Robin Miller's Mailbag for December 21, presented by Honda Racing / HPD

Josh Shimizu, Salt Lake City, UT

RM: Let's address your opening statement before I answer your question. Yes, it's a big deal that the Steinbrenner family is getting involved in the Mazda Road to Indy, and young George Michael seems very serious about moving up to IndyCar some day. But what distresses me is that nobody from IndyCar or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was at the press conference to welcome Hank and George Michael to open-wheel racing. How is that possible? A major domo from a legendary sports franchise comes to Indy to make this cool announcement and nobody from management thinks it's worthy? I was embarrassed for IndyCar – you know, the series with eight car owners that desperately needs new and young blood in it. Hank Steinbrenner even went out of his way to praise IndyCar and pooh-pooh F1 and NASCAR with our local ABC sports anchor, Dave Furst. I got Leno a pit pass for the Milwaukee 200 in the early '80s and he liked driving the pace car at the Indy 500, but he seems like more a "car guy" than a potential team owner. And I have no idea about Seinfeld. I think IndyCar should be recruiting Adam Carolla.

Q: I was very happy to hear the Colton Herta will be racing for Andretti Steinbrenner racing. Another American driver to develop and hopefully one day make it to the IndyCar Series, which is the best racing in the world. I have to give it to Andretti Autosport for remaining in Indy Lights. Their car count is up to three or four drivers, I think. It really hurt that Schmidt pulled out but it's understandable,and I wish teams such Penske, Ganassi and others would follow and have at least one car in Indy Lights. I know money does all the talking, but boy would it be nice to see at least a 20-car field. Finally, any news on the 2018 IndyCar chassis manufacturer and when will a design be revealed?

John from Chardon, Ohio

RM: Colton spent two years racing in Europe without his Mom or Dad and that maturity and edge he developed is going to serve him well. Lights at age 16 and hopefully IndyCar by 18 with the Steinbrenners would be a great story. Michael is fielding four cars in 2017 but Sam's loss will be felt, and it's always amazed me that R.P. and Ganassi don't support the ladder series. No manufacturer news; maybe early next year.

Q: Who do you think will get the two remaining seats at Carpenter and KV? What was Alexander Rossi's reaction to seeing his face on the Borg Warner trophy?

Paul, Indianapolis

RM: Stay tuned to RACER.com for an update on the ECR ride, but I'm not sure there's going to be a KV Racing in 2017. We've run a story about a possible KV equipment auction and I doubt Kevin Kalkhoven and Jimmy Vasser will field a car, unless maybe it's a one-off at the Indy 500 with somebody else. Rossi was very appreciative and gracious about seeing his likeness on the most famous trophy in motorsports, and he also enjoyed getting to know Bobby Unser at the Borg-Warner dinner that night. And Jeff Gordon dropping in to say hello was an added treat.

Paul Hirsch, Erie, Pa.

RM: The reason Dan is the most important figure of American motorsports in my time is because he had guts, conviction, talent, spirit and a sense of adventure. What he accomplished will never be done again this spec world.

Q: Do you get any indication that Andretti is looking closely at what Gene Haas did? Any chance that with his connections to Honda and/or McLaren he tries to pull off another American F1 team? I've noticed that they only announced Rossi for 2017; seems like Rossi may still be on Roger's radar for 2018 if Helio retires or if Andretti goes F1 it would give him one driver who still holds the proper license. Could it be that Andretti/Herta are planning on bringing in Colton for 2018? What rumors are out there regarding international races? Looks like some organizers are going broke paying F1 fees. We're glad that IndyCar seems to be getting some traction, but still think the off-season is too long.

The workgroup - NY

RM: No, I don't think F1 has crossed Michael's mind since 1993 (pictured above). I think he's mighty happy in IndyCar, RallyCross, Formula E and the Mazda feeder system, and it's a full-time struggle just to find funding for four Indy cars, let alone raise the fortune required for F1. I think the plan is to bring Colton up when he's ready for IndyCar, but I'm not sure Rossi is only a one-year deal. And Honda already has its feet back in the water over there. I would say Australia remains the best bet if IndyCar travels out of North America, but I haven't heard anything recently.

Q: Watching your commentary on Gurney prompted me to send my thanks regarding the whole series you have done on the "tough guys". This series has covered so many of the people I hold in such high regard. I really appreciate the fact that you have chosen to keep the history of these people in the limelight. I have heard that Dan has had some health issues. I hope that he is doing better. You certainly made my Christmas a little brighter, and I am sure Dan's as well.

Darrell Bauer

RM: Well, I appreciate your kind words Darrell but you don't have to thank me for doing the most fun job at RACER.com. The response from people about the series, be it heroes like Parnelli or Dan, or little guys like Jerry Karl or tough guys like Lee Kunzman, makes it all worthwhile. I'm an old man but I was lucky enough to be around for the glory days of open wheel racing and I love sharing stories and memories.

Q: I recently read that Bryan Herta will be calling Marco Andretti's races this coming season. Will Alexander Rossi still be a Herta-Andretti team or now just Andretti Autosports and who will be calling Rossi's races?

Paul, Indianapolis

RM: The No. 98 with Alexander Rossi driving remains an Andretti-Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian entry – same as last year. Nothing official on the driver/strategist pairings, but Rob Edwards could be moving to Rossi, with Hertamania stepping in to call Marco Andretti's races.

Q: The US may have lost Alexander Rossi to IndyCar, but it will take time for the few other young drivers carrying the Stars and Stripes to prove they can get into Formula 1. I was thinking Connecticut native Santino Ferrucci who is in GP3 and Colton Herta who was in Euro Formula could carry the flag. Now, Bruno Carneiro could become the latest dark horse – he scored eight wins en route to winning the FIA China Formula 4 series this year. I'd love to see another American driver in Formula 1.

JLS, Chicago, Il.

RM: Conor Daly, Josef Newgarden and Alex Rossi all raced with success in Europe/England and nobody had better connections with Bernie than CD because of Derek and it's a dead end without millions and millions. I don't think F1 wants an American driver, nor does it care.

 

Q: What would you think of Ford returning to IndyCar, especially haveing previously been invovled with people like A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell, and also since  it supplied Champ Car about 10 years ago?

Austin Blayney

RM: Ford battled Honda, Toyota and Mercedes in CART, but it was Cosworth that supplied Champ Car's teams (starting in 2003, pictured above) and Edsel Ford II said in 2014 that there was "no value" in Ford getting involved in IndyCar. So while we'd all love to see it, don't think FoMoCo will be back anytime soon.

Q: I recognize that the Leader Circle funds are intended to reward car owners for fielding a full time program each year. But with the imperative to attract new owners to the series, it seems reasonable to set aside one or two Leader Circle allotments to help a new owner get started. If nobody shows up, then the unclaimed funds can be distributed to the existing Leader Circle programs. Decent idea? Or is engine availability a bigger problem to overcome?

Kirby, Indianapolis

RM: It's exactly what IndyCar must do. It has to create financial create incentives and deals with Lights' owners and sports car teams because nobody can exist on the paltry purses. Hell, if I were IndyCar I'd offer a free car to any new team (provided they also bought one) and help with their engine lease if needed. IndyCar is down to eight car owners, folks. Think about that.

Q: It seems like Mazda is doing everything in open-wheel racing except IndyCar. What is Mazda's interest in becoming the third IndyCar engine manufacturer? What would it take? Could they bring their turbo I-4 from IMSA?

Jim Duszynski, Colorado Springs, CO

RM: Mazda's John Doonan has made it crystal clear that his company loves the Road to Indy series but has no interest in stepping up to IndyCar.

Q: I'd like to see three things happen in IndyCar: Open the rulebook, embrace youth, adopt standing starts. I don't like spec cars and spec engines. Neither do anything to save costs. You give Penske and KV Racing the same car and same engine, and I guarantee the Penske will go faster, because Penske will spend much more money to ensure it does. Teams will spend their budgets. It's unfair to force a low-budget team to compete with a high-budget team on the same terms and then dictate those terms.

Mandate the size and dimensions of the car, and mandate everything related to safety. After that, open it up. When Max Mosley wanted to open the rulebook in F1, he mentioned that a good mechanic can do with a dollar what any idiot can do with a hundred dollars. As for the drivers, time to move on: Kanaan, Montoya, Castroneves, Dixon, Sato, Servia, Bourdais, are all hidebound. Toss Marco Andretti into the mix; he's a name with nothing behind it. I like what F1 is doing with its youth movement. I'd rather see Rossi, Munoz, Daly, Newgarden duke it out with Power, Hunter-Reay, Rahal and Pagenaud than the established geriatric crowd. I think IndyCar would do well to embrace youth. Finally, standing starts on road and street courses are a must. Rolling starts are a travesty for anyone outside the first two rows.

Steve, Centennial, CO

RM: Throwing out the rulebook might be the end of IndyCar, as it stands today. We're down to eight car owners but the hook is that anybody can be competitive and win. If you open things up, R.P. and Ganassi will dominate a lot more than they do now and then we'll be down to eight cars. There's not enough money out there to "open things up." And, of course the flip side is that the Indy 500 will never again have 45-50 cars going for 33 spots unless there is more of an open or junk formula adopted – along with a much larger purse.

On the driver front, there will be eight full-time Americans (nine counting the co-op at ECR) and quite a bit of youth spread across the field. But, trust me, Dixon is a long way from being "hidebound" (not sure what that means) and still The Man to beat. Most fans seem to want standing starts at all street races and they should be mandatory at Long Beach and Toronto but IndyCar let the drivers dictate on this one.

 

Chad R. Larson, Phoenix

RM: All you have to do is show the younger fans a Dick Wallen video of A.J. at Langhorne. He was smooth, smart, clean and fast and won four times a track that was so dangerous that Rodger Ward (one of the best) wouldn't run it. And Foyt could road race and drive stock cars with the best of 'em too. He and Mario tied for the Associated Press' driver of the century and I think that was only fair.

Q: Every so often someone brings up the idea of having Alex Zanardi drive the pace car in May. Seems like a great idea, but there's never a sign of acceptance from 16th and Georgetown. Why is that? Do you think we'll ever see Alex drive the pace car? What a great story that'd make.

Tom, Lake Forest, IL

RM: I believe it's been discussed but Zanardi has always had prior commitments and, naturally, it would be very cool since the Pineapple never got to race at the Indy 500 because of The Split.

Q: First of all, my wife and I went to the Christmas "Lights at the Brickyard" display at IMS over the weekend. The lines were looooong, but it was worth the two-hour plus wait, and very cool to get to drive on the racetrack to see it. They even have a display for Florence Henderson. It was worth the trip. We also checked out Foyt's Wine Bar, and had a great chat with Sarah Fisher at her restaurant/karting track.

Secondly, I am very concerned about the continuing discussion of the cockpit "halos" that are being proposed for IndyCar and Formula 1. Isn't this just a jerk reaction to Justin Wilson's accident? It was horrible, but it was a freak accident. I realize there have been other incidents also, especially in F1, but I racecars are supposed to be dangerous. And over the years, they have been updated to be the safest they have ever been. I feel that this step is one step too far. IndyCar is on a roll, and this could be a step backward if they introduce this safety feature. I bet the drivers would agree. What do you think?

Mark Suska, Lexington, OH

RM: From what I've read it seems like F1 is a lot more serious about halos than IndyCar and, from what I've seen, I think Bill Pappas and Tino Belli are the opposite of "knee jerk" so I'm not sure anything is on the immediate horizon. But I want open-wheel cars to remain open-cockpit.

Q: After IndyCar posted the 1992 Michigan 500 I watched that race and a few others. Only 24 cars started Michigan and only nine finished – with NBCSN's own P.T. in second. The championship went down to the last race with Michael wining but Rahal finishing fourth to secure his third title. Some of the takeaways are that we probably forget how much of a bad-ass Michael was in his prime. He should have won the 1992 title but had too many DNFs. You certainly had to beat Michael to win. P.T. was awful fast too and had a few runner-up finishes.

Jim Doyle

RM: For two decades I wrote that Michael was always worth the price of admission and few drivers were any better during the past 50 years. But not winning Indy in '92 was easily the cruelest moment of his career. Of course you know he led 431 laps at Indianapolis – two more than Rick Mears and 321 more than Al Unser Jr. As for P.T., he threw away a couple of titles but, like Mike, was always a thrill show and a must see for the paying customers.

Q: Do you know if there was ever any consideration to put the Novi engine in a rear-engine chassis? Would it have been competitive?

Regarding your comments last week concerning A.J.'s later years in competition, two points must be considered. One is that a lot more people got to see him run than if he retired earlier. Second is that there were still flashes of the old Foyt from time to time. People forget the year he crashed at Road America he was having a top 10 year in points, and the year after that wreck he started on the front row of Indy.

Mike C. from Indiana

RM: Not to my knowledge. It was so big and heavy I can't imagine how that could have worked. A.J. should have quit in 1981 or 1982 because it was painful to watch him and he was further insulted when CART had the balls to name him the "most improved driver" in the late '80s. Really?

 

Q: Can you please forward a photo of the latest MRTI Pro Mazda chassis to Dallara and the powers that be at IndyCar? It may help to jog their memory of what an open-wheel car should look like (minimal rear wing, plain jane front wing, recessed sidepods, no bumpers, and a rather simplistic, clean design). Not claiming this is the best looking racer I have ever seen - but it's a damn sight prettier than the current IndyCar with all that crap hanging off of it. The current design is clearly an over-reaction to the Wheldon tragedy, plain butt ugly. Just sayin'....

Bill P., Wautoma, WI

RM: Good news Bill, I think Jay Frye and his team have already embraced the idea of going back to more of a Champ Car DP-01 look for the future. No more Kardashians.

Q: As a fairly long-term Vegas resident, I made the trek to the Speedway for that ill-fated day in 2011 that cost us Dan Wheldon. I also was downtown when Champ Car raced the streets around the Fremont Street Experience in 2007. Both seemed to be OK from an attendance standpoint – the street race was so crowded that extra grandstands had to be put up. After the horrible accident that stopped the race at the Speedway, I've never even seen a return to Vegas even mentioned as a rumor. Seems like there should be some interest there. We're becoming a major sports town, what with NHL hockey coming for sure next year and maybe even an NFL team on the way. Is there any chance IndyCar will ever return to Sin City?

Jim Quinn, Henderson, NV

RM: The best crowd for an IndyCar race was at Caesars Palace in 1983-'84, but while Champ Car's downtown race was the best street course layout ever, there weren't 8,000 people in attendance (David Phillips and I counted the house). And IRL drew well the first year or two but Champ Car only had people there to watch the NASCAR trucks, then most of 'em left. And there weren't many people in the seats in 2011. I don't see it happening but it's a shame that downcourt circuit couldn't be recreated on The Strip.

Q: Just wondering what Jacques Villeneuve (nephew Jacques, that is) is up to these days. I had read something about a venture into NASCAR with Wingnut Racing but that didn't seem to go anywhere. Almost seemed like a meek attempt to garner some headlines. He did the Indy 500 one-off in 2014 and had a respectable finish of 14th ,I believe. Do you think that he might take another swing at it? Happy holidays and thanks for the column. It is always a good read.

Duncan, Port Perry, Canada

RM: He's run stock cars and Formula E since then but I don't think he's got any ambition to come back to Indy for a one-off. He's also been doing some television commentary on F1 so I imagine it's entertaining because Jacques always says what's on his mind. Thanks for reading.

Q: As a kid growing up in the '60s and becoming an adult in the '70s, I have to think this was the golden era for U.S. open-wheel racing. And USAC was king. Two of the best and most memorable races I ever attended, or even saw on TV (or heard on the radio) were USAC open wheel dirt races. The first was the 1974 Hoosier 100, when Jackie Howerton, in the STP Patrick King turbo-Offy held off the most keen onslaught I have ever seen from the Viceroy Vel's King Indy-Fords of Big Al (he was just Al then), and Mario (BELOW).

They tried every trick in the book, but could never quite get by the turbo. That car must have been a handful for Jackie, to get it off the corners with no boost, then hanging on when the turbo spooled up, then get her back down to make the corners. Spectacular display of talent on all their parts! I even think Jackie led every lap, if memory serves me. Would love to find a video of this one, for sure.

The other best and most memorable was a USAC midget race at the Little Springfield Speedway, circa 1983 or '84. Rich Vogler and Ken Schrader put on one of the most fierce exhibitions of driving skills in the feature event on that little, quarter-mile banked dirt track. For about the last six or seven laps, they were passing other at least two or three times every lap! Don't even think they ever touched each other throughout. I can't remember who won, but this race is firmly etched, believe me. Did you ever get to run Little Springfield? I would appreciate hearing from you, or your readers if there is any more information available on the internet about these two memorable races.

Ed W., Collinsville, IL

RM: Howerton did lead every lap and I remember how loud the crowd cheered as he held off those two superstars. Little Springfield was one of the greatest dirt tracks on the planet and my first memory was in 1969 watching Lee Kunzman and Sammy Swindell put on a show reminiscent of the one you referred to in the '80s. It was high-banked and fast but I doubt there's much footage of anything from Little Springfield (it was always pretty dark), although the Hoosier Hundred should be on YouTube.

One of my finest moments in a midget came at Little Springfield. I finished second to Bubby Jones, the master of Little Springfield, in a heat race and was so excited I ran up to him afterwards and told him I'd finished right behind him. Jones took a drag from his cigarette and said: "Good for you Miller, but don't get excited, it was only eight laps."