Robin Miller's Mailbag for June 5, 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: Another good broadcast by NBC, if you ignore losing the feed. A toast to the director who made the call to go to the in-car camera of Marco Andretti on Saturday after he switched to slicks. That drive had us all on the edge of our seats. People can dog on Marco all they want, but he kept it out of the wall in really tough conditions, which can't be said of other drivers in dry conditions.

Watching on Sunday, I was happy for Ericsson and the ASPM team. It led me to think about the performance of the rookies. When you look at the rookie class this year and the equipment they have, I think it really highlights how special Robert Wickens is and the performances he put on last year. What are your thoughts on this year’s rookie class and their performance to date?

John Balestrieri

RM: Like I said in Monday’s column, this rookie class may not rival 1965 (or 1963, which was also stellar) but it’s the youngest, fastest and most promising in a long time. Just look at Ferrucci lately. He and engineer Mike Cannon have obviously clicked and he’s giving Dale Coyne a great ride. I told Juan Pablo Montoya that Pato reminded me of a young JPM, and Colton’s collective cool and savvy is hard to fathom for 19 years old. Felix and Marcus have a lot of experience, but the battle for rookie of the year is shaping up to be a dandy.

Q: I often wonder why they don’t do an oval race the weekend after the Indy 500. I like street courses and road courses, but they can be a bit boring in my opinion. Weren’t IndyCars originally designed to be race cars on oval tracks? Do you see them changing what track they race at on the weekend after the Indy 500 in the future?

Erynn C.

RM: I beat that drum for several years to no avail. Yes, IndyCar should be on an oval right after Indy because you’ve got the momentum of “must-see TV” and a street race just doesn’t keep people engaged. It’s great that Chevy has a home race and R.P. has made Belle Isle a real event, but flipping Texas and Detroit would be my druthers. But, no, it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Q: So 200 points have been awarded in the last eight days. Who have you got for the title, Miller? I’ll take Newgarden. I loved you putting the question to Roger about a fourth car for Rossi on the NBCSN qualifying show. I know you’re a betting man, so what’s your bet on where Rossi draws his paycheck in 2020?

Ryan Terpstra

RM: I picked Rossi to take the title before the season, and I’m saying he stays at Andretti with Honda and engineer Jeremy Milless.

Alexander Rossi pondering where he's going to put his championship trophy at the end of the season. Image by IndyCar

Q: Why did IndyCar agree to a 75-minute timed race with the engines firing at 3:55 p.m. CST if they knew the NBC TV window ended at 5:00 p.m. CST? If they knew they would have to switch channels because 75 minutes would go beyond the TV window and a channel change to CNBC would be required, why not run the full race distance? Would the fans of Undercover Boss reruns be more upset than IndyCar fans? I think the Belle Isle circuit puts on an entertaining street race, but as good as race two was, I feel equally confused by race one.

Jim Sarow, Whitefish Bay, WI

RM: The weather obviously played havoc with everything and the lightning kept forcing 30 minute delays in any decision, so IndyCar and NBC simply tried to out-guess Mother Nature.

Q: Why was there no pack-up that caused Marco Andretti to drop to 20th? Marco should have cycled to the lead since he pitted for dry tires before the rest of the field. Townsend Bell said on the broadcast the field should have been packed up to prevent cars going too fast under a yellow flag. Why the change in procedure?

Rob Peterson, Rochester, NY

RM: Statement from IndyCar: “Race Control was reviewing data and closing rates and based off the information the pack-up was developing. The goal was to get the pits open as quickly as possible for the competitors and fans, but given the circumstances that included cars on different tires and a cold track, it did not occur as expediently as was envisioned.”

Q: At the risk of sounding like an old-fashioned grump, as much as the end of the first race this weekend was fun to watch, I was annoyed that Tim Cindric was able to tell JoNew what Rossi was doing with his push-to-pass. It's a great addition to be able to use tactically and is much better than F1's DRS. But if the team has the information on what the others are doing, then the drivers don't have to do anything but push it when the team tells them to do, and you may as well not bother with the concept. Also, surely such coaching pisses the drivers off?

Jordan, Warwickshire, UK

RM: I agree, and I wish IndyCar would go back to not giving out that information because it defeats the purpose of push-to-pass. I’m sure it pisses off the drivers – just like you viewers.

Q: Why no penalty for Sato when he lost it and crashed O'Ward in Race 1? Same question for Newgarden spinning in front of Hinch and Rossi in Race 2? I understand neither was intentional, and Newgarden came out the worst for his error, but Sato benefited from his and it really hurt O'Ward. Seems as if Race Control is afraid to pull the trigger.

Rick, Marengo, Ohio

RM: I think both were simply racing incidents. Sato slid in wet conditions and used Pato as a buffer from the wall, but it wasn’t intentional. Josef’s penalty was fairly obvious since he was out of the race, but again, it was aggressive driving and going for it and he paid the price.

Q: Matheus Leist’s first-lap spin in Detroit Race 1 was what we called we called a “self-cleaning incident” when I was a corner worker. He spun and continued; nothing to clean up. Why did IndyCar go to a full course yellow?

Tom Hinshaw

RM: There were carbon fiber pieces from the damaged front wing on the racing line.

Q: The two A.J. Foyt entries were down near the very bottom all weekend, which is where they usually are on street courses. Why is it the team is so useless on slow circuits? Both drivers may not (or no longer) be top liners, but they're looking like being added to the growing list of decent drivers whose careers are ruined at Foyt.

Bosco McNabb, Mono, Ontario

RM: Good question. Leist was in the Fast 6 in his IndyCar debut in 2018 so he’s got some chops, and T.K. is better on ovals nowadays, but there just seems to be a technical or mechanical disconnect. I wish I could snap my fingers and make them competitive.

Q: I think about it, and I don’t know why Scott Dixon is not my favorite driver. He is such a great champion in every way. IndyCar has to get out of these Penske/Ganassi wins. You talk about ABC being such a great sponsor, but all I ever hear is that they’re such a small team. How does that jive? A.J. Foyt is a bigger name than Michael Andretti. So how is it he has a smaller team than Michael?

Tim B.

RM: You’re not going to stop Penske and Ganassi from winning, but Andretti is stride for stride with them, Harding Steinbrenner and RLL have won a race this year, and Arrow SPM is certainly capable. Foyt’s team is small compared to the Big 3 in terms of resources, manpower and technical savvy. Dixie is the best in every way.

Q: As you mentioned earlier, Simon Pagenaud will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Alexander Rossi has really been making a name for himself. I do not know about mediocre, but the driver change that makes the most sense to me in all of motorsports is American Rossi taking Romain Grosjean’s seat at the only American F1 team. The response to having a Yank in a Formula 1 car and allowing Alexander another shot at F1 success would be astounding right from the start. This move would finally get Americans watching and following that series. He may not be in Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg or Max's class yet, but who would have thought that he would take down IndyCar giants like Penske and Ganassi? Are you out there, Gene?

Robert Jennings, Portland, OR

RM: You would have to assume that Haas wants an American and that Rossi wants to return to F1 with a car that’s not capable of winning. I don’t think anyone if F1 cares about American drivers, and Rossi is a star over here that is becoming a fan favorite, so why would he want to leave?

The sooner Rossi is in that seat, the happier reader Robert from Oregon will be. Image by Mauger/LAT

Q: Zak Brown stated that he didn't think it was necessary for McLaren to do an entire season of IndyCar to be competitive at the 500. They might consider only doing the Indy Grand Prix prior to 500. I realize the other courses on schedule are very much different than the Speedway, but I think the participation at all these venues would be a valuable experience leading up to the 500. I seriously doubt Penske would have won 18 500s if he would have only participated in just that race. What do think of Mr. Brown's game plan?

D. Wells, Indiana

RM: I think if he gets a savvy crew that could test and partners with ECR, it’s possible to be competitive at Indianapolis. But I’m sure he wishes they would have run the Indy GP last month and learned how unprepared they were.

Q: I really think that the use of the red flag is the better way to go. It’s safer for the IndyCar safety crew, corner workers, medical team and guys who need to clean up and make repairs to the track. It also gives the fans more green flag racing. I feel it’s better that adding laps to the end of the race for a green/white checker ending.

Tony Piergallini

RM: Well, IndyCar wouldn’t add laps like NASCAR, but it was a good call for the red flag at Indy to ensure the fans a race to the finish instead of a trophy dash. Ditto for Detroit.

Q: I am writing this pre-race qualifying for the Saturday’s Detroit race after watching the practice speed charts. Has the time come for Marco to follow another aspect of the family business as just an owner? Has he lost what drive he had earlier in his career? I know his last name means sponsorship and TV coverage, but that car and Bryan Herta deserve better. His setups cannot be blamed for being so uncompetitive. Mario was (and is) my sports hero, and it’s tough to write this and feel this way. Unless Michael can kidnap or extort Kyle Moyer back (it seemed that only he connected with Marco), it seems that his performance will not improve. Hopefully, these thoughts will have a reverse karma effect for him.

Skip Ranfone, Summerfield, FL

RM: He’s always been good on ovals, especially Indy, and I have no idea why he was so slow last month, but he didn’t blame the car, he just said it was the worst performance of his career and he was embarrassed. A year ago at Detroit he won the pole and led 22 laps, but until that amazing lap in the rain on slicks last Saturday and his good drive on Sunday, Marco has been MIA in 2019. He remains the most puzzling story in IndyCar.

Q: Have they ever considered moving the start/finish line at Detroit to the straightaway between Turns 2 and 3? The current straightaway is so curved and short and the starts/restarts are always processional that it’s frustrating, and I feel like if they moved it, they could get a draft and some passing could actually happen.

Ben L.

RM: Not to my knowledge, but I’ve seen some ballsy passes going into Turn 1 at Belle Isle and Turn 3 is a great passing zone, so I say leave it alone.

Q: When did the qualifying format change? Also, NBCSN only showed the last six or seven minutes? Only two sessions, no fastest 12 and Fast Six?

Dan in Placerville

RM: The Detroit doubleheader always has a different format. Two groups (the same each day but they switch going first) and 12-minutes each to decide the lineup with drivers being staggered according to times (Rossi was fastest on Saturday in Group 2 and won the pole and he was quickest Sunday in Group 1 but started on the outside of Row 1 because Newgarden’s lap in Group 2 was fastest.

Q: My TV guide/schedule said there was a 30-minute post race show from 6pm to 6:30 on Saturday. At 6 p.m., NBC went away from a live race to local news. What happened to the post-race show? Couldn't that have been used to show the finish?

Kyle in Raleigh

RM: The last 20 minutes were shown on CNBC and, obviously, the weather and delay caused schedules to be shuffled.

Q: Let me guess, your mailbox is full of this. I love all that NBC has done for IndyCar, but someone dropped the ball here. What is the point of NBC wanting a timed race if you were going to CNBC? Undercover Boss? Really. At least give us some clarity. It was great that NBC had you on pit road! What about weekly Robin show on NBC Gold? I am sure many fans would sign up for that!

James, Columbus, OH

RM: As I said earlier, the lightning kept delaying decisions on when the race could get started, so all IndyCar and NBC wanted to do was get the race in if possible so they didn’t have to run two races on Sunday. It wasn’t ideal, and I’m sorry some people missed the finish because they’d taped the race on NBC, but weather dictated everything. Thanks for your support.

Apparently the only thing tougher than racing in the Detroit rain was trying to plan around it for TV. Image by IndyCar

Q: The shots from the helicopter on the restart after Dixon's off were spectacular! Please send it up the chain how great of a view this was for restarts!

Michael, Hampton, VA

RM: Thanks Michael, we were raving about them in the production meeting and the pilot did a helluva job.

Q: I know you were excited about the switch from ABC to NBC. My reaction is NBC stands for "Nothing But Commercials." I have actually put a stopwatch on TV time and commercial time. It is egregious. Your thoughts?

Jim Kaiser, Carefree, AZ

RM: I don’t get to watch the telecast, but is it really any worse than other sports?

Q: Saturday was an abomination by IndyCar and NBC. Yes, I know weather happened, as it tends to do in the Midwest. So things got pushed back. It seems IndyCar and NBC didn’t have a plan in place well before the weekend for such contingencies. It’s been reported that IndyCar, with approval of car owners, made the decision for a 75-minute race. It was blatantly obvious this was done in hopes to get it in by 6:00 p.m. Well that did not happen, so NBC had to bail to CNBC to show the last 20 minutes of a timed race that had to be off air 20 minutes before it finished. Had there been a better plan in place, it could have been bumped to CNBC and run its full length.

I know CNBC had major program it would have had to bump. That was a January 2012 episode of Undercover Boss. Luckily, at 6:30, the seven viewers who had tuned in for that Undercover Boss got the full episode at 6:30. Because of IndyCar and NBC’s failure to have an adequate plan in place, fans at home got ripped off and only got 43 of 70 laps. Even worse, the people who took time out of their lives to make the trip to Detroit got screwed out of what they paid for. Have you ever gone to a ball game or tuned into one only to have them tell you before is starts, we’re only going five innings tonight? What other sport does this (or has to)?

I know I am make some assumptions here, but I am making then because nobody from IndyCar or NBC has ever said a thing or put out a press release that I know of explaining their ‘decisions’ and the screwing of the small amount of fans left watching this sport. During some time to kill, I decided to re-watch some of the 2019 Indy 500 on YouTube. Well when I find one to watch, it tells me NBC Universal has pulled it for copyright reasons. I get that NBC paid for the rights, but this is something that ABC never did, and something I can’t remember Fox doing with NASCAR. I’m guessing it’s to protect NBC “Fools” Gold. I can live with my choice not getting that on top of my already obscene DirecTV bill, therefore not getting the free stuff we used to get on YouTube, but come on. Does NBC have any fan friendly common sense?

Mark in Cincinnati

RM: I’m really not sure how you plan around a tornado warning, a downpour and non-stop lightning. Rain like we had for the Indy GP wouldn’t have affected anything, but this was bad enough that Belle Isle was evacuated. Not many fans came back and who could blame them, because it didn’t look like there was going to be any racing. I believe their tickets were honored Sunday, which was smart. But IndyCar didn’t want to jam the double-header into one day, so it rolled with the punches and came up with a shortened race plan. And you’re not going to dump NBC for CNBC until it’s your only alternative. Nobody was trying to screw the fans, it was a tough situation made tougher by non-stop lightning which kept pushing back the chance to start the race. And you can go to the NBC sports app and find replay and watch the whole race.

Q: I see a lot of whining about IndyCar coverage in particular, and motorsports coverage in general. This comment may not be in the "proper" form for your Mailbag, but let me clue your readership in on past decades. I became interested in motorsports around 1962-63. Coverage back then consisted of those very few newspapers that had a paragraph Monday morning, enthusiast magazines (primarily Road & Track and Sports Car Graphic) that had race coverage one or two months after the most "important" races, and ABC Wide World of Sports with delayed coverage a week later, that presented maybe 20% of the race. It was not possible to follow a championship season in any series or form of motorsport.

Chris Economaki’s Speed Sport News was basically all that existed, and I was not aware of it as a youngster – and you had to pay for it besides. The primary source of my motorsports news came from the library copy of the SF Chronicle Sporting Green Monday mornings, along with the significantly delayed sources noted above. Only the Indy 500 was broadcast live on AM radio. I thought I was in hog heaven when the Indy 500 was telecast closed circuit in '64 or so (with grainy black-and-white video and frequent interruptions while sitting in a big room in metal chairs), and when Competition Press became available circa '65 at the local pharmacy which brought my motorsports news horizon down from a month or more to one week.

So people, keep on whining about ABC coverage sucking, NBC coverage with too many commercials, "we don't need Dale Jr.," NBC Gold is too expensive, you can't get NBCSN without paying more for cable, blah, blah. You are spoiled with the amount of information to which you have access. And nobody here is going to convince me that spending $30-50 yearly for Gold and maybe an extra $120-180 yearly for a cable package is going to break your bank! Are you really so informed of your spending habits that you even notice a $20 per-month expenditure for anything? If so, and if motorsports is so damned important to your life, then buy four fewer ventis in a month at the corner coffee shop. Or is that still too much to sacrifice?

Alfred N.

RM: Thanks for sharing those memories and putting things into perspective. We are all spoiled today with instant information, and because of Facebook everyone is an expert or an author and I kinda liked those old days when you would wait for Speed Sport News on Friday or my friends would get their Indianapolis Star subscription for May with two or three editions bundled together. All the bitching about the cost of watching IndyCar wears me out. If it’s important to your life, then you’ll find a way, and it’s not much money compared to attending an NFL or NBA or hockey game.

Q: IndyCar should have an award for the most entertaining lap, or most brave lap, or something that the fans could vote on. That lap by Marco made my hands sweat. The coolest thing I've seen in a while!

Doug B.

RM: It was an instant hit on YouTube, but I think Marco would trade it for a win.

Marco Andretti won a few fans over with his Detroit heroics. Image by IndyCar

Q: Congratulations on receiving the first Robin Miller Award. It would have been awkward if it had been presented to someone else. In all seriousness, you are probably the reason I’ve stayed tuned in to IndyCar over the years. Since various folks have done a lot to damage the sport, and caused folks to tune out. I think it is in a good place today, and I hope it continues to improve. The statement on the plaque certainly applies to you. Thank you for keep me interested, I would have hated to miss the last couple of years.

On another note, how much time does Marco have? Disappointing to see him struggle as he continues to do so. Every now and then we see a demonstration of what he is capable of, but most often we just see frustration and confusion. Marco has got to want something different as well I would think by this point. Congratulations again, and I’ll keep tuning in.

Doug Faulkner, Wichita, KS

RM: He co-owns his car now so I imagine he’ll drive as long as he feels like it, but maybe he’d have more fun in sports cars and less pressure. Thanks for your kind words and being a fan.

Q: Wanted to ask about something Townsend and PT talked about on the Race 2 broadcast. They seemed convinced that Rosenqvist is in danger of losing his seat due to the accidents he’s had this year. In all fairness, he’s been in the wall a bit too often. But do you really think he could get the boot this year? He was super-hyped, but Chip proved to Ed Jones that he’s ruthless about his drivers. Also, by my count this is the third time in recent memory that NBC has had technical difficulties of some sort preventing us seeing important action. Hope this gets sorted soon.

Max Camposano, Moraga, CA

RM: They’re just basing that off knowing Chip and how impatient he can be. In the old days, Felix would simply be in the middle of his learning curve and have two or three years to smooth out and develop. But rookies don’t have that luxury anymore. I hope he gets it sorted as well, he’s a great kid with obvious skills. As for the tech difficulties, it was bad weather at the downlink.

Q: I don't have strong enough words to express how disgusted I am with IndyCar's decision to cut the length of Dual 1 on Belle Isle to 75 minutes. They carved off approximately 40% of the race right out of the gate "for TV" and the race still had to move to CNBC? That's a massive failure on their part, and it was a total slap in the face to the great fans in Detroit who sat through a rainstorm and supported that race in a big way. The sun was out when we were walking to the shuttle off the island and there were still a couple hours of daylight left. It made absolutely no sense for the cars to not still be on the track.

That's the second time in five years they've pulled something like this in Detroit – when Munoz won they called the race with 20 minutes left in the TV window, and again, the sun came out while we were waiting for the shuttle. IndyCar owes their paying customers a massive apology for the way it was handled (and that's not even mentioning the complete clown show that is Race Control continuing to make things up as they go). You're a major racing series. Act like it. You think NASCAR is cutting races almost in half to fit a TV window?

With the NBC family of networks, there's no excuse for what happened today. They should all be ashamed. I expect better out of IndyCar, and I expect better out of this new NBC partnership. If you can't fit the race on the main network, fine, but give the fans what they paid for. It's a shame because the racing was good while they were under green, and the volunteers on Belle Isle were amazing as always. Detroit deserved better than they got today.

Tim Williams, Madison, WI

RM: You didn’t ask a question, but I let your rant go because there are many just like yours.

Q: I’ve been a fan of the Indy underdog when I started rooting for Jerry Karl in the '70s, while listening to the 500 on the radio, as a young’un. I’ve become a Conor Daly fan over the years, as he is a captivating personality, but more so after the top 10 run this year, and from the encouraging words from Rossi at the Indy 500 Awards Banquet. My kids have gotten the Indy bug, with one of them now training as an undergraduate pilot trainee in the USAF. My other son is a student naval aviator at NAS P’Cola. We became instant CD fans. The three of us were together this weekend discussing the possibilities of a GoFundme effort to get Daly to the race at TMS on June 8.  How much would it cost to get Conor in the race? I know this is a long shot, but what the heck, stranger things have happened!

BoilerMike in TX

RM: Too late for that Mike, but certainly a nice gesture (I think Conor would be up for a ride at Pocono) but it’s terribly expensive and GoFundMe is more suited for people with medical and financial needs. Conor can race and he’s proved it the past few years, so just keep buying lottery tickets and then you can buy a team and run him full-time. [ED: After this week’s Mailbag was filed, it was announced that Daly will indeed be racing at Texas this weekend].

We're guessing reader Mike was very happy when he caught up with this week's news about Daly's late Texas call-up. Image by LePage/LAT

Q: I loved watching Conor Daly slice and dice his way through the field on Sunday. He showed that he belongs in that series. When he is on a quality team he can tear it up. As for his teammate Marco, well, let's just say his dad has wasted a lot of money on him over the years that could've went to a better driver. I know it won't happen, but Conor should be in the No. 98 car. Also, congrats on the award you received. That was really cool of them to do that. It was well deserved. Who ever coordinated the flyover was a genius. That was absolutely amazing what they did.

Eric, London, OH

RM: Marco paid for Conor’s IndyCar test a couple years ago with SPM so they’re good pals, and I suppose if he decided to hang it up that Daly might get the nod.

Q: On the heels of your Monday column about the lame Indy purse, I did some quick research regarding the Indy 500 prize money. In 2009, Castroneves earned $3.63 million for the win. In 2019, Pagenaud received $2.669 million. That is $961,000 less then 10 years ago. Why? To start at Indy used to pay $300,000 minimum; this past year, $200,000. How does IndyCar expect the number of full-time entrants to increase when the biggest race in the world is going in reverse? To be honest, to risk your life for $200,000 for a one-off program, its no wonder F1 and NASCAR drivers are not knocking the doors down to come and race at Indy. Mad as hell.

Arnold Edgar, Danville, IN

RM: Thanks for that depressing news, Arnold. It’s shameful and Indy must have a title sponsor for big bucks because that’s the only way the purse is going to increase to what it needs to be. It’s amazing there were 36 cars and IndyCar has 22 full-time teams with the financial structure it has right now.

Q: Loved the Random Thoughts article. Great way to get out a lot of info and stir some interest. Regarding the question about fuel mileage and lap leader payouts… Instead, what if they mandated that the fuel settings go away? One setting, full rich! That’s it! If you want to save fuel, you have to do it the old fashioned way – with your driver’s right foot. I’m not a huge fan of the artificial push-to-pass, but the fuel trim settings are a bigger deal to me. No one likes fuel mileage races, and this seems like an easy way to help ease that possibility – but maybe I am overlooking something.

Tom Current, Oconomowoc, WI

RM: It would still be trying to save fuel, except a driver would use his foot instead of a knob. We’re never going to get away from fuel mileage races because your cell only hold so much fuel and right now it’s good for about 80 miles, so guys in the back pit early and hope for cautions, and front-runners hope the don’t get hosed by a yellow after setting the pace. But glad you liked the column. Those are always fun.

Q: I agree with you on the single-file starts. Let’s add Indy as well. In the old days all 33 cars were on the front straight in 11 rows of three. These days, we are lucky if half the field is in formation. The front row is already getting into single file and the back rows are still in the short chute. Why can’t IndyCar simply slow down the parade/pace laps? These guys and gals are professionals. The amateurs do it every weekend at small tracks all over.

Kevin Kovach, Allen Park, MI

RM: I know, look at those shots from the '50s and '60s where the entire field is within a couple hundred yards. I realize the speeds are three times higher today, but the start is everything to lots of fans and it should never be compromised. You’re telling the audience our drivers aren’t good enough to line up two abreast.

Q: You made some news in your interview with RP. Who do you think his fourth driver will be? I am really hoping it is not Helio. Good driver and fan favorite for sure, but in my mind he did not win the 2002 500. Paul Tracy did fair and square. For this reason I do not want to see Helio join the ranks of four-time winners.

Andy, Las Vegas, NV

RM: I still think it will be Helio, and I still think P.T. won the 2002 Indy 500.

Q: I'm gonna put on my Robin Miller cap and make a few predictions: Felix Rosenqvist – the kid is fast, but man does he tear up equipment. Sure it's not always his fault, but Chip’s patience seems about worn out. Felix reminds me of Tomas Scheckter. If he doesn't come out of Texas in one piece, I don't think he finishes the season in the No.10. Who would replace him? Near-term, maybe a Conor Daly or someone who will bring it home every week. In 2020, no question I think Chip lands Rossi. Sets him up with an heir to Dixie's throne, and gives Chip two bullets every week. And keeps him in a Honda. Will Power’s time may be winding down at Penske. Nothing to do with this weekend, but seems with Roger on his stand, he's being put on alternate strategies more. Reminds me of Helio's situation over the last two years. Foyt – I think Leist doesn't finish the season, and TK is done at the end of the year. The results just haven't been there. What say you, Robin Miller?

Ethan Donahue

RM: I think Felix is fine for the rest of 2019, but needs to quit crashing to preserve his future with Ganassi. Power has at least a couple more years likely with R.P. Not sure about Foyt’s duo for 2020. Not sure they want to come back, as bad as things are right now.

If Rosenqvist can be a little less crashy over the remainder of the season, he could become a long-term fixture at CGR. Image by IndyCar

Q: I’m for driver safety. If something like the Aeroscreen would mean Justin Wilson would still be here, I’m all for it. But they could have come up with something better. They might as well put roofs on the cars, enclose the wheels and call it a sports car series. One of the attractions to open-wheel is you can see the driver. They finally get a great looking race car and now they’re going to ruin it. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would rather see the Halo. The original windscreen they tested looked much better.

Bob Rundgren, Villa Park, IL

RM: I disagree. They spent a long time developing something that could work on ovals as well as road races, and the car still looks like an IndyCar – it’s not compromised like I feared.

Q: Congratulations on your well-deserved Indy honors. I respect both drivers and hope that you can please bring some facts to the Rossi-Honda horsepower post-race narrative.

Only nine cars had a race lap over 225 mph, seven of them were Honda-powered. The six best race laps were all set by Hondas. The fastest lap of the race, and the only 226 lap, was set by a Honda. Rossi’s best lap was 225.759 mph. Pagenaud’s fastest race lap was 224.264, a difference of 1.495 mph in Rossi’s favor. Thirteen cars had faster race laps than Pagenaud. Power’s best was just 223.7 and Newgarden’s best was 223.4. Rossi had a 0.529s advantage or roughly 8-10 car lengths after passing Pagenaud with less than three laps to go, suggesting that Pagenaud gained through and off the corners to help set up the draft and final pass. If the Chevys had so much more power, why didn’t any of the top Chevy runners post faster race laps? I suspect that the full data picture will show Pagenaud was more consistent and had a better-handling car.

John Love

RM: Great stuff John, wish I’d had all this information right after the race. It sure looked like Simon had more power when he took the lead for the final time, but your stats are eye-opening.

Q: I heard on radio last week that NASCAR drivers, car owners and engine manufacturers a looking to go to hybrids by 2021. During the Indy 500, IndyCar reportedly hosted five car makers who aren't in the series who were talking about adding some electrical power for 2021. I know we like to hear the raw sounds of the V6 twin-turbos but I think it's time for IndyCar go switch to hybrids since IMSA, F1 and now NASCAR are going hybrid.

Alistair

RM: It would be a real surprise if IndyCar would dump its current formula, but if there was some kind of hybrid system to enhance the show or help a new OEM, I’m sure it would be considered. But IndyCar likes being fast and loud, so if you think the Indy 500 would work with silent cars, think again.

Q: Fact/Rumor: NASCAR & IndyCar sharing oval tracks on the same weekend (2021) – wasn’t this part of Tony George’s concept for Indy Racing League establishment?

David A.

RM: It may have been, I don’t recall, but since NBC has both IndyCar and NASCAR now it would make sense to try and put together a double-header on an oval, where attendance in both series needs help.

Q: Wondering what your opinion was of the ESPN documentary on Janet Guthrie this week? I was just a kooky teenager when it all went down in the '70s, and I thought I knew the whole story, but I was pleased to see that much of the crowd at Indy seemed to support her. Was that how you remember the response in general? It seemed like Uncle Bobby was one of most hardcore drivers against her being there. Did he ever come around on that? It really is hard to believe that she never could get any long -term sponsor support, especially after finishing ninth with a busted wrist. The doc gave me a whole new appreciation for what a badass she was in the car. What was your opinion of her as a driver?

Rod, Houston

RM: It was very well done, and Janet probably didn’t get as much credit as she deserved for going against the old guard and making the race in 1977. My take was that she was plenty capable of going fast by herself or for four laps, but she never mixed it up like Sarah Fisher or Danica when they came on the scene. After the ’78 race, where she finished 10 laps behind Al Unser, she said she beat Mario, J.R., Ongais and Mears when, in fact, she simply out-lasted them after they all broke down. I wasn’t as complimentary as I probably should have been and I know Janet thinks I was against her, but she was truly a pioneer and made it against all odds.

Q: I imagine you took a look at the 30 for 30 on Janet Guthrie. I distinctly remember all the controversy about her attempt to get into Indy, but growing up in NASCAR country in a small NC town, not much was available about her battle to get into Indy. I did not remember how bad some of the comments were from fans or competitors. Uncle Bobby and The King seemed particularly upset with her attempts. It seems the sports car community has always been more willing to accept female drivers, and I was surprised at the end when they showed pictures of female racers in the past and Denise McCluggage was not in that list, after all she drove with Sir Stirling and Fangio. Do you have any thoughts about this retrospective?

Tom in Waco

RM: A former Goodyear employee named Bud Poorman got the jump on the female movement when he got a ride for Arlene Hiss at Phoenix in the spring of 1976. She was a disaster in the race and most of the big names were wary before she got in the car, so that didn’t bode well for Janet’s reception since (like Hiss) she had never driven an open-wheel car. No doubt the sports car world was much more suited than Indy cars or NASCAR because it was a lot less dangerous and not nearly as physically demanding. The Unsers were very vocal, as was Richard Petty, but who could blame them for not wanting to be on the same track as an unproven driver with zero open-wheel experience that also happened to be a woman? I thought the ESPN doc did a good job of showing how well Janet handled the pressure and speed, and her car was hardly top tier in 1976 and 1977 so that might have been the most impressive part of her qualifying. She was brave in more ways than one.

Guthrie is enjoying some renewed recognition for blazing a trail in the 1970s. Image by LAT

Q: I just watched the Janet Guthrie documentary and was blown away by the footage. Uncle Bobby came off as a jerk, but A.J. really surprised me. He seems like a guy who respects anyone who can race, period. Any other similar stories you have of A.J.?

Tate in Kansas

RM: Foyt let Janet run his car on the last day of qualifying in 1976 because Tony Hulman asked him to, and she ran quick enough to make the show as I recall. But he wasn’t any less skeptical than the Unsers about a woman driving an Indy car, he just didn’t say as much.

Q: We seem to be on a run of great, deserving drivers making it to the winner’s circle. That makes me smile. The Speedway is picking some quality winners. Listening to Marshall Pruett’s superb post-race podcast with Simon Pagenaud and his engineer, Ben Bretzman, I was struck by how carefully calculating every move had been, going back dozens of laps before the finish. Pagenaud let Newgarden by at one point to draft and save fuel, and Pagenaud said he specifically allowed steely-eyed ace Alexander Rossi to pass him on purpose around the restart from the red flag. The reason? To study the technique Rossi would use in passing him, and then gauge how long it would take to stalk and pounce on Rossi and retake the lead -- all so he could time his final pass to the front and hold off Rossi just long enough to cross the yard of bricks in the lead.

I’m used to fuel mileage strategy and teammates backing each other up, but is this cat-and-mouse method of letting a driver pass you just so you can discover his weakness a long-standing technique or something that’s purely Pagenaud?

Grayson from Tampa

RM: It didn’t surprise me because Simon has always been a thinking man’s racer, and he and Ben gave been together for a decade and their chemistry was instant back with Sam Schmidt. But it’s not unusual for drivers to let the competition go by for a couple laps to gauge where they stack up – it’s just cool to hear Pagenaud talk about it.

Q: This isn’t a question, but my friends and I just returned home after a 10-day, 8,200-km (5,100-mile) road trip to our first Indy 500, traveling from Vancouver to Indianapolis. I wanted to thank you for your suggestion of buying tickets in the Turn 3 NE vistas, a fantastic location, it was worth every km we traveled. What an unbelievable day, great track, great people, great weather and wow what a race.

David Black, Maple Ridge, BC

RM: Glad you got good seats and were treated to an awesome finish. Hope you got decent mileage.

Q: So you were right – ratings for the Indy 500 were up this year. But how do you think attendance looked compared to the past few years? On some of the aerial shots on TV I saw a lot of gaps in the crowd. So was the attendance better, worse, or about the same? Also about the late race multi-car crash... if they would've kept the race under yellow flag conditions and not thrown the red flag., do you believe they could've got the track cleaned up and finished the race under green.?

Ron, Portland, OR

RM: I thought it looked better than the past two years because those gaps weren’t as noticeable, but there weren’t 300,000 people. IMS has less than 200,000 seats now, so with the suites and infield, maybe 225,000, tops. Without the red flag you might have seen four or five laps of racing instead of 14.

Q: There have been some discussions of a title sponsor for the 500, with some saying that is a bad idea from a tradition standpoint, among other reasons. However, in real life is there any major difference in having a presenting sponsor but not a title sponsor? I realize probably quite a bit of difference from the money side, but I don’t any real difference in the squishier tradition side. Thoughts?

Kurt Ullman

RM: I’ve been saying and writing for the past several years that IMS needs to sell a real title sponsor – like the Budweiser Indy 500 – for big bucks and put all that money directly into the purse. But why not ask John Menard? He’s a multi-billionaire who loves the Indy 500 and finally won it. He could give $10 million and be a hero.

if John Menard thought this was fun, imagine how much he'd enjoy sponsoring the entire 500. Image by IndyCar

Q: First, thank you for the terrific job you’ve done over the years.  I’m a long-term reader, first-time commenter. I have the Gold Pass and think it’s great. My only suggestion would be to charge a higher rate and include commercial-free coverage on race day (similar to F1). And why doesn’t Indy follow F1’s handling of driver interviews at race end? In F1, the top three finishers line up on the main straight and are interviewed immediately after the race. Trophies are handled out later. Much more exciting than Indy’s current procedure, where the winning driver is typically shown sitting in their car awaiting for the festivities to begin. Keep up the good work, congratulations on your well-deserved award and best wishes for a continued recovery.

Mark Clayback, Hamburg, NY

RM: Thanks for your comments and suggestions. I guess at Indy you could quickly assemble the top three to speak to the fans, but I know television likes to interview the winner first (sometimes because of time constraints) and then get as many of the top 10 as possible. As for Gold, I’ll pass along your thoughts to NBC.

Q: I heard it mentioned that 'in general' the Chevys had a tad more horsepower than the Honda engines during the Indy 500. How is this possible if the engines are spec? Is it just the way the two engines are set up by the teams, or other than the basic formula are the OEMs allowed some developmental leeway? Maybe I am not understanding the term 'spec' – I thought that all the cars were essentially the same with the exception of dampeners, and you could only gain a mechanical advantage via setup.

Barney in Columbus

RM: From Dan Layton of Honda Performance Development: “Well, the engines technically aren’t “spec”, they’re “homologated.” Each manufacturer builds an engine to the rules determined by IndyCar and the designs, components, materials, etc., are then approved by the sanctioning body. That’s the homologation process. Things like the displacement, bore and stroke, etc., are identical for both Chevrolet and Honda, but we’re free to use different internal components and suppliers to make the various parts that go inside the engine.

“IndyCar has also allowed the manufacturers to make changes/updates to the original design between seasons. What those updates and changes entail has differed from year to year, but they are the same for each manufacturer and set by the sanctioning body.

“In addition, as your reader correctly surmised, various settings and performance parameters can be adjusted by each manufacturer. Cars from the same manufacturer — or even teammates — may have slightly different settings at a given race weekend due to driver and/or team preferences.

“Finally, the driver and team also have certain tools that can be used to change certain engine settings during a pit stop, or while the car is on track (engine mapping, for example, is one of the adjustments available to the driver on the steering wheel). This year at Indy, Alexander Rossi and Simon Pagenaud were the class of the field and put on a great race to the finish. They each also prevailed over more than a dozen other drivers using the same engine they had, whether Honda or Chevrolet.”

Q: The more I think about it, the more I think the Indy 500 should be a zero points race. Two main reasons. First, there are a lot of extra cars in the field to potentially mess up the regulars’ races. Second, we want everyone to go for the win and not think about points. The only thing should be winning. Do we really want a driver thinking about points and not taking risks to win because of points?

Craig Mashburn

RM: The guys who have a chance to win aren’t thinking about points, trust me. And Indy should pay more points because it’s the most important race of the year. I just hate the finale paying double points on a road course where passing is passé. Makes no sense, and doesn’t draw one extra eyeball to the telecast or the track.

Q: I’ve followed your insightful reports and comments since the Indy Star days. It’s good that you are still doing what you do. My questions are: What are the costs of the mechanical bit and pieces on an IndyCar on a well-funded budget per year? When a IndyCar brushes or slams the wall, what happens to the impacted wheels?  Are they subjected to NDI inspection at the track or off-track at a specialized facility? Finally, are the various teams shock or damper programs the decisive factor in them being consistently fast? If, for example, McLaren got Andretti dampers, was McLaren told not to touch them, period? How much have the teams with damper programs spent on their development?

Warbird Willie

RM: A front-line budget to win races is likely between $6-8 million, not sure anyone gets $10 million per car anymore like Chip and Roger always did from Target and Marlboro. Wheels are always checked following a crash but not sure if it’s Magnaflux or what it’s called today. The shock/damper development is the one area IndyCar allows teams to do their own thing, and some teams spend more than $1 million because it certainly makes a difference. Not sure what McLaren was told by Andretti except maybe don’t be late for practice.

Q: Like yourself, I'm an old-school guy, but I think the 500 pre-race ceremonies have become forced and cartoonish. What used to be a reverent, somber, and yes a bit foreboding ceremony has taken on the appearance of a game show. The regimented cadence of days gone by has been replaced by a forced, stop and start program that fails to build the proper emotional drama of the past. Oh how I miss the presence of Henderson, Nabors, Phillippe, and Carnegie!

David Basnight, Raleigh, NC

RM: I don’t really pay attention except I thought Kelly Clarkson did a nice job on the National Anthem. I know Jim Cornelius is a great singer, but I would simply play Nabors’ rendition of “Back Home Again in Indiana” each May.

Some solid Star Spangled Banner-ing by Kelly Clarkson ahead of the 500. Image by IndyCar

Q: I attended my first Indy 500, and wow. I have been to over 40 IndyCar races in my life. Love Iowa, Barber, and Mid-Ohio, but seeing Indy in person was an experience you cannot describe until you go. It did leave me wondering about the untapped potential of IndyCar. As I was leaving after the race I was thinking to myself, ‘This should be one of the most popular sports in America.’ It has everything from excitement to great access with cars, and drivers.

IndyCar should put a third of the effort into other races as it does Indy and it should grow. I mean, I go to the race in Iowa, have dinner in downtown Des Moines, and nobody knows IndyCar is racing 25 minutes up the road – that's unacceptable. Make it a festival and include the local businesses by doing promos or something, please. By the way, am I the only one that thinks with no yellow Dixon wins the 500? The Chevy cars were getting terrible fuel economy compared to the Hondas. From where I sat, Dixon was in the catbird seat going 10 plus laps farther per stint. Guess we will never know. Thanks for your great and tireless work keeping me up on all things in the series.

Alan, Springfield, Ohio

RM: Thanks for your Indy report and support of IndyCar. If you can get somebody to attend the race it’s so much more appealing and exciting – as you experienced. I think because IndyCar just drops in once a year and pitches its tent for a couple days at Iowa or anywhere else, it’s tough to generate a lot of buzz like you can in Indianapolis. Long Beach probably comes the closest because it’s been around for four decades. Dixie is amazing at saving fuel but his car wasn’t on the same planet as Pagenaud and Rossi, and without that last yellow/red, I think Rossi wins it going away.

Q: Penske brought Castroneves back for this year's Indy 500 and he did very little, circulating midfield while his teammates – admittedly full-timers, but with similar equipment – all featured at the front. The Spiderman has three Indy 500 victories and is a crowd and Penske favorite, but can you see  Roger bringing Helio back for another try in 2020? Why not give Montoya a shot instead?

Jenkins, Canada

RM: I thought Helio got a bad penalty on the James Davison incident in pit lane (James admitted afterwards it was his fault) so that ruined his race. I think The Captain will bring him back again in 2020 unless he signs Pato O’Ward or Colton Herta to some kind of part-time ride like Rick Mears had back in 1978. JPM is done with Indy, sadly and R.P. keeps giving Castroneves a shot at No.4.

Q: The series has been back together for over 10 years. The field is deep talent-wise; the tracks and cars are super competitive, yet still! The nitpicking and "I wish it were the old days, blah blah blah... C'mon folks! Don't you ever get tired of all of the negativity? What in the Sam Hill was going on from the late '70s til the early '90s at Indy/IndyCar with the wives on the pit stands with headphones and mics to the teams (drivers too?)...?  Who's idea was that? I know in the "old days"/ lower formula, they "helped" keep time with a stopwatch, but piping off on the team headset? Did they know what they were doing? Who started it and who ended it? Thank you for your vast knowledge and experience with Indy cars to hopefully answer this puzzling question for me. (And before anyone starts waving the Zeitgeist Flag around-- it has nothing to do with sexism today – maybe it was then...)

Brett Collins

RM: Race fans bitch? I hadn’t noticed. I think Betty Rutherford was the first wife to be on the pit box with a headset and keep score back in 1973, so then it became the thing to do.

Q: After reading the last Mailbag I have to wonder why some folks even watch IndyCar. The topics they choose to bitch about boggle my mind.  Complaining about nicknames, really? Simon blocking on the back stretch, no, that's called breaking the draft. Clearly a certain percentage of Mailbag contributors are not what I would consider real fans. ESPN now covers Corn Hole, maybe some should start watching that. Thank you Robin for trying to educate every reader with much more diplomacy than I ever could.

John Fulton, Akron, Ohio

RM: Thanks for your observations. I’m thinking maybe I could become Dr. Miller, you know like a shrink, for race fans that can’t get to the couch to let out their frustrations with the world about important subjects like whether or not Alonso should get a nickname.

Q: All and all I thought NBC did a pretty good job with their coverage. Still trying to figure out why Dale Jr. was there, but as a whole not bad. What I can’t fathom was how you do the Indy 500 without ever mentioning A.J. Foyt? Did I miss it, or am I right in that NBC never once mentioned or showed a shot of A.J. in the garage or on a pit box? Was A.J. not at the race?

Brian Taylor

RM: A.J. was at the race but I don’t think he was mentioned or shown during the telecast. That’s kinda like going to old Yankee Stadium and forgetting to pay homage to Babe Ruth.

Q: I have enjoyed your columns, the Mailbag and your broadcast work for a long time. But after what I read in last week’s Mailbag I felt compelled to write and share my thoughts with you.

I thought the race itself was an entertaining race. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. But NBC missed some of the best stories by fiddling around with pointless drivel and way too many talking heads. One of the best stories of the race was Pippa Mann and Clauson running in the top 20 and finishing 15th. That is as a compelling a story as Juncos and Kyle Kaiser – maybe more so.

NBC needed to show more storylines like Pippa and Clauson-Marshall, and less Rutledge Wood in a creek, according to reader Von R. Vandiver. Image by IndyCar

One of the best stories every May is with ECR. Again this year, Ed Carpenter is a bridesmaid and not a bride. Ed’s quest for a victory is the current generation's version of Mario’s hunt for a second 500 back in the day. Like a lot of others, I kept wondering, “When are they going to get to Robin Miller?” To find out that you weren’t part of the race telecast was inexplicable and just stupid on their part. But there was a lot of stupid – Dale Jr – nice guy, got a lot of air – never had anything insightful to say. Rutland “whatever his name is” – I am assuming the idea was to take a New York hipster out to Indiana and see what he can find the rubes in the middle of the country doing. Pointless. Mike Tirico – added nothing, was a waste of air time. Krista Voda – they need two anchors? – Tirico only does the main show? Then the backup anchor does the pre and post . Why? Was Mike worn out listening to Dale Jr? There were way too many people who talked, but did not say anything about the race.

But my biggest “what the hell” was the post-race – I was disappointed there were not more driver and team interviews. Not sure if the long detour by Simon to the winner's circle missed up the timing for that, or if they got shifted over to the Gold package or what. But I wished we would have heard from more drivers and teams on their race. The regular team – at least those that made it on the broadcast - was good, as always. Kudos to Jon Beekhuis, who always does a great job sharing insightful information. Jon and you need more air – not less. I thought Danica added to the broadcast. The piece where Tirico and her jumped into the pace car and took a lap was a good story. I know it was staged, but it had a nice vibe to it. Danica did a good job with that. Her comments on the driver mindset during the pre-race was insightful. For her first stint, I thought she was good and has a lot of potential in that role. The booth team was also good, as usual. I hope NBC doesn't think that NASCAR fans are going to watch because Dale Jr. and Krista Voda are on the show. I hope they are not thinking that hipsters are going to watch open wheel racing because Rutland wades in a creek looking for bricks.

I think NBC’s first 500 had a lot of flaws. Not insurmountable; but certainly noticeable. Hopefully they will learn and improve. The central problem from my vantage was that the broadcast was trying to be too many things to too many people and thus was not all that good for anyone. NBC left the faithful IndyCar fan looking for more information about the reason for the broadcast – the race. If their idea was to bring in the casual fan or the NASCAR fan to open-wheel racing, I think that fell flat. The casual fan is going to be hooked by the compelling stories on the track. Not by the empty comments of talking heads like Tirico, or Voda or Dale Jr. I was excited to see how NBC would handle the 500. At least they seemed to care, which is more than ABC has done since 1994. But for them to drop you from the broadcast gives me really big concerns. You would have added more to the broadcast in five minutes than Trico, Voda and Junior added in hours. Glad to see you on the broadcast yesterday from Detroit.

Von R. Vandiver, Sioux City, Iowa

RM: I agree with your observation about too many voices, but bringing in Mike Tirico, Dale Jr. and Danica was a good way for NBC to tell the country this is a big deal. I truly thought Dale’s presence would boost ratings and I enjoyed his reactions to things, while Tirico is solid gold in any environment and Danica’s recollections at Indy were good. Rutledge Wood is one of NBC’s most popular faces so he’s involved in everything, and I get it. But I’ll admit it was tough to not be part of the show, and you would hope that 50 years of experience might be called on, but the fact we only had four cameras for our pit reporters and no room on the NBC pit box made it difficult to find any room for me. But it was a great finish, a good telecast, the ratings were up and there’s always next year for me. Maybe. Thanks.