Robin Miller’s Mailbag for December 18, 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: With so many of us fans upset about the potential loss of popular IndyCar drivers such as James Hinchcliffe, Sebastien Bourdais and Spencer Pigot, would it be possible for IndyCar to organize a crowdfunding project to annually provide a seat for a selected driver left without a ride?

The figure tossed about is $5-6 million for a season's budget. Maybe we couldn't get all of that, but perhaps half. How many people attend the Indy 500? Every race, combined? How many people subscribed to IndyCar Pass on NBC Sports Gold? Could IndyCar get $10 extra from those people, per vote, to supply a budget to the winning driver? Could they get $100 from 50,000 diehard fans? I'd do it. Would the new owner of the series match the fan contribution? He’d better start getting creative and dedicated to the success of the series more than his team.

Domm Leuci, Binghamton, NY

RM: I think maybe the fans could try and start some kind of GoFundMe page for a deserving driver, but IndyCar isn’t going to get involved, and what would be the determining factor? How do you pick from Seabass, The Mayor and Spencer? I think if Canadians rallied like you suggest they could raise some money to help Hinch get in a car for Indy, but getting $750,000 would be a real challenge.

Q: Someone should inform Mr. Dalton Kellett that he'd be better served "representing Canada in IndyCar" by forwarding his money towards Hinchcliffe's efforts? His record makes him seem like he'll be the second coming of Marty Roth.

Steve O in Ontario

RM: Well if he ends up splitting the No.14 car with Tony Kanaan for A.J. Foyt I’m sure all the money he can raise will go to his effort, and he’s been running Indy Lights for three years without a win, but is he any less qualified than some of the field-fillers before him?

The original Dalton Kellett, according to one reader. Image by Streck/LAT

Q: Been a follower of the sport since the '90s, when we first got TV coverage here in Catalonia (that's how I learned English, listening to music and CART). Greg Moore was my first hero and obviously then I moved onto Servia and I've followed Oriol all I've could. I heard that fellow Catalan Alex Palou was being considered for the Coyne drive, so I'd like to know how are things on that front and on Oriol's May front? I'd love to have a Catalan driving full-time again!

Jordi Domenech, Manlleu, Catalonia

RM: I think Palou is still in the frame at Coyne, and it’s way too early to worry about Servia. He’ll likely find something for Indy like he always does but nothing full-time.

Q: Thank heavens for your column to get us through the winter. So much lately about drivers getting rides based on money. A while back there was an article talking about many Indy drivers who are driving for free. I guess if they win enough they'll get a contract, maybe. So, how does a driver make any money, if they don't get a salary and have to bring sponsors? Do they just get a percentage of the purse (which, incidentally, I never hear about anymore, in IndyCar or NASCAR), or what? It's hard to understand what makes a guy want to stick his neck out.

Terry Clevenger

RM: Conor Daly drove for free a couple years ago because he knew it was important to stay on the radar, and now he’s getting paid by Ed Carpenter so it was worth the risk. Most guys take a percentage of the sponsorship they raise because you couldn’t buy a good steak if you only took a percentage of the purses. And some drivers get a good salary and a percentage of sponsorship/purses, but I think they’re few and far between.

Q: Quick observation. This year, the top 10 drivers in the championship all have rides next year. All are paid drivers. Past the top 10, those that drew a salary (Seb, Hinch, Pigot and TK) are out of a full-time ride and all the other drivers outside the top 10 are bringing their own money/sponsorship. Seems to me that while things could be handled differently that IndyCar is a meritocracy -- if you perform you get paid; if not, find some money.

Chris from Colorado Springs

RM: I guess the thing that’s most frustrating is that if you’ve been a past winner or champion like Seb, T.K. and Hinch, there is no guarantee your track record can keep you employed or at least give you a safe landing zone for an off-season. That’s the part that really sucks, but it’s not going to change.

Q: What is your assessment of the schedule? Specifically, adjustments to the green flag start times? We all got our wish with Iowa! I am excited as all hell for the night race at Richmond (taking my family including three daughters who want to see an IndyCar race, and I am in full recruitment mode). What about the other adjustments such as St. Pete, COTA, and Mid-Ohio? Marshall openly hinted that there is a possible landing spot in the IndyCar paddock for French Fry . . . where would that be? Foyt? Carlin? Rahal?

R.I. Brown, Smithfield, VA

RM: I’m with you, Iowa needed to be a night show again, and Richmond will look good under the lights. As for late starts at St. Pete, Barber, COTA, IMS road course, Detroit and Toronto, it’s television, but I’m glad Mid-Ohio is starting early. Street races don’t bother me starting late but road courses usually require a long drive so 12-1 p.m. like Road America is perfect. Wish Barber was early, too. I know A.J. and Larry talked to Seb but don’t think anything is going to happen, and the other two need money.

Q: Why on earth are the start times for so late? St. Pete is a 3:30 p.m. start. Hope you bring plenty of sunblock and several hundred dollars for concessions. Barber at 4:15 .m.. – a beautiful facility, but I don’t want to spend the whole damn day there. Circuit of The Americas, 4:10 p.m… So much for driving back home after the race. It a trick question – I already know the answer: TV scheduling. The wife and I go to these events and have for years, but with these late starting times it makes for a very long day for the older folks. You know, the paying customer. See you in St. Pete – I’ll be the one covered in sunscreen asleep under the tree.

Ray Little

RM: I wholeheartedly agree Ray, and that may sound hypocritical since I work for NBC, but like I said in the answer above yours, I wish all road courses had starts no later than 1 p.m. because of the reason you stated. George Bruggenthies said the only way he’d ever host IndyCar again was to start no later than 12:30 so people from Indianapolis and Chicago could get home at a decent hour on Sunday night. And it works. But juggling the TV schedule is always a challenge, and it’s not always fair to the paying customers.

Q: Bill Simpson was a true friend of motorsports. Bill called me when we formed the first CART Safety Team. He outfitted us and always made certain that we had everything we needed to do our jobs. He was a great friend, and his contributions to our sport are immeasurable. Rest in Peace, Bill.

Steve Edwards, former Director of Safety for CART

RM: No argument Steve, Simpson took safety serious and to a new level, just like that first CART safety team. It was a good match.

Q: I read your article about Bill's passing, and you’re right, he did piss a lot of people off. But you have to respect where he came from, and what he did for the racing world. Take this from a person who walks out of his house each day and sees the Pagoda less than quarter-mile from the door. Take it from a chef who has been disgusted with his actions at my restaurant. I didn't know him well, but we knew each other. I respected him for who he was, but not how he acted. Rest in peace Bill. We will miss him.

Doug Schaffer

RM: Well put, Doug. Wild Bill was a combination of brains, business savvy and bad manners when he was drinking, but his contributions to motorsports were invaluable. And when we were working on his fight against NASCAR when I worked for ESPN, I saw a side of him that showed a lot of character and heart. He was a character, for sure, and not the easiest guy to befriend, but if you were his friend it was for life. RIP Silly Bimpson.

Q: Foyt still hasn't announced drivers officially for 2020, but at this point it seems perhaps more important: other than Larry Foyt, are there any other employees working on the 2020 season there? Thanks for all your insights.

Doug Viall

RM: Sure. Scott Harner has been working on 2020 for the past six months, and they’re trying to find money along with a couple new engineers. I keep hearing Charlie Kimball in the No. 4 car, with T.K. and Dalton Kellett sharing No. 14.

Larry Foyt's not the only guy in the shop. Image by Levitt/LAT

Q: I love the aeroscreen, but it doesn't really compliment, or flow back into the rear of the car. Do you think IndyCar will make changes to the engine cover in the future to help with this?

Jon Thornhill

RM: I think IndyCar will continue its methodical way of evaluating the aeroscreen and make the necessary changes as it gets feedback from drivers, engineers and teams. But how do you know what it does already?

Q: No need for IndyCar drivers to paint their helmets anymore. Fans can no longer see them, or the rest of the driver, thanks to the new aeroscreen. Like sheet metal enveloped and placarded midgets before them, IndyCar has covered up the driver so much, they’ll need to reduce ticket prices because the show is diminished. I’m all for driver safety, but this looks to me like an overreaction to a freak accident.

How do the drivers feel about it? How about a compromise, F1-like halo? And how about unintended consequences? Will the fans feel an equal affinity with a driver they cannot see? Will this new fence between them and the driver result in more or fewer tickets being sold? The old adage for race cars is that if it looks right, it is right. This doesn’t look right.

Jim Fling, Trenton (Speedway) NJ

RM: I don’t know what kind of affect it will have on the fans, but we haven’t really been able to see the drivers in midgets, sprints and IndyCars for a long time now. I imagine if the racing continues to be good, people will simply adapt to it. I don’t know what the drivers think, but I’m sure we’ll get some feedback after a few races.

Q: I know you have touched on this topic before, however do you know of any progress with Canadian TV that we don't? Perhaps they haven't a clue how bad the problem they created really is for us. Or, perhaps the masterplan is to leave the Canadian market entirely, which seems likely if they do nothing.

I wrote the following to IndyCar a month ago, and so far they are unresponsive. It explains our predicament:

‘I'm hoping you will take action and consider the existing situation serious for IndyCar and its fans in Canada. Last year's TV switch in Canada to a basically unused channel (Sportsnet World) would cost me $271 extra per year. People with other TV providers could pay even more, plus some people don't have that channel available at all from their provider. Sportsnet probably conned you into it, as that channel is otherwise of little interest to most sports fans. Keep in mind, Canadians do get the major network NBC for both Indy races, both Detroit races, Mid-Ohio, Road America, Portland and Laguna Seca. So that price for one single channel carrying nothing else of interest is only good for the remaining races.

‘Furthermore, we are cut off from all the other weekend coverage, like practice and qualifying. Meanwhile, people in the U.S. can buy a reasonably-priced package for complete coverage. Also, people in other countries continue to watch all qualifying and races on a channel they already get anyway, like we did for many years until we were cut off at the knees.

‘If you can't convince Sportsnet to switch coverage to one of their commonly-available channels, and also carry qualifying, then please, for your benefit and ours, cancel the charade and go with TSN that has five channels, some or all often carrying the same thing (ie; duplicated), or perhaps Discovery Velocity channel like IMSA did up here when NBC took over down there. Velocity is relatively inexpensive, and perhaps Indy race fans would subscribe as IMSA and WEC are on there. It’s also a channel not available to everyone up here, so it would be a second choice to TSN or Sportsnet's usual channels.

‘Or as a last resort, let us watch Race Control IndyCar like many countries lucky enough to escape last year's "TV purge" do. If left unchanged, interest in Canada is sure to decline and eventually see the Toronto Indy vanish as a result.’

Doug P, Ontario, Canada

RM: IndyCar's response: “As you may know, the current media rights landscape in Canada is difficult and the sports media rights acquisition capacity of almost all the media companies in Canada, particularly those centered around linear television, has been negatively impacted. We had heard during the 2018 IndyCar Series season from many experienced media experts with knowledge regarding the Canadian media rights market that distributing our content in Canada after 2018 would be complicated. Although I know it was not the perfect scenario (as detailed below), we were fortunate to be able to remain with Sportsnet in 2019 and to be set to continue on with them for 2020.

“As you already mentioned, every NTT IndyCar Series race (except the season opener due to a Sportsnet scheduling conflict) was on premium cable via Sportsnet World, which is also available online and on mobile devices with the Sportsnet mobile app. You also may be aware that in 2019 all of our races were on SN NOW+, the digital streaming platform which provides access to all of Sportsnet’s core content, including NHL, WWE, and other exclusive content. In addition to the above, Canadians were able to watch the Indy 500 and the Honda Indy Toronto on Sportsnet 360 and Sportsnet ONE at no additional charge.

“Finally, as you referenced, in 2019, the vast majority of Canadians, were able to see eight of the 17 NTT IndyCar Series races which were broadcast on NBC in the U.S. — the IndyCar Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, the doubleheader Chevrolet Grand Prix, the Rev Group Grand Prix at Road America, Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Grand Prix of Portland, and Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey — via the nearest U.S. NBC affiliate channel.

“Please know that we continue to work with Sportsnet to increase our exposure in Canada and to make our content accessible at the lowest possible cost to viewers. Although nothing is done yet, we are hopeful that we will be able to arrange for more or our races to be aired live in 2020 on the Sportsnet 360 and/or the Sportsnet ONE channels. Because we want to better serve Canadian fans like you, we will work very hard to make as many races available on standard cable as we can. I am hopeful that the increased coverage we are able to arrange will give you and the rest of Canada more access to our great sport. Thanks for your support.”

– Stephen Starks, vice president of media partner relations for IndyCar

Even with a Marty Roth photo in this week's Mailbag, it's a tough time to be a Canadian IndyCar fan. Hopefully this helps: Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier running in formation after Carpentier's first career win at Michigan in 2001. Image by LAT

Q: I imagine there are long-term and short-term changes planned for IndyCar under the new Penske ownership. What do you think fans will notice immediately, as in 2020? Is there anything yet happening at the Speedway in terms of updating the facilities?

Steve, Fresno, CA

RM: Roger has been here twice already and I’m sure his list keeps growing, but got no idea what’s on it. I don’t think you’ll see too many major physical and internal changes right away, but let’s give The Captain a couple years.

Q: Let me just lead by saying I agree that Penske buying IndyCar and IMS is a great thing, and that there will be no conflict of interest to worry about. Roger always lets his own cars race fair and square, and I see no reason to think that will change among the other cars in the series. I do have a few things to offer in response to David M's question about The Captain's flaws. While I don't consider any of these to be character flaws, he has made some decisions in the past that I personally consider to be wrong – and unkind – to the people they affected. I'll throw two examples out there, and I'm sure there are more.

The first was when he fired Paul Tracy, because Tracy thought Penske should buy Reynards instead of continue to build his own cars. This was done very late in the game (kind of like what happened to Hinch and Seabass this off-season), and Paul was very fortunate to be able to secure a good ride for the following season. The second wrong, and frankly kind of mean, decision he made was far more recent. For months everybody knew Helio was going to be out of IndyCar and off to sports cars the following year, but he was never allowed to admit it until the season was over, and was not allowed to have a proper farewell.

I point these out just to say that Roger Penske has one fatal flaw. As it turns out, he is actually a human being, and not some kind of benevolent racing owner cyborg. So, the man may not be perfect, but I'm damn glad he's at the helm of the sport now.

Dylan Burgett, Villa Park, IL

RM: First of all, P.T. didn’t get fired because of a car – that was just a volatile combo that was destined to end like it did, despite Tracy’s talent. The Captain never talks about the next year and his drivers until the current season finishes, and that’s always been his M.O. As for Helio, not only did R.P. stand by him during his tax evasion trial, he put him in the Acura sports car when he downsized his IndyCar team and still kept running him at Indy. And I imagine he’ll help him in business when he finally quits driving. No, he’s not perfect nor a saint but he’s the right guy to run IMS and IndyCar – just wish he could have bought them 30 years ago.

Q: Well Roger managed to rub his face in it. Helio Castroneves! What a great driver. Stuck on the sidelines because of Penske’s great power. If he would’ve had a ride this year I can guarantee you he would’ve been in the top five of the IndyCar championship. The Captain didn’t want that. He didn’t want Juan Pablo Montoya in the mix, either. He paid both of them to get out of the sport because he didn’t want their competition. He has done the same thing for a lot of years.

Anyone who thinks that Roger Penske is going to run this series including the Indianapolis 500 in any way that doesn’t benefit himself is stupid. Just look at his prior history. When has he done anything to altruistic in support of racing programs? He brings great sponsors, for his teams. He hires great drivers, for his teams. Yeah I’m sure Roger Penske, who I admire greatly, is just going to step back and make sure his teams lose. No, he will suck the blood out of every other racing team to make sure he only has the best. He has tough opponents in Ganassi and Andretti, but he will seek that unfair advantage. Wasn’t there a book?

Tim B.

RM: Whoa, where is the Christmas spirit? The Captain moved two of his former winners aside to make room for younger talent (Simon Pagenaud and Josef Newgarden) and all they’ve done is won three of the last four championships plus another Indy 500. But R.P. didn’t kick them to the curb, he paid them handsomely to drive the Acura sports cars and also kept Castroneves on the Indy 500 roster. Yes I wish JPM could still run IMS, but Penske hasn’t won Indy 18 times by running four or five cars very often.

As for his competitive edge, he clubbed USAC with its own rulebook in 1994 and he’s had the most successful team in North America for 50 years because he’s smart, pays attention to detail and understands racing like few others. But in his new role he won’t be on the pit box, and I seriously doubt if he’ll have anything to do with rules nor will he gain some illegal edge over the competition. He’s too smart, and he knows his new job is to grow the sport, find a third manufacturer, raise the purses, give the Speedway a facelift and sell all the tickets. If his car pulls into Victory Lane next May it’s not going to be a shock, and it won’t have anything to do with the unfair advantage you are talking about.

Life on 'the sidelines' doesn't look too bad, to be honest. Image by LePage/LAT

Q: With all the talk of the disposable nature of drivers, I have to ask: with a spec series like IndyCar, what else is there to root for than the heroes who risk their lives and health for the sake of a hopefully great show? Who is waxing poetic about the "sweet" sound of current engines? It is the drivers who put on the show with their skill and daring in cars that are regulated, and vary little from one another. Other than Pruett and his tech geeks, who finds R.P.'s shocks worth 200 words?

Gone are the cars that are unique and worthy of a RACER stroll down memory lane. All the talk from owners about their team drivers reminds me of the North Dallas Forty line: ‘every time I say it is a family, you say it is a business. And every time I say it is a business, you say it is family.’ In the Mailbag you say you have no pets, no worries and if I remember correctly, no extended family. You are dead wrong! IC seems to be all that to you. Your passion for the series and the drivers and cars is your "pet." Your patience with we fans and our opinions show your passion is your family. Just getting A.J. to call you friend is a major accomplishment!

I hope I said all this in the right way. I have one more question about R.P.'s claim the USAC/CART split was a mistake despite that it ushered in a period of growth and profit. And worthy of attack from Daytona and Bernie the Toxic Troll. Not the IRL/CART split. which almost destroyed OW racing. But I have gone on to long and not sure I heard The Captain correctly.

David Fahey

RM: Not really sure where to begin. We haven’t rooted for cars or engines in a long time because everything is spec but having a favorite driver is pretty much what fuels people’s passion, I think. But we still get quite a few technical questions, and thankfully Marshall is smart enough to be able to answer them. I have a sweet sister and a couple of darling nieces, but I suppose some of my extended family has been the drivers and mechanics I’ve lived with, raced with and dined with for the past 50 years. I’ve had a great life and racing has given me lots of thrills and a steady income. The Split set IndyCar back 20 years and allowed NASCAR to run away, but open-wheel has made a comeback the past decade and it should continue with R.P. at the wheel.

Q: You’re not a sports car guy so you can be forgiven for not knowing this, but the IMSA rounds at Lime Rock and VIR do not include the prototypes. Theoretically that makes Richmond the only conflict with the IndyCar schedule for Bourdais. I’ve heard two conflicts mentioned in other places and am wondering if Detroit is the second one, assuming Bourdais wouldn’t triple-up that weekend.

Ryan T.

RM: Thanks for that correction, but it’s not looking like Seb will have any conflicts because there doesn’t seem to be anything for him to drive in IndyCar.

Q: Plans are in the works for an FIA/FIM standard permanent road course in central Arizona. The article about it on RACER makes one believe that the developers of this facility know what they are doing and are doing it right. I have got to assume that even at this early stage of development that a facility like this would be on IndyCar's radar screen, and vice versa – that IndyCar would be on theirs.

Have you heard any talk about this facility? And, in general, how long does it take and what is the process for a deal to get worked out? Do the leagues ever have any say in the development, or do they just wait until it's done and see what it's got? The talks between IndyCar and COTA seemed to take forever, but it finally got done. Will Roger Penske be any more aggressive about seeking out new facility opportunities like this one, or will he be looking more to facilities with some past history?

Scott Segrin

RM: I’d not heard of it until your letter, but Jay Frye and Stephen Starks are aware of it and I imagine it’s a possible test track, but IndyCar’s last three ventures into Arizona were a disaster at the box office so not sure a race would be on the radar. Takes at least two years to build a track, but IndyCar doesn’t have any say in a road course except for runoffs and safety if it signed up a race.

Q: I noticed in your December 11th Mailbag that a reader asked about Champ Car’s former Las Vegas street course. You told him that it cost the promoter a fortune. I was wondering on average with track build, tear down, advertising and promotion and sanction fees for every series on the bill what is the ballpark figure to stage and promote a street course race successfully?

Geoff Roberts, Unionville, Canada

RM: It’s been 20 years, and if I recall the promoter lost $10 million on the Vegas street course and then cancelled the race he had scheduled for Phoenix. It was state of the art and he spent a fortune, but only 5,000 people showed up. But today I would imagine no less than $20-25 million, and its all contingent on if the city or state government helps, and it could probably be much higher if the promoter doesn’t get any help.

Q: Car owners Chip, Michael, and Roger were drivers of considerable ability themselves. Are there stories of them driving any of their team cars after becoming owners?

Bob Carmon

RM: Good question, but I doubt it. I’ve never heard of any of them driving a current IndyCar and Michael (like Rick Mears) was adamant that he had no interest in testing, goofing around or vintage races because he’d done it at the highest level, and I always respected that view. Chip couldn’t fit into today’s modern IndyCar, but he did have a GT40 last summer as a passenger car.

Chip Ganassi had a few highlight reel moments during his driving career, but he's fared considerably better as a team owner. Image by IndyCar

Q: I just read this interesting little article about a proposed super race between CART and F1 back in the mid-'80s. Two races, huge money, combined points with the winner taking $10 million. There wasn’t much detail as far as where the races would be held. Obviously it’d be in America as there were no proper ovals in Europe back then. Do you have any additional info about how far it got? Were any tracks bandied about, or did it even get that far? I’m guessing it didn’t go real far, but I’m curious anyway. The article points out that John Frasco wasn’t very interested because was worried Bernard was up to something.

Eric Z, Lancaster, NY

RM: I vaguely recall the story, but it had less of a chance than the ill-fated Hawaiian Super Prix. Bernie had a stranglehold on the promoters for a long time and IndyCar wasn’t allowed to run at most F1 tracks, but I can’t imagine F1 teams coming to run ovals over here. On a scale of 1-10, it had a minus-4 chance of becoming a reality.

Q: Robin, great piece on the little guy taking on the giant. In 1964, when the real championship included dirt, Norm Hall finished eighth in USAC points with two cars – one for pavement and one for dirt, swapping one engine between them. That's as shoestring as you can get… and a real racer! And, because of you, we finally got to Mug ‘n’ Bun. Passed it a million times, but when I heard that you would bring international reporters there, I figured it was time to get off my ass and do it. That, and Charlie Brown’s… how could I call myself a fan and not hit these places? Anyway, they're in the rotation now, with my thanks!

Jim Mulcare, Westbury, NY

RM: Norm was a character and one of those '60s relics who raced from week-to-week because he didn’t have any money. Glad you made it to those Speedway staples of food.

Q: Watched your video regarding Christmas suggestions for this year. I was intrigued by Colin Chapman's comment that Bobby Marshman was the "American Jim Clark." Did some searching on the internet and came across some great photos of him. Question, why did a lot of rear-engined cars of that era feature exhaust that exited the center of V and the intake on the bottom?

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

RM: “It became a fashionable trend to assist with streamlining – to reduce the width of the car at the rear – to diminish aerodynamic drag, and also helped to declutter suspension design, which often had to work around sprouting and curling exhaust tubes.” Marshall Pruett.