PRUETT: Why Bill Pappas is the right man for the job

Pappas has seen and felt the mistakes made by CART, the Indy Racing League, Champ Car, and IndyCar in his role as a top-tier race engineer which, to start, should help as his new employers search for ways to improve its product.

Far from a 'yes man,' Pappas isn't known for keeping quiet when strong opinions are required, and provided he has proper support from IndyCar competition president Jay Frye and IndyCar CEO Mark Miles, his brand of common sense – or dissenting voice – could shape the series in meaningful ways.

IndyCar has a growing need to replace its aging Dallara DW12s with something lighter and safer. Costs on the teams' side, which Pappas experienced through the 2015 season as KV Racing's technical director, continue to escalate and require immediate attention. And other high-profile initiatives – from enhanced driver protection to the basic concept for future Indy cars – would benefit from his direct influence.

Pappas (at left) with Justin Wilson's Dale Coyne Racing crew at Indianapolis.

Where Pappas will be immediately challenged is in the series' relationship with its teams. Phillips, a former race engineer and chassis designer, excelled in the work-related aspects of his job with IndyCar, but ongoing complaints about poor communication, and a general belief by some that their feedback was unwelcome, led to a growing disconnect with the paddock. It's also believed Phillips fell out of favor within some factions inside IndyCar, and with Pappas' availability, a change was made.

"I was surprised to read about the change from Will [Phillips]," said Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull. "Bill is an IndyCar guy. He exudes IndyCar. He grew up in Indianapolis, went to Purdue, and all he's ever wanted to do is work on Indy cars. He understands the history, and how we got to where we are today. He understands the decisions, how they're made, and how they need to be made. I think that's really important."

Hull worked with Pappas more than 25 years ago at the Patrick Racing Alfa Romeo CART team, hired him at CGR, and based on his firsthand experience, is confident IndyCar has a worthy successor to Phillips.

"Bill and I go back quite a ways – he also worked here, and we had a lot of success together," he continued. "He's a team guy, a team player. He was the last guy to turn the lights off at night when he worked here and works very hard at his craft. He's very eager and very aggressive to learn."

In recent years, Pappas has engineered Chevys and Hondas, mastered the DW12 with and without aero kits, watched as the series fumbled its way through cars flying last May at Indianapolis, saw the political in-fighting that ensued as solutions to prevent more flights made the rounds, has grieved the loss of drivers taken by silly crashes, and can distill all of his knowledge and experiences into a new role where a fresh paddock viewpoint has been missing.

"Bill's a solid guy," says KV Racing co-owner Jimmy Vasser. "I don't know what happened to [Will] Phillips, but as a replacement, Bill comes from the racer's side. He understands, having worked with both aero kits, both manufacturers, all levels of budgets. He knows what we go through on the racing side.

"We've had some things shoved down our throats, and he understands the impact from the team side about how these things can hurt or help us. He's just the kind of guy they need because he's not going to bite his tongue, and he knows his stuff."

Pappas joins Tino Belli, also a former race engineer, who looks after IndyCar's aero kits and aerodynamics within the competition department. As Indy cars grow increasingly complex, and teams and manufacturers rely on greater levels of virtual testing tools, the series finds itself in a steady role of playing catch-up. To give Pappas a chance to succeed, Hull says more staff will be required.

"We run four cars and have four primary engineers and assistant engineers on top of that, and we wouldn't think of running all four cars with just one [engineer]," he added. "I'd hate to see Bill there in that situation where it feels like he's one guy trying to do it all when what he really needs is a staff of people working for him, or a whole group of consultants to help him make great decisions. One group of consultants available to him is all of the race teams. We're here to help in any way that's needed, and I can't speak for the rest, but I'd guess they'd be open to helping the same way. He's a good guy, but he's just one person who needs internal support."

If Pappas can bring something new to IndyCar's competition department, Hull would like to see the series do a better job of avoiding problems before they happen.

"IndyCar is at a place currently where it needs quality people making proactive decisions so we have positive events," he said. "What we don't need is people running in like medics to fix things as they go wrong. We need someone to get the aero spec right, to manage relationships with the OEMs, with Firestone, and to do all of that – to solve problems – without anyone knowing it because it's done ahead of time. We seem to have problems and then everyone in the sanctioning office jumps in to fix them. How about we think ahead and prevent them in the first place. I think Bill has the skills to make that happen."

If IndyCar wants to get the most out of hiring Pappas, it will do a lot of listening and taking notes. Between Pappas and Belli, the series has two respected veterans who got their starts in the era where spec racing had yet to choke the inspiration from open-wheel, who lived through The Split, have engineered the mythical 1000hp CART Indy cars, and miss the physical beauty offered by those sleek, muscle-bound missiles.

It's too late to make substantial changes for 2016, but with Brother Bill preaching from IndyCar's pulpit, I'm optimistic the series' future is in good hands.