Robin Miller's Mailbag for January 9, 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: I'm a regular reader of the Mailbag and have been reading your work since I was a kid, so I wanted to start by saying thank you for the work you do in covering the sport. I was looking on the NBC Sports website and I noticed that the only race that will be on NBC is the 500 and the rest will be on NBCSN. While I preferred NBC's coverage to ABC's and I like that it is already promoting the 500 (I saw a commercial during the NFL playoffs), doesn't it hurt the sport a little to have fewer races on network TV, especially in the lead up to the 500?

KC, Raleigh, NC

RM: Not sure how that information got posted, but it’s incorrect because there will be eight IndyCar races on NBC in 2019 – the Indy GP, the Indianapolis 500, the Detroit doubleheader, Road America, Mid-Ohio, Portland and Laguna Seca.

Q: During the Bears/Eagles game there was a commercial for the Indy 500. Was that a local or national commercial?

Joe Mullins

RM: Judging by all the happy fans I’ve heard from in the past 24 hours, I’d say it was a national commercial.

Q: Robin; hope your recovery is coming along well. IndyCar and the Indy 500 needs you. I know you have been saying all along what a bang-up job of telecasting the Indy 500 that NBC will do, and today I really believe. On the pro football game NBC is televising, it just had a commercial for the 2019 Indy 500. That's what we need. As always, I am looking forward to another month of May. This will be my 72nd Indy 500 in a row, and I still look forward to it every year.

Butch Welsch

RM: NBC excels at big events and promoting them (look how the Triple Crown has grown under NBC), and I’ve seen another Indy promo that will be aired soon that’s even better than the one we watched Sunday night. Your loyalty is great, and 72 in a row could be a new track record.

Q: Anything new on the title sponsor front? I saw the same rumor in a few different places today that NTT Data will most likely be the new IndyCar title sponsor. Also, I saw the NBC promos for the Indy 500 during playoff football. Two more months to go! Ugh!

Rob Peterson, Rochester, NY

RM: The official title sponsor announcement will be Jan. 15 and all I’ve heard is that it’s an Asian company. But NTT Data certainly got a ton of exposure in that NBC promo last Sunday night, and a lot of people are assuming that’s the new sponsor.

Q: Can you estimate what percentage of current IndyCar drivers pay for their rides (also if you can speculate for F1 and NASCAR)? Over the decades, have these percentages simply undulated with the economy, or has there been a long-term trend in one direction?

Robert Berlin

RM: Looking at the 2018 full-time lineup in IndyCar, of the 21 full-timers there were six drivers buying their rides and another eight brought money to run part-time. At Indy, 16 of the 33 starters came with a sponsor. I don’t know about F1 but probably half the field easily, while NASCAR is beginning to get ride-buyers in both divisions, and that’s really going to increase when the TV deal gets re-negotiated. Ride-buying at Indy started in the 1970s but at a very small percentage, and then got more and more prevalent in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Q: OK, this is the year. Tuesday, May 21, 2019, I am setting out across the Lincoln Highway from California with my eyes on Indy. Where should I sit? Due to back pain, I am using a wheelchair. I am not worried about parking, I just need to know where the best seats (or a row where I can roll to with my friend) are with wheelchair and elevator access?

Eric Ione, CA

RM: Please call the IMS ticket office (800-822-INDY and explain your situation and tell them you need parking and see what kind of tickets are available. Safe travels, and enjoy.

Q: You have lots of Mailbag readers that always ask for seating advice. If you ever have one that is traveling a long way or is deserving of a fantastic view, this year I only need two of my four in Southeast Vista Deck. For a fan it will be strictly face value, and I won’t screw them because I’ll be sitting right next to them. Feel free to tell them to text me: 517-803-3592. These two seats would be a thrill for a first -imer! Again, Happy New Year! Hope to see you in May!

Matt From Lansing

RM: Thanks Matt. I can assure people that your seats are the best in the house if you want to see action and three of the four corners. I had four Vista Deck tickets for years and never heard a complaint from the folks who used them. Matter of fact, they still call every year and wonder if I have access to any Vista Deck and I tell them, sorry, they’re always taken.

If Miller's prediction proves correct, Graham Rahal's smile will be even bigger this May. Image by LAT.

Q: Can we have your predictions for 2019? Who will win the Indy 500? The IndyCar championship? Will Felix Rosenqvist be this season's Wickens? Will he win a race or two? Will Alonso do more races than Indy? Who will be the biggest surprise in 2019? Any other glimmers seen in your crystal ball?

A.M. Jenkins

RM: I’m picking Josef Newgarden, Ryan Hunter-Reay or Graham Rahal to win Indy, but I’d love to see Ed Carpenter in Victory Lane. I think Alex Rossi will take the championship. Felix will dazzle you and win a race. Don’t expect Alonso to do more than Indy, but sure would like to see him at Road America. I think Pato O’Ward is going to surprise a lot of folks in 2019.

Q: With support races abandoning the LBGP, any chance we will see the Indy Lights return, or does that circuit lend itself to a costly crash-fest? Or how about a Porsche Rennsport-like event, such as those at Laguna Seca?

Sean Raymond, Corona, CA

RM: No, I think as long as IMSA shares Long Beach along with the vintage races and Robby Gordon’s trucks, that’s more than enough entertainment. It’s non-stop action from 8 am until dark, so not really any room to add Lights or Pro Mazda or F2000.

Q: First of all, Happy New Year, and we’re so happy to have you back doing your old gig! I just listened to Marshall Pruett’s podcast with yourself and Leigh Diffey, and you briefly mentioned entries for next year in IndyCar. Where do we stand on that? You mentioned 26 St. Pete entries – how many are full time/part-time? You also mentioned maybe 40 Indy 500 entries, which sounds ambitious to me. Is that realistic?

Max Camposano, San Jose, CA

P.S. Any word on if Kyle Kaiser is going drive for Juncos in the 500 or any other races? I know he’s gonna drive their DPi at least once at Daytona and that he has no money to bring, but it’d be a crying shame for him not to drive anything in IndyCar, as he was the only one who did anything with those cars.

RM: I think right now there will be 23 full-timers at St. Pete and three part-timers, whereas Indianapolis will be a minimum of 37-38 with the possibility of 40 depending on a couple of deals coming together. And, yes, I think Kaiser will be driving for Ricardo Juncos at Indianapolis again – deservedly so.

Q: So Paul Tracy has been on Facebook all week posting workout photos and videos saying a big announcement is coming. He's also posting quite a few photos of himself at the Indy 500 including photos of the 2002 Indy 500 as his motivation. Do you know what this big announcement is all about? Is the Thrill From West Hill going to make an attempt at the 2019 Indy 500? He can be a great "in-race reporter" for NBC!

John Baadilla, San Bernardino, CA

RM: I have no idea, but he’s been away almost a decade and doesn’t belong in an IndyCar, so hopefully it’s just PT being PT and stirring the pot. Maybe he’s driving the pace car.

Q: I picked up this shirt at a thrift shop. Could you tell me something/anything about the team it represented? I thought I read their Monavie sponsor was kind of strange... Anyway it’s the first and only piece of IndyCar apparel I have.

James, Helsinki, Finland

RM: That was a water company that sponsored Tomas Scheckter at Indy with Dennis Reinbold in 2010.

Q: While there were no on-track histrionics between the two, Peter Revson hinted on occasion that he felt Mark Donohue achieved part of his success, and beat Revson in particular, via "cheating." While I can't find my copy of the book to verify it, my recollection is that Revson said as much in his biography under the guise of "suspecting" Donohue of cheating, particularly early in their respective careers when they often raced against each other.

Revson came across to me as a bit envious of Donohue's success and used the "cheating" angle to justify how Donohue often beat him early in their careers. I think Donohue, while being a team player and all, would have been somewhat resentful of Revson joining Penske. But maybe they had buried the hatchet by then. Michael Argetsinger also referred to Revson's assertions regarding his opinions on Donohue's supposed cheating in Argetsinger's Donohue biography.

Ron Ness

RM: I had Peter Manso’s book on Revson but can’t find it, and while I don’t recall too much bad-mouthing of Donohue, that was a long time ago so I appreciate your information. Can’t imagine The Captain pairing people who didn’t get along (excluding PT and Little Al), so maybe it was a professional co-existence.

Q: I saw the letter about Revson going to Penske IndyCar from Curt Fulp. Revson and Donohue were teammates at Penske driving TransAm Javelins during Trans-Am ‘sgreatest season in 1970. They ran against factory Fords for Parnelli Jones and Follmer, factory ‘Cudas for Gurney and Savage, a factory Challenger for Posey, and hush, hush factory Camaros for Jim Hall and Vic Elford and a Firebird for Jerry Titus. Donohue finished second to Parnelli's Ford and Revson finished eighth. The next year most of the other factory teams left and Donohue's Penske Javelin won the championship, while Revson's AMC finished fourth.

Marv Gray, Willoughby, Ohio

RM: Thanks Marv, there has been a series of Trans-Am videos on Facebook lately, and you forget how many good races they staged and how many big names competed. My pal and author Rick Shaffer also pointed out that David Donohue did run some Indy Lights races so I’d forgotten that, but don’t think Indy was ever in the cards.

Q: I've recently seen a shot of the Gerhardt Plymouth. It ran ­– or tried to qualify unsuccessfully – at the Indy 500 way back in 1969. It is a striking design that wouldn't look out of place now, almost half a century later! What can you tell us about this obviously innovative dud?

Larry River, Canada

RM: Actually, this photo is a revamped Lotus 56 with the Plymouth engine. It was a cool design, but the bodywork had to be modified and an Offy installed for Art Pollard that May, and he qualified along with teammate Carl Williams in a Gerhardt-Offy. Pollard would score Plymouth’s only win later that season at Dover after winning Milwaukee in the Gerhardt-Offy.

When the weekend's work is done, the IndyCar teams' transporters usually head back to home base. Image by Levitt/LAT

Q: As a former resident of International Tower (the big round building) in Long Beach, we always enjoyed watching the big IndyCar haulers pulling out after the crowds had gone. It was easy picking out the new teams because a few of them would manage to high center making their way onto Shoreline from the paddock. It seems that they were always in a hurry to get moving. My question is, do they haul everything back to Indy and then on to the next race, or do they just head for the next venue?

Paul I, Mint Hill, NC

RM: If it was back-to-back like Phoenix and Long Beach last year, obviously they’d stay out west between races, and sometimes if there’s a test they’ll go from Road America to Iowa, but mostly it’s back to the shop after the race.

Q: It used to be that one could purchase a t-shirt with an exciting graphic image of an IndyCar speeding off or canted in one direction or another. Sometimes you’d have the driver’s image or some product logo prominently displayed, and a huge car number with sweet graphics. Look no further than a local dirt track event (or GutsWear trailer at IndyCar events) and you’ll see many examples of exactly what I’m talking about. Other than the occasional event shirt on offer, I am regularly disappointed when I go to races that these types of items are no longer available.

Is it because of transient sponsorships, or do they somehow sell more of the plain-jane variety of shirts and sweatshirts nowadays? There’s a time and place for a classy, solid color shirt with a little RHR logo on it, don’t get me wrong, but I’m tired of having to squeeze my belly into 10-15 year old t-shirts that are exciting to look at and really let other people know who you are rooting for. (Besides, Oriol Servia hasn’t driven the Newman-Haas Telemundo car for quite some time, and my favorite shirt is starting to really fade). Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Tim Howell, York, PA

RM: IndyCar has a trailer at every track that carries most of the drivers, but there are a few other options. Team Penske has a merchandise trailer at a number of races (St. Pete, COTA, Indy GP, Indy 500 and Detroit. Road America, Portland and Laguna Seca are potential for 2019) and there is also an online store at http://store.teampenske.com/. The Andretti team has swag at ShopAndretti.com and its 2019 gear is coming soon. You can go to shop.ims.com/indycar/drivers/James Hinchcliffe or www.tomotorsports.com to get the Mayor’s shirts and hats.

Q: Does IMS museum have a NASCAR and Formula 1 wing? Never been there, but it looks like they are opening one. Such a long list of classy individuals that grew the sport that are not included. Sad.

Andy Skirvin

RM: Yep and I am greatly opposed to it, because NASCAR and F1 had nothing to do with Indy’s heritage or success. I know the IMS Museum needs money and this is a way to create interest in the annual HOF banquet, but Indy drivers, mechanics and owners are the only ones that belong in the IMS HOF.

Q: What's the latest on the use of the windscreen? Will we see it in IndyCar this year? Also, what about the idea of using sheets of a similar clear material and affixing them to the inside of the fencing on ovals? This would provide a smooth surface so if a car gets above the wall it can't dig into the fence and get violently spun around like Robert Wickens at Pocono.

Tom O.

RM: Not this year, it’s still being tested and evaluated. Plexiglas was looked at by Randy Bernard, but it’s got some issues in addition to being very expensive.

Q: Front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive seem to have fallen in and out of favor over the years at the Indy 500, but now are banned. I assume it was USAC that banned them, then CART, IRL, IndyCar just followed. When, and why, did USAC ban them?

Kevin Kovach, Allen Park, MI

RM: At the end of the 1969 season USAC banned four-wheel drive after crippling the turbine engine with its rulebook. USAC banned it because it had no leadership, direction or clue. Then it took the dirt cars out of the Championship Trail, ran off Marlboro as the title sponsor, and banned rear-engine sprinters to cut the path to Indy for midget and sprint car drivers forever.

Q: There has been a lot of positive momentum in the IndyCar series over the last year. With that being said, out of curiosity, has Gerald Forsythe given any indication that he may be willing to return to the series as a team owner or, at a minimum, have one of his Indeck companies serve as a car sponsor?

James Jackson, Livonia, MI

RM: Nope. I use to call Gerry every year and ask if he was coming back, but he never got over Champ Car folding and merging with the Indy Racing League. I explained that open-wheel racing lost and nobody won but he didn’t feel that way. It’s a shame because he spent a lot of his own money and ran a first-class operation.

Q: A question this week that referenced The Great Schism prompts me to ask, have you ever gotten any indication that Tony George came to regret his decisions that resulted in The Split? There is never any going back and absolutely no satisfaction for anyone in saying, "I told you so." But I am curious. If I recall the television and the at-track attendance figures for IndyCar and NASCAR in the mid-1990s, IndyCar had the lead.

Kevin Eads

RM: CART and NASCAR were neck-and-neck in attendance, sponsorship and TV ratings in the early ‘90s (especially in 1993-94 with Mansell), so The Split couldn’t have come at a worse time. But I did a radio show with T.G. a few years ago and we politely disagreed on several things, but he never said he regretted starting the IRL. He was mad at engine leases and car owners and expenses so he pulled the trigger.

We couldn't find a shot of Joe Gosek, but one Mike Borkowski (pictured at Watkins Glen with Chris Dyson in 2003) was worth several Speraficos. Image by Phillps/LAT

Q: Several years ago, you published a piece on the worst IndyCar drivers of all time. There are several obvious choices, but who are the all-time worst drivers that The Split opened the door for? I took a few hours to sort out the worst 33 whose CART or IRL careers started between 1996-2007. Alphabetically: Mike Borkowski, Geoff Boss, Butch Brickell, Juan Cacares, Joel Camathias, Juan Carlos Carbonell, Fabrizio del Monte, Milka Duno, Alex Figge, Luiz Garcia Jr., Racin Gardner, Joe Gosek, Naoki Hattori, Shigeaki Hattori, Jon Herb, Paul Jasper Jr., Takuya Kurosawa, Patrick Lemarie, George Mack, Allen May, Scott Mayer, Chris Menninga, Dr. Jack Miller, Charlie Nearburg, Bobby Regester, Troy Reiger, Billy Roe, Marty Roth, Alex Sperafico, Tony Turco, Russ Wicks, Cory Witherill and Alex Yoong. Anybody not on the list who should be? Godspeed in the fight against cancer. If all else fails, visit A.J. so he can scare it away.

Steve in Redding, CA

RM: Joe Gosek doesn’t belong on that list, he was a damn good Oswego racer and did just fine in an IndyCar. Borkowski was also decent in lower formulas as I recall, and Mack was OK in his short IndyCar career. But you got the majority right, and there were several Sperafico brothers all with the same ability. And don’t forget Fulvio Ballabio, Joe Sposato, Nicola Marozzo, Vinicio Salmi or Franco Scapini.

Q: With IndyCar down to only four ovals this year, I’m really looking for some serious help. I’d like to travel north from east Texas for Indiana Midget Week. Can you point me in the right direction to find out about tickets for that week? I don’t know if I can afford to do it and I’ll have to miss the Texas IndyCar race, but I can see more oval racing in one week than IndyCar will give me all year, so if I can do it, I will. Any pointers you can give would be appreciated. I’d probably take our old motorhome, so I need to find out if tracks let you stay overnight and things like that. Is there anywhere I can check for the week, or do I need to try to contact all the individual tracks? Again, if you could point me in the right direction it would be a big help.

Jim Patton, Lilndale, TX

RM: You could try calling USAC (317-247-5151) and ask about a week-long ticket, or at least get the phone numbers of the hosting tracks.

Q: Glad to hear you're doing better. Maybe all that time around A.J. toughened you up for your fight. I'm curious how foreign drivers get green cards to drive in IndyCar and IMSA here in the U.S. Back in the old days there were limited opportunities for foreigners when there were qualified Americans to do the same job. In the same vein, how can Dallara get away with being the sole supplier of the IndyCar chassis? This seems to be a monopolistic practice (though one created by IndyCar). I still hope we can find a future that offers multiple engine, tire and chassis manufacturers. I know, I know. Not gonna happen.

P. Worth Thompson

RM: AJ has toughened me up and the old goat has been kind enough to check up on me every month. I have no idea about green cards, permanent or temporary, but it must be fairly easy. Dallara is the only company that stepped up when IndyCar was entertaining new car builders so we should probably be glad, because they’ve been a good partner.

Q: Glad you are back full-time Robin. With the reminder that we are all headed to the checkered flag, isn't it time you did a book? Where else can we get your perspective? A young fan of the change of the ‘60s, a participant of the wild 70's, Indy Star reporter of the heyday of the 80's thru the split, and a journalist of the rebuilding that has followed. You are a treasure of information, stories and antidotes that cannot be replaced. Isn't it time to share that with the next generation of open-wheel fans?

Brad B.

RM: Thanks Brad, I wrote my first book a couple years ago about the ABA’s Indiana Pacers and it was fulfilling in that it was kind of a history book of the franchise that this city embraced. It almost told its own story, so I’m not sure what my approach would be if I ever did a racing book. I guess it could be done by decades but not sure that’s very compelling, maybe just a bunch of short stories (I like the way Bones Bourcier does some of his racing books) with all the characters telling their stories. But it’s getting late, our heroes are in their ‘80s, so not sure there’s enough time.

Q: RM, thanks for your tribute to Mike Hiss on RACER.com. I knew Mike during some of his racing days and met him through his car owners for the '72 season, Tom and Mary Page. Lee Brayton had bought Gordon Johncock's '73 500-winning Eagle-Offy to campaign in '74. I worked for Lee's team, and we updated and prepped the car for Lee to drive in the Ontario 500 in March. Lee qualified the car but became ill the following week so couldn't drive in the race. Mike was called in to drive it at the last minute and had to start 33rd. In the race he was a rocket, and passed a number of cars before sadly backing the Eagle into the Turn 2 wall on Lap 17. In '75 I worked for Joe Hunt, who let me work part-time on his '68 Gerhardt-Offy while I finished engineering school. Joe wanted the run the car at the first MIS race that summer, and I suggested Mike. They immediately hit it off since Mike was flying corporate aircraft when he wasn't racing, and Joe had been a flight engineer with TWA for many years. Unfortunately we couldn't get the old Gerhardt up to sufficient speed to qualify, but we all enjoyed the experience anyway. I remember Mike as always being a gentleman with a professional approach to his work. Do you agree that he could've gone much farther in his racing career if he had been able to get a full time multi-season gig on a competitive team?

Bruce Selby, TX

RM: Mike arrived so late (31 as an Indy rookie) that I think he might have been damn good had he started in his mid-20s. He was smooth and smart on road courses and seemed to take to ovals pretty quick. But, like I said, when I worked with him in 1975 he seemed to have lost the fire and it never came back. A helluva nice guy who got to drive for Roger Penske too, so not many can say that.