Robin Miller's Mailbag for January 27, presented by Honda Racing / HPD-86863
Welcome to the Robin Miller Mailbag as presented by Honda Racing / HPD. You can follow the Santa Clarita, California-based company at:
http://hpd.honda.com/
and on social media at@HondaRacing_HPD
and https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPDYour questions for Robin should continue to be sent to millersmailbag@racer.com We cannot guarantee we’ll publish all your questions and answers, but Robin will reply to you. And if you have a question about the technology side of racing, Robin will pass these on to Marshall Pruett and he will also answer here.
article about the Indy 500's presenting sponsor
was very well written. Many people on the negative side know nothing about running a business. I fully agree that the majority [of the money] should go towards the purse and the rest in a trust to be spent privately on such needs as providing for the immediate families in case of a driver being killed during the season in a racing accident. IMS sold themselves short, but we don't know what other offers they had pending. My guess is none. How many potential sponsors were approached? Surely, they did not accept the first deal offered. However, this is IMS management we are discussing. Clabber Girl must not be selling as well as it had 20 years ago. Keep the fires burning.Thomas Grimes, Waco, TX
RM: Mark Miles said there was a bit of a bidding war but didn't go into specifics, so I would imagine two or three companies saw the price and exposure as a decent bargain. I truly thought they might try and sell a one-time title sponsorship for the 100th race, but Miles said that was never in the plans.
Q: We all love IMS and welcome anything to stabilize and financially infuse the Speedway and IndyCar. But this presenting sponsor (God love 'em) just comes off as secondary, and, 'meh' (shrug of the shoulders). Would anyone complain if Coke, McDonalds, Visa, IBM, or any top tier elite, multinational corporation stepped up with sponsorship dollars? Heck no. Win-win! It just seems that this is best they could do; this is all that stepped up, and that is the saddest part of all. Not that tradition has fallen again, but that this barely moves the meter. Let's hope that this may stem the tide of ticket increases and $10 tenderloins.
Michael Gruber
RM: I think you pretty much nailed it, because everyone would have been impressed if one of those big corporations had ponied up and this appears to be the best offer, or fit, since D.A. Lubricants is again involved with IndyCar. It's not a game-changer but, like I wrote, it gives us an accurate idea of where Indy and IndyCar rank on the food chain, compared to 25 years ago when Marlboro wanted to throw in millions.
Q: As we have lightly discussed, the business of racing is changing so quickly its impossible to be ahead of it. To a certain extent, there is no right answer because of how far the world in general has come in such a short period of time, from a content, media, and business standpoint. This trickle-down affect as it relates to racing creates a tremendous divide between the fanbase. So it is one of the few times that the customer can be wrong. IndyCar is dealing with the same problems IMSA, NASCAR, and Uncle Bernie are, just with much smaller market share (IMSA obviously excluded). The sooner we stop comparing today's racing to yesterday's for solid business strategy, the sooner it will begin the process of stabilizing.
Matt Busby, track operations, NCM Motorsports Park
RM: Good point. I think about the millions and millions of dollars spent in CART's heyday from sponsors and manufacturers, and today we have a fraction of that. It's not because the racing isn't good, it's just the reality that IndyCar is way behind baseball, basketball, football, hockey, golf and even soccer in terms of what people are watching. Whether it's fair or not, a company's decision is greatly influenced by television ratings and/or attendance. That's why Indy (a 4.1 last May which is 6.3 million viewers) is still marketable and Dennis Reinbold can find the funding for a one-off effort.
interview you had with Mark Miles and Graham Rahal
and have a couple of follow-up questions. First, I was surprised to see that D-A Lubricant's Penn Grade Motor Oil would be the 500's presenting sponsor in May. I thought would be Sherwin-Williams. I understood that they opted to put their sponsorship money into the 100th Indy 500 instead of revamping the Cleveland Grand Prix. So what is Sherwin-Williams' role at Indy now? Second, I have to say that I was impressed with the responses that Rahal gave to your questions. Is Graham Rahal the best interview in IndyCar right now? And should he replace some of the older drivers as the face of the series?Don Davis
RM: Sherwin-Williams is the official paint of the Indy 500 and IndyCar and evidently got some sweetheart deals for this May and, therefore, opted not to go back to Cleveland. Young Rahal was a good interview when he was 18 and he's right at the top along with Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, Tony Kanaan and James Hinchcliffe.
Q: TK, Simon, Dixie, and RHR are racing in this weekend's Daytona 24; Dixie and TK on the same team. I know so much can happen in a 24 Hour race, but which one of these racers has the best chance to win, and which one has the skills to make a smoother transition from one series to the other?
Gerry Courtney, San Francisco, CA
RM: Probably Kanaan and Dixon because of Ganassi's track record in that race, but Pagenaud and Bourdais are the more experienced sports car drivers. Don't forget both were Peugeot factory drivers at Le Mans; Bourdais has three Le Mans podiums; and Pagenaud won the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ABOVE).
Q: With the recent announcement of the Indy 500 having a title sponsor for the first time ever, I'm curious what your thoughts are. Obviously, it must be a good thing to bring an interested brand on-board, but will this be the news that lays to rest any rumors about a pending sale of our beloved Brickyard?
Jerry Laake, Davenport, IA
RM: I don't know that it will quell the 'IMS being sold' rumors. Some fairly smart people are convinced that the Speedway is being spit polished for an imminent sale, but I just don't think it's going to happen.
Q: Great job by IndyCar to get a sponsor for the race. No, really. Any way to get money is good by me. Now they should do the right thing and take all $5 million dollars they are getting and give it to the top three finishers.
Jamie Sullivan
RM: I'd rather see $1 million go to the front row and the rest distributed throughout the bottom half of the purse.
Q: Was this the first year that IMS searched for a presenting sponsor for the Indy 500?
Jake Murray
RM: Got no way of knowing that, but I think it's safe to assume under Tony Hulman's reign it was never discussed. I think offers have been made over the years but I doubt if IMS pursued anything until this year because of the 100th running.
Q: Robin, reading your article on the Indy 500 title sponsorship deal reminded me of the Gene Simmons 'I Am Indy' fiasco. If IMS wants a theme song for the race or for the series they should license Mark Knopfler's 'Speedway At Nazarethh'. It's a great song that captures the joy and heartbreak of racing with some pretty good guitar work. Any other songs come to mind?
Mike Nott
RM: 'Faster' by George Harrison - his tribute to Ronnie Peterson and the Formula One circus - is a good one but, obviously, Knopfler's is geared towards IndyCars.
Q: Did you get to cover any of the Penske 50th Anniversary party? Do you know if PT was invited? There's no doubt Penske has changed racing for the better. He's the gold standard and beating that team is a major accomplishment.
Jim Doyle
RM: The media was not invited, but 43 of RP's current and former drivers showed up and I'm sure P.T. got an invite.
there is no cure for stupid".
We certainly know that there is lots of 'stupid' when it comes to the management of IndyCar. It became front and centre with The Split and the IRL, continued on through those glory days of 'I am Indy', and the Boston Consulting Group and a five- month race season. It reached an all-time high with the firing of Randy Bernard, and continues to this day with things such as 'The Chili Bowl is not our demographic'. This is just the peak of stupid that we have seen over the years.My question is: Since there is no cure, what can we as fans do to minimize the effects of stupid, or at least rise above it? Every time IndyCar shoots itself in the foot, we need a special safety team to come to the rescue. (That would be a full time job, eh?) Is the family to blame for this mess, or are they just not involved enough to see what is happening? Is there any way that fans can contact them to offer suggestion? Do they read this Mailbag? Do they care? I am now in my 70s, and have been a motorsports fan since I went to my first car race at age 12. I remember reading about Sam Hanks winning the 1957 500 in the Belond Special, and have followed it ever since, but I'm running out of time for them to get it right.
Keith, Maple Ridge, BC, Canada
RM: I think the best analogy I can come up with is that IndyCar and Cleveland Browns fans have a lot in common. They've both seen some great days in the '60s, '70s and '80s but weathered a lot of disappointment in the past 20 years. They go through coaches and quarterbacks the way IndyCar goes through CEOs and game plans. I think the Hulman/George family is pretty far removed from major IndyCar decisions these days and writing to them would do nothing. Not sure if any of the family reads The Mailbag but sometimes I send Josie George a letter from the Mailbag if I think it would interest her. But, trust me, they all care about the heritage and well being of IMS and how it affects their children going forward.
Jim, Indy
RM: Since Miles was brought in to run Hulman & Company and the board was re-stocked with people outside the Hulman/George clan, I think it's accurate to say the family has a lot less clout in the day-to-day decisions of IndyCar or even IMS. That's not to say that Kyle & Jarrod Krisiloff, Tony George Jr. and Lauren George aren't involved in the day-to-day operations, because they are. Jarrod is IMS senior director of marketing, Kyle is director of IMS corporate initiatives, Tony Jr. is IMS director of competition and performance events and Lauren (a recent Notre Dame grad) is moving up the ladder. When they become board members (right now five of the 12 on the board are Mari, Tony and sisters Josie, Nancy and Kathi), then the balance of power could change. Not sure anyone ever billed Miles as a promoting or marketing guru, but everyone thinks this is just a step towards political office. His job isn't graded on his racing knowledge but rather The Bottom Line and I think the board is very happy with his performance so far.
Q: There were rumors about a third manufacturer interested in joining the IndyCar series. Any new information on that? We are only four months away from the 100th running of the Indy 500 – where is all the advertising? What special activities are being planned? What are they waiting for? I just finished reading '500 Miles To Go' by Al Bloemker. What a great book, and I don't think you have mentioned it in your list of racing books so far. At first I thought it would be a boring read of a lot of statistics, but it reads like a novel with many interesting race stories and details of how the Indy 500 traditions got started.
The new IndyCar logo sucks. I am a designer, so it really disturbs me that they couldn't have come up with something better than that.
See you in St. Pete...
Mark Suska, Lexington, OH
RM: The only name I heard was Volkswagen, but that was a long time ago and before all its problems. Not been much advertising, which tells me ticket sales are going good, but I would imagine some commercials appear by March or April (maybe even from a couple sponsors). Bloemker's book is a good history lesson. I think we're all in agreement the logos for IndyCar and the 100th Indy 500 are pretty lame. No, actually they suck.
Q: Robin I'm getting concerned about the IndyCar race in Boston. Back in December, IndyCar Boston said tickets could go on sale within a week after signing a letter of intent with certain state agencies, the agreement was reached in mid-December. It's now the end of January and still no word. This has to be the only race in any of the major racing leagues that hasn't announced ticket details let alone selling tickets for a race in the current calendar year. Is this race really going to happen or is it just a crazy pipe dream? Can we please just go back to racing in New Hampshire?
Frustrated New England Fan
RM: Mark Miles is at the promoter's meeting in Phoenix and he says the tickets will go on sale Feb. 25th and, yes, I do think it's going to happen despite a lot of negative press from one Boston newspaper. Love to go back to Loudon, but not sure the feeling is mutual.
Sean Brewster
RM: It appears the best chance is Calgary, where Ric Peterson and Hinch have been working for a 2017 race. Vancouver had great attendance but downtown was torn up for the Olympics and, evidently, there's no place to race anymore. Portland, with the Rose Festival and G.I. Joe's, was a big-time event but lost its luster and crowd by the last couple Champ Car shows. I think NBCSN adding NASCAR helped IndyCar's awareness last season and it's going to continue to get better.
Q: With the repaving and reconfiguration taking place at Kentucky, do you think IndyCar will finally make a return soon? What's the latest status on Mexico City? What's your take on Tony Stewart finally calling out Brian France for not being involved enough? Do you think if Montoya left for FIA WEC after 2016 that Newgarden would get a ride with Penske?
Jake Price in Clarksville, TN
RM: I've not heard Kentucky mentioned (other than by the fans) lately but I think all ovals going forward depend on sanction fees, title sponsor and dates. Kentucky started out with good crowds but those faded away so what's the incentive? A 'good guy' price? A five-year contract to give it a chance? A doubleheader with NASCAR Trucks? Spoke with Tavo Hellmund at the Chili Bowl and he showed me photos of his F1 race at Mexico City and the massive crowds. Why? Two Mexican drivers were a big reason, so before IndyCar can ever think about going back it has to have some local talent. That's why we like Stew, he's unfiltered. I would hope The Captain hires Newgarden but I'm starting to think Tim Cindric may have poisoned those waters.
Q: I am a longtime fan of yours, first time email-er. Back in October when the schedule was announced, there was a mention of Gateway Motorsports Park becoming an IndyCar testing facility for 2016. We are still probably a long way off, but I was just wondering if there was any other info as to when it would take place and if it would be open to the public?
Andy Strasser, St. Louis, MO
RM: Thanks for your support Andy. Most IndyCar tests are open to the public but here is a response to your question from Brian Barnhart: "IndyCar had not raced in Gateway for several years, so we inspected the facility and had CFH test there with Ed (Carpenter) driving to make sure the surface was acceptable. All was good so we listed Gateway as an approved facility for testing an IndyCar and the teams can choose to go there with one of their private days of testing in 2016. As far as an organized open test with all of IndyCar like we have next month in Phoenix, we probably won't schedule anything like that until Gateway is going to return to our race schedule for a race event. And at that time it would certainly be considered for a full IndyCar open test."
the Tony Stewart video
about becoming a car owner in IndyCar, the logical first step would be to partner with AJ for a 500 entry with a proven driver.Dave Zilai, Lowell, IN
RM: That's actually a good idea and might be the logical way for Stew to field a car at Indy – with his racing hero.
Q: True of False: Tony Stewart should take a year off, totally away from racing tracks and teams, to get his head together, for himself and for the people who depend on him.
Jeremy from Harrisburg
RM: False. He's doing just fine from what I saw at the Chili Bowl and looking forward to the next stage of his career. Sure it's easy for people to say he shouldn't have gone into the stands to confront the drunk calling him a "murderer" but how many of us would have done the same thing?
Q: At one point Roger Penske owned Michigan, Fontana, and Nazareth. Why did he sell these? Was it no longer worth it when the rulebooks were closed up? Second, Tony Stewart owns a few tracks, how come he hasn't bought North Wilkesboro? The track still exists and I'm sure if Tony owns it, NASCAR would go back and would get a great turnout. Hell, bring IndyCars down there too. I bet it would be a riot. Side note: I was watching an old CART race and when qualifying was cancelled, the field was set by the previous day's practice times. Why is this rule no longer in place, and when did it disappear? It doesn't seem fair that the points' leader gets pole just because it's too rainy. If there were no practice sessions, then yes, go for the points leader, but if a practice session is held, then use those times if qualifying is cancelled for any reason. This would also help spice up practice since teams would know they have to set a good time if weather for qualifying looks iffy. I'm really looking forward to 2016, I hope it's as exciting and unpredictable as 2015 was.
David Zipf, Lexington, KY
RM: Knowing RP I imagine the price was right and his timing was perfect (in the middle of the NASCAR boom) because owning a race track isn't such a bargain anymore unless you have a Cup date. Tony has plenty on his plate and from what I've been told North Wilkesboro needs quite a bit of upgrading. But it would be a great track for Indy cars and the perfect number of seats for an IndyCar oval. Qualifying should always revert back to practice unless everything is rained out but somewhere between CART, IRL, Champ Car and IndyCar, that rule got lost.
your tribute on RACER.com
. I always hated the fact he got hurt so badly in the early 1980s because I thought he was too old to be out there, but he survived and I know he frequented your racer's lunch on Fridays. RIP Hark.Edgar Arnold
RM: Between Indy cars, midgets, dirt cars, stunt flying and stunt driving, I'm not sure anyone lived a more exciting life than Hark. He took me up in his Stearman once in the mid-70s and did it all – outside and inside loops, the Hammerhead, rolls and kept telling me to grunt so I wouldn't pass out. Afterwards I thanked him and then said: "How come you never pass out?" Hark smiled, winked and replied: "Only for a second or two."
Q: I've already added 'The Sheer Force of Will Power' by Will Power and David Malsher to my Amazon wishlist, but I was wondering if you've had a chance to read it yet and if you could provide a preview before it comes out at the end of March. As a millennial, I'm very excited for this release since I grew up during the heyday of CART and it can be difficult to find any books that cover the racing in IndyCar over the past 20 years. Every time I'm visiting my parents, I always pull out a CART yearbook from the late 90s to flip through.
John, Okemos, MI
RM: Haven't got a chance to yet but I know David Malsher put in a lot of hours and it will be a good read.
Q: When Eddie Sachs was driving for Pete Schmidt and Joe Langley he flipped while leading a race. He walked back on the inside of the turn close to the track waving and smiling at the fans, but encountered a very angry Langley in the pits. Asked to explain himself, Sachs supposedly said: "Well, if you can't win, be dynamic." Is James Hinchcliffe (ABOVE) as close as we are going to get to the next 'Clown Prince of Racing'?
Pat Ringley
RM: I think the quote was: "If you can't win, be spectacular," and that's how Donald Davidson remembers it as well. But, despite his propensity to showboat, Sachs draws high praise from A.J. Foyt, who says Eddie didn't know anything about setting up a car but was one of the best drivers he ever competed against. Not sure if Hinch can sing like Sachs did at the old White Front tavern but his personality is destined to take him to the broadcast booth after he's done driving. And he's great with the fans and media – just like Eddie – but also a damn good racer. We co-hosted WIND TUNNEL a couple times together and the people at SPEED said Hinch was made for television, which might explain his good fortune with the opposite sex.
the piece on Phil Krueger
. I was a part of the 1986 team and was with him at Michigan when he got hurt. I had just got out of high school when I got to go to work for Phil in '86 in a garage at the Speedway. It was so cold we ran a small heater for about a week to warm it up in there. When we needed to take the car to be painted, we loaded it in my Dad's old 1972 Ford pickup truck. Phil, Dave and Kent were all a great influence on a young guy and we are all still close. Phil was tough and would get on you pretty hard at times, but it was awesome.I have gone on to teach manufacturing type classes such as CNC, CAD ETC at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY and I wrote the book most people in the U.S. use to teach machine trades. The attention to detail and professionalism I learned from Phil, Dave and Kent was monumental in my life. My wife and I have a little boy who is named after my 1986 race team buddies. His name is Bodie. The I is for Phil the D is from Dave McLaren, The E is from Kent Baker (our car owner in '86). The B is from my dad Billy and the O from Doug Sholty he did graphics on our 86 team. Awesome story Robin!
Brian Janes
RM: Very cool Brian, thanks. I list Krueger as one of the bravest and most determined drivers to ever walk into Gasoline Alley. And your '86 story is exactly what made Indy such a treasure in terms of personal sacrifice, achievement and overcoming the odds. Not sure where Phil is living these days but please say hello for me.
Q: I have always thought that Jeff Gordon was one of the most polite, most professional and most generally all around nice guys in racing. Away from the race track, I think you would have to waterboard him to get him to say something nasty. Which leads me to two questions.
1) How interested was Jeff in IndyCar racing, and will we ever hear his side of the story of what really happened in the pits at the Cleveland GP ? Or was there more than just what happened there? Kranefuss had access to CART's Ford teams, why did he take Jeff south?
2) How do you think the on-air chemistry will be between Jeff and Mr. Booggity-Booggity? I fear that Jeff will be too polite to tell him to shut up and quit hogging the broadcast.
Chris Lukens
RM: My recollection is that John Bickford took Jeff to Cleveland to meet Chip Ganassi, Roger Penske or whomever they could get an audience with and nobody was interested. Of course Gordon wanted to drive IndyCars, he was already an open wheel badass in USAC, and that was his goal. Can't speak for Michael Kranefuss but Ford dropped the ball on Kasey Kahne, among others. Not sure what to expect from Gordon in the booth but I hope he expresses some opinions.
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