Robin Miller's Mailbag for April 10, 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: Takuma Sato had one of the best race weekends since he's been in the series – even better than winning the Indy 500, because he proved that he's no fluke, and that going from Andretti to Rahal Letterman Lanigan was a good move. He is getting up in age, and I'm wondering: will there be another young Japanese driver to replace Takuma when he retires? And finally, I had an interesting chat with a former F1 driver who thinks that it could be too fast for Formula 1 cars to race at Barber Motorsports Park, though he likes the layout of the track. What do you think?

Alistair Fannell

RM: Sato has smoothed out as he’s gotten older and that was a virtuoso display at Barber, from taking the pole on his last lap to dominating the race. He’s 42 but looks 32, and is in great physical and mental shape. Indy is still his big prize, but last Sunday was his finest drive. Haven’t heard of any Japanese drivers on the horizon. Don’t see why F1 couldn’t run Barber, except it’s not nearly cosmopolitan enough for their tastes.

Q: Watching the race, and this point just can't wait. We heard non-stop complaining about the pits closing for yellows. Then the incident with Graham happens, TK drives Chilton off the road (unintentionally) diving into the pits late, and since they left it green long enough for guys to come in, pit lane was complete chaos! We're lucky nobody got hit or taken out in the scramble that was that pit sequence. For the sake of safety, they need to just throw the yellow and close the pits. The rules are the same for everyone so the teams need to quit crying about getting caught out. Yes it sucks, but you know the rules like everyone else does. Side note: Graham finally has a great weekend and a fast car, then the gremlins hit. Tough break, but I hope he can bounce back.

Jacob Perl, Mansfield, Ohio

RM: The pits are always chaos after they’re closed and everyone comes in so it makes no difference, but the best thing about Barber was that Kyle Novak judged the situation and deemed it OK to leave out the green long enough for everyone to pit and not ruin it for the leaders. Dixon and most of the drivers applauded that move, because it let the race be decided on the track. And I think Novak wants to do that whenever possible, but all cautions are different and closing the pits is still about safety. Rahal and engineer Allen McDonald are starting to click and they should be formidable all season – especially next month.

Q: Can’t believe so many people are still whining about the closed pits. It was everyone’s option, and as PT and TBell repeatedly noted, Power and Rossi were playing with fire. Change this rule and then what’s next - green/white/checkers, lucky dogs, stage racing? Hell, let’s just invert the field after qualifying, too!

David Spear

RM: I said last week that I’ve been around long enough to remember when the yellow would fly and if somebody was coming off Turn 4 at and get slowed down in time to pit they would gain a lap on everyone, so it’s always been a factor, open or closed.

Q: During initial qualifying, is there any rhyme or reason to the make-up of Group 1 and Group 2? I noticed at COTA Penske and Ganassi were in different groups, as were Rossi and RHR. Just wondering.

Chris in Indiana

RM: The qualifying groups are designated by the practice times of the final session, and then it’s every other driver – fastest time goes to Group 1 and second fast to Group 2, and so on down the line.

Q: Do you think that it is a possibility that both Simon Pagenaud and Will Power could find themselves out of a ride at Penske for next year if things don't begin to shape up? I know it's early in the season, but it's no secret that Roger Penske likes to win, and the only driver on the team right now that's been able to consistently show that he can win is Newgarden. What are the odds of Penske going after Rossi, Herta or O'Ward?

Bille at Ball State

RM: Power had COTA covered before the untimely yellow and his subsequent mechanical trouble and he was on the pole at St. Pete, so why would he be in any danger? Simon probably needs to win a race or two, but who knows? I mean, if The Captain goes after one of those teenagers, Pagenaud could always be farmed out to the Acura sports car team, but I don’t believe he’s forgotten how to win. History shows that R.P. is always looking down the road for younger, faster – Tom Sneva was fired as the national champion, and JPM was sent to sports cars two years after winning Indy. And it’s served him pretty well.

Q: Can you tell us more about Colton Herta's team, such as how many team members and their backgrounds? I was watching the COTA Friday package on NBC Gold (great value) and saw maybe four or five people in the garage working on Herta's engine change, including Brian Barnhart. So it looked like a relatively small crew that must be doing a very good preparing the car for an excellent young driver.

Scott Thompson, Nebraska

RM: Harding Steinbrenner has several experienced IndyCar mechanics and chief Doug McCain has been in IndyCar and NASCAR. Brian Barnhart and Vince Kremer started way back in the 1980s, and Nathan O’Rourke is regarded by many as one of the best young engineers in the paddock. It’s a small budget team compared to most because Mike Harding and George Michael Steinbrenner finally scored some sponsorship last weekend, but this group has come a long way since January and is looking good.

Q: Just a quick one in response to a question asked on your Mailbag this week – I suspect Colton will have picked this up from his time in the UK, it's a very British thing to refer to a group of men as “boys”!

Stu M.

RM: Thanks Stu, I think it’s common everywhere nowadays.

This is not a photo of Danica Patrick. Image by LAT

Q: Although not a fan of Danica, I am OK with her being part of the Indy 500 broadcast. At least she has open-wheel history. Dale Jr is a classy guy, but he has no business being in the booth during IndyCar’s biggest race. This move seems like something ABC would do. Is NBC already panicking about IndyCar ratings?

Jeff Loveland

RM: Not at all. Junior is still the most popular person in American motorsports and it makes perfect sense to being him in with Mike Tirico and Danica. NBC shines at big events, and it’s treating Indy better than ABC ever thought about. I enjoyed Dale’s take on the Rolex 24 and his enthusiasm is genuine – just like him.

J.D.

RM: Junior came to the BC39 midget race last year and loved it. He has a great appreciation for IndyCar history (Gordon Johncock was his favorite driver growing up), and is stoked about coming to Indianapolis.

Q: The month of May will soon be here, and there is much chatter about Danica being on the Indy 500 commentating team. But what of Sarah Fisher? She was a fixture at the 500 as a serious driver and personable owner far longer than Ms. Patrick. I know she owns a go-kart complex near the track, but what happened to her race team ownership, even as an Indy-only outfit?

Jenkins, Canada

RM: Sarah and her hubby Andy O’Gara hung in there as long as they could with help from Wink Hartman and partnership with Ed Carpenter, but when Wink bowed out, that was enough. Their karting center in Speedway is awesome, and I think they’re holding their own. As for her career, Sarah was the first female IndyCar driver that passed her male competitors, and she never had the rides Danica did or I think she would have won a race as well.

Q: Wanted to bring up Monster Energy not being the main Cup Series sponsor next season.  I read that Monster Energy could partner with Chip Ganassi in fielding a new car in the Indianapolis 500. If that were to happen, who from the stock car side from Ganassi would you like to see in a CGR Monster Energy Indy 500 entry? Kurt Busch or Kyle Larson?

Kevin, NC

RM: Busch did an excellent job in 2014, but I’ve been beating Larson’s drum to come to Indy for a decade so he gets my vote. But I hear that Kyle Busch’s new contract would permit him to run Indy, so I’d love to see both Kyles.

Q: I'm confused by the IndyCar shock/damper issue. It seems this one piece of equipment is in general what separates the top tier teams from the rest. I know Penske manufactures world-class dampers, but they don't seem to be available to everyone ­– or they are just too expensive for the smaller teams to afford? Are there comparable dampers available to the smaller teams?

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

P.S. A number of people have written to Robin's Mailbag (including myself) regarding Pipo Derani. His drive in the first 10 minutes of Sebring (in the pouring rain) was Senna-like. I know pay drivers are important for the bottom line, but I think someone needs to give him another test.

RM: You can buy Penske shocks, just not the ones he runs. But teams spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on developing dampers because it’s the only open area of the car. Somebody said why doesn’t IndyCar just make stock dampers for everyone to save money, and the answer is that supposedly Roger, Chip and Michael were adamant it remained open, so it does.

Jesse, Franklin, IN

RM: From Marshall Pruett: “You've struck upon the one major areas IndyCar leaves open to its teams for development. Think of dampers like the 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 engines made by Chevy and Honda: They're the same basic thing, with blocks, heads, cranks, pistons, etc., but the choices on how to make the items, the materials used, the unique design approaches taken, and all manner of choices and processes on achieving a finished and successful motor are completely different. Same goes for dampers.

"There are a few vendors – Ohlins, Dynamic, and Penske are common choices – but only in rare instances are those shocks true off-the-shelf units that get bolted onto a car. The internals, of which there are many pieces and options, are subject to the choices made by each team. Damper engineers have different philosophies on how to deliver the ride and handling characteristics that will best serve the car and driver, just like race engineers have preferred ways of setting up a car. All of this comes into play with a Foyt team, for example, where the choice of damper model, damper engineer (it's occasionally the race engineer or assistant engineer who oversees this area), and the quality of ideas for how to design and build what goes inside that makes a team competitive or uncompetitive. Lots of variables to consider, and whether it's the damper or the damper tech, getting things wrong is just as possible as getting it right.

"As an aside, there's also a reason why the best damper people are well-paid and prized members on the best teams. A final thing to consider that's often mentioned: Penske Racing Shocks sells its product to the public. Some IndyCar teams buy them and modify as desired. Those commercially available shocks are not the same items used by Team Penske. Those are quadruple top secret, and have nothing in common with those found on rival IndyCar entries. That's how serious the business of damping happens to be in the series...

You're unlikely to see Indy-only entries like the one for James Davison at Pocono, regardless of how their May turns out. Image by LAT

Q: I have no idea how much the entry fee is for a race, or even if it varies per event – could you explain how that system is set up? I also have a crazy idea that goes along with entry fees: the cars that fail to qualify for Indy have their entry fee waved for Pocono. The idea would be that the cars being sent home from Indy will show up at Pocono so there can be more than just 24 cars running around a 2.5-mile course. Would this be just a drop in the bucket or could it actually help?

Bill in Lockport, IL

RM: We’re only talking a couple cars and those are likely going to be Indy-only entries, so they wouldn’t even go to Pocono. And that entry fee is only $2,500.

Q: Just looked over the full list of who’s going to be on the NBC broadcast of the 500, and holy crap. The lineup is so packed and so talented (well, except for that one Robin Miller guy, who knows why they keep putting him on TV?) that I almost wish I wasn’t going to the race so that I could watch what’s surely going to be an amazing broadcast. I’m in no way bashing the decision, but what’s the rationale for Dale Jr joining? Trying to attract NASCAR fans, or just big name recognition?

Whatever the reason, I love it. NBC had the ball put on the tee for them when ABC lost coverage of the 500, and they have truly knocked it out of the park. I’m 19, and thus I’m supposed to be a cynical millennial who finds some way to complain about everything, but not since I watched my first F1 race 13 years ago have I been this excited about a race, and racing as a whole. IndyCar has had a great start to the season, and I can only see NBC adding value to the sport. F1 has had a genuinely exciting start to the season for once, and Liberty seems to be starting to move them in the right direction. Even Formula E is legitimately exciting and different, though I think it’s got a few too many gimmicks.

Though the audience isn’t huge, the racing fans around my age are as dedicated as anyone (I go to friends’ dorms to watch races almost every weekend), so the audience isn’t going to disappear in the next few years like many people fear. Point is, I like where racing is at overall, I like the way it’s being presented to us (though I’m sure plenty of Canadian, South American, and Australian IndyCar fans will disagree), and I like the people they’re having present it. Do you think growth like this is sustainable for the long term? Obviously NASCAR is having a bit of a downward trend, but other than that everything seems to be going well. Do you think that this will continue for a while, or do you see it slowing down or even reversing in the next few years? Whatever the case, great to see it all going well right now! Just thought after all these weeks of bitching in the Mailbag you could use some genuine optimism.

Max Camposano, Bethlehem, PA

RM: Dale’s popularity is obviously a big factor, but he watches races like a real fan and that comes across in his commentary. Hell, if Mario doesn’t drive the pace car I hope they let Junior, and mike him up so he can talk to our booth. But NBC pulls out all the stops on major events, and that’s why it’s all hands on deck for Indy. F1 had a nice audience at Bahrain because it was an 11 am start with no competition, and usually IndyCar on NBCSN and F1 on ESPN2 have similar numbers. They pale in comparison to NASCAR, so that’s the challenge for both – try to gain viewers. NASCAR has actually helped IndyCar on NBCSN, but when we say growth, it’s very incremental at the moment. But with eight IndyCar races on NBC, I think an increase is a forgone conclusion.

Q: I bought the Gold Pass the day it came out, but I’ve held off commenting until now. There’s no doubt this is the best IndyCar coverage ever. And I’m about your age, Robin. I saw all the 500s that were shown on closed-circuit in the ‘60s & ‘70s, and have seen every TV broadcast since the first one on ABC. Before they were shown live, I would listen to the radio broadcast then catch the tape delay that evening. But on a scale from 1 to 10, I can only give NBC a 5. Why? Because I have no access to NBC Sports Network, (which is why I bought the Gold Pass), and have not been able to watch one race live, yet.

I’m not sure what it would hurt to have the races on Gold (as well as NBC Sports) all of the time like qualifying and some of the other shows. I had to have my race at Barber start four hours later than those who could watch it live. And I’m a “paying customer.” I have no option to watch live, and I thought all the races would be shown live on Gold. I was hoping that the first two races may have been a hiccup, but now I guess not. I can still watch the NBC over-the-air races but not NBC Sports. I guess I’ll have to go back to listening to the radio broadcasts and tune in hours later to get what I thought I was paying for. Is their any hope of this changing so those of us who are paying can see the races live?

Jim Patton, Lindale, Texas

RM: The Gold package was for the die-hards like you but NBC wants and needs people to watch the races live on television – not streaming. Maybe some day that could change, but not in the immediate future. I’m sorry you couldn’t watch the first three live but at least the re-air comes on Gold pretty quick.

Q: Just finished laughing at your your frenetic “commercial break” reporting on NBC Gold. It was gold and I love it. My question is: how does water help you catch your breath?

Michael Lindley

RM: Good question, did I say that? I was talking too fast trying to jam everything into two minutes. But I did need water after that. Thanks for watching.

Bruno Junqueira takes an interesting line at Denver in 2004 (possibly with a little help from teammate Sebastien Bourdais...). Image by Hill/LAT

Q: Longtime reader of your work, Robin; and it's great to see you still as opinionated as ever. There was an article this week on a Colorado Public Radio website about a couple of guys looking to bring IndyCar to the streets of Denver. Now, I don't remember the past CART and Champ Car trips to Denver and it's still in the very early stages of discussions; but I'm curious about your memories of the past Denver races and whether you think Mark Miles and IMS would be interested in such a race. Thanks, and keep up the great work.

Mike, Aurora, CO

RM: There have been two locations and the last one around the arena had a decent layout, so that’s the one they’re looking at. Not sure if IndyCar is interested, the crowds were decent as I recall and there was one spacious corner that made things interesting. Just not sure Denver is very high on IndyCar’s list.

Q: Here is the way-too-early schedule question! What are the chances of a new oval being on the 2020 schedule? I keep holding out hope for a return to Richmond. Also, I read locally that the new owner of Rockingham Speedway (NC) has secured funding to revamp and upgrade the track and return to racing. I know he has his eyes set on NASCAR, but he has said all options are being looked at. While 2020 will be too soon, do you think IndyCar would consider it?

Mike in Knightdale, NC

RM: I think Richmond still has a fighting chance for 2020, but never heard Rockingham mentioned. Obviously IndyCar would listen to any proposals.

Q: Really enjoy your work. I had a thought: with NASCAR giving up the Daytona July race, why doesn't IndyCar or IMSA do something during that weekend there? I don't think the road course is too dangerous for IndyCars (or maybe just a couple safety measures away from being okay to race). Even IMSA can do a sprint race there, like it does at Long Beach. Obviously won't be the same as NASCAR, but I don't see a reason for the Daytona July tradition to end. Also, a concern. With this new IndyCar TV deal in Canada, I'm wondering what you see for the future of IndyCar here in Toronto and Canada?

Joe, Toronto, ON

RM: I don’t think IndyCar would draw 5,000 on a July 4 road race at Daytona (it never worked at The Glen) and Cleveland was the only place that date ever worked for CART. IMSA has one race at Daytona, that’s enough. Again, why would Daytona drop a traditional race to go with sports cars or IndyCars? It wouldn’t. Every year it seems like they tear up more of the Toronto track so that’s my concern, but I think Montreal might be back in play by 2021.

Q: Surely IMS has to hate the new July 4 weekend date for the 400 starting in 2020. All that work to sell NASCAR on a September date to move out of the heat, and this is what they get in return? I know the spin is all about celebrating another great holiday at the Speedway, but I can't see that working at all five weeks after the "real" race weekend, and again, in searing heat. I don't see the Brickyard ever moving off NASCAR’s schedule, but it sure seems like that sanctioning body isn't willing to really make it viable.

John D., Indianapolis

RM: IMS is going to do whatever NASCAR wants them to as long as the check for $15 million clears. But I wouldn’t be so sure about the future. The Speedway can make money with a paltry crowd right now, but why would it want to host NASCAR in front of 30,000 (providing it’s not 95 degrees) to lose money? I’m not sure either side wants to continue after the contract is up, but NASCAR would be smart to explore running the road course (Xfinity series is testing it in June) at Indianapolis because it would be 10 times the show of the oval.

Q: Will there be a NASCAR-IndyCar double-header in 2020? What former tracks are returning?

Matt Bockstruck

RM: There is interest from NBC and IndyCar in a doubleheader, not sure about NASCAR though. The only former track that might return next year could be Richmond.

Q: Whatever happened to the IRL (Tony George's) concept of "heroes of the short track?"

Mark

RM: It worked the first few years because Tony Stewart, Steve Kinser, Jack Hewitt, Billy Boat and Donnie Beechler all had rides and it was all ovals. But along came engine leases, road courses, Penske, Ganassi, etc. and as AJ says: “it became CART Lite.”

Q: If I won the Powerball and came to you with $5 million dollars, said pick races that drivers compete in and overall top guy gets the bucks, what races would you pick?

Greg Williams, Apache Junction, AZ

RM: I’d field a four-car team at Indy with Kyle Larson, Chris Bell, Bobby Santos and Kody Swanson.

Q: Great race at Barber and great coverage on NBCSN! I watched up to the yellow live, then had to pause for a few hours and play back the rest later to watch Taku win. I was wondering if the IndyCar app folks have thought about a way of playing back the live timing and scoring later? Not sure how you would sync it up, but would be nice to be able to use it even if not watching live as it really enhancing figuring out what is going. (In fact, would be nice to even just to be able to sync it to the live broadcast, as there's enough of a delay on the TV that live timing is always well... live... running ahead of the broadcast.) Also, wanted to point out to your readers and maybe the IMS museum folks that a big album of 1970s Indy 500 photos is going up for auction at a New York gallery... (ignore them calling it the Indiana 500, the photos look pretty cool).

Good season so far. Flying to Long Beach this weekend, Indy next month, and planning to go to my "home" race in Pocono in August for the fifth year in a row. Good time to be a fan.

Patrick from Brooklyn

RM: I have no idea, but I sent your request to IndyCar. Thanks for the tip on photos.

Fernando Alonso and David Beckham: both unproven on dirt. Image by Tee/LAT

Q: With Fernando Alonso sampling many different forms of race cars recently, I think the time is right during the month of May to suggest that he try a dirt midget. His WEC ride with the factory Toyota team has recently provided the corporate connection for him to sample a Dakar rally truck. It would seem a Toyota-powered Keith Kunz midget test at the IMS dirt oval for Fernando would provide a nice promotional event for all parties involved. Could be a nice made for TV segment for NBCSN in the build-up to the midget race at the Speedway prior to the Brickyard 400. Make it happen, Robin!

Michael Mueller, Waukesha, WI

RM: I’m sure Fred would be up for it, but don’t think the track will be operating (they’re parking cars in that location) so maybe we can just take him to Bloomington or Paragon.

Q: One possible explanation for the increase in U.S. viewership of F1: Netflix’s F1 series: Drive to Survive. It was very good and it renewed my interest in F1 – for the time being. Although IndyCar is and will always be king in my world!

Shannon Schmidt

RM: I’ve heard rave reviews about that show and it likely did help some, but a race run at 11 a.m. always generates better ratings than the ones at 2 a.m.

Q: Born and raised in Indianapolis, cut school to see Jim Clark and Indy Lotus/Ford’s first Indy test on a frigid early spring morning in Stand E, and read your writing in the Indianapolis Star. Raced Formula Fords for 20 years, so I’m no newbie to being racy. I disagree with supporting exceeding the track limits at COTA, or anywhere. COTA’s track limits were designed to ensure adequate runoff prior to encountering barriers. Allowing the drivers to exceed the track limits exposed the drivers to unfavorable and dangerous barrier angulation and proximity, which we saw, plus a dangerous pit entry, which we saw. And if exceeding the track limits is such a great ”real racing” idea, why not allow them to straight-line the Esses from T3 through T6? It’s paved, too. Exceeding track limits at Barber Motorsports Park brings immediate negative consequences, as Zack Veach and others discovered. Paved runoff allows them to stay in the game, often with minimal damage, but that is not a reason to turn the runoff areas into a new racing line.

Bob, Orcas Island, WA

RM: I’ll respectfully disagree, Bob. COTA is like no other road course I’ve seen, and all that space is inviting for different lines and lots of side-by-side stuff and, as we saw, a kick-ass road course race with lots of passing. And there were only a couple corners that really came into play in terms of “boundaries”, and I’m glad IndyCar opted to let everyone race. If they would have called penalties for exceeding the supposed track definition, the race would have been a parade of cars going through the pits at 50 mph serving their penance.

Q: So many complaints about the yellow flag/pits closed episode at COTA. Power whined like he usually does when things don’t go his way! They were looking good for a win, but last time I checked, you have to finish a race in order to win it. The yellow flag had no bearing as to his outcome because his car broke and would have done so no matter when they stopped. Frustrating for him for sure, but I think if anyone got shafted it was Rossi (simply bad timing/strategy). Both of them could have simply just pitted when the window opened and all this talk would be a non-issue. That being said, I thought that was one of the best road races I’ve seen in a few years. Hopefully, COTA will be a permanent venue on the IndyCar schedule for years to come.

Dwight Anderson, Sacramento, CA

RM: Yeah, Will took the smart approach and bad-mouthed the closed pits instead of his boss for not bringing him in earlier. But he’s always championed leaving the pits open.

Q: Long-time reader, first-time writer. Had an idea and wanted your opinion about it. I just read Marshall Pruett’s article on the TV ratings of F1 vs IndyCar. Probably quite a lot of F1 and IndyCar fans cross over. But I’m obviously concerned about the ones that don’t. What if IndyCar said, with proof of purchase of course, any American F1 fan who bought tickets to COTA F1 race in the last couple years could get equal complimentary tickets to their local IndyCar race? Who would this help? The crossover fans, or just have IndyCar lose their ass?

Jeremy in Indianapolis

RM: I like the sound of a 2-for-1 ticket or discount, but F1 draws a big crowd at big prices so not sure how COTA could make it work. And so many of the fans are from all over the country that I’m not sure how many would venture back to Austin for an IndyCar race even with a deal. And IndyCar wouldn’t lose its ass, COTA is the promoter.

Q: After reading your article on the Hoosier Hundred], I’m curious about the National Championship back in the day. Pick 1964 when the roadsters were still king. How many races made up the National Championship? On which tracks? How many different cars did one team run? O,r did the typical driver race for different teams at different tracks? Also curious if the roadsters ran at tracks other than Indy?

Kevin Kovach, Allen Park, MI

RM: In 1964 there were 13 races and A.J. Foyt won 10 of them (including the first seven in a row) as USAC ran Trenton three times, Phoenix and Milwaukee twice and Indy with single dirt shows at DuQuoin, Langhorne, Sacramento, Springfield and the Indiana State Fairgrounds. They ran roadsters and rear-engine cars on the pavement along with dirt cars at both disciplines.

Don Branson on pole in a dirt car at Langhorne in 1966 with Roger McCluskey alongside. Image by Gene Crucean

Q: Come on, horses? Are you kidding me, Miller? When the 100th running of the Indy 500 rolled around, I really wanted to take it all in, and took a few extra days off. Heading over to the Fairgrounds on Thursday evening in 2016 was one of the best ideas, probably based on something you said in the Mailbag. What a sight, that golden sunset as a backdrop and all these "old fashioned" dirt cars in front of an enthusiastic crowd! And how unique to see them on such a big track! Once the checkers flew, I wandered to the infield. It was so good to be able to get up close to these cars that I admittedly didn't know much about. And as I wandered around, I found myself right there on track, milling about the drivers, getting up close to Kody Swanson as all the flash bulbs were going off. I stuck around quite a bit, taking photos of everything. Hell, once the crowds cleared out, I even took a cruise around the track myself! What a delight! Then to see them all again the next night at Raceway Park, plus all the Road to Indy guys running an oval… great way to get ready for Sunday!

Listen, I didn't grow up watching sprint car races. Sure, I knew what they were and they looked interesting, but I never cared to drive two hours out of my way to see them live. I'm 30 years old, not your typical USAC demographic, and last year I took a dear friend of mine, a young lady in her mid-20s... Robin, a female millennial, and dare I say she enjoyed it - standing off the guardrail at the end of the backstraight, getting dust in her eyes, watching the flames belch out of the exhaust as they threw the cars into Turn 3.

But to see the roots of Indianapolis car racing right before our eyes was a must-see experience. I had plans of talking my dad into coming down for Thursday this year. He's been a 500 regular since 1980 but I don't think he's ever seen the Hoosier Hundred. Yeah, USAC screwed up taking dirt tracks out of the series back in '71. But just how crazy is it to think we could go back? Hell, a sponsor like NTT, Speedway convenience stores, or NBC puts up some money and what’s the cost of a sprint car chassis? That's a drop in the bucket for teams compared to a spare Dallara set aside for ovals. I mean, how crazy would it sound five years ago to say Doug Boles is going to built a dirt track at IMS? We all love to beat up on FTG, but give him credit; he tried to rebuild that bridge to the short track racers.

You once said 1968 was the best schedule in the history of the series. And really, if IndyCar wants to truly be the most diverse series, it needs dirt too. Alright, maybe I'm stretching... but it sure seems like things were on the up and up. Everybody loved that "Hoosier Thunder" display at the IMS Museum. Isn't there anything we can do? Surely with only three of these tracks left in the entire county we aren't stupid enough to let this one go... right here in the racing capital of the world.

Gabe in Northwest Indiana

RM: The horse people at the Fairgrounds have been trying to get rid of auto racing for 25 years, and they finally succeeded. But there’s no going back, we’re going to be down to DuQuoin and Springfield, and today’s owners could care less about dirt cars and dirt tracks and re-establishing the past. IndyCar is the most diverse series in the world today and as much as I love the thought of putting a couple dirt shows on the schedule, it’s not practical and it’s not going to happen. Just go buy some Dick Wallen videos and enjoy the 1960s, then take your dad out to the ISF on May 23rd and enjoy the last Hoosier Hundred.

Q: NASCAR Trucks with the IndyCars at Gateway. Oh, boy… not. Silver Crown cars, you idiots!

David Weidler, Mascoutah, Il.

RM: Gateway’s Chris Blair owns a Silver Crown car driven by his son and he’s a big advocate of USAC, and he’ll bring them back some day. But he’s also trying to draw crowds and make enough money to keep this oval going, and NASCAR’s Trucks are easily the best racing they’ve got.

Q: I’ll try to keep this to the point. First, when you get multiple rants for the same topic, can you please just summarize these letters into one? I was two pages in and tired of reading the same thing over and over again, with the same response over and over again. And I’m sure there were a ton more you didn’t publish (thankfully!). I love your Mailbag, it’s an original concept and such a great forum, but I like it for the variety. If that’s just me, then I guess I’ll deal.

Second, I am a huge fan of Speedway gas stations. My son is, too. We both have a Speedy card, and I buy my gas there almost all the time. When I heard they would be a new sponsor for IndyCar I was thrilled. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of promotions they would have. What better company for IndyCar than one named Speedway, right? What do I see since they started their partnership? Nothing! Not one little shred of promotion. No posters, no ads, nothing. What gives? I know you don’t have the answer, but you’re really good about asking the right people or at least letting them know how us fans feel. Gas stations and racing are a no-brainer easy marketing connection. I want to see IndyCar promoted!

Erik Steinbrecher

RM: Obviously, Formula E is where it’s at right now in terms of manufacturers jumping on board and Jay Frye has been working diligently for two years trying to land a third OEM, but it’s a huge investment and IndyCar doesn’t have the worldwide appeal of F1 or technical lure of Formula E so it’s not an easy sell. When Indy was all about innovation and ideas, everyone gave it a shot from Novis to turbines to turbocharged Ramblers to the twin-engine Porsche, but those days aren’t coming back. I’m not sure if Indy opened the rules it would make any difference, and I’ve always said we should be very thankful for Honda and General Motors because there’s not a waiting list for IndyCar. I have no idea how many crossover fans there are but, clearly, F1 diehards seem to enjoy the cars, innovation and traditional teams whereas IndyCar fans are more about competition and passing. Can you enjoy both? Sure but many times after the first turn it’s hard to stay engaged in F1. Really I think it’s two distinctive tastes. As for Speedway, it’s an associate sponsor so don’t expect too much.

Danny Ongais was so fast during USAC's visit to Silverstone that the photographers apparently weren't able to get a shot of him, so here's one of Al Unser from the same weekend instead. Image by LAT

Q: In response to Tim B's letter about F1 vs. IndyCar speeds in the 1970s, there was one brief head-to-head comparison at the time: the USAC race at Silverstone in 1978. F1 had the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1977, and the pole time was a 1m18.4s. F1 had a non-championship race at Silverstone in 1978, and the pole time was a 1m16.07s, in the then-dominant Lotus 79. The pole time for the USAC race was Danny Ongais' 1m16.25s, so very close to the car that was dominating F1 at the time. That lap time would have put him second on the F1 grid, ahead of Lauda's Brabham and Mario in the second Lotus. However, Ongais was two seconds faster than anybody else in the USAC field, so the rest of the USAC guys would have been around the F1 backmarkers in 1978.

Max

RM: F1 sage and my pal Nigel Roebuck remembers Ongais’ speed just shook everyone up, and it’s pretty impressive when you consider that was the early stages of ground effect. Thanks for the history lesson, Max.

Q: I agree your book should be called Bitch, Bitch, Bitch. Our fellow racing TV geeks can't see the forest for the trees. Without the internet they'd be left to ponder racing only in their minds. Yes, we all have opinions, must they be **** upon the rest of us? There are true enthusiasts (me) who enjoy the sport without beating minutia to death – leave that stuff out. Bitching about $50 for racing on TV. People are starving – wake up. It's a sport, enjoy it. Sport is to take us away from day-to-day humdrum we call life. Pissing and moaning about paying to see racing (damn good racing) is stupid, dinner for two costs that much. I enjoy the Mailbag, not my whiny fellow enthusiasts. See you at Portland again this year.

Denny

RM: I understand people’s frustration in Canada, but bitching about $50 for NBC Gold is laughable. If you have NBCSN you still get qualifying and the races, Gold is primarily for practice and it’s produced just like our qualifying shows to try and give the IndyCar fan something extra. NBC has similar packages for golf, supercross, rugby and the Premier League, so I’m glad IndyCar is in the mix.

Q: You’re right. We are easily the whiniest lot in motor racing. That was great racing at COTA, but too many of us gripe about the regulations. A young kid writes a great story, but too many of us lament who didn’t win, and the reasons why, and who made the rules, and when, and why. And on and on it goes. We need some self-restraint. Facts are: Great race, surprising outcome, solid intrigue, young talent and hopefully some guaranteed sponsorship for a young team that could use it.

Narratives include: (1) Bright future for Herta (2) Early success for young Steinbrenner (3) Success a long time in the offing For Mike Harding, and (4) Redemption in the next act of Brian Barnhart’s career. We don’t have to focus so much on ‘woulda, coulda, shoulda.’ He wouldn’t, they couldn’t and the racing gods chose otherwise. If racing were fair the Andrettis would have four Indianapolis 500s, Lloyd Ruby would have at least one and Tony Hulman would have lived forever. But it isn’t fair. Maybe we need to presume that fate is smarter than we are. And then shut up and enjoy the ride!

Dan W., Ft. Worth, TX

RM: Good way to close out this week’s Mailbag. Bitching is inherent in racing, but I’m just perplexed by the people who were so upset that IndyCar allowed the drivers to use all the track at COTA. Jesus people, it made for a great race and isn’t that why we watch?