Robin Miller's Mailbag for February 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: Michael Andretti wanted to do the McLaren partnership first. And it would’ve been very successful!  Michael and Alonso would’ve been as successful as Carl Haas and Nigel Mansell, in my opinion. OK, it’s not gonna happen and Alonso is not gonna run IndyCar full-time. I get the Honda Japan reason, I do. But why doesn’t Michael just move to Chevy and do it all? OK, number one, if you’re gonna beat Penske, you can’t be a Chevy, because Roger gets the pick of the litter with Chevy. Michael basically gets the pick of the litter with Honda.

The domino was Rossi. If Roger got Rossi, he would have the four best drivers and basically have a monopoly on winning! Michael had to keep Rossi at all costs, and Honda wanted and needed Rossi! So, Michael had to play nice with Honda of Japan, and give up on Alonso to maintain the balance of power with Rossi. Alonso was just a project and a friend to Michael, but Rossi is his bread and butter. It’s too bad, because I do think a full season of Michael and Alonso would bring us some Nigel Mansell magic! Now, I do believe that Michael and Colton Herta will be the hottest story in our great sport, so look forward to it, fans! I’m just disappointed!

Dan, Lima, Ohio

RM: Regardless of what engine he ran, Alonso was never going to run the full season – just Indy and maybe a couple of road races. And maybe someone can give Ed Carpenter some money to run Fred in a fourth car this May. Michael came close to jumping to Chevrolet, but Honda and a few others sweetened the kitty and got him to stay, which thankfully maintained the balance of power. But while there’s certainly a pecking order, all engines are the same on both sides.

Q: As a fan and not an insider, I can’t help but think that Alonso is his own worst enemy. He just seems to have made bad move after bad move after bad choice over the past few years. From his move from Ferrari, to being overly critical of Honda, to leaving F1. I have immense respect for his talent, but I feel like his career has been poorly managed for some time now. I was wondering your thoughts on the matter?

Bill Jurasz

RM: Well, referring to the Honda F1 engine as a GP2 motor certainly wasn’t very well-received in Japan and obviously there must have been constant criticism that will not be forgiven. I wish he had publicly apologized, because that might have been well-received. Personally, I find Fred a delightful person to interview, and his professionalism last May was unprecedented in view of the disaster laid at his feet. And he’s a great racer who brings lots of interest to Indy, so I was hoping that what I’d been writing was going to come true. His critics say he’s always been difficult if things don’t go his way, but that pretty much defines most of the great drivers I know.

If Google Translate can be trusted, then the words Fernando was looking for were "Sutekina enjin o in katajikena shite sumimasen", which apparently means, 'I am sorry I insulted your wonderful engine" in Japanese. Image by Sutton

Q: So Alonso has now reaped what he sowed and it could open the door for Hinch to get a great ride with a chance to win. That would be a double-whammy to McLaren and Alonso. So will Fred put his tail between his legs and return to SPM? To be clear, I am a fan of Fred.

Harold, Dayton, Ohio

RM: It could certainly be a godsend for Hinch, but Fernando wanted to go with Andretti because he knows it’s his best chance to win, or at least one of them. I would imagine Zak Brown will offer Fred a ride, but not sure there is anything else he would consider.

Q: Surely now that Honda won't run Alonso (which was obvious, wasn't it?) R.P. will field a car for him? Now that he owns IndyCar, which should be much celebrated, he can see the international draw that Alonso is? Surely sponsors would be queuing up? I'm not an Alonso fan, but I do admire him trying other disciplines, and surely he is gold to IndyCar?

Stuart Williams, Harrogate, UK

RM: No, it wasn’t obvious, and Michael was very optimistic it was going to happen, so it sounds like Japan may not have been contacted and everyone assumed it was going to happen. I asked R.P. this week if he was interested in trying to get Fernando a ride for Indy, and he said he needed to know all the details before making any comment.

Q: Do you think, now that Honda has closed the door on an Alonso/Andretti partnership, that Roger Penske will think about having his team run Fernando, or at least partner with a Chevy team to do so? After all, it's Roger's show now, and having Alonso in the field would be good for business. Alonso is coming to the Indy 500 for one reason and one reason only: to win. I would think that after his experience last year, he would rather be on the sidelines than with a team that would be a field-filler at best, and that would seem to categorize the only available Chevy rides at this time. The Captain should get him a competitive ride!

Bruce, Philadelphia (former Pocono attendee)

RM: As I said in the question above yours, R.P. might consider helping once he gets all the facts, but I can promise you that he won’t be running a fifth car in May even if Rick Mears wants to come out of retirement. I think Fernando’s best shot to be competitive would be with Ed Carpenter, but he told RACER last week he is set for 2020 and wants to run Kyle Busch in 2021. So I imagine Arrow McLaren SP is his only option.

Q: Honda of Japan pulling the plug on Fernando Alonso's Indy ride is incredibly short-sighted, petty, immature, and frankly stupid. Furthermore, does Japan even care what happens in IndyCar? Often doesn't seem like it. You could have saved face by making Alonso apologize or whatever, and moved on. Fools, this is only detrimental to IndyCar, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the fans. Perhaps Roger can save this deal yet, but I doubt it.

Greg from NJ

RM: Let’s be honest here. I’ve been writing for a few months that Andretti was going to run Alonso, and Michael was very positive in the last story. But even though HPD boss Ted Klaus was gung-ho to make it happen I don’t know that anyone ever got an official word from Japan until late last week. Maybe we all assumed that Japan held a grudge against McLaren and not Fred, and all was forgiven. But obviously it wasn’t true.

Q: What caused the rift between James Hinchcliffe and Schmidt Peterson racing? I read that they were willing to swap drivers with Coyne racing to get rid of James; must have been something really big happened.

Greg Banner

RM: Not sure there was ever a rift, I think it was simply a matter of Arrow McLaren SP wanting to go with younger drivers and it turned into an embarrassing situation that pissed off Hinch and a lot of his fans because of how it was handled. James had a contract for 2020 and was given an assurance in print by Sam Schmidt it would be honored, but that turned out to be false.

Q: Has there ever been a ride-buying driver win the Indy 500? Specifically, a driver who brought the key funding to an under-funded team, without which, a victory was out of reach?

Lynn, Virginia

RM: No, not in the modern era. Joel Thorn threatened to buy the whole field once in the late 1930s, so he would have been the first and only one. Now, Mario Dominguez, Buzz Calkins, Carlos Huertas, Charlie Kimball, Hector Rebaque and Nelson Phillipe all won IndyCar races after bringing sponsors to established teams, and I think Jim Guthrie owned his own team when he scored his impressive victory at Phoenix (for that matter Calkins’ father Brad owned the team that captured the inaugural IRL race at Orlando). And Eddie Cheever won Indy in 1998 driving for himself, but he had been a paid driver in F1 and CART before that.

Q: With Penske owning the Speedway now, do you think fans will have access to other grandstands during practice and qualifying days that we’re closed in previous years, such as the short chutes or Turn 3?

Sam Smith

RM: I would seriously doubt it. It takes a lot of yellow shirts to operate IMS as it stands today, and opening those seats would require more workers but I don’t think the attendance would increase.

Q: I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful piece you wrote for John (The Bravest Andretti). He was always my favorite Andretti, and I always felt he was overlooked. I was very sad to hear of his passing. I also read in the article that the cancer you faced was multiple myeloma. My father passed away from it in 1994 – I am thankful the medical world is able to treat people now so that it isn’t a death sentence. I’m grateful you were able to survive – who else would we count on for providing such great IndyCar information!

Debbie Biere, St. Louis

RM: Thank you, Debbie. That was the amazing thing about John. He had one of the worst forms of cancer and I had one of the most treatable, yet he kept checking on me. He joked that I probably wasn’t tough enough to handle all the chemo and radiation he took on a daily basis so it was good I had the “milder” version, and I assured him he was correct. I’m just lucky, because as you know it was the death sentence 20 years ago, and now people can live five-10 years because of the medicines.

Q: There are only five words that I need to sum up my feelings about John Andretti: He was a good man. If nothing else, he was all of that and will be greatly missed. Godspeed, John.

Jim Mulcare, Westbury, NY

RM: Let me add great father and husband as well.

Fast and versatile in the car, generous and selfless out of it, the loss of John Andretti leaves a huge hole in the racing community. Image by LAT

Q: I never met John, Andretti but I always felt that I knew him. I moved to Indy in 1996. I began listening to the Indianapolis flagship radio WIBC afternoon drive home show with Dave “the King” Wilson, Big Joe Stansniak with their producer Matt Hibelin. John was a frequent guest and he and Matt had an awesome back and forth. Racing lawn mowers and karts. Matt, tongue-in-cheek telling John he wasn’t any good, then getting stomped in the challenges.

It was so much fun to listen to, and I really got a sense of what John was all about. I loved your tribute and just have one question, has any other driver in your memory every done more charitable fundraising than John? I always give an extra few dollars at Kroger grocery store in the Riley Children hospital campaign that continues to this day due to his appearances on the radio, and I bet others did as well.

Thanks, Ian

RM: The late Art Pollard was a loyal supporter of Riley and paid for the kids to come to the track every May, but I don’t think anyone came close to Andretti in terms of raising money or the duration of his efforts. He started in 1997 and the total raised is $4 million. And it’s always a nice photo op for an athlete or racer, but John spent a lot of time with those kids and they embraced his kindness.

Q: Robin, just wanted to say that I consider your story on John Andretti – ‘The Bravest Andretti’ – the best piece you have ever written. John’s character and strength should be a lesson for us al, and a reminder that his disease is preventable. One has to hope that his legion of fans in the motorsport community will listen to his plea and get checked before this killer can strike.

I know that his death has special meaning for you and Marshall Pruett after what both of you have endured in the past couple years. My wife was diagnosed with multiple myeloma about the same you were, so I have some idea of what you are going through. As a spouse and caregiver, I can definitely identify with Marshall. The two of you are my conduit the sport I have followed for 60 years, and I appreciate the way that each of you can report the same story in different ways. 

I have often thought that on any given subject that Marshall writes the book and you write the cliff notes. I have the pleasure of meeting and talking with you a few times at racetracks, over the years and hope we will have the chance to do it again.

Stan Gibford, Bend, OR

RM: Thanks, Stan. The only good thing to come out of this tragedy was the message John delivered, and all the people who immediately got tested. Marshall’s wife is a helluva lot tougher than I am and has gone through hell, but he’s been devoted and right there every step of the way and she’s progressing daily. But as much as he likes to talk, his book will have to be three volumes.

Q: I think IndyCar should create a John Andretti Award for members of the IndyCar community who embody his spirit of giving back to the community. It would be a fitting tribute. By the way, your memorial to him was Pulitzer Prize level writing. Greatness can come from the humblest of origins.

Bary Berger

RM: I think that’s an excellent suggestion, and I forwarded it to Roger Penske, Mark Miles and Doug Boles. Thanks Bary.

Q: That was such a great article you wrote about John Andretti. From the very start, John was a very humble individual, talented racer in many racing disciplines, and an extremely charitable person. I'm sure his attitude to conquering an unbeatable disease encourages ones like yourself, Marshall's wife, and other members of the racing fraternity to keep driving ahead.

Stephen Janny, Nazareth, PA

RM: I talked to Mario about it frequently, but John’s spirit was so positive that I think it helped keep him alive. His treatments were agonizing and I have no idea how he even got out of bed, but he wouldn’t let you feel sorry for him. And I think Nancy and the kids also showed an amazing strength for the past four years, and that contributed to his fighting spirit.

Q: I have always had admiration of John as a true racer. His versatility as a driver is only matched by his Uncle Mario. Even so, I don't think Mario ever drove in NHRA dragsters. I feel John was always in the shadow of Mario, Michael and Marco, and never received the attention he deserved. Can you advise if John ever drove in USAC midgets or sprint cars? I look forward to your comments regarding John as a person and as a driver. John always seemed to be a class act, and dealt with his illness with the same dignity with which he lived his life.

David M., Fort Wayne

RM: Oh yeah, he commuted from college in Pennsylvania to the Speedrome to run midgets before moving up to USAC sprinters and dirt cars. He was running midgets when he got the call to make his IndyCar debut with Mike Curb and Dan Gurney. He was a good racer and a great human being.

John Andretti deserves a second Mailbag photo, so how about this one of him with Jack Clark, owner of the Taco Bell Express Top Fuel dragster, in 1993? Image courtesy NHRA

Q: Thank you for the write-up on John Andretti. I agree there were better racers out there, but there were very few better men. John Andretti was a racer's racer in that he drove anything and everything. And drove well. Even though I cheered him on in IndyCar and the NASCAR, I find it fitting that the best part of his legacy will be how he treated and worked with people of all ages and backgrounds. Great with fans, helped to raise money for childrens’ hospitals, calling you even though he was fighting his own battle, and even in his darkest hour was promoting cancer screening to raise awareness and hopefully save someone from experiencing the horror that he had been dealing with since 2017.

I don't think there are enough words that can convey what he meant to people, not just in IndyCar or NASCAR, but in all of motorsports and beyond. We will never know how many children are able to live a full life because of the money he raised. Or how many men went and got a colonoscopy because of his message and caught cancer early enough that they can live decades longer. John Andretti made a difference in this world, and did it without asking anything for himself. This world needs more people like John Andretti.

John Balestrieri

RM: Well said. If my mail is a good indicator then John was one of the most popular racers in recent history. Every week for the past four years I received notes from fans wondering how he was doing and if his prognosis was improving. The outpouring this past week is off the charts, and I think he was so beloved because he treated people so well all during his career.

Q: All us race fans hate that you have had to write so many tribute pieces of late to racers who have passed away. But I hope I can speak for race fans and say that we are all glad you are able to write such wonderful tributes that bring back great memories and tug at the heart. Curious, since we all know A.J. and Mario will outlive everybody else, do you already have their tributes written and sent somewhere or to somebody that will be able to publish them no matter the timing? If not, that should be an off-season project. Nobody but you could write about those two better.

Allen J. Cradler, Brownsburg, IN

RM: I think I’ve written close to 45 tributes in the past 50 years and that’s because I’m old and nobody else is still alive that remembers those racers. But haven’t written anything on those two legends yet because A.J. is never going to die and Mario looks better at 80 than many do at 50.

Q: Thank you for remembering all the racing people who have passed away. A lot of them I watched first-hand in the '60s, '70s and '80s. Not all open-wheel dirt track drivers can be as famous as A.J. They just quietly leave us, and if it wasn't for you, us remote old fans wouldn't know what happened.

Tom Buccione, Wesley Chapel, FL

RM: Well, thanks Tom, but as you know some of the short-track heroes like Bob Kinser, Dick Gaines and Bubby Jones had big followings but never got a lot of publicity. I was so happy to see the turnout the other night at Bub’s memorial in the USAC office. Lots of drivers old and new were there, and Steve Kinser came up from Bloomington to pay his respects.

Q: With Tony Kanaan’s announcement of a five-race season, potentially a final one, do you feel as I do that his value as a mentor will make him very valuable to the right team, i.e. Mears and Franchitti?

Tracey S.

RM: Good question. I don’t know if that appeals to T.K. as much as working on TV or radio and using his personality, but I imagine he’ll want to stay involved in racing somehow.

Q: I’m quite lucky to be within a five-hour drive of probably seven of IndyCar’s events. As I think about what races I’d like to attend this year, it has dawned on me that Gateway may be T.K.’s farewell race. Do you think T.K. will come back for Indy only in 2021, or is this probably going to be it for him? I’ve never been TK’s biggest fan, but with the way he treats the fans, I have massive respect for the guy.

To the guy who was asking about traffic and the best way to not get stuck in traffic for Indy. My advice is to show up at 6:30 a.m. when the gates open. I’d rather waste three hours wandering around that wonderful facility than being stuck in traffic looking for a parking spot. And to the reader who suggested a Monaco Grand Prix watch party, you may end up being my hero this year, plus the fact that R.P. is already looking into it… Sign me up.

Ryan in West Michigan

RM: I imagine it depends on how things go this year, but I wouldn’t rule out T.K. returning to Indy in 2021. The Monaco watch party is gaining momentum with the Mailbaggers, and thanks for your race morning tip.

If you want to be there for T.K.'s last race, you'll need tickets for Gateway this year – and it's probably worth keeping the next few Mays clear as well, just in case... Image by LePage/LAT

Q: Here in Britain, IndyCar is a very niche sport and therefore the ads are non-existent. I wonder though, in the U.S., have there been any national TV ads in the off-season like last year? If not, what ads have there been?

Jordan, Warwickshire, UK

RM: NBC has already started promoting the Indianapolis 500, and as we get closer to the season opener at St. Pete, it will also give some love to the other races. IndyCar never got as much promotion as it did a year ago from NBC.

Q: We are six weeks away from the opening race. You said that the full-time car count will be 24. Do you have an estimate of the total number of entrants for the St. Petersburg race? You current count on Indy?

Mark, Carmel, IN

RM: I think 34-35 for Indianapolis.

Q: I am so glad that RACER magazine honored The Captain with its Racer of the Decade award. He has accomplished so much, and your article and chart only touched on the highlights. Wow! No-one else comes close, and I feel Mr. Penske will continue to add to this long list. I hope that many of those additions will be to the benefit of IMS and IndyCar. I am relieved to read that T.K. will be back this year with Foyt and will have a farewell tour, albeit a shortened one. At least he has a chance to say goodbye to the series and his multitude of fans (count me in). Here's to a much better season this year for both Tony and the Foyt team.

Deb Schaeffer

RM: I think competition for RACER of the Decade was between Lewis Hamilton and R.P., and while there is a good argument to made for each, The Captain’s commitment to Indianapolis and open-wheel racing sealed the deal. I just want T.K. to be competitive at Indy like he was in 2018.

Q: With Penske owning the IndyCar series, I am curious to know if he has any plans for the ladder series, mainly Indy Lights. I think that if he could make Indy Lights more aligned with IndyCar, the better off that series would be. I am also curious to know why you think the Indy Lights car count has declined since the early 2000s when there were 20-car fields, and what you would do to fix it. Thank you for being not only a motorsports advocate, but also a major advocate for IndyCar.

Jacob Donahue, Carmel, IN

RM: R.P. is going to look at every facet of IndyCar and its feeder system, but nothing would happen before 2021 if he did make any changes. Euros think Lights is cheap compared to what they have to spend in lower formulas, but it’s a costly proposition when you consider how small the purses are, and I think that’s a big reason there are only nine or 10 cars.

Q: As I understand it, R.P. has said he wouldn't be on the pit box for one of his teams to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. I feel that if a anyone deserves that job, it's him. With 60 years of total commitment to our sport, why can't he have some fun? Please stay on the box, Mr. P.

Tom Quatsoe, Chame, Panama

RM: I think it’s great he’s stepping down so he can roam the Speedway during the race and make observations, talk to fans and visit with sponsors. He’ll have fun – it will just be a different kind.

Q: I was wondering if R.P. is considering adding a race back up in the Northeast? I'm from Connecticut, and now my closest race on the schedule is Richmond – a seven-plus hour drive for me. Maybe perhaps a better version of the Meadowlands GP, the previously proposed Boston GP or Lime Rock Park? I'd like to see Roger add this to his priority list for future races – this is a large part of the country without representation on the schedule.

Justin F.

RM: I think Roger will consider any venue that is interested in hosting IndyCar, but other than Loudon (now down to one Cup race a year), I don’t know of any potential sites. Lime Rock is too small for Indy cars, and we’ve already been through the quicksand of Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia and The Medlands (as A.J. called it).

Q: We see Pippa Mann in the Indianapolis 500 every year. Why don't we see Pippa Mann in other IndyCar series races?

Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY

RM: She’s not going to have a ride unless she brings sponsors and Indy is about the only place that companies want to invest in, and obviously it’s still a hard sell because she doesn’t have anything for 2020.

Q: For some reason I got to thinking about Dave Despain and wonder how he's doing, and what he's doing these days? That thought got me to thinking about broadcasting in general and what – if such things were possible – broadcaster from the past, dead or alive, do you think were the best at calling auto races and/or IndyCar races and the 500... Also, who in your opinion – yourself for the purposes of this question excluded – were/are the best auto racing writers in print of today and yesterday?

Jake (no longer in Pasadena and geez he wishes he was)

RM: Dave is enjoying retirement in Georgia, riding his motorcycles and hanging with his wife. We send emails regularly and talk every few months. I liked Sid Collins, Jim McKay, Uncle Bobby, Jackie Stewart and Tom Sneva. Best writers/reporters? Jim Murray, Gordon Kirby, Nigel Roebuck, Tim May, Gary Long, Preston Lerner, Skip Myslinski, Elton Alexander, Jeff Olson, Jeff Pappone, John Oreovicz, Bob Gates, Bones Bourcier, David Phillips, Monte Dutton, Dave Kallman, Ben Blake, Rick Shaffer, Ed Hinton, Brock Yates, Marshall Pruett, Chris Medland, Mark Glendenning, William Nack, Michael Knight, Bill Fleischman, Jim Hunter, Dave Woolford, Amy Rosewater, Louie Brewster, Joe Hamelin, John Zimmermann, Dave Argabright, Pat Sullivan, John Sawyer, Joe Scalzo, Carl Hungness, Jerry Miller, Sam Moses, Dave Kallman, Bob Collins, Tom Jensen, Jim Pedley, Norris McDonald, Rick Matsumoto, Dean McNulty, Dustin Long, Al Pearce, Stephen Cole Smith, Dutch Mandel, Terry Blount, John Sturbin, Ryan McGee, Bill Zahren, Ron LeMasters, Mike Kirchner, Mark Armejo, Tim Tyers, Marty Smith, Bruce Martin, Susan Wade, Paul Reinhart, Tom Higgins, Gary Watkins, Paul Fearnley, Deke Houlgate, Bob Marcus, Shav Glick, Nate Ryan, Martin Henderson, Angelique Chengelis, Mark Brudenell, Mike Vega, Mike Harris, Bloys Britt, Jenna Fryer, Jim Peltz, Lee Spencer, Jim Short, David Malsher, Dave Scoggan, Richie Murray, Joey Barnes, Edd Straw, Donna McKee, Mark Fogarty and Maurice Hamilton.

Q: RACER has been promoting the new book on Niki Lauda and that helped me remember a question I have been meaning to ask you: Back in 1985, Emerson Fittipaldi gave an interesting interview in a magazine favorably comparing CART to Formula 1. He said that some Formula 1 stars were interested in racing in CART, and even mentioned Niki Lauda as one who was very willing. I remember being really excited about the possibility of Lauda coming to race in the U.S. But, as we know, Lauda retired from Formula 1 at the end of 1985 and nothing ever came of his supposed interest in racing in CART. Do you know anything about this? Did any CART teams contact Lauda or make an offer? Did he ever test a Champ Car?

Marc, Orange County, CA

RM: I asked my two historians, Rick Shaffer and Dave Scoggan, and neither ever heard of The Rat wanting to run CART. He had no use for ovals, and never tested an Indy car to anyone’s knowledge. Emmo got Senna a test with Penske, but Lauda was never interested.

"What do you guys know about Milwaukee? I'm asking for a friend." Image by LAT

Q: I recently watched a YouTube video from Arrow McLaren SP from their aeroscreen test. In it, Pato O’Ward mentions there isn’t any air circulation into the driver’s helmet, and that it’s limited to the rest of his body. He mentions a potential solution, but didn’t elaborate beyond saying it’s roasting when the car isn’t traveling at top speed. He also gets smacked hard in the face by his own sweat off the visor whenever braking.

That brings me to Charlie Kimball and to think about his situation. He has diabetes and must constantly monitor his sugar levels and medication to stay safe on track. I know he’s had to figure out a strategy to stay cool and keep them in check, but that was before the aeroscreen and with an open cockpit. How will he adapt to a situation where the airflow is pretty poor to begin with?

Geoff Roberts, Unionville, Canada

RM: Again, and I say this every week: let’s wait until they start racing and see revisions or solutions need to be applied, if any. The drivers have been experimenting with different types of ducts throughout testing and will let IndyCar know what they think ASAP, and I think it will respond accordingly.

Q: I am a big fan of Rico Abreu. The kid is a personable, great on social media and a damn good racer. Do you know whatever happened to his deal with Chip? I know their focus was NASCAR, but I was holding out a small glimmer of hope that one day he would get a chance at Indy with Chip.

Steve, Chico, CA

RM: Not sure. I imagine his pal, Kyle Larson, got him in with Chip, but can’t recall what happened. He ran a truck one season but don’t think he really liked it, and he’s running midgets and sprints right now. I can promise you this, if he came to IndyCar, he’d be the most popular driver instantly, and he’s a gasser.

Q: One thing that I have noticed at many of the races I've gone to is the amount of fans wearing gear from their local track/local drivers. It's definitely cool just being able to see where people go to see dirt action on a normal week, as well as a good conversation starter/networking opportunity. One thing it had me wondering is if a "local track spirit day" or something along those lines would be an opportunity for the Speedway to promote in the future to further engage the fans – say, "wear gear from your local dirt track and get a voucher for a free hot dog" or something small like that, and then take advantage of the social media opportunities to show where folks came from just to attend the month of May.

Alan Bandi, Sarver, PA

RM: I like it, and I sent your suggestion to IMS and IndyCar. How about you wear your Chris Bell, David Gravel, Tyler Courtney or Brad Sweet shirt to Indianapolis and get a free Josef Newgarden, Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi or Graham Rahal shirt? The first time I took Randy Bernard to Kokomo he was blown away by all the T-shirts being worn, and I still think if IndyCar had a booth at the Chili Bowl it would be a great place for IndyCar drivers to pass out hats and shirts to the open-wheel fans that might start watching an IndyCar race.

Q: A Mailbag or two ago, there was mention of two-wheelers that moved to IndyCar. And I think Swede Savage needs to be added to that list. Swede was quite a cool guy. I often wonder how things would have been if Swede and B.J. Swanson had a chance to fulfill their careers.

John Guedel

RM: I knew Swede raced bikes, but wasn’t sure for how long. The guy we’re forgetting is Jeff Ward, a motocross champion that came to IndyCar and did quite well for Chip Ganassi. Dan Gurney was very high on Savage, and Swanson was plenty quick in F5000.

Q: I had a question about Dan Gurney’s return to IndyCar in the 1996-'99 seasons. Was it the Eagle that was so slow, or was it down to mostly the Toyota engine? Also, I was wondering – did Toyota drop Dan, or was it the other way around?

Tom, Bethlehem, PA

RM: Well the engine didn’t run long enough to be able to tell how much potential the Eagle had, but John Zimmermann was kind enough to produce this interview he did with The Big Eagle for his wonderful book: Dan Gurney’s Eagle Racing Cars:

“It came to an end mostly at Fontana. When Toyota was on the pole with Pruett and an engine that we had never had access to, and we were faster than both of Ganassi’s cars (who would be getting the deal) in practice, and they announced a new relationship that we had never heard of, that was when we found out that we were history. They had a press conference announcing the new guys, and we were not invited to it. They gave us X amount of money to avoid a cataclysmic situation here, but we had 200 people on staff, most of them because of Toyota requiring them, and so…I was beginning to come unraveled more than I usually am, and I know I got off one thing that Evi was not very happy about, when Damien Dottore of the Register asked me: ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Well, at least I won’t have to buy 20 gallons of lipstick every month to use on those guys down in Torrance.’

Alex Barron puts the AAR Eagle through its paces during pre-season testing at Homestead in 1999. Image by Levitt/LAT

“But I was not very pleased. And when Jim Olson read that, I guess it got his attention. They gave us about one seventh of what we were spending annually with our stuff, so I’m thinking to myself, ‘What are we gonna do now?’ and it wasn’t an easy time, but one of the things you find out is that because of who they are and because of how much money they have, what favors they can do people and how they operate, you have virtually zero access to any media compared to them, so you have to kinda keep your trap shut and you don’t have many options.

“But in many respects the outlook of what was CART at that time was pretty gloomy, so I probably didn’t jump into action instantly, but you can see what a thrill it is to get away from a life like that.

“It’s contrary to everything that you believe in…and something in your heart says you were treated in a shabby, treacherous way by people who you don’t want to admit that they actually bested you. We used up a lot of our equity that we had earned over many decades just hanging in there trying to get reignited, and it happened, so that’s good. But the deleterious effect on your whole physical and psychological health is really amazing. So you gotta be strong, and you gotta be around the right folks, and you need a break very now and again, but I feel we came out of this thing with the integrity we had going in, and that’s worth a great deal. You may have gotten sprayed with the dirt, but it didn’t stick.” DSG.

Q: I just visited Egypt and while there, kept up with the Mailbag. Has there ever been a driver from Egypt or of Egyptian heritage?

David, Waxhaw, NC

RM: More help from Mr. Shaffer: “There currently are two Egyptian drivers listed in Wikipedia, but I haven't heard of either one and neither has made it into any major series. Egypt didn't even have an A1 GP team when that series was going. In fact, given his family background, Graham Rahal briefly raced for the Lebanese team. And in 1958, Morocco hosted its first and only F1 world championship race. Stirling Moss won the race, but lost the title in the closing laps because second-placed Phil Hill slowed up to let Mike Hawthorn pass and win the championship. It was similar to Lorenzo Bandini slowing up at Mexico in 1964 and letting Surtees finish second and win the title. That's pretty much it for the Middle East and North Africa as far as road racing goes, other than the Bahrain and Abu Dhabi F1 races and the track in Qatar.”

Graham Rahal getting ready to fly the flag for A1 Team Lebanon in early 2006. Image by Batchelor/LAT

Q: My wife and I attended three races in 2019. Here’s my feedback: Indy 500: My wife’s first IndyCar race and my first time to the 500. We sat in Turn 4 (NW Vista), Row H. Wish I’d got tickets earlier to be a bit higher. Suggestion to those that want to go on a budget: Save some money and fly into Cincinnati or Louisville. Cheap rental cars and cheap and decent hotels in both cities or at many mid-way points.

Texas Motor Speedway: My second time there. Both of us agree this is the best race from an in-person spectator’s perspective. Parking is free, the sun has set behind the stands, and the big TV screen gets you all the info that you may have missed on-track. We sit in the upper part of PL121 (basically halfway up the stands at the end of pit road before Turn 1) – a steal for $30.

Gateway: Nice weekend trip to St. Louis and a great race despite our favorites kept getting knocked out. We were in the very top of the section where Turn 1 starts at the end of the straightaway. They really need to upgrade the TV screens here. Anything that happens on the back half of the track is near impossible to see anyway, and TVs they had in the infield don’t really help – and my vision is 20/15. This year we’ll do COTA, TMS, and maybe the Indy 500 or Richmond.

Parker in Dallas

RM: I always tell people to buy as high as possible in the corners at Indy, there doesn’t seem to be a bad seat at Texas, and Gateway has something going on from noon until the checkered flag. Thanks for the scouting report and being such a loyal fan.