Robin Miller's Mailbag for December 26, presented by Honda Racing/HPD

Your questions for Robin should 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: As someone who is fascinated by the business side of motorsports, I am particularly interested in the promoters and tracks and the ways that they host an IndyCar weekend. I've always wondered how much a race title sponsorship would go for nowadays? I remember reading after the title sponsor-less Portland GP that Kim Green had said that they had had offers, but they did not meet the dollar value that they were looking for. Along that same vein, what would it cost a track like Portland, Mid-Ohio or Road America to host a race weekend? Would either of these amounts vary for races held at an oval? In any case, I'm sure that none of the promoters or tracks would be even remotely open to publicly providing that kind of information!

Dave Dennis, Newmarket, ON

(Long-time Molson Indy Toronto and Honda Indy Toronto attendee)

RM: Sponsorships are all over the board from $100,000 to $500,000 to $1 million, and sanction fees probably range from $500,000 to $1.2 million. Let’s say you paid $750,000 to IndyCar to host an oval race and got $500,000 as your title sponsor, so you would have to sell X number of tickets and concessions just to break even. And it’s basically a one-day event. But if you had a three-day street race like Long Beach with IMSA also running, obviously it gives the promoter more opportunity to sell merchandise, concessions and tickets. And Long Beach likely also commands a seven-figure sponsorship. Honda sponsors Mid-Ohio and gets its employees and customers involved with free tickets and promotions, so promoters Savoree-Green have a head start before a wheel is turned, and Sundays always draw a bunch of folks who aren’t connected to Honda.

Portland had a great turnout after a decade’s absence, and I imagine Kim Green and Kevin Savoree will score a good title sponsor next year. Iowa lost its corn sponsorship, and I would think any chance of sustaining the race depends heavily on replacing Iowa Corn. Road courses (Road America, Mid-Ohio, Barber and Portland) have made a nice comeback in IndyCar, and it will be interesting to see if COTA or Laguna can pull a crowd. Long Beach is still strong after five decades but it’s still expensive to pull off a street race, and Toronto and St. Pete seem to be hanging in there, but ovals remain the toughest sell. Texas re-upped so it’s figured out how to make it, and Pocono is likely still around because of ABC Supply. Bottom line, if you don’t have a good title sponsor, I don’t see how you can survive.

Q: With Townsend Bell signing with AVS in IMSA and Paul Tracy's off-season issue, how is the broadcast team shaping up? Aside from your pivotal role in the broadcast. Paul and Townsend have been some of the best parts of the broadcast, aside from the racing itself.

Dino, New Hanover, Pa.

RM: Looks like Iowa is the only conflict for T. Bell and P.T. is cleared, so they’ll be in the booth with Leigh Diffey.

Q: In your last Mailbag, you mentioned IndyCar will open the season earlier in 2020 and that you thought we would have 20 races in 2020. As far as an earlier start of the season, would that be somewhere warm in the winter in the U.S., or maybe in the southern hemisphere like Australia or Brazil? Any hints where the additional three races will come from? Ovals, road courses, or street circuits?

Mike Hickman, Beech Grove, IN

RM: I’m speculating an earlier start based on the interest from Australia but nothing is official yet, and I know IndyCar has said 20 would be an ideal number, so let’s just say it’s going to add one of each.

Q: Glad to see you back to work. IndyCar has discussed racing in Nashville, but not at the superspeedway venue. Cup seems to be heading back to the Nashville Fairgrounds, which is a 0.6-mile oval. IndyCar and NASCAR have both talked about aligning dates, finally. Is it even possible for modern IndyCars to race on 0.6 miles? And what is the shortest track IndyCar has gone to since they dropped the dirt division?

Russ in Indianapolis

RM: I went to my go-to-guy for everything, the pride of Tennessee, Russ Thompson our NBC fact guru, and here’s what he had to say: “The shortest track has been Richmond at 0.75 mile. Next is Sanair at 0.826, then Iowa at 0.894 and Nazareth at three different measured lengths. Two of those were shorter than a mile. Just my personal opinion – I've raced karts on that track and it's none too big for karts. I can't imagine an IndyCar race there, although the American Indycar Series held a race there in 1991, and Tony Bettenhausen brought his CART car in 1988 and did a demonstration run before a local race.”

ABC Supply backing + Pocono = an oval keeping its place on the schedule. Image by Abbott/LAT

Q: I'm Canadian and have never seen an ABC Supply Company outlet here. I've never seen one in my travels through the U.S., for that matter. How big are they, and why do they stick with Foyt? I understand 'Foyt' is an iconic name, but the team itself is pretty hopeless and rarely features in races or television coverage. And aren't eyes on your logos on television and in the stands the reason sponsors pony up the bucks?

Emmett Swink, Mono, Ontario

RM: ABC Supply Co., Inc. is a major private American roofing supply company based in Beloit, Wisconsin that also sells windows, gutters, and siding for residential and commercial buildings, and is the largest roofing and vinyl siding wholesale distributor in the United States. It has 600 locations in the USA and is a $7 billion business. Owner Diane Hendricks likes A.J. and does lots of business-to-business at the racetrack, which outweighs results in all likelihood, and their title sponsorship likely keeps Pocono on the schedule. ABC is the longest-running sponsor in IndyCar and Mr. Foyt still garners plenty of media attention every season.

Q: I’m obligated and happy to point out to your Mailbag writer Erik S. of Oswego, Illinois, that IUPUI’s School of Engineering and Technology has a terrific Motorsports Engineering program that is one of the few (and was the first) in the U.S. to offer motorsports engineering degrees. Plenty of students have taken those degrees straight to IndyCar tech and race teams. Please let Erik know so he can have his son take a look!

John Schwarb, Senior Communications Specialist/Content Strategist

Indiana University Communications

RM: Thanks John, I’ve actually spoken to that class a couple times and can’t believe I forgot to list it last week.

Q: I thought that response to the young man that wants a career in race engineering was very well presented and could help the teenager to get off to a great start. Way back in the day, GM set up an excellent program at the General Motors Institute which has now become the Kettering Institute. I wonder, if this might be a good college for the young man? They may have an attractive program. Also, Embry-Riddle Research University here in Daytona, while known for its aeronautics program, also has a state of the art automotive curriculum. One problem here is that it is very expensive.

Dick and Sue Hildebrand, Ormond Beach, FL

RM: Appreciate the heads-up on Kettering and Emery.

Q: I read last week’s Mailbag where a guy named Erik from Oswego, IL was talking about his son wanting to be an engineer for IndyCar; doesn’t IUPUI offer a motorsports degree? Also, what are the updates on John Andretti and Robert Wickens?

Brian Lancaster, West Lafayette

RM: Yes sir, IUPUI has a great program that has produced a lot of mechanics and engineers. Talked with John a couple days ago and he’s facing some new surgery in early January that sounds optimistic. Haven’t spoken to Robert since September but from everything I see that he posts on Twitter or Facebook, he’s making good progress. Will he walk again? I wouldn’t bet against him.

Q: Robin, in your opinion, what were the top five things IndyCar got right this past season, and what were the top five things IndyCar missed the mark on?

D. Krueger, West Allis, WI

RM: The road race aero kits were a winner, the rousing return to Portland was a pleasant surprise, replacing Phoenix with COTA made sense, moving Iowa back to Saturday night for 2019 was smart and picking NBC over ABC was smarter. The oval aero kits weren’t real racy, everyone tried but Phoenix just didn’t work, switching the season finale from Sonoma to Laguna Seca won’t generate an atmosphere or a crowd, and the purses have to get an upgrade.

Q: I hope that there is some way to make the next generation engine sound better. The 'classic rewind' videos always remind the long-term fans how much better the turbo V8s sounded. I love the competitiveness we see these days in IndyCar, the talent level and the new bodywork, but the engines do not sound great. Thoughts?

Doug Loeffler, Lakeville, MN

RM: I’ve been told more power and more noise are the catch phrases for the next gen engine, so I’m optimistic it’s going to happen because the guys making the rules want both.

Q: 'Mike in Avon' hit on something, and it got me thinking, so therefore here's an IndyCar marketing suggestion -- sign some sort of alliance agreement with the karting world and venues around the country promoting IndyCar at those sites.

It doesn't have to be much, or even that expensive -- e.g., some IndyCar posters to post in the venue, schedules on display and for distribution, a flag or two hanging, etc. I know K-1 Karting is pretty big and in big markets around the country, and there is even an independent karting facility here in the Raleigh/Durham area -- Rush Hour Karting (they have a few posters of old IndyCar stuff (Cheever/Red Bull), but mostly NASCAR stuff), and it is packed every weekend. They also market fairly heavily to companies in the area for corporate events. Also, nearby VIR has an outdoor karting track (it's sweet, too), but no IndyCar references at all.

Such an alliance would provide additional exposure to both young and old alike, and would help get the word out to both audiences about IndyCar. Heck, the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team has miniature season schedules in about every business you go in around here. It just feels like unless you are near Indianapolis or in the Midwest (and maybe Pacific Northwest), IndyCar is a non-entity. If we continue to limit the exposure of IndyCar to those areas, we will continue to struggle with fan base and building fans. Reference the definition of insanity: doing the same things but expecting different results.

And I take it by your comments about Richmond over the last few months, it will be coming back on the schedule. I'm cautiously optimistic -- without Marlboro (which was nearby), it could struggle because no free tickets. Sun Trust Bank was the sponsor, but they are a small player and not sure they would be involved without all of those Marlboro "comp tickets" attendees.

Randy Mizelle, NC

RM: Some kind of national karting promotion and scholarship involving IndyCar would probably be a great idea, and you are correct in that IndyCar is pretty much unknown outside the Midwest. At least maybe an IndyCar presence at the big events might be a start. I’m hoping IndyCar goes back to Richmond because the attendance (I know there were a lot of freebies) was good as was the racing the first few years. Be a great place for an IndyCar/NASCAR doubleheader.

WE HAVE A MICHIGAN UPDATE! WE HAVE A MICHIGAN UPDATE! The answer's still no. Image by Levitt/LAT

Q: I truly, truly love to read all you have to say and appreciate your knowledge, stories and history of our heroes in open-wheel racing. You bring back my beloved family memories of preparing and going to the Brickyard! Get well soon, we all need you to keep feeding us the good racing food! However please can you tell me why the hell IndyCar doesn’t race at Michigan International Speedway? It’s a real damn shame, I’ve witnessed the best IndyCar racing ever there, so what is it, who is it and when will they ever come back ?

James Hileski, Kalamazoo, MI

RM: It’s all supply and demand, and right now MIS isn’t interested and neither is IndyCar. Ovals have become a very tough sell, so unless you’ve got a major title sponsor and hung-ho promoters like Gateway, it’s not going to happen.

Q: I know you like a good story every now and then, and seeing all of these Mailbag questions about the next generation of fan made me want to share my experience. My grandfather and grandmother were massive IndyCar fans and instilled the love of the sport in my father, who in turn passed that love down to me. Whether it is IndyCar, NASCAR, F1, or Friday night 410 sprint cars at Williams Grove Speedway, I live and breathe racing. My grandfather’s lifelong dream was to go to the Indianapolis 500, but he had several health issues that prevented him from doing so.

In 1989, my dad begged my grandfather to go with him to the 500 as he had purchased tickets for them, but having recently retired on disability due to his health, my grandfather felt he didn’t “deserve” to be at Indy if he couldn’t support his family by working. In 1990, my dad again purchased tickets for himself, my grandmother and my grandfather and refused to take no for an answer as my grandfather’s health started to decline. My grandfather finally got to cross the Indy 500 off his bucket list.  Dad always said he never saw my grandfather cry, but that day he wept as soon as Jim Nabors started singing “Back Home Again.” My grandfather passed away two weeks after the race.

I know the secret to growing a fan base isn’t complicated. It simply is about exposure; and I am not talking about just watching on TV. It is getting to the track, experiencing the visual and auditory phenomenon that is a car race, appreciating the skill these drivers demonstrate every weekend, and being a part of something. After all, I am willing to bet this is how the vast majority of fans who read your Mailbag became fans themselves. More importantly, it is about sharing a love of something that connects generations. It is incumbent upon us as race fans to instill that love into those around us, and it starts with going to the track. I was just shy of three years old when my grandfather passed away, and most of my memories of he and I are what I see in photographs. However, I never felt closer to him than I did that day, sitting in the middle of Turns 3 and 4 at Indy.

Someday in the future, I will take my daughters to Indianapolis and share with them just what this race has meant to me, their grandfather, and their great-grandfather. I have no doubt when they see it for themselves, they too will be hooked, and the next generation of IndyCar (and racing) fans will be alive and well.

Adam Swalm, Mechanicsburg, PA

RM: I agree that there’s no substitute for seeing speed and cars in person, and families have always been the best way to build fans. My dad took me to Indy practice when I was eight, and we’d walk across the golf course to the back fence to watch the start of the race from 1958-1963 until he finally got us tickets. We went to Pole Day every year too, and it was a father-son bond that developed into a passion.

Q: Wouldn’t it be great to see Justin Wilson’s Lola at the Goodwood Revival? Now that I think of it, it would be awesome to see a race of old Indy cars at the famed circuit.

Doug Mayer

RM: Yep, and see his brother Stef drive it. J.R., Dario, Uncle Bobby and Big Al have all run Indy cars at Goodwood and Lord March would give his eye teeth to have A.J. come over, but there needs to be an age limit for any racing (smile).