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

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: After the Indy GP, I think the question on everyone's mind is whether it should be kept, moved on the schedule, or ditched. In my opinion, it should be kept in the same place. Attendance seemed decent for the most part, certainly more than Pole Day the last few years, and as long as it turns a profit for the Speedway, I don't think it should really go anywhere. Despite the lack of action during the race, it seems to be a moderately successful event from my knowledge. Interested to know what you think should be done with it? Keep up the good work.

Zac, Atlanta

RM: I’d like to see it cut down to a one-day event – practice in the morning, qualify at noon and race at 4 o’clock – because I think it might ramp up the intensity and possibly draw more people. Mario disagrees and thinks it needs two days, but all that does is cost IMS and teams more money. And the crowds aren’t very big, so why not try it? But as long as it’s on national television, it’s not going to move out of May and, to your point, it still out-draws Pole Day since The Split.

Q: With the fifth Indy GP now in the books, has your stance on the event changed any? Our family enjoys the chance to go to IMS and see a full day of support racing with the big boys as the main event. The crowds are a decent size, lot of families, plenty of room for the kids to run off some energy. And as a race, we could do worse, like the 2018 F1 Spanish GP – now that was a bad “race.” It’s definitely a different vibe from Indy 500 race day, but what is wrong with that? It is a good event at a great facility, and honestly, a pretty good way to start May.

Mike, Avon, IN

RM: I was against running anything else in May, but considering that Mark Miles got it on national TV, and it’s a cheap race for most of the teams based in Indy, and the mechanics can sleep at home, it’s OK. I just hate watching a race at the most iconic track in the world and seeing all those empty seats – it doesn’t give off the vibe of a very big deal. People come to IMS to watch speed on the oval, not road racing. But the racing wasn’t bad (two passes on track for the lead and some good overtaking throughout the pack), and better than a lot of road course races I’ve watched in the past 30 years.

Q: What is the likelihood the IndyCar GP gets moved to the end of the calendar over the next few years, so — as the anonymous driver in a recent newspaper article said — the series champion could be properly crowned at Indianapolis?

Ben Hartford

RM: Don’t see it. I think IndyCar wants to end the season on an oval, and Miles likes having two weekends of national TV coverage leading into the Indy 500. Honestly, I don’t think it would draw many more people than it does right now if it was moved.

Q: With his very strong showings in the first set of races, it's obvious Robert Wickens is something special. I have been very surprised and amazed by his one-lap speed, but also his consistent long run pace each week. He has performed well head-to-head against the best in the field so far. What is your take on him? Is he for real, and if so, how many races will he win? Do you even think he could be a potential title contender?

Mason, Elkhart, IN

RM: I think I’ve already said this, but when he was a teenager winning Formula Atlantic races I mentioned to Derrick Walker that he should sign him up for his Champ Car team. It was obvious he was very talented and all he wanted to do was run Indy cars, but nobody even gave him a test so he headed for Europe. Fortunately, Hinch went to bat for him, and now he’s got a good ride with SPM and he will win races and contender for titles. Not sure how many in 2018, but at least one (and he could easily have had two already).

Q: I have watched all five Indy GP races from the E Stand Paddock. Something that really stood out to me about this year's race versus the previous four was that the start and both restarts looked sloppy. As I recall, and I could be wrong, the restart zone was always on the south end of the front straight, well down from the exit of T14. This year it seemed the green was thrown when the leader was either at the apex of T14 or just before the apex. The field was always strung out, and it looked like doing it this way took a lot of passing opportunities away. Also, after three really entertaining road/street races this year, why was this race being so much less competitive? I would have thought the extra test time at Indy would have led to even more parity than what we witnessed?

Jim Panther, Bunker Hill, IN

RM: It did seem more strung out on the last restart, but as far as the race itself, anytime you have a couple passes for the lead on the track (and not in the pits) it’s a success on the road course. Not sure how many cars Dixon actually passed at speed, but he went from 18th to second, so for a road race it was OK.

Image by LePage/LAT

Q: Was the Indy GP any good? I couldn't tell, I watched it on ABC.  I've come to expect terrible coverage from them, but they seemed to have hit a new low with this race. It wasn't just the usual banal commentary and uninformative graphics. They also added incredibly bad camera locations, and topped it off with a record number of laps shown on a postage stamp-sized screen insert so they could run what seemed like flag-to-flag commercials. It all added up to a race that was incredibly hard to follow, and which didn't much seem like it was worth the effort of trying. NBC cannot take over soon enough.

Mike Grove

RM: As road races go it wasn’t bad. Wickens passed Power for the lead on reds and Will return the favor when he went to the softer tires. Scott Dixon and Zachary Claman De Melo did quite a bit of passing from what I saw on the monitors.

Q: With bumping back, you’d have to believe that TV, PR and sponsors have a wish list of who makes the cut. What’s going to happen when Danica or Marco gets pushed out? What if Power cuts a tire? Are there going to be administrative overrides? Will IndyCar have a magic brake remote to make sure some people make it and others don’t?

Shawn Lee

RM: Here’s the deal. Everyone is entitled to one attempt. Let’s say a big name crashes or blows up on his or her first attempt on Saturday. IndyCar has a “last chance qualifying” provision in its rulebook, and those drivers would be eligible to come back Sunday and run for positions 10-33. But if a major player blows an engine coming down for the checkered flag to compete their initial attempt and posts a time and that speed winds up getting bumped – they’re out. The two slowest qualifiers on Saturday will not be participating in Sunday’s action.

Q: Do you think the idiosyncrasies of the new IndyCar chassis will play a role in Dale Coyne's decision for Pietro Fittipaldi's replacement? I know a lot of names have been floated, but we think Townsend Bell could step in without missing a beat. He was really competitive at Indy a couple years back (fearless too). Do you think he has a shot? With all the speculation regarding a possible replacement, we shouldn't minimize Pietro's injuries. We hope he recovers quickly and fully.

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

Q: Was sorry to see Pietro Fittipaldi's accident at Spa, but wishing him a speedy recovery. Was hoping to see him have a good run at Indy this year, and it was exciting to have a Fittipaldi, Rahal and Andretti possibly competing in the race first time since 1995 (I believe, check my history on that one). Just curious, what are the chances afor Matt Brabham getting that ride for the 500? Looks like he is involved in the Super Truck series full-time this year, but has nothing on that schedule until June. Thought he had a decent month of May when he ran for Pirtek Team Murray. Your thoughts on him?

Chris Stum, Elizabethtown, PA

RM: I’ve always liked Matty Brab and the way he was carving up the junior rungs of the Mazda ladder system, we all thought he’d likely be a full-timer some day with Andretti. But Lights didn’t go as well, and he found himself without a ride. He did a nice job in 2016 on the IMS road course and oval and I’d like to see him get a shot, but it’s all about money. I’m just glad he’s making a living in Robby Gordon’s series.

Q: I did not see Buddy Lazier on the entry list for the 500. Did Buddy decide to back out?

Mike, Knightdale, NC

RM: I think it was simply of question of not having the necessary funding to get the new aero kit and to field a team. The next Lazier (Finn) is Bob & Buddy’s focus.

Q: Do you think, if given the opportunity, that Montoya would run for Coyne if the Captain let him? Speaking of Captain, why wouldn’t he let Montoya race for someone else if it benefits IndyCar and the almighty 500?

Tulsa IndyCar Fan

RM: Good question, because obviously Coyne is no longer the IndyCar doormat – his team contends for wins every time out with Bourdais. But JPM would want to be paid, and I’m not sure Dale could find enough. Besides, once you’ve driven for Penske, is anyone else suitable? RP wants Montoya winning sports car races and not trying to beat him at Indianapolis for another team. I get it but I don’t like it, because JPM could still be a factor at Indy, and I know he wanted to race this month.

Q: Do you think Ricky Taylor is being groomed for a future spot in IndyCar by Penske?

Jersey Jim

RM: Possibly. Ricky impressed Team Penske with his IndyCar test a few months ago, and I suppose it depends on how the sports car program with Acura develops. May not be an opening at Penske’s IndyCar program for quite a while, so Ricky will likely do whatever The Captain desires.

Maximilian

RM: Kyle has always made it clear that Indy is important to him, and even Chip finally acknowledged that running Larson here some day in May is in the cards. But no timeline. When I met Larson in 2010 he said World of Outlaws or NASCAR was where he wanted to make a career, and Ganassi was the first one to step up and sign him. I definitely think this is it for Danica.

Image by Levitt/LAT

Q: Have you heard anything about potential sponsors to replace Verizon for the 2019 season and beyond? Couldn't the Hulman family pick somebody other than Tony George to give the starting command? I know he's part of the family and has a passion for motorsports, but him giving the command gives me and other race fans a bad taste, remembering how he played a role in ruining the Indy 500 and open-wheel racing in North America. I’d rather have Mark Miles give the command because he made the smart move of dumping ABC for good and giving NBC full-time broadcasting rights. How come you don't write any more Indy 500 quizzes? Those were always fun to read.

Raymond, Monroe, MI

RM: Nobody in the pipeline to replace Verizon at the moment to my knowledge. TG is president of the board and IMS museum, and the obvious choice since Mari’s health is failing and none of his sisters seem to want the job. The command has always come from the Hulman/George family, and that’s one tradition still standing and not likely to change. Might have a multiple choice quiz next week. Thanks.

Q: Well Miller, the inevitable happened. We receive Channel 7 from Chicago, and the Cubs’ game was two-and-a-half hours late due to rain. So guess what? No race. So, all of Chicago missed the race on ABC. Tried to go to IndyCar.com, but couldn’t log on for some reason. Can’t wait for ABC to leave the scene.

Bob Shomaker, Dixon, IL

RM: Sorry but not really ABC’s fault, it’s your local affiliate, and I’m pretty sure the Cubs take precedent over any kind of race on four wheels or four legs.

Q: ABC can't go away fast enough. I attended my third Indy Grand Prix in a row, I live in the Chicago area and came home to watch the race on TV only to find the ABC station in Chicago had broadcast the Cubs game. Chicago has to be a significant market for IndyCar, and no coverage. Was able to see the race online, coverage was terrible compared to what we get from NBC. Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy are way better, more knowledgeable and more entertaining in large part because they don't talk down to the audience, and is there anybody more exciting than Leigh Diffey calling a race, or anything else for that matter? He could make watching paint dry exciting.

Is there any way NBC can cover the Indy 500 this year? I hope NBC is wise enough to make sure that you and Jon Beekhuis are part of the coverage as well. Also, don't know why people knock the Indy Grand Prix. I've gone the last three years – lots to do, lots of on track action, it seems the crowd is building, and the races are pretty good. The course is laid out well, with a couple of great straights for passing. It will continue to be a regular for me.

Bob Rundgren, Villa Park, IL

RM: No chance NBC can take over this year, but I think next May will look completely different and you will be pleased. Beekhuis joins the NBC after Marty Snider goes to NASCAR in July, and I would imagine he’ll be part of the NBC team next season. Just about everyone I talked to that attended the race felt like you – they had a good time and were entertained.

Q: I'm driving home from picking up supplies at the hardware store and I have a local sports talk show called PA Sports Saturday on the radio. They have Jeremy Elliott, who covers sprint car racing locally in PA, and has a website that covers sprint cars. Talk moved from sprint cars to the Indy 500, Danica's last race, and one host brought up that this is the last year for the race on ABC. The host said the move to NBC will be good because they have the space to better promote the sport. Jeremy didn't sound convinced, and said that NBC needs to keep the current broadcast team in place. He said Cheever and Goodyear are the best, and provide such an intelligent broadcast. I did everything I could to not drive off the road. I'm getting the feeling he's never watched one of their broadcasts. I know everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the best?

Matt Demey, Middletown, PA

RM: Jeremy would be in the minority but that’s why America is a great country – we can all express our opinion. Glad you didn’t wreck.

Q: Of all the races this past weekend, IndyCar still provided the best racing.! I have one question/request/observation – the ABC broadcast opened with the broadcast crew and the front stretch as the backdrop! A vast sea of empty stands. The front stretch for the Indy 500 is an ideal backdrop to start the broadcast, not the Indy GP. Please lobby NBC to do something different next year.

R.I. Brown, Smithfield, Va.

RM: Didn’t see the shot you’re referring to but sometimes its tough to cover up 225,000 empty seats, and I’m sure NBC will do lots of things differently in 2019.

Q: Power comes out on reds, Wickens is on blacks and everyone except the ABC director knows a pass for the lead is imminent… commercial time! Hate to bitch, but now counting down until ABC is gone.

Gray Fowler, Texas

RM: It was pretty obvious, and we were even yelling in the media center so stay with it because you could see Will chewing up Robert’s lead.

Q: Did you see the grandness NBC brought to a rainy Kentucky Derby? If they can make an all day event out of a two-minute race, imagine what they can do for a 230mph race? There is a festival of hats that the ladies wear and the mint juleps. Heck, I knew of three Kentucky Derby parties, with peoples betting on the horses. What are your thoughts about what NBC will be doing to make the Indy 500 a bigger TV festival than the Derby?

Mark, Altadena, CA

RM: I’ve said from Day 1 that NBC will do for the Indy 500 what it’s done for the Kentucky Derby because it excels at covering big events. I think we’ll have lots of elements for qualifying and Race Day in 2019. And I think NBC will promote the hell out of having the two biggest races in America in May.

Roger Penske and Mark Donohue, IROC, Daytona, 1974. Image by Murenbeeld/LAT

Q: Any idea who first gave Roger the nickname of "The Captain"?

Chad R. Larson, Phoenix

RM: Penske president Tim Cindric says that Roger used to call Mark Donohue ‘Captain’ and Donohue would counter with: “No, I’m the driver, you’re The Captain.” And it stuck.

Q: With NBC becoming the main TV partner for IndyCar, you think it is possible we’ll see some schedule changes? Not by adding more races, but by swapping some dates, like Detroit for Texas as the first race after the Indy 500. And you think with the new universal aero kit that Arie Luyendyk's speed record at Indy will be finally broken?

Alonso Manso, Santiago, Chile

RM: I don’t think NBC will have a lot of say in the schedule, other than what time it airs the races, and nobody is going to move Belle Isle as long as RP and Chevy are involved. I don’t think Arie’s record is in jeopardy this mont,h but maybe in a year or two – depending on the horsepower.

Q: This is a rather left-field question. After reading most of the questions and your knowledgeable answers, you strike me as the one person I have found to ask my question. To add before asking, I have owned six of the Honda Accords and one Civic coupe since 1984, when I bought my first new Accord coupe. The remainder have been sedans, with my last purchase being the first V6 I've owned, a 2012 EX-L, dressing up the garage. In other words, there has been a Honda in my yard since 1984.

But, the V6 with its 271hp will haul the mail! Better yet, forget PC. It will haul ass, as we say near the big ol’ Atlantic pond. Definitely the fastest whip I've ever owned. My question: do you think Honda would consider building a NASCAR engine?

Mitch Murphy

RM: The short answer Mitch, to your rather long question, [ED: We cut quite a lot of it out…] is that Honda never rules out anything, but has no plans to try NASCAR in the foreseeable future.

Q: You mentioning Jim Hurtubise today jogged my memory a little. Isn’t there a story about him wheeling a front-engine car into the qualifying line one year in the 70s, and when they opened the hood it was full of ice and beer? Is that an urban legend, or did it happen?  If it did, can you share what actually happened?

Donald A. Weidig, North Canton, Ohio

RM: Herk had Miller High Life as his sponsor in 1972 and he qualified 13th in a rear-engine Coyote/Foyt. But on the final day of time trials he rolled his beloved Mallard (the last roadster to qualify at Indy in 1968) into the rear of the qualifying line. There were a dozen cars between his and the front of the line so when the gun went off, Herk tore open the hood to reveal several cases of iced Miller beer. He got almost as much publicity as the pole-sitter.

Q: I know we're a decade past the end of The Split, but if you'd be willing to engage in a bit of "What If?", I'd like to see what you think. It's 1996 and CART teams, instead of selling their '95 cars to IRL teams, keep them and enter en masse the IRL races at Orlando, Phoenix, and Indianapolis. How does Tony George respond? What happens to the fledgling IRL teams that most likely get pushed out? Does it at all change the eventual outcome of the CART/IRL war?

Jared, Clearwater, FL

RM: If the CART teams showed up for Orlando and Phoenix, the IRL would have been dead in the water. If the CART teams hadn’t sold their old chassis to IRL teams, the IRL couldn’t have answered the bell. If Cosworth hadn’t provided the power for all but nine of 33 starters, where would the engines have come from? I guess TG could have commissioned John Menard to provide Buicks for the entire field if possible, but what kind of chassis would they have put them in without the old Reynard and Lolas? But CART was pretty arrogant and didn’t think the IRL would last, and as it turned out, open-wheel racing was the big loser.

Q: It's May, which means I am going back and watching old races from years past. I just finished the 1988 Indy 500, and the one thing I noticed is the amount of tires coming loose after wrecks. It's alarming that solutions to this didn't come until after Senna's death in 1994. What was the mentality regarding these issues? I find it crazy in retrospect that no-one watched that race and thought of any sort of solution. I will say one other thing about that race. ABC’s production used to be so slick for Indy. And I don't really care who does commentary for NBC next year, but I'm pretty sure I would take the 2018 versions of Bobby Unser and Sam Posey arguing over each other at increasingly louder volume until they hit an illegal decibel point than listen to Eddie Cheever one more time.

Jamie Sullivan

RM: Fuel cells, armo barriers, shields on helmets, cockpit protection, wheel tethers, safer walls – usually everything evolved in racing safety from tragedy. It wasn’t a hot button back in the ’60s and ‘70s, but today’s drivers can be thankful for Wally Dallenbach, Terry Trammell, Steve Olvey, Dr. Robert Hubbard, Jim Downing, Dean Sicking and Tony George. They paved the way to make racing safer than anyone could imagine 50 years ago. I wish ABC would bring back Uncle Bobby and Sam for about 50 laps on race day and let them drive the pace car together.

Colton Herta. Image by MRTI

Q: I think after God-knows-how-many years of mediocrity, Indy Lights reached their summit over the weekend. Or is that bottom. Every year we are told how great it is gonna be next year. New cars, new engines, new organizations, new this and that. Robin, even you, at the intro of new car, declared how we have reached a watershed moment. It needs to be destroyed. It is a joke financially and competitively. How many years of mediocrity and insane finances does it take? Honestly, has this series ever had more than 20 cars? The people running it should have been gotten rid of long ago. I mean, who organizes this? They may be fine people, but in the business world they would have been gone long ago.

I don’t know the alternative, but maybe building 20 or so less expensive cars and making the business model like the series below it would be a start. Please don’t say that 20 or so of the current IndyCar grid is made up of Lights graduates. Who cares? Just by winning a race or two in a sad series like this does not mean you are a IndyCar candidate. If I want an IndyCar driver today, I would look to the [Pro] Mazda series as far as talent goes. Then I would look at what he could bring. Wink, wink. Your opinions wise sage. If given magic wand, what would you do? This does not include assembling a super team of Dave Darland, Chris Windom, Kevin Thomas Jr., Justin Grant and Tyler Courtney. Let me dream.

E. Mitchell

RM: No doubt the small Lights’ field is troubling this season, but there are some good young racers (Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward, Aaron Telitz, Santi Urrutia) who put on a damn good show up front over the weekend. If it wasn’t for Dan Andersen and Mazda there wouldn’t be a feeder system, and I think Josef Newgarden, James Hinchcliffe, Conor Daly, Jack Harvey, Zach Veach and Matheus Leist all benefitted from it. Starting over isn’t the answer, what needs to happen is that other IndyCar owners need to follow Michael Andretti’s lead and field a Lights’ team. Hell, it should be mandatory to get your Leader’s Circle, that’s how you can strengthen the series. Windom is going to get a shot in the Freedom 100, and if I had the money I’d run Justin Grant and Kody Swanson. There’s plenty of talent in short-trackers and road racers, but they all need funding and blowing up Lights isn’t going to change that.

Q: I was born in 1973 and, just for the heck of it, decided to look up what happened at the Indy 500 that season. It became apparent, very quickly, that 1973 was a tragic year for motorsport; covering it must have been challenging, to say the least. Have you written a piece about that race? If so, how might I access that? I’d be interested in reading about it, from your perspective.

Josh Shimizu, Salt Lake City, UT

RM: I imagine if you could go to The Indianapolis Star’s archives you could find some stories I wrote maybe in 1983 or 1993. Art Pollard was a good friend who really got me into racing, and I went to the hospital with his wife and we were sitting in a little room when they came in and said they hadn’t been able to save him. I wrote his obit sitting in the back of my van and it was the first time I’d ever lost someone close to me, so it was a challenging day to say the least.

Q: I’m glad to see Chris Windom and Davey Hamilton Jr. are looking at Indy Lights as a way to make it to Indy/Indy Car someday. If a short-track racer is to have even a half a chance at doing well – even if it’s just at the 500 – Indy Lights is the perfect place to get experience. I’ve never understood why Johnny Short-track insisted on going straight to the 500 instead of trying the Lights route first.

Before I ask my question, a short lament is in order. I’m very aware the money isn’t there for this, but it’s too bad there is no ‘Short-Track Road to Indy’ driver search. Get a few deserving short-trackers together, maybe three or four a year, and do a week- or two-week-long shootout at an accredited school where the winner gets a two-year deal. Year one would be Lights. If certain performance criteria are met, year two is a four-race Indy Car deal – one on each type of track, including the 500. I’m certain after a few years that one or two might find their way to full-season drives, or at least consistent Indy 500 drives. The steady stream of short-trackers would help IndyCar reconnect to a sorely missed and needed fan base. Do you think Windom and Hamilton’s efforts might be the start of a trend where short-trackers look to Lights as a stepping-stone to IndyCar?

Eric Z, Lancaster, NY

RM: I remember when Randy Bernard decided he was going to make sure the USAC champion got to run Indianapolis after watching his first USAC sprint race at Kokomo and meeting Bryan Clauson and Levi Jones. Randy made it happen, and Clauson was the overall USAC champ and got a ride in the 2012 Indy 500 with Sarah Fisher. As soon as Randy got run out of town, that program was dropped. It’s great that Windom (last year’s USAC sprint champ) and young Hamilton (a third generation driver) are going to run the Freedom 100, but it’s all about finding money or having someone like David Byrd (who is helping Windom) put a deal together. There have been various attempts to help the short-tracker get to Indy but just showing up once a year isn’t really fair – a midget or sprint racer needs miles, and that takes sponsorship. Lights is a great way to get comfortable in a rear-engined car, but it’s an expensive proposition and as we’ve seen this season, not many people can afford it. And I love your idea of a shootout, but it still requires someone to step up and fund it. USAC doesn’t care, so why should anyone else?