Robin Miller's Mailbag for January 2, 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: It is great that we have what sounds like a minimum of 36 entries and maximum of 40 for Indianapolis. How many engines can Honda and Chevy produce? Is a 20/20 or 21/19 split at the limit if we have 40? Will there be any changes on Bump Day?

Ron Zuccato

RM: The way I count it would be 20/19 as we speak with Honda (Andretti 6, SPM 3, Coyne 3, RLL 3, Ganassi 2, Steinbrenner/Harding 2, Shank 1) providing one more than Chevrolet (Penske 4, Foyt 3, ECR 3, Carlin 2, McLaren 2, Dreyer & Reinbold 2, Juncos 2, DragonSpeed 1).

Q: Any chance that with real bumping a reality at the Speedway again, we see a return to a more traditional qualifying format this year? Pole Day on Saturday and Bump Day on Sunday would be nice.

Rob Womack

RM: I think it’s been discussed, but doubt it could happen for 2020. The biggest flaw is the waste of money and effort on Saturday, so I think everyone with any skin in the game would prefer the old format you mentioned. One concern is television and making sure there is something dramatic at the end of each day for NBC, but having Pole Day on Saturday usually had last-minute action so it could work. And nothing was more riveting than Bump Day when there was actually bumping.

Q: The Mailbag is a great Wednesday treat, and here’s is to a healthy 2019! I grew up in Speedway with a family full of IMS fans. I now call Denver home, but still make the yearly pilgrimage back to the Indy 500. This year we have a group of IndyCar fans traveling to Long Beach. What is your recommendation for tickets? GA vs grandstands? Are there paddock access? What are the best viewing/passing corners? We also grew up on Mug-n-Bun and Workingman's – any good food advice around Long Beach? Thanks and keep up the great work!

Justin, Denver

RM: The hairpin leading into the last corner and front straightaway seems to be popular, but the best place to watch overtaking would be going into Turn 1 (the grandstand at the end of Shoreline). Tickets range from $98 to $147 for three days and there is also a junior price. The three-day GA ticket is $95 and good for unreserved seating on Friday and Saturday but not Sunday, while the three-day paddock pass is $65. There is also parking available and you should go to GPLB.com to check out availability. Lots of restaurants by the track, but King’s Fish House, The Yardhouse, Gladstones and the 555 East steakhouse are very popular.

Q: Have there been any rumblings about a new sponsor for Ed Carpenter Racing yet? Fuzzy’s must be tough to replace.

Russ in Indy

RM: Not to my knowledge, but I think Ed is going to make a deal to help McLaren so that could help ease the pain of losing Fuzzy’s.

Q: I’m hearing a lot of rumors that Carlos Sainz Jr. will be the driver of the second McLaren car and Alonso’s teammate for the 2019 Indy 500. Is this true, or is McLaren even going to have a second car for Indy?

Landon, Crawfordsville, IN

RM: I ask RACER’s F1 man, Chris Medland, about your rumor and here’s his response:

“I've been wrong before, but I really can't see that one happening. If McLaren is going to go for a second entry, then it will want a more experienced driver alongside Fernando, one that can help bring Indy 500 knowledge to the team it is putting together. Don't forget how inexperienced Fernando is in an IndyCar despite how well he performed in 2017, and the McLaren Indy team will have a lot of learning to do as it is. Even if McLaren surprised everyone by going for a rookie, I can't see how it would be Carlos because that would leave the team without its F1 driver for the Monaco Grand Prix, and the whole IndyCar project is designed to not impact on the F1 team this time. Seeing as the likely replacement for either Sainz or Norris if they missed a race would be Alonso, it really wouldn't make sense to put itself in that position.”

And here’s my answer: Yes, I think McLaren is going to field two cars, but I’d be shocked if it chose somebody with zero oval experience like Sainz. Fernando needs a veteran to help him. I know J.R. Hildebrand is putting something together for Indy and he spoke with Alonso at COTA about the possibility of being teammates, and that makes sense - especially if ECR is involved.

Q: OK Robin, here is the perfect chance. Get Curt Cavin in on this. Conor Daly is going to the Chili Bowl. Perfect opportunity for IndyCar to set up a booth. Hand out 2019 schedules, give away old 2018 merchandise from the IndyCar store. I am sure a few of Conor's IndyCar buddies will come to support him. Maybe have them available for a few minutes to give autographs? IndyCar can't cry poor on this. I am sure the cost would be minimal, and it would be at a necessary target market.

Jeff Loveland

RM: I pitched an IndyCar booth with JoNew, Graham, Marco, Conor and Hinch signing autographs and giving away IndyCar swag a few years ago and had Newgarden lined up to be teammates with Bryan Clauson, but it fell on deaf ears. I was told the Chili Bowl crowd wasn’t IndyCar’s demographic. Now, the person who told me that is no longer around, but I’m afraid it’s way too late for 2019. All the primo booth spaces are already sold.

Ed Elisian, 1957. Image by Gene Crucean

Q: I was reading about the 1958 first lap crash and found a story written by Chuck Johnson for the Milwaukee Journal, May 31, 1958. It states that Ed Elisian didn’t want to talk to reporters and was sitting in his garage alone except for the company of Billy Vukovich Jr. – son of the two-time winner. I never heard that before and wonder if it’s true? Maybe Billy wanted to be friends with Elisian because Ed tried to rescue his dad. I know you are good friends with Vuky, so maybe you could ask him about it. That was 60 years ago and there aren’t many still around that can talk about that day. I think Ed Elisian is one of the most fascinating people in racing history.

Pat Wethington

RM: It’s true. Vuky came back to the race with his mom and he was sitting with Elisian after that massive first-lap pileup that claimed the life of Pat O’Connor. Elisian was universally blamed by his fellow drivers for the risky move that started the crash. Ed idolized Vuky and stopped his car on the backstretch in 1955 and ran to try and help, and little Billy never forgot that. Elisian was a rounder, drinker and gambler, but a fast racer who lost his life at Milwaukee in 1959.

Q: I got this crazy idea about how to get the grassroots involved with the IndyCar ladder. Not sure if it's feasible, but I'm curious to hear what you think about it. A lot of people, including yourself, are saying that IndyCar needs a better presence at iconic events such as the Chili Bowl, but save for an occasional IndyCar part-timer taking part, this is largely being ignored.

I understand there might be obstacles in the way of the top of the crop current IndyCar drivers taking part (insurance, contracts etc), but what about the kids on the Road To Indy? Why not have the whole Indy Lights lineup suit up for the Chili Bowl? And why stop there, why not have RTI cars sent to places like IRP (a short Pro 2000 race before the Night Before the 500 main event) or even Oswego (Indy Lights sharing the Labor Day weekend with the Supermodifieds) – showcase your product, invite the drivers to swap cars, maybe someone gets interested, offer them partial financing for the first season on the RTI? It's not like we have too many entries at the moment, we could use a few more. And of course there is a potential some of them could then graduate to Indy. Am I 100% bonkers, or am I onto something here?

Rad from Toronto

RM: All that would be great, but who is going to pay for it? IndyCar won’t, and you can’t expect Dan Andersen to either. The drivers? Not likely. The best IndyCar could do would be field a three-car team for the Chili Bowl, and as we said above, have a week-long presence in Tulsa with drivers and swag. The whole thing would cost $40-50,000 and make IndyCar more new fans than it could imagine. I know Alex Rossi (fresh from Baja) wants to run a midget or sprinter on the dirt and so does Will Power, and that’s how you make an impact – with two of your biggest stars. But this isn’t 1967, and logistics and contracts make it very improbable.

Q: My friends and I witnessed one of the most incredible and exciting Indy races at Nazareth when it was first added to the schedule many years ago. It was the fastest one-mile track in the world! I believe the speed was over 196mph! Breathtaking! What happened? Why did it close? It was packed!

Jeff Alan

RM: It was packed when Mario and Michael were racing there in CART and Roger Penske owned the track. But after 2001 it became an IRL race, and with no Andrettis, attendance dropped. Penske sold the track to ISC and it was closed in 2004.

Q: I just finished reading your story about Mike Hiss.  I really enjoy reading your stories about racers from back in the day. Please keep them coming in 2019.  Here's hoping you have a happy and healthy new year. My very best regards, you old stooge.  Maybe I will see you at Elkhart Lake by the brat and beer stand.

Ron Ford, Muskego, WI

RM: Thanks Ron, Mike was a good guy who got a late start (age 31) in Indy cars but made the most of it for four years. I ran his pit board at Indy in 1975 when he drove for Bill Finley, but you could tell his heart wasn’t in it that month and he pretty much vanished until The Captain brought him out of the bullpen in 1978 to qualify Mario’s car.

Q: Enjoyed your tribute to Mike Hiss. A clean-cut, Penske perfect driver. I had never heard that Peter Revson was headed to Penske Racing for 1974. Weren't Revson and Mark Donohue bitter rivals? By that time Donohue had stepped out of the car and was president at Penske, I believe. Would that have worked? Also, to your knowledge, was David Donohue ever considered for a ride at Penske?

Curt Fulp

RM: I didn’t know Revson was going to drive for R.P. until my pal Dave Scoggan told me when I was researching Mike’s career for his obit. It was a well-kept secret, for sure. I think Donohue and Revson raced each other hard, but I don’t recall them having any animosity. Mark was miserable that year he didn’t drive, but he was a team player and always wanted The Captain to succeed,d so there wouldn’t have been any problems with Revvie driving. David raced sports cars so I don’t think Indy was ever discussed.

Q: With Colin Chapman's well-earned reputation for obsession with lightness, were you privy to conversations around the four-wheel drive Ford Lotus 64 in 1969 and its durability? Seems there are a lot of stories of knowledgeable Indy vets who tried to give Chapman advice he ignored. For example, the leaning out of the quad Ford and subsequent melted pistons. And in this case, Brawner’s concerns over the suspensions and hubs, which turned out to be right.

Greg Williams, Apache Junction, Arizona

RM: One of the few men still alive that can answer this question is Jim McGee, the co-crew chief with Clint Brawner on Mario’s winning car in 1969:

“Maurice Phillipe did a lot of design work, while Colin was a concept guy. They figured with four-wheel drive, the front wheels would only be driving 30-40 percent, while the rears were at 60-70 percent. They decided to use the hubs on F1 car because load wouldn’t be as big. But they didn’t factor in the side load and torque.

“We tried to get them to change things but they wouldn’t so we were magnafluxing hubs every three days we ran, and we magnafluxed them that night and it broke next day. It was simply a bad design.

Andretti survived a big crash in practice when the hubs failed and wound up driving his old Hawk to victory, but one can only wonder what he night have done in the four-wheeler on Race Day had it held up.

“We were quicker by about 2-3 mph than any other cars and we were still running front tires all the way around,” continued McGee. “Firestone was making us a special tire and the rears weren’t done. Mario said when he put on the power, front end pulled car around corner and it was so stuck and so easy to drive. It would have been a piece of cake.”

Rick Mears, 1984... and the debate about Indy's all-time greats rages on. Image by LAT

Q: I want to go back to your discussion on the all-time greats at Indy (one of my favorite debates). Vuky and Parnelli are speculative in that their careers were both ended short, but obvious masters, but it's another thing that gets me. It drives me nuts when people elevate A.J. above Mears. The Rocket did more than A.J. (same amount of wins and two more poles) in less than half the years. To me, when you look at pure results, Mears is Indy's greatest champion, especially given the competition he raced against. Your thoughts?

Randy, Milwaukee

RM: It’s an endless debate with no clear-cut way to make a determination. No arguing that Mears was one of the best ever at Indianapolis – just like Big Al and A.J. No doubt that A.J. should have quit in the mid-80s, but his ability to go from 140 mph roadsters to 225 mph rear-engine missiles sets him apart in my book. While his career was tragically cut short, Vuky’s record is unmatched. He should have won four races in a row and led 70 percent of the laps in his five starts. And Parnelli could have easily won in 1961-62-64-67. Troy Ruttman was revered by Dan Gurney and Parnelli, and A.J. Watson said he was one of the three greatest at IMS. It’s tough enough to pick the Top 10, let along best three or best ever, but Rocket Rick will always be in the conversation.

Q: Listening to Jay Frye on the IndyCar podcast, it sounds like the panels are on track to return in 2019. It doesn’t seem like he totally understands why it is so important to the fans. I don’t think it’s important if you’re watching the broadcast. I think they’re priceless for following a race at the track if you’re not also listening to the radio broadcast. Scoring pylons aren’t in the immediate sightline in a lot of places, so they make following the leaders and back of the pack much easier. Anyhow Miller, I hope your recovery is going well and we get to see you back on the grid in 2019.

Ryan in West Michigan

RM: You are correct in that it’s very popular with fans at the races, but I think Jay’s concern is that it’s very difficult to keep those LED panels operating because of the vibration. All is good, thanks.

Q: Great to see IndyCar finally heading in the right direction thanks to Miles and Frye. Really enjoyed your article. Also great to see you are back on your feet. Now if you could just learn to lose the bookie’s phone number. Question: I would love to get to a race in person, any chance of Richmond or The Rock in the new future?  Kind of hard for an old geezer like me to travel too far unless I come home to Indianapolis for the 500 and a week of tenderloins. Stay well.

John T. Feeser, Wilmington, NC

RM: I think Richmond is very much in play for 2020, and that would be good in my mind since it always drew a nice crowd in NASCAR country (I know about the freebies but there were 30,000 every year) and I believe IndyCar has an idea how to make it more popular than before. No chance for The Rock, too much work required. Come to Indy and I’ll treat.

Q: I was wondering if you have heard of any new books about IndyCar racing or IMS or the Indianapolis 500 that will be published in 2019 that I can add to my racing library? Also, with your years and love for the sport, have you ever thought of writing a book? I know I would buy a copy.

Mike Bragg

RM: I would suggest Gordon Kirby’s books on the Bettenhausens and Wally Dallenbach, Black Noon by Art Garner, Will Power by David Malsher and Lloyd Ruby by John Lingle. They’re not new but all are good reads for Indy 500 fans. And Kirby is working on the history of open-wheel racing and that will be fantastic. A.J. keeps asking when I’m going to write a book and I told him I can’t do anything as long as he’s alive because he’d kill me. Of course that’s not true, but it always make him laugh.

Q: To say I was an IndyCar addict after attending my first event at Pocono back in the early 80's is an understatement. I couldn't believe a car could travel that fast around a corner. I was a stock car guy and attended a few races at the same track. Watching them at Pocono was almost as boring as setting up a chair along the highway. I became a very avid Andretti fan, be it father or son. Of course Tony G. ruined all of that and turned me away from IndyCar, along with bulk of their fan base. Is IndyCar making a strong comeback, stealing away all those fans that have left NASCAR behind? I see the stands getting fuller at most races. I find the racing getting back to the competitive level it was at before Mr. George left it for dead. I find myself watching the whole race, unlike when I watch the first 50 laps of a NASCAR race, take a two-hour nap, then wake to catch the last 100 laps.

Phil Stone, West Hartford, CT

RM: IndyCar is definitely on the rise in terms of car count, competition and finally scoring a real television partner in NBC, but NASCAR remains the Big Dog in terms of TV ratings and attendance. Sure, Bristol is only half-full nowadays, but that’s still 70,000 people, and IndyCar struggles to get fans to ovals. I think NASCAR on NBC has definitely helped IndyCar’s audience, but still a long ways to go in terms of catching up with paying customers at ovals.