of good mileage with winning races and somebody suggested he was the new Paul Tracy, which isn't a bad thing in my book."

‬And, speaking of Paul Tracy, thanks for suggesting him to be a part of the broadcast team. What a great addition. He makes it even more interesting, works well with Townsend and is not afraid to speak his mind. Would you consider asking Paul (possibly on air) which drivers currently in IndyCar, he would love to race against and why? Long live the Thrill from West Hill. Too bad Paul did not decide to own a racing team, now that would be IndyCar Theater. Chrome Horn Racing, Luchador Blue Mist Racing and West Hilla Thrilla Racing. What say you Robin?
Peter Canizaro

RM: Power is polarizing and always worth the price of admission, just like P.T. always was in his heyday. Sometimes it's fun just to go out to a corner and watch his line or speed compared to everyone else. The Captain doesn't want him to become IndyCar's villain but it's exactly what IndyCar needs and Will just might embrace it. Does he make mistakes? Sure, but he's got the talent to overcome a lot of them and watching him tear through the field at Detroit was entertaining. I look at street racing as a contact sport so things usually even out during the course of a season and he's likely got a couple shots coming.

As for PT, he did race against quite a few of these guys – Power, Castroneves, Dixon, Wilson, Pagenaud, Bourdais, Montoya, and so on; he respected their talents, but felt he could match them, and he was right. And he's way too money-smart to put his savings into team ownership.

Q: I have finally convinced my wife (not a fan but a good sport) to spend the weekend at Pocono for the race. I have never been to the track. Where do you recommend we sit to watch the races? I am planning to camp inside the track in order to get a more intimate experience. I know last year was the first race in decades, but any advice on how to make the most of the weekend would be appreciated.
Barry‬, Harrisonburg, VA‬‬‬‬

RM: My suggestion is to go to PoconoRaceway.com and browse all your options, which are many. There's a special camping page with prices but the best bargain is a two-day paddock pass for $50 and then you could watch from the inside of the Tunnel Turn or Turn 1 if you chose to stay in the infield. A $150 grandstand ticket (best seats in the house) is accompanied by a two-day paddock pass and general admission is only $25 so take your pick and enjoy.

Check out buying your wife a ride in a pace car or 2-seat Indy car – she'll either be hooked or divorce you (smile).

Q: You made a great point in your last mailbag. Why isn't 25,000-30,000 people on race day along with a title sponsor rated as a successful event? This is the definition of a successful event because events that reach those numbers come back year after year. Look, it isn't 1995-2007 anymore. The global economy stinks and all tracks are taking down stands, even Indianapolis. The Brickyard 400 crowd will look terrible, but push the 100,000 mark and probably be the largest NASCAR crowd of the year. However, many think the event is on the verge of being canceled... really?

In the next few months, Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway will host standalone NASCAR Nationwide events with title sponsors and around 10,000 fans, that are successful events. How do I know they are successful? They will both be on the NASCAR Nationwide series schedule next year, too. I think if you went to most oval tracks like Michigan, Chicagoland, Kentucky, Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Gateway, Phoenix, and said "I guarantee you a good title sponsor and 25,000 fans," they would schedule the race ASAP. So can't we all just be happy when 25,000-30,000 people show up?

PS: The one thing NASCAR does a better job of than IndyCar is not showing aerial shots during their broadcasts of empty seats. My guess is NASCAR directs TV not to show them.
Matt Converset, Decatur, IN

RM: NASCAR's lucrative TV contract helps ease the pain of all those empty seats but I imagine NASCAR makes you take a Nationwide and/or Truck race to keep your Cup date or dates.

But you are right, it's a different time and 30,000 people for a baseball game or an auto race has to be considered successful. And if you don't have a strong title sponsor it's almost impossible to make it with today's smaller turnouts. What open-wheel fans have to realize is that even if Bristol is only half full, it's still a helluva crowd compared to most sporting events – ditto for the Brickyard, although if they get 70,000 it will be a shock. We have to accept that 30k is OK.

Q: We keep talking about dwindling number of fans in IndyCar, whether it's at the track or on TV. What motorsports series is on the rise and what are they doing that IndyCar isn't? I watch F1 and their numbers seem to be holding steady or growing. Hundreds of millions of dollars help that I guess?
Brad, Coeurdalene, Idaho

RM: That's a great question. SuperCross packs arenas with lots of young fans because motorcycles appeal to kids/teenagers/young adults and the show is non-stop action. I guess it's growing or at least staying strong along with the World of Outlaws while everything else, from NASCAR to IndyCar to NHRA to USAC to TUDOR sports cars, has their strongholds and weak sisters. Bernie could care less about attendance because his television contract is the lifeblood of F1 but most F1 venues – at least, the longstanding ones – seem packed. And NASCAR's TV package is stout, just like their ratings compared to most.

Q: Beware of Gene Haas. Do not lose the best young American open-wheel talent. There is a lot of speculation of who would fill Haas' open seats. The RACER.com article talks about an experienced #1 which makes complete sense, but he wants a talented American in the second seat. Rossi and Daly make a very shortlist of good candidates. The only other name I would put on that short list right now is Karam.
Ryan in West Michigan

RM: I don't know what to think because today there's a story that he wants a paid driver so I wouldn't get too excited about losing anybody. If that team turns a wheel it will be a major surprise, regardless of the driver.

Q: It appears that Derrick Walker is in talks to add more races for next year, and some classic IndyCar tracks are in the mix. In the article they seem to talk a bit about bringing IndyCar back to MIS, but that the big holdup is on the NASCAR-centric mindset held by the big racing promoters and track owners. I live in Grand Rapids, Mich., and this year I've been to both the 500 followed by the whole Belle Isle weekend. MIS is geographically closer than both Detroit and Indy, yet I've never been to MIS because NASCAR doesn't excite me at all except for 5.5 percent of their races (Sonoma/Glen). The only thing that would get me to go to MIS is IndyCar, and I can only imagine attending the "U.S. 500" over Labor Day weekend at MIS. So I guess my question is two-fold: 1. What do you think the odds are of IndyCar returning to MIS? 2. Do you think the whole NASCAR-centric mindset will ever go away?

And please join Twitter because the internet needs more truth and so that your fans can talk to you from the track! #WinkWink
Jared in Grand Rapids

RM: People say MIS can't happen as long as Belle Isle is on the schedule but the bigger question is when would you run it? June and August are NASCAR dates so maybe July or September. The racing at MIS was always good but the crowds kept dwindling so it's probably going to take a major sponsor like General Motors for MIS to ever take another shot.

Will I be joining Twitter? #HellNo

 

Q: I read that IndyCar is thinking about races in Brazil and Dubai for next season, but has there been any traction on returning to race in Australia for next year or beyond? As an expat living Down Under, I'd love to be able to go to an IndyCar race again.
Paul in NZ

RM: Not sure there's any traction but there's always hope among the teams that IndyCar returns to Australia. Probably wouldn't be Surfers Paradise because of the downtown changes but there are several places that could draw – especially with Power, Dixon and Briscoe. A New Zealand/Aussie doubleheader would be keen but, again, it's an expensive proposition for a promoter. Surfers lost millions but had government funding.

Q: In regards to the internationalization of the series, it is good to hear that Brazil is making a comeback and dipping into the pockets of the oil states is nothing short of brilliant. My question is in the quest for more international dates why not pursue some of the former Grand Prix locations that Formula 1 has recently abandoned such as Valencia (street course in Spain), Turkey and Korea? IndyCar could go there for a fraction of the cost and put on a show with tighter racing and greater driver access for a fraction of what the Bernie tax is. It could be a money maker for the teams and the teams can always use a cash injection especially if in four or five flyaway races the teams could pocket seven figures per car. As for the schedule, I think a 24-round schedule would be a nice mix of ovals, streets, and natural terrain. I know the race at Belle Isle kind of precludes another race weekend for the state of Michigan but the return of MIS would also be great.
CJ Shoemaker, West Michigan

RM: I believe Mark Miles is exploring everything but the key is finding cities or countries willing to shell out big bucks for a sanction fee and that limits your options. Korea might be the best suggestion but there's usually a good reason Bernie doesn't go back to a track and he usually bleeds them dry.

Q: Why do you think John Menard has not at least tried to put a bid in for the Indy 500? Menard slowly fizzled out of IndyCar and I wonder if he still has that passion for the 500 like he used to? I've been a fan of Menard Racing all the way back to Herm Johnson in the early 1980s. Menard always had an obsession over the 500. His cars were fast and he was driven to win it as an owner. He was so happy when Paul Menard won the Brickyard and they talked about the love of IMS. Just wish an owner with deep pockets like Menard would come back and put a few more on the grid or at least make it so the 500 entry list would bring bumping back.
Chad Higley

RM: Who's to say he hasn't? Better yet, who says it's for sale? He sponsored Tony George's cars so they have a relationship and I imagine if it went on the market Menard would look at it. He loves IMS and the Indy 500 but he loves his son's NASCAR racing more and he told me a couple years ago that spec cars/engines don't interest him. If that changes, I think you'd see him back as an Indy 500 competitor.

Q: I'll agree that IndyCar racing has been better the past few years. Where else could a one-car team nearly win the Indy 500 and then win at Texas against the big budget multi-car efforts of the three biggest teams in IndyCar? Certainly not Formula 1, which saw four years of dominance by Red Bull, now showing dominance by Mercedes, and before that was dominance by Ferrari.

So why do I always watch the F1 race first, and then usually (but not always) get to the IndyCar race (and that is only after watching the MotoGP race)? Part of it is the hype of F1. All new engines, a resetting of the guard, the problems of Renault, why isn't Kimi performing better, the team battle between Rosberg and Hamilton, etc. I don't see any of that energy coming out of IndyCar. Which is sad, because with the exception of Canada the F1 races this year haven't been spectacular.

Another reason is TV coverage. Formula 1 has for years had the best TV crew, period, bar none, end of story. NBCSN has really closed that gap, especially by adding Paul Tracy. But ABC's crew snore. That said, I don't mind the "fenders" in the current Indy Car at all. I don't think the cars are ugly, certainly not compared to modern era F1 cars!
Bill Jurasz, Austin, TX

RM: I think IndyCar has some decent storylines: Ganassi is winless, Power and Helio trying to close the deal on their first title, RHR and Andretti hot or cold, the resplendent rookie crop and Ed Carpenter's two-headed monster. IndyCar is testing the aero kits today at Pocono so maybe that can add another angle to 2015. P.T. is doing a good job, just like most of us expected.

Q: You referred to "Bobby Unser restarts" a few times. Who was the best at snookering other drivers on restarts?
Gerry Courtney, San Francisco, CA

RM: Bill Vukovich Jr. was a master of it in midgets (the USAC midget director used to warn him about no more California restarts) but I think Uncle Bobby remains the king.

Q: I went to the Firestone 600. In the spirit of trying to bring some youth to the sport we all love, I brought along my girlfriend and her two teenage sons. I got a great deal off the TMS website: 4 tickets, 4 hotdogs, and 4 sodas for $80. Not much more than what movie tickets with popcorn and soda cost. I went to the Houston race last year. That was the first race I'd ever attended. This being my second, I had high expectations. I love the fact that from our seats you could see the entire track during the race and not just the 100 yards in front of you. The experience from the stands was great as far as I'm concerned. My biggest gripe would be the fan area or midway (or a lack of) outside the track. Other than the official Fan Zone there was very little compared to Houston. TMS was little more than food and T-shirt vendors lined up in front of the track. Houston almost felt like a state fair with a music stage with local acts going all day long, beach volleyball, and even an area with kiddie-sized amusement park rides.

Something TMS should have advertised is that the parking was free and the Fan Zone was accessible without buying a ticket! You didn't need a ticket until you entered the actual grandstands! Why do they not advertise this? Get people to come for the free parking and Fan Zone while having an early afternoon warm-up session. People hearing the roar of the cars just out of their sight would have them lining up to buy up all those empty seats you could see on TV (at least for the $20 a seat I paid).

Also the lack of Paddock access sucks! Paddock access was included with the ticket at Houston. TMS wanted another $60 a head for "infield passes." At Houston I actually had to walk through the paddock to get to my seat. After a little online research it seems that the tin tops offer little to no paddock access at all. I would assume that a track like TMS that is heavy into the Tin Tops does not recognize the importance of this to IndyCar fans. I now understand why the street courses have such good turnouts while many of the ovals have attendance problems. I plan on trying to make one race a year in person. I think I'll skip TMS next year and stick with Houston, Barber, or maybe New Orleans if it happens.

P.S. the boys had a good time anyway.
John in Arkansas

RM: First off, thanks for introducing some new fans to IndyCar, we need 'em. Your comparison of experiences is likely why oval attendance has declined over the years and street races have better luck drawing people. No question that Texas offers a fantastic view (along with that awesome video screen on the backstretch) of the action and oval-track fans come to watch the speeds and close racing all the way around. Hardcore oval-trackers don't get the lure of street racing and I always marveled that people will pay $100 to watch 80 yards of action at a street race. But the key is that from Surfer's Paradise to Long Beach to Houston to Detroit to Toronto – it's the non-stop entertainment factor. Be it one race after another like at Long Beach for the past 30 years, the volleyball games and beer gardens at Toronto or the fan zones at Houston, there's something for everyone. Milwaukee added a nice family atmosphere but too often ovals have nothing but dead air or two-seat rides before the main event and that doesn't seem to hold enough people's attention. And, with some of the late starting times, it's necessary to keep your crowd entertained.

 

Q: I attended the IndyCar race at Texas Motor Speedway a couple weeks ago and I think that race is getting too much criticism because fans are getting too picky. I hadn't been to an IndyCar race in several years (last one was in Denver) because of putting my own racing first and also geography, but I enjoyed the race and so did the three neighbors that I took with me. The cars looked fast and sounded good. Maybe the race wasn't the best one in recent years, but people forget that many of the races in the past (even in the heyday of CART) didn't have close finishes. At least there was an interesting finish and it was fun watching some of the guys coming from further back in the pack (Montoya, Aleshin). Anyway, I've been following IndyCar since the late '50s and have seen virtually every IndyCar and F1 race since I got cable in the early '80s. I still really enjoy IndyCar and I wish the rest of the racings fans would wake up.

By the way, I loved your video series on Dan Gurney. He was one of my heroes when I started racing in SoCal. I made many visits to his Eagle F1 car when it was sitting in the old Briggs Cunningham museum in Costa Mesa. I even bought a part for my FV once at the AAR shop!
Charles, Alto, NM

RM: It's true, between those old IRL nailbiters and recent close finishes on ovals/street circuits and road courses and the good racing provided by the DW12, we've been spoiled. Texas was exciting at the end thanks to a restart, but had decent racing all evening throughout the field. It's just that 22 cars get strung out so there's some running in place but I remember USAC races where the winner was a lap or two ahead of SECOND PLACE so I guess beauty remains in the eye of the beholder. Glad you enjoyed the Gurney series. Now if we could just talk him into running for President.

Q: On the issue of IndyCar promotion, you cannot promote boring. Next year's Indy 500 race weekend, on Saturday they need to grid 66 Indy Lights, two cars must share one pit stall, race distance 435 miles with the winner taking home $2.5 million dollars. Eligible drivers must be American- or Canadian-born citizens. Offer a $2.5 million bonus on Sunday's Indy 500 if one of the top five Indy Light finishers wins the 500. I would bet most of the 33-car Sunday field would be American born or Canadian born drivers. Promotion problem solved. ‬‬‬‬
Loren‬ Doolittle‬‬‬

RM: I think a $2.5 million payout for the Lights winner would certainly draw more than 12 cars but 66 might be a stretch. However, your plan should insure more North American participation behind the wheel. At least in Lights.

Q: Still thinking about the crowd at Texas. I'm sorry, "crowd" in this reference is an oxymoron. Again, some of us know there is an IndyCar Series out there somewhere but with this meager schedule ending in August, who'd know?

Regarding IndyCar, the only thing I've seen in the media lately is, former IndyCar star may race for Haas next year in F1. Now there's a crowd pleaser, another series for her to flop in, but of course that will never happen. My comments this week are about business sense – right now racing is the only business I know of who continues to put its product out there with declining interest. Hasn't anyone in their business every heard of Business 101, Market Saturation? The paying fans just don't give a crap about so many venues. I'm not counting all the great small tracks where sprint cars are king but we don't need the so-called featured series along with all the feeder events. Trucks have been a joke for years.

Remember Winter Heat? It started as a down-time series before NASCAR kicked in to start the season? The only reason the trucks even existed initially was for greedy manufacturers to promote their products in the market. Nationwide is nothing but an adverting show for the sponsors. Did someone mention GoDaddy in my ear? What a farce; it's all about the advertising hooks. Even the king, NASCAR, has less and less attendance every race. Racing as we know it is a thing of the past. It was great to see over 300k at Le Mans which, like the Indy 500, is an iconic race that everyone knows and wants to see at least once. The crowds for F1 are huge at every race, except Austin. You can hardly find a place to stand at any foreign MotoGP race. So maybe it's time for the powers to be to re-think their business models. Market Saturation has a grip on racing and it's time for some sense to prevail.
Grumpy Gary

RM: No argument that the Truck attendance at Texas was pathetic and I've never understood why the Truck Series continues to exist. But I still need to know your marketing strategy. Just IndyCar alone? Only run races at IMS three times a year? Other than the Indy 500, most venues need a support race or races. And, BTW, MotoGP doesn't draw very well at Indianapolis.

Q: No booth team has ever been as stellar as the SPEED Channel F1 team of Varsha, Hobbs & Matchet, but NBC's choice to add R. Miller to the ground crew was probably once of its best decisions. Your interviewing/reporting style is entertaining, informative & easy on the ears. ABC's booth crew is the worst in sports because they are too homogeneous and PC. NBCS is good when they have Diffey, Hobbs or Machet; but only OK otherwise (although Paul Tracy was a great choice). There are many of us who'd like to see R. Miller in the NBCS booth. Any chance of that? You might have to wear a suit & tie.
Randy Barnes

RM: Well that's kind of you to support the elderly (Hobbs and myself) and I think Leigh Diffey, Townsend Bell and P.T. are as good as anybody at keeping things lively and keeping fans informed. I got to be in the booth last year at Houston and last month on Carb Day (and didn't have to wear a coat or tie either time) and it's always fun. It's difficult to fit seven voices into a telecast so I'm happy to be on the team. Thanks for watching.

Q: Along the lines of Alan Bandi's question in the June 11 Mailbag regarding the beer sponsors, why aren't we seeing more of the energy drink sponsors? Red Bull has two F1 teams and massive sponsorship everywhere you look – off-road trucks, Supercross, WRC, extreme sports, UFC fighters – you name it. There's probably a Red Bull chess team somewhere in Russia. Monster Energy also has sponsorship all over, including title sponsorship of Supercross. Full Throttle was the title sponsor of the NHRA for a couple of years. I would think with how much money these energy drink companies put into advertising, there could easily be a Monster or Red Bull car in the "500" field, if not a full-time team. Why don't they have any interest in IndyCar?

Some of the stuff they sponsor is relatively obscure (off-road trucks come to mind – great racing, but I don't know what the TV ratings and attendance figures are like), so I can't buy the "TV ratings aren't high enough" argument by itself. Or is the cost of sponsoring an IndyCar team just too high for the exposure it gives, kind of stuck in the middle of the relatively affordable obscure racing and the high-visibility/high-cost racing? Or are the drivers just not the personalities they want representing their products?
Travis Rassat

RM: Well you have to remember that Red Bull fielded an IRL team with Eddie Cheever (Tomas Scheckter damn near won Indy as a rookie) for a couple seasons in the early 2000s before bailing. Is it because young people gravitate more toward X Games, off-road, motorcycles, drifting and monster trucks? Or because F1 has a global TV audience of millions and millions? Or because IndyCar doesn't offer enough exposure for the money outside the Indy 500? I'd say all of the above.

Q: All the talk of versatile drivers in the old days brought back memories of Danny Ongais. The Flying Hawaiian raced in Formula 1, Indy cars, AA Dragsters, sports cars and motorcycles! Now that is a really versatile resume.
DeWitt Angevine

RM: On-The-Gas was very versatile after overcoming a slow start in sprints and Indy cars (got turned down for his license) and a damn good road racer who was fearless on ovals.

Q: I just finished reading "Black Noon The Year They Stopped the Indy 500," a racing book by Art Garner that the Mailbag has praised. I was a reporter for The Indianapolis News stationed at the inside wall out of the fourth turn in 1964. I saw MacDonald's red Mickey Thompson racer (pictured ABOVE) spinning into the wall in front of me, triggering the seven-car inferno. I respect author Garner's trivia (race winner A.J. Foyt eating his post-victory dinner at a White Castle; a Lola F1 suspension expert hired by Thompson "at (a) $2.60 hourly wage, nearly twice what he was making in F1" ) but the point of the book was Thompson had created radical, extremely low "pancake" cars that many drivers and owners thought were unsafe as they shred body panels and repeatedly spun and crashed. Yet the book never shows a photo of a 1964 Mickey Thompson racecar. It's like writing about the Hindenburg without a photo of the gas bag. Who stopped Garner from including such a photo? It can't be just an oversight on the author's part. What happened?
David Mannweiler

RM: I sent Art an e-mail last night about your question and here's his response: "Mr. Mannweiler is right, there are no pictures of the Thompson car other than the close-ups with Dave in it. Went with photos of the people instead. In retrospect, maybe should have included a broader shot of the car, especially considering it was so controversial."

I think the famous shot of the car from the side, showing how high the ride height was without the low-profile tires, illustrated the concern. So I think Art agrees with you, David, but I told him it certainly didn't ruin his fine job of reporting on one of the pivotal months in American motorsports. By the way, I liked you better as a humorist and columnist than a racing reporter but the fact you were a founding father of the Last Row Party makes you forever a Hall of Famer. Tom Bigelow and Eldon Rasmussen say hello.

Q: Just about finished reading "Beast" by Jade Gurss. Great read! (and several mentions of one Indianapolis Star reporter) and it's so good that I keep putting it down because I don't want it to end. It makes me a bit nostalgic though as the 1994 Indy 500 where the "Beast" ran and the 1995 Indy 500 where Penske couldn't make the show due to late rule changes, were the last truly good, innovative "500s." So much so, I wasted three and a half hours at work yesterday watching the 1994 500 on YouYube. It was so much fun watching Mario, Michael, Emerson, Al Junior, Bobby (Rahal), Raul, PT, Nigel and others race again.

To see a younger Roger Penske, Dick Simon, who had six cars in the show, and bringing a tear to my eye, Paul Newman. To hear Paul Page, Danny Sullivan and Uncle Bobby call a race like it should be was priceless. And those cars! The racing has been good of late but it's still a spec series. One couldn't develop a "Beast" under these rules. Anyone who wants to see what it was like in the old days should watch one of these races. Innovation, great pageantry, great racing and great fun. Oh, and everyone who enjoys racing should read "Beast" by Jade Gurss. You won't be sorry.
Bill Phypers, Brewster, NY

RM: I kid Jade because he co-authored a best-selling book with Dale Earnhardt Jr. that probably netted him a nice check but "Beast" is a much better read for us old-schoolers. The secrecy and cloak-and-dagger way Penske went about the month reminds us of what a great Trojan Horse it turned out to be. It also reminds us of the Novi, Eagle, McLaren, Lotus, Gerhardt, Huffaker, Watson, Wildcat, March, Reynard, Lola and Penske and how we anticipated their performance every winter when testing began.

Q: I really enjoyed the Gurney video series. I hope you can do more with Mario, A.J., Parnelli, Gordy, J.R., the Unsers and many more. We've already lost our chance with Gary B. and Rube so I hope it can happen and happen soon.‬‬

Maybe I overlooked it, but it seems to me the announcers never mention the car sponsors during the races. As much as I cringe at NASCAR coverage they seem to do a better job of getting the car sponsors some airtime. It seems a small thing but with the small area for sponsor names on the current cars some verbal assistance might give sponsorship some viability. I still miss the days of every car being the "Something or Other Special." Lastly, tell Curt Cavin to get a decent haircut. No grown man should run around looking like Ralph Wiggum from The Simpsons.‬‬
John Fulton, Akron, Ohio

RM: Thanks for watching, I know Dan and I had fun making it and I hope there's more to come on RACER.com with the legends you mentioned. No doubt that NASCAR goes out of its way (shamelessly I might add) to mention sponsors compared to IndyCar telecasts but I do think ABC and NBCSN get in sponsor plugs when it's timely. CC had that haircut when I hired him at The Star in 1987 and he was nicknamed "Moe," in honor of the dearly departed Stooge.