Robin Miller's Mailbag for March 16, presented by Honda Racing / HPD

Welcome to the Robin Miller Mailbag as presented by Honda Racing / HPD. You can follow the Santa Clarita, California-based company at:

Your 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.

Q: I attended my fourth St. Pete GP this year and had a blast. Took a buddy with me to his first open-wheel race. The fan friendliness of the series had him in shock. Promoters did an excellent job and the series has a new fan. Turn 1 is the place to sit IMO, as that's where a lot of passing and mistakes happen (looking at you Marco). This year's race was up there with 2013 in terms of enjoyment and was a hell of a lot better than the previous two years.

However, friends were telling me about how boring the race was on TV. They didn't see much of Spencer Pigot's scuffles with with TK and Alex Rossi. They didn't see most of the dive-bomb passes in Turn 1, save for restarts. They didn't see Ganassi-on-Ganassi violence on the last lap. The race at the front wasn't the greatest but there was plenty of action throughout the field. It was a pretty darn good race for a tight street course. Am I wrong in my opinion? Or is ABC's coverage just that bad? Why even bother with [Scott] Goodyear & [Eddie] Cheever when people mute the TV and turn on the radio coverage?

Social media is always full of complaints, but I doubt the execs give a damn about fan opinion. Thankfully NBC knows what they're doing. Can't wait for Phoenix and your excellent and poorly imitated *cough cough NASCAR on Fox* grid walk. Keep up the great work.

Grumpy George, Gainesville, FL

RM: It was much better in person than on ABC, I think we can say that without any hesitation. A pass for what turned out to be the win (Montoya gets Pagenaud on restart), a nice dice between Conor Daly and T.K. at the front and the usual rooting and gouging all through the field. It lacked any drama at the finish but it had plenty of action for a street race. Judging by the volume of mail this week, your friends' assessment of ABC was spot-on.

Q: Enough is enough. What will it take for Bestwick/Cheever/Goodyear to get yanked from the ABC broadcasts? I know I speak for at least 80-90% of fans that we cannot stand listening to those guys. Sunday may have been the worst I've ever heard. According to Cheever, the only race that matters is the Indy 500. Why bother with the rest of the series, right? Goodyear still talks to the viewers like they all are eight-year olds. Granted, St. Pete wasn't the best race, but my goodness, at no point did any of the three reflect any emotion or passion for the race. It's like they are calling a chess match.

The production isn't much better. Do they even watch the race? Do they understand racing? How many times yesterday did they cut away from a pass or something actually worth watching to go back to watching the lead Penske car run all alone? I'm a diehard and have been for many years. I DVR'd the race and probably fast-forwarded through half of it just because I couldn't stand the extremely poor quality of the broadcast. You know if people like me are cutting through half the race on fast-forward, then what does that mean for newer fans?

Not that it matters because IndyCar has shown many instances where the voice of the fans doesn't matter to them but, who employs these guys and whose ear do we fans need to get into to at least try and make something happen?

Brad Stevens, North Canton, OH

RM: All the complaining in the world isn't going to change anything because ABC hires the announcers and it could care less what you or I think. But it's distressing to try and watch a race that has no flow from the booth and pitiful production. They totally missed the pass of the race when Montoya dove under Pagenaud on a restart and it's almost like they aren't watching the race.

Q: Great to be back in season, and can't wait for the next race. There are more U.S. drivers, and I really like that a lot. Cars look good and no parts fell off in large amounts during the race; I like that. Too bad for [Will] Power, and sure hope he recovers well and fast but I love the choice of [Oriol] Servia to drive. Don't care for the city street races, too much like slot cars. How else do you explain a 10-car pile-up in a 22-car field? Blind corners are fun only if you are watching, not driving, and one small mistake equals a big mess. All in all, a good start to the season.

Now here is the thing that I really don't like, never have and don't understand why it continues year after year. Why is Cheever in the broadcast booth? It is not a strong group to start with. Allen [Bestwick] is pretty good, Scott is good and Eddie is a very experienced racer, but man is he a dud on the air. Between he and Scott it's like two machines talking, no humor, no chemistry, no nothing. What a poor way to broadcast a race.

All the work everyone is doing to grow and promote the series and it is broadcast like that ... The other thing is the lack of info on the non-Penske drivers. We all know that Penske guys are good, we get told that enough already, lets move on. It took forever to start talking about most anything else, and then Eddie let us know a few hundred times that the leader was a 'Penske driver that who a great driver'.

Dan Strong, Grumpyville, America.

RM: Street course races are actually much more entertaining now than when they first started because the competition is closer, the field is deeper and the cars are sturdier. But opening the season on an oval probably would be more exciting for television – even on ABC. The lack of chemistry in the booth is undeniable and everyone seems to notice except ABC. It's like three strangers riding a bus to work and making awkward small talk.

Q: I know it's been discussed a thousand times, but having just finished watching the St. Pete's race I can't help but be angry about the ABC coverage. It has come to the point now where their lackluster effort is damaging IndyCar's public image. We hear time and time again that we have to attract new fans by showing them the excitement and personalities this wonderful sport has to offer, yet to get to even get close to them we have to endure uninspired, unexcited and downright uninterested hosts.

Lap after lap of monotone banter explaining how everything is a tune-up for the Indy 500 as it's the only race that matters, all while ignoring the action on the track right in front of them ... Go back and watch Montoya take the checkered flag. The call has all the drama of someone repeating a fast food order into a drive-through speaker. This is who is to deliver us the 100th Indy 500! The great storylines, the atmosphere, the crowd, the racing ... all diluted. If IndyCar gained new fans today, it was in spite of the race coverage, not because of it.

Nick Leonard, Ottawa, Ontario

RM: Had I not coined the phrase 'Always Bad Coverage' many moons ago, I would remove myself from the television discussion since I work at NBCSN. But it's night and day in terms of delivery and production and it's sooooo painfully obvious. Leigh Diffey doesn't miss a thing (nor does Brian Till), and Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy are informative as well as entertaining so you always know what is going on. And Terry Lingner is the best producer/director of live racing, so the viewer isn't left trying to guess what just happened.

One of the best things about NBCSN is the fact it lets the pit reporters tell stories throughout the race and Lingner and pit producer Jenny Nickell also try to include as many drivers/teams as possible during the telecast. I listen to the race in my headset and I never feel like we missed a story or a key moment in the race.

Q: In their ever-increasing effort to lose fans, IndyCar insists on letting ABC/ESPN broadcast their races. Why? Surely there has to be an out clause of some type to let IndyCar go elsewhere...

Cheever should never be allowed anywhere near a broadcast booth. His constant talking about the Indy 500 at the expense of trying to make the St Pete race interesting put me to sleep. PS Eddie, the 'next event' which you either couldn't be bother to mention or perhaps are unaware what is at Phoenix, an event which used to be a classic in the heyday of IndyCar racing.

And Goodyear? Geez. I realize he's stuck in the booth with Cheever, but c'mon, he's been at this awhile now, he could try to sound like he cares and/or knows something about racing the rest of us don't. Bestwick? He sounded like today was his first day in the booth. WTF? Of course, he probably fell asleep listening to Cheever and Goodyear drone on about "...the Month of May." There was no mention of anyone else in the field - other than the top three - unless there was a wreck or other incident.

And until the last three laps of the race there was no mention of Mikhail "The Mad Russian" Aleshin (ABOVE) who had a fine race and ran fifth for at least a third of the race, Charlie Kimball, who also placed well, or even Sato, who finished well after being involved in a wreck early. Then there's the minimalist ABC coverage: "Hey, we've a few hours, let's show an IndyCar race to fill the time." No pre-race info, no post-race info, and nothing in between to get new or old fans interested.

If I weren't a 50-plus year IndyCar fan, I would've dumped the series a long time ago. But coverage like today is killing me. Somebody needs to send these guys to NASCAR Broadcast School. NASCAR can be boring, but the talking heads at least try to make it interesting

JJ, Studio City, CA

RM: Here's the Catch-22. IndyCar needs a national telecast so it needs the exposure ABC provides. Having the whole month of May on ABC is the best thing for IndyCar because it reaches so many more homes than NBCSN. But, if NBC would be allowed to start showing IndyCar races, then it's a new ballgame. Ideally, having six races on NBC and the rest of NBCSN would be the best thing possible and I know Mark Miles is working on trying to get races on NBC for 2017. BTW, when ABC did finally notice Aleshin, I believe Bestwick said he hadn't raced since his serious injury at Fontana in 2014. Well, no, actually he ran the Sonoma finale last year.

Q: An interesting first race of the year ... if you could figure out what was going on by the scroll across the top of the TV screen, because you sure couldn't keep track of things by listening to ABC. How much longer do we have to listen to these clowns?

Doug Mayer, Revelstoke, BC, Canada

RM: ABC has both races in May and the Detroit doubleheader and it's contract with IndyCar runs through 2018. Sorry.

Q: Is there anything that can be done to get rid of Eddie Cheever? He is absolutely terrible. At the end of the race there were several battles for position and what do we see? The leader driving the final lap and his cool-down lap. No explanation of what happened to Kimball or the other battles. The racing is great, but I think ABC is a chain around the neck of IndyCar. The NBC team does such a better job that I am sure they would increase the ratings above that which ABC can draw.

John Downing, Centerville, UT

RM: In Eddie's defense, the announcers don't control the cameras or the shots you see so he's supposed to react to what he's watching on the monitor. The ABC overnight was a 1.1 (1.4 million viewers which was up from a 0.8 in 2015) and the standard line is that you almost get one million viewers by accident on network while the million viewers NBCSN had for the last hour of Fontana last June was the most people we've had watch IndyCar.

 

Q: I thought the race was pretty good yesterday, but that [multi-car] crash was awful. One guy making an ill-timed more impacts half the field and took out several fast cars like Rahal, Hinch and Servia. My stomach sank when I say that and all I could think of was if there was any mainstream reporting about the race, that's the clip that would be shown. My question is about Oriol Servia (ABOVE). Is he always hanging around the paddock, or was he called and flown in by Penske? Do you have any idea if and what he gets paid? I imagine any driver without a ride would jump at the chance to drive one of those cars. It also shows you that Penske values experience. He was making good progress until the incident. Will he be in the car at Phoenix?

Jim Doyle

RM: Oriol is trying to put a deal together for Indianapolis so he was networking at the track when he got the call. His girlfriend, Jackie, hopped on a plane in L.A. with his helmet and he had a seat flown in from Dreyer & Reinbold and borrowed one of Montoya's suits. He got paid, not sure what, but he offered to drive for free if Roger gave him a car for Indy. No, Power will be back for Phoenix.

Q: We've heard for quite some time now that ABC's coverage of IndyCar is sub-par compared to NBCSN's, but this weekend's broadcast took the cake in my opinion. As much as we all agree the best thing for IndyCar is to have more network coverage, I sure hope ABC is not in the picture. They open the new IndyCar season talking about how this is the first steps toward the culmination of winning the Indy 500. I thought this was a series! All of their "upcoming schedule" references never mentioned any other races until they get the coverage back in May at Indy.

If I never saw a lap of IndyCar before and I was tuning in Sunday I would think the whole season is three races and one qualifying weekend. What good is that to bring in more viewership and/or fans? I'd like to propose a new drinking game but if we took a shot for every time Cheever mentioned the '500' we'd be drunk before halfway through the race. I love the Indy 500, it's my happy place, but Cheever and Goodyear can't color-analyze their way out of a paper bag.

"Every close call isn't something that could have been "catastrophic." I'm looking forward to the Phoenix race, not only to see the return to a great short oval, but also to hear qualified broadcasters (you can't even hear the idiots on ABC over the background sounds of the cars ... which isn't all that bad really) with color commentators who have actually raced within the last decade.

Brian S, Mason, Ohio

RM: Having a driver like T-Bell who is still current and understands these cars, paired with a legendary character like P.T., is why NBCSN is fun to watch. They argue, they joke, they preach, they inform and they entertain.

Q: I try my best to defend the higher-ups at IndyCar. There is a lot of stuff we fans aren't privy to so I try my best (however hard that may be) to trust their judgment. But that mess caused by Munoz ... why the hell didn't they throw the red flag? Seems like it would have been more fair for all the drivers, especially the ones who weren't damaged but just couldn't get through.

Jerrison Moore

RM: Good question. I'll ask Jay Frye, but Beaux Barfield is the only one who's thrown a red flag (Fontana and Indy) in the interest of the show, to my knowledge. If the track had been completed grid-locked, maybe it happens but there was a narrow path around the carnage so I doubt if it was ever considered.

Q: Finally some racing! It was a decent race, and I actually heard some non-IndyCar fans talking about it! Same old, same old with ABC's coverage, don't need to get into that. Was wondering though, IndyCar's coverage does a decent job of going through the field and showing/talking about the drivers during the races but still some guys are just a quick mention. In general, all racing has moved away from the old 1980's-1990's ESPN-type starting lineups, and my question is, why? Love watching the old races and seeing the car and driver. Why not bring it back, show each car, and have the driver say their name and where they are from? Help the average fan maybe get a clue who's who or even see a sponsor and be like, 'hey, I like, umm, Snapple, so I'm going to root for Marco Andretti'. Excited for Phoenix; it will be interesting to see the cars racing there again! Looking forward to the rest of the season not just the 500! Lookout for Dixon he had issues but still had a decent result.

Todd, Iowa

RM: Not really sure, but I agree – it's good to put a name with a face and hear them speak like they do for NFL games. I know in television there never seems to be enough time in the pre-race show and it would take longer to have 21-22 drivers stating their name, hometown and sponsor, but I think it would be worth it.

 

Q: Good to see the season start. It's a bit of a shame that there was minimal passing. I want to discuss the Ganassi teams. Is TK's crew (ABOVE) so bad (23-plus seconds to service and clean out radiators), or is he truly number two to Dixon? It seemed he was "delayed enough" that Scott could get by him. Also, a shame that Marco was impatient, because it looked like he was having a decent run.

I anticipate that he may be good at Barber.

Skip Ranfone, Summerfield, FL

RM: If it was near the end of a race and one of the Ganassi drivers was up front and one was struggling or a lap down, certainly consideration would be given to the top teammate. But there's no favoritism in their pit stops, the competition is just as fierce there as it is on the track.

Q: Pretty impressive that Will Power could reach down for a pole lap despite being too sick to race. With Power out and Pagenaud leading, this seemed like a perfect chance to get that first win at Penske. Montoya's heart and drive is what makes him great. (He's not even bothered by broken steering!).

About midway through the race, I remember thinking "the driving has really been good." Then disaster. Unfortunately it only takes one mistake by one driver to gum up the works; its probably always going to happen. The "rookies" were impressive. I hope the paddock took notice of the way Daly raced Kannan and the Penskes. What impresses me is his speed and racecraft while staying within himself and minimizing mistakes. Quite a contrast to Marco Andretti trying to pass after the door had already closed.

Lee Robie, Cincinnati, Oh

RM: Damn impressive to pull it out on the last lap and afterwards, he seemed fine. I was watching the track feed so I imagine ABC missed it but after T.K. passed Conor going into Turn 1 for the lead on a restart, Daly came right back and re-passed him two corners later. I know he was disappointed with practice and qualifying because they had a good test at Sebring, but the kid is a racer. Marco made a great start and went from 14th to seventh but just got a mite ambitious trying to dive-bomb Luca Filippi.

Q: Is there any cause for concern that there seemed to be very little activation of Verizon at St. Pete? They used to have a huge presence in the Fan Village but they were nowhere to be found this year. Only sight of them was on the Penske cars and IndyCar signage. Are they still as committed to the series as they have been?

Jason, Ocala, Fl

RM: This is from C.J. O'Donnell, chief marketing officer for IMS and IndyCar: "Verizon remains very active. They are not in the Fan Village this year but will direct those dollars to other forms of activation - a good deal to experiences for customers at track. The Fan View area (pit lane box) was already upgraded as a result of this program. They've also increased their advertising and enhanced their marketing efforts at retail. It's all good!"

Q: Will Power's concussion perfectly illuminates a huge flaw in IndyCar's points system. DNFs award too many points, which puts Power in a huge hole because he DNS. Points should be awarded 12 or 15 deep! Because seriously, what's the difference between 14th or 22nd? Not enough that it should affect the championship! This would also eliminate the incentive to get a crashed car back out on the track to go from 19th to 17th while finishing 37 laps down just to pick up a few points.

Jimmy, Roseville, CA

RM: I think I'd like to see points given only to the Top 10, especially when you've got 21-22 full-timers. And I totally agree with eliminating the rebuilt cars being drug out 40 laps behind scenario. But Will can check history and know he's still very much alive in the championship since Mears (1981), Big Al (1985) and Mansell (1993) all missed one race and still took the title. Bobby Unser missed three starts (1968) and Rodger Ward four (1962) but both were champions. Thanks Russ Thompson.

Q: How does a driver like this still have a seat? Two wins in 10 years and one top five in points with a 'Big 3' team? If Marco Andretti's last name was anything but Andretti, he would be out of a job. I get that he brings in sponsors, and his dad owns his team, but how long is his leash in 2016?

Matt from Green Bay

RM: As long as Michael (ABOVE) has a team would be my answer. Marco still struggles in qualifying on street and road courses but he raced good Sunday until throwing it away. And he's always one of the fastest on the ovals. It's just mystifying, because he has talent.

Q: I was impressed that Mikhail Aleshin finished fifth in the season-opener. I was equally impressed that he finished 10th at the season ender at Sonoma last year after missing the entire season up to Sonoma. I saw some of his passes at Sonoma since I attended the race, but I didn't see him at St. Pete. What are your thoughts of his performance last Sunday and his overall skill as a driver?

Gerry Courtney, San Francisco, CA

RM: He turned a lot of heads in 2014 – sometimes because of a bold pass and sometimes because he was sliding through a corner on an oval – but Aleshin has always been aggressive and fearless. And last Sunday he drove measured and smart.

Q: What is your opinion on the news that Alexander Rossi is now taking the reserve driver seat with Manor Racing? It seems that in the past we loved drivers who did more than one series. (Dan Gurney has always been my favorite driver.). However I read an article today (by Eric Smith) saying that Rossi has become a villain and is doing a big disservice to IndyCar, Andretti Autosports and other drivers who don't have rides. What is your opinion? I can see both sides.

Paul, Indianapolis

RM: Gurney, Foyt, Andretti, Unser and Parnelli drove something different every weekend they weren't racing IndyCars and while this means Rossi will spend a lot of time criss-crossing the globe, it doesn't mean he won't give IndyCar his best shot. He's made it clear he still covets F1 but that doesn't necessarily make him a villain. Be nice to cheer for an American in F1 if he had a fighting chance.

Q: With Honda and Chevy stating that they are prepared to support an expanded entry list for the Indy 500, is there any chance we see some Indy fan favorite veterans like Vitor Meira or Bruno Junqueira attempt to qualify? Both have a great track record at Indy and it seems as if there names pop up every year for getting rides. Is the 500 a thing of the past for these guys, or is there any chance of seeing them make a comeback for the 100th running? It has to be tempting.

Ryan

RM: There was a movement to try and get Vitor into Indy last year but I've not heard anything for 2016. And Bruno runs sportscars so he's not looking, to my knowledge. The other possibility would be 2004 winner Buddy Rice but I've heard nothing. It's getting late and would imagine Townsend Bell, J.R. Hildebrand, Gabby Chaves, Oriol Servia, Katherine Legge, Tristan Vautier, Jack Harvey and Stefan Wilson would have the best chances of landing something.

Q: Any insights at all Robin on the rumors that F1 refugee Pastor Maldonado has done a deal with Ed Carpenter Racing to run a road/street course schedule with the team this season? 'Crashtor Maldonado' quips from the racing community aside, Pastor had a particularly strong junior formulae record at Monaco and always showed great pace through the streets of Monte Carlo which always led me to think that he could excel in IndyCar on those type of tracks. I think Maldonado would be a great addition to the series.

Giuseppe Vullo, London, UK

RM: Saw the report and I imagine if he brought enough money he would be in Ed's car for the rest of the season. But I think J.R. Hildebrand has the inside line as an ECR driver for May.

Q: Shame on you for not acknowledging the passing of Bobby Johns this month. Besides his accomplished NASCAR career, he will always be known for being Jimmy Clark's teammate in 1965 and driving Smokey Yunick's sidecar in 1964. That earned him the compliment from Uncle Bobby that Johns was "braver than Dick Tracy." On a positive note the ratings for St. Pete are up while NASCAR is down for all four races this year.

Walt Slade

RM: Never fear Walt, I was saving Bobby for this week's Mailbag and I found a good photo of him rolling down the pits in Smokey's sidecar (ABOVE). He crashed trying to qualify it in 1964 (and Duane Carter also took some laps) but came back strong in 1965 to finish seventh as Clark's Lotus teammate. I interviewed Bobby after he finished 10th in 1969 and then saw him a couple Mays ago – just a really nice guy. He won twice in NASCAR (Atlanta and Bristol) but he'll always be remembered as the brave soul that drove that sidecar. RIP Bobby Johns.

Q: Have you discovered what the bass noise during the race last year was? I am still waiting. Anyway it seemed to come from a blown up stage before Turn 3. It was really annoying. Our crew won't be in those 30 seats in J section in 2017, if we have to listen to it again this year. Then again for a few years I have wondered if IndyCar gives a dam about the fans. Like reading your stuff though.

Bob Roser, Cumming , Ga.

RM: Thanks Bob, I assume you are referring to the band in the so-called Snake Pit in Turn 3? I heard IMS management was considering red-flagging the race this year at 100 laps so Beyonce and Cheap Trick could perform on the main straightaway. Sorry the engine noise was over-shadowed.

Q: I think I know the answer, duh, but in light of Brian France's de facto NASCAR endorsement of the Trump, I don't suppose IndyCar officials have reached out to any NASCAR sponsors who might feel especially disenfranchised now? For instance, Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis, who is famously anti-Trump. My personal take is that I'd love to see more diversity in IndyCar, but by auto racing standards it is a veritable melting pot of ethnicity and gender. Maybe IndyCar could fashion itself as the viable American racing series for "everyone else", which probably accounts for 99% of the rest of the world? Meh, just an idea.

Tim Elder

RM: Not to my knowledge, especially since Mark Miles is a Republican. But he has the good sense not to talk politics on the record.

Q: I recently moved to Wisconsin, north of Milwaukee, for a new job. Was wondering two things: a) now that I'm here, any chance that the Milwaukee Mile will ever see IndyCars again? b) Considering I moved here from the land of the PA Posse, any suggestions for good dirt track racing in the area? Always appreciate your knowledge, comments and mailbag.

Jim K.

RM: Doubtful. They are trying to sell the Turn 4 grandstands at State Fair Park as we speak so that doesn't bode well for any more racing – period. But you should to up the road to Elkhart Lake for the IndyCar race at Road America on June 26. It's a helluva track. As for dirt, Angell Park is one of the best midget tracks on the planet so check it out and there's Beaver Dam, Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Wilmot and Slinger Speedway. Thanks for reading.

Q: I watched a clip from the game show "I've Got A Secret" from 1961 which featured A.J. Foyt and Ray Harroun. When the host asked the men about danger in racing, I was taken aback by their answer, they both downplayed the danger and basically said racing wasn't dangerous. Does this surprise you? Was this the common mindset among drivers back in the day?

Derrick Gibson, Lancaster PA

RM: Of course they knew it was dangerous but they didn't dwell on it. In A.J.'s case, death happened so often they were probably numb to it. Like Parnelli said: "We'd go to Conkle's Funeral Home, pay our respects, go have a couple beers and head to the next race. That's just how you had to operate back then."