Robin Miller's Mailbag for October 30, 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.

Note: The Arrow McLaren SP driver news triggered a flood of letters, almost all of which unfortunately arrived too late to make this week's edition of the Mailbag. Robin will tackle them next week.

Q: Taking away the politics (almost impossible right now), Roger Penske receiving the Medal of Freedom is huge. A great honor and big for the racing community.

Joe Mullins

RM: Yes it was, and it was sad to see some of comments about how R.P. bought this award because of his clout. This had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with The Captain’s body of work and achievements. From racing to business to revitalizing Detroit, he’s a force with a plan. But because of today’s highly-charged climate, I don’t think Team Penske even sent out a press release and that’s also sad. Happy to see IndyCar.com posted a story on Monday and RACER.com wrote one last week.

Q: The following drivers deserve quality full-time rides: O'Ward, Ferrucci, Daly, Askew and Veekay for Arrow McLaren SP, second Coyne car, Carlin’s No.31 and A.J.’s No. 4. That's four full-time seats for five drivers, and it is entirely possible that someone I didn't list gets one of the seats I just listed. So who gets the short straw(s)?

Ryan T.

RM: Well I think RACER gave you the answer on Monday night with the breaking story that Pato and Oliver are bound for Arrow McLaren SP in 2020. Santino is staying with Coyne, and I think either Daly or Veekay will end up with ECR. And that leaves Carlin, which will have Max Chilton for the road races, and not sure about the other car.

Q: Dale Coyne talked about looking for engineers even before Mike Cannon left and Ganassi talked about “when somebody of Mike’s caliber becomes available.“ Seems something put Mike’s nose out of joint and he jumped before getting a new role sorted.

Oliver Wells

RM: I don’t know that Dale was looking, but Cannon wanted to get back to Indianapolis if ever possible and Trevor Green-Smith (assistant engineer for Seb) took a job with Andretti, so that’s two spots to fill. But I don’t think there were any bad feelings from either side. And DC still has Olivier Boisson to take care of Ferrucci, so he’ll be fine.

Q: Happy that Mike Cannon’s talents are being recognized with his hire at Chip Ganassi Racing as Scott Dixon’s race engineer. What I will miss is his talents of engineering rookies and ‘little guys’ for the front of the field. Always a great story.

Ralph, Indianapolis

RM: Michael has a knack for educating the kids and from A.J. Allmendinger to Ed Jones to Ferrucci, that even-keeled, pragmatic approach just seemed perfect for a rookie.

Q: Wonder the feelings Graham is having since having Taku on the team? Sato has the only wins in the last couple years, and usually out-qualifies Graham. Seems he might be a little green with envy. Any knowledge of where they think the differences lay?

Tim B.

RM: Not necessarily, I think they get along just fine, but Graham admitted in a recent interview that he wasn’t “at his best” every weekend in 2019 and needed to regain that form he had in 2014-17. He qualified better than he has in the past but other than Barber, Long Beach and COTA didn’t run up front.

One or two less mechanical problems, here, an extra few hundredths in qualifying there, and Rahal's 2019 campaign might have looked very different. Image by IndyCar

Q: I would be shocked if James Hinchcliffe is testing on Nov. 5 with a Chevy engine and Arrow. It has been way too quiet with both parties. Any news you can share would be appreciated.

Ron Z.

RM: I said for the past few weeks I didn’t think Hinch would be with Arrow McLaren SP in 2020, and now you know from our breaking story last Monday it’s true.

Q: Do you think Fernando Alonso will race in the Indy 500 in 2020? What is the status of Ben Hanley and DragonSpeed for next season?

Paul Fitzgerald, Indianapolis

RM: Absolutely I think we’ll see Alonso back at IMS, and hopefully a couple other places like Road America and maybe a short oval. All I know about DragonSpeed is that they are sending tubs to be updated for the aeroscreen, so obviously 2020 is in Elton Julian’s plans.

Q: Just read your article on drivers for the Foyt team. Would like to see if you could put another name forward: Dakota Dickerson. He’s won back-to-back championships in F4 (2018) and F3 (2019) and I think he’s talented and needs a look.

Evan Chance

RM: Jeremy Shaw says he’s a pretty good peddler who is very good with sponsors and people in general, but Dakota is still a kid so let’s give him a little more time to marinate.

Q: Good job on the Foyt article. They suck by the way, and I feel bad for Larry. Conor deserves the seat and would do better than they deserve. I think the F1 kid will do well for Gil. I am super-excited about Colton! This kid is the most electric talent in years!  Michael will have to keep him away from Roger! Love to see Colton, Rossi and Ferrucci in a three-car team for Andretti and send Marco to Foyt, any chance?

Dan from Lima

RM: I wish A.J. would have stuck with Conor, but he was able to show his wares with Andretti, Carlin and Arrow SPM last season so maybe it worked out if he can land a full-time job. No way Marco is leaving, and Ferrucci is staying with D.C.

Q: I always read about how fringe IndyCar guys will just go to sports cars if they can’t land a ride in the series. My question is, why is that always the case as a back-up plan? I’ve never watched a sports car race, but is the talent level is lower there? Or that it takes more talent to drive an IndyCar so our guys can easily transition? Is it a money thing in that talented drivers that don’t have enough money for IndyCar seats can get a cheaper ride in sports cars? Is it just that there are so many more series and options for seats that they always need more drivers? Curious about your thoughts. As always, thanks for taking the time!

Mike R., Bloomington, IN

RM: Your last question nailed it. There are a lot more seats in sports cars and most times guys don’t have to bring money – just their helmet. It was the best option for Ryan Briscoe after Penske, while good open-wheelers like Joey Hand, Jonathan Bomarito, Ryan Dalziel and Dane Cameron found a home because IndyCar was a dead end. And it’s a great place to go after open-wheel, as Christian Fittipaldi, Scott Pruett and Jan Magnussen proved.

Q: Just doing some pondering regarding IndyCar testing limits. Why not allocate test days to teams based on performance over the previous season? Kinda like stick and ball drafts – the worst-performing teams get first dibs on new talent, why not give a team like Foyt three-to-five more days of testing than Penske (if they so choose to spend the money)?

Andy Rolfe, Brighton, MI

RM: Not a bad idea, but testing costs money and most of those smaller teams might not be able to take advantage of the extra days. But with testing greatly reduced, I like your suggestion to try and close the gap.

Q: What’s the plan for the young teams in IndyCar? Carlin has already gone on record warning it could leave if the big teams take up too much of the grid, but they seem set for next year at least. What about Shank? If memory serves they should be partnering with Andretti for this year. Is that a full-season deal, or part-time like last year? If its part time I at least hope it’s more races, since Harvey was fast. What about DragonSpeed? They disappeared at the end of the year and no one said a damn thing. I think I remember reading they’d be back next year, but on what schedule?

Also, will Ben Hanley still be driving? Seemed pretty quick from the short glimpses we got of him. Finally, what about the ultimate feel-good-underdog-story that evaporated in about two seconds, Juncos? I love them, and I love Kyle Kaiser. Got to talk with him at Indy after he went on Off Track with Hinch and Rossi, and he’s just the coolest and nicest guy. I really hope Juncos is keeping him on board and getting the budget to do more than two races, because both the team and Kaiser deserve more than that.

Max Camposano, Bethlehem, PA

RM: I hear what Trevor is saying, but how do you legislate numbers? IndyCar is fortunate to have 22-24 cars at every race considering the lame payout and how expensive it is, so would it be good business to tell the Big 3 they can only field two cars? I think not. I mean I know it’s tough for Carlin, Foyt and ECR to keep up, but it’s also not like it’s a two or three second difference – we’re talking tenths of seconds. And big budgets have always ruled in major motorsports, but IndyCar affords the opportunity to be competitive and sneak in a win or two if things go right, like they have for RLL, Coyne and ECR in the past. No official word on Mike Shank’s plans, but we’re all hoping he’s back with Andretti. DragonSpeed is working on 2020 and so is Ricardo Juncos, but it takes big money and he’s looking, along with Kaiser.

He's a good guy, he was part of the ultimate feelgood story of this year's month of May, and he wears green shades. No wonder reader Max is a Kaiser fan. Image by IndyCar

Q: With A.J. and Richard Petty's teams both sliding into irrelevance, is it possible that racing teams built around a single legendary figure are destined to fade into the sunset along with the boss? No fair using Penske as a counter-example. Everyone knows that he replaced himself with a computer replica back when that still meant transistors soldered to a board.

Robert M.

RM: It is telling that both of these legends have struggled mightily to succeed since they quit driving but they both remain iconic figures that are as popular as any of today’s stars. Are both too set in their ways to change with the times? Don’t pay top dollar like the big boys? Can’t attract the best drivers, engineers and mechanics? I don’t know, I suppose it could be a little bit of everything, but I don’t see anyone on the horizon to take their place, and I think both series need these treasures.

Q: I just read your article about the Foyt team. It just got me thinking how unlucky IndyCar is with getting that amazing legacy/name recognition story. NASCAR had Dale Jr. to carry on the Earnhardt name, and Chase Elliott is a solid driver. NHRA has the Force girls successfully carrying on the tradition. David Gravel has had a solid year for Jason Johnson racing. All of these other series connect the past to the present. Then, we have IndyCar. It would be easy for a casual fan, or a fan that the series lost to The Split, to follow the names Andretti, Foyt, Unser, Rahal. The series really needs Marco and Graham to do well as individuals and Foyt’s team to at least be on the radar. But it's IndyCar. In my eyes it's the most pure form of racing on the planet. Nothing artificial can be done for any of them. They need to get it together on their own. Random thought/rant for you.

Jeff Loveland

RM: Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti kept their legacies going as car owners and A.J. always made noise in May, but I’ve preached for a decade that the best thing for IndyCar would be Graham and Marco fighting for the title. Their names would get IndyCar the kind of exposure that Dixie can’t, despite his prowess. Chase Elliott already seems to be the crowd favorite and Junior stays in play on NBC, so NASCAR maintains its name recognition. Mario remains as visible as any IndyCar driver but we need his grandson to start winning, and I’m not sure that’s ever going to happen.

Q: Read the article about Trevor Carlin being concerned about big teams monopolizing wins and championships, and it's certainly a concern of mine as a fan, and probably would be if I was an owner of a small team. One way to limit this is to put a cap on the number of cars an owner can enter during the year, with the exception being the Indy 500. If you noticed though in CART in '90s, many times Derrick Walker's team won with Robby Gordon, or Jim Hall's team with Gil de Ferran, or PacWest winning without famous drivers was not unusual. Right now, for a driver from the fourth- or fifth-ranked team in IndyCar, like Hinch or Graham with SPM and RLL respectively, is extremely hard to win.

In my mind the reason for this difference between '90s to now was the openness in specs everywhere with the cars, so even a small team that excelled in one aspect of car had a chance because a big-time team might not have focused on that ara, and therefore a new optimization things led to a small team excelling.

At the moment, with so little room for innovation, the bigger teams are able to perfect everything they can in the spec portion of the car and there are not too many variables in the open area of the car to produce a combination that can allow a small team to win. So as much as IndyCar is improving in terms of TV ratings and attendance, unless more areas of the car is opened, it will never get back to how it was in mid-'90s like CART. The openness was why Indy 500 was so celebrated, because each year some fringe team might bring something so new and fresh that you could not but wonder what this new thing was, and people flocked to see it. So unless more areas are opened on the car, the top teams and drivers will be from the dominant teams, because of too few variables for teams to innovate on.

Shyam Cherupalla

RM: Gotta respectfully disagree. In the '90s CART had four engines, four chassis, two tire companies and a pretty big disparity at times, because if you had the right chassis/engine/tire you could rule. Like Roger Penske and the Mercedes in 1994 (winning 12 of 16 races), or Chip Ganassi taking a flyer on Honda and Firestone in 1996 and winning three straight titles and 17 races in three years. Today we have spec cars with engines that are as close as you could hope for, and a good combo of driver/engineer (Colton Herta/Nathan O’Rourke) can win right out of the chute. The big dogs have always ruled, and I don’t see how you could limit cars any easier than budgets.

Q: While enjoying a cold adult beverage (OK maybe more than one) in my garage, I glanced over to my "racing wall." There lies a signed hero card of Dan Wheldon with the Andretti Jim Beam car. Had he survived, how do you think his future would have panned out? I miss that guy.

Dave Z.

RM: Well the summer of 2011 he called me from Mid-Ohio where he was testing the new chassis, and said he loved the car and I was going to eat my words because I’d said in 2010 he was an endangered species because he’d lost his road racing skills and become an oval-track specialist. I told him I hoped he was right and it would be my pleasure to eat crow. At Vegas I was writing he was going back to Andretti in 2012, and he pretty much admitted it on Saturday but said he couldn’t talk about it, which I understood. So to answer your question, I think he would have won another Indy 500 for Michael, and more races and maybe a title.

How much more might these two have achieved together? Image by Miller/LAT

Q: I noticed Texas no longer has a title sponsor for next year’s race. It’s a great race and it deserves the promotion that led to great crowds in the previous decade. IndyCar should go with what worked at Gateway with Bommarito. The Dallas/Ft. Worth people know and love Sewell Automotive Group.  Sewell makes “Customers for Life”. Have a retired Chevy IndyCar on display at their GMC dealership, or a retired Toyota IndyCar at the Subaru or Lexus store (all next to Dallas Love Airport). Offer $20 lower level seats for tickets purchased at Sewell dealerships, or dealer-paid tickets with a car purchase. Their dealerships are accessible, friendly, and it will lead to many car sales leads with the foot traffic. DFW people know Sewell. They sponsor airport valet, sporting event valet, and many other community events. It’s the ticket to big Texas crowds.

Parker in Dallas

RM: I imagine Eddie Gossage is already working on a replacement and it sounds like you have a candidate, so go sell it and make your 15 percent. IndyCar has nothing to do with track sponsorships in terms of finding them, and the Bommarito/Gateway marriage is a rare success story nowadays.

Q: I have read about MotoGP returning to Brazil in 2022. Apparently they are building a new racetrack in Rio de Janeiro, which is currently being called Rio Motorpark. IndyCar has been looking for a warm weather location to start its season. I am not telling Stephen Starks, or anyone else at IndyCar, how to do their jobs, but Brazil has always made for a fantastic IndyCar venue with passionate fans. I remember the great crowds at both Rio and Sao Paulo. I remember Greg Moore's pass on Alex Zanardi. I remember Hinchcliffe's pass on Sato. I say start the season in Rio, and then race the following week in Mexico City.

Ken, Thunder Bay, ON

RM: I forwarded your email to Stephen, and I’m sure if there’s any interest on either side he’ll get on it. The problem with the Brazilian races is that they all lost money – lots of it – so it’s not necessarily that appealing to a promoter.

Q: I thought that when the Halo was first used in F1, it would never work on Indy cars because of vision problems on banked ovals. The aeroscreen has a Halo under the aeroscreen. So what changed? I'm all for safety and the aeroscreen. God knows, I lived thru the 1960s thru the 1980s, and a part of me died with every driver we lost back then.

Lenny Mishik, Fairview Pk., OH

RM: Endless testing and refining is how they developed what they ended up with, and according to Dixie and Willy P. it was no problem at Indy. IndyCar didn’t jump into this, it took three years and lots of checks and balances and Red Bull Technology’s help before everyone felt comfortable.

Q: I know everyone and their mother has a negative opinion of aeroscreen. But to me, it makes a current IndyCar look a lot, and I mean a lot, like a 1985 or mid-'80s IndyCar. Yes, it’s not a spot match, but the overall profile resembles it closely. Perhaps that point of view will make it more palatable for some. Just my thoughts.

Mark Schneider

RM: I think it looks OK in Speedway trim from the side, but it’s a little beastly head-on and I’m sure everyone will get use to it – just like those funny cars with the engine in the rear.

Q: Regarding IndyCar needing winter exposure, and reaching out to Australia/New Zealand/Japan/Asia...  Have you seen the new S5000 series cars? Big open-wheelers running Coyote V8s making all the right noises. They're struggling to get that series going, and I'd say a few Indy regulars should be able to run a few of those races and everyone would love it.

Bill Bailey

RM: I imagine if you could get Dixie and Power rides it would certainly help but it takes people interested in pulling it off and, oh yeah, if they agreed to drive, it would take money. I saw Rubens Barrichello drove one, but that’s all I know about it.

Australia's new S5000 series has cool cars, but is still working to establish a stable grid. Could it be an off-season destination for IndyCar stars? Image by S5000

Q: I'm a lifelong, mostly suffering Bears fan that married for love rather than loyalty into a family full of Packer Backers. We took my father-in-law up to Lambeau for his birthday, and first Packer game against the Raiders this past weekend. As much as I hate to admit it, the place is actually pretty amazing. To avoid crying over how superior the Lambeau experience is to what we have at Soldier Field, I thought sweet thoughts of Indy.

It was actually pretty easy, because there are so many aspects of the Lambeau experience that are just like Indy. We parked in the neighborhood, visited with the various tailgates full of people we didn't know (but quickly became friends - I wore neutral colors to avoid any issues), and smelled the sweet smell of 10,000 cookouts. For a second I thought I might have been walking up Crawfordsville rather than Lombardi. So here's my question. If the Hulman-George family ever seriously considers dropping IMS and IndyCar from its portfolio, could we make the Packer model of ownership work? I'd throw in my $250 for a share of IMS tomorrow.

Clint, Chicago

RM: Interesting you should ask, since the hot rumor for the 145th time in the past 10 years is that IMS is being sold to NASCAR/ISC in the next few days. All I know for sure is that Mari Hulman-George was the only person who could sell the Speedway according to the trust, and she always said that it wasn’t for sale and it’s for her grandkids. But that was a long time ago and Mari has passed on, and after Clabber Girl was sold I’m convinced the Hulman-George family doesn’t have much to say about business anymore. Your suggestion is intriguing and I think a lot of people would throw in $250-$1,000 if that opportunity presented itself, but I can’t imagine it.

Q: I don't understand why this IndyCar/NASCAR doubleheader is even gaining traction. How exactly would it gain new fans? Personally I don't see it being anymore than the modifieds at a local track after sprints are over. Everyone heads for the exits. The only series I would be interested in seeing a doubleheader with IndyCar is IMSA. Otherwise, as soon as the IndyCar race is over, I'll be heading for the exit.

Coty Roy

RM: Have you seen all the empty seats at ovals? I’d say it’s well worth giving it a try, and maybe if it was the right track you could have a Kyle Busch and Josef Newgarden trade rides in that same weekend. And NBC would promote the hell out of it, so I really don’t see any downside to giving it a shot.

Q: Hey Robin, I still miss your days at the Indy Star, especially the multiple choice quiz columns. Those were the best. A couple of weeks ago a writer brought up the topic of the racing line at IMS and how the cars fade to the inside down the straightaways. One of the theories was the driving style of different drivers they had developed throughout their careers. One of the drivers mentioned was Rick Mears coming up through midgets and sprints. I had never heard that. I thought Rick had an off-road racing background. What was The Rocket's racing background before he got into Indy cars?

Link, Mooresville, IN

RM: Rick honed his skill in dirt buggies at Ascot Park before becoming big at Baja, and then tested a Formula Vee, then a Super Vee and finally a Formula 5000 car for Bill Simpson, who was so impressed he put him in his Indy car at Ontario in 1976. I think Rick may have driven a midget once or twice or maybe just hot-lapped one at Ascot, but it was his brother, Roger, who ran midgets before conquering off-road.

Q: I finally had time to read the book The Indy Car Wars: The 30-Year Fight for Control of American Open-Wheel Racing by Sigur E. Whitaker. It was really entertaining and she seems to have most of the facts correct. Have you read it yet, or do you know someone else of racing authority that has? I would like to know if it is accurate. Secondly, I was a big fan of Randy Bernard and the ideas he was implementing for IndyCar. Have you talked to him since he was booted? I would really like to know his side of the story and the plans he had that were never to be. An interview with him would be great on a low racing news week.

Mark Suska, Lexington, OH

RM: That book should be filed in the fiction section, that’s all I’ll say. Just wait on Gordon Kirby’s book on the history of open wheel, that’s going to be the definitive and accurate story. I talk to Randy all the time and he’s managing Garth Brooks, so things are going quite well.

No need to worry about Randy. He's doing just fine. Image by IndyCar

Q: I was a director of Anglia Cars back in the day and Roberto Guerrero drove an Argo F3 car for us for two years. He was, indeed, "one of the nicest guys on the planet” and quick.

I did not run Roberto, that was fellow director, Nick Jordan. I was running our team with a Belgian lad in the European F3 Championship on soft Goodyear G50 rubber and Nick was running Roberto in the British F3 Championship on harder Goodyear G54 rubber.

We had one round of the European Championship in the UK and we were testing together at Snetterton. Roberto was having some problems and I wandered over to give some advice. Roberto curtly told me to butt out as he and Nick had been working together all year and had things in hand. I did. About 4:30, I looked up and saw that they had started to pack up.  I wandered over and asked them if they were ‘finished’ for the day. They were, and still had the same issue. So, I asked them to humor me and try something. To their credit, they did and it worked. Afterwards, Roberto came up an apologized to me for his earlier comments, saying that he should have listened. A real class act!

John Peterson, Plymouth, MN

RM: That’s a good illustration of his personality, although I never saw him mad or short except once when somebody crashed him on the first lap at Miami. He had Indy won in 1987 after Mario broke down and then his clutch went out, but I never heard him complain about his bad luck in any circumstance.

Q: I know sports car racing isn't your first love, but as you are well aware of lots of IndyCar drivers dabble in it quite a bit. Especially Sebring and Road Atlanta.

With that being said, are you gonna check out Ford vs Ferrari coming out soon? Looks like a good one. I believe 1966 was the year before Gurney and Foyt won. Anyway, hope you get to see it.

Doug Ferguson, Debary, FL

RM: If it was the 1967 race with The Big Eagle and A.J., absolutely, but I’ll probably wait until it hits HBO. But the cool news is that Alex Gurney got to drive in this new movie.

Q: So as racing movies go, Grand Prix is still the best. That's when men were men, even though I'm not a big James Garner fan. Senna was also a great documentary; Rush was pretty good – actually saw Ron Howard on a train and complimented him on making a racing movie. But have you seen Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans narrated by his son Chad? Very good, and my new favorite number one, the history of Formula 1 safety. The in-car of Senna at Monaco one hand on the wheel and one on the shiftier going up Beau Rivage is amazing. But my real question is, how come no A.J. in the new movie Ford vs Ferrari? And when will they be making a movie about Mario's life?

Tony, Mamaroneck, NY

RM: Super Tex made his one and only appearance at Le Mans in 1967 with Dan Gurney and their victory would seem to have made a better story to me, but this new movie is about 1966. And Winning with Paul Newman was a good racing movie, pretty damn accurate in every way. Haven’t seen that McQueen movie, just his original Le Mans and that was excellent. NBC did a great documentary on Mario and showed it last May, and it would be better than any movie.