Robin Miller's Mailbag for March 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: I was thinking this could have been the equivalent of when that big storm had the whole Northeast snowed in watching NASCAR in 1979. Anyway, I have gone from being pissed about St. Pete to now bracing myself for the cancellation of the Indy 500 – it seems inevitable. Question for the Mailbag, though. Could the race be pushed off until the fall? Would it be postponed or cancelled?

Sean Ogilvie

RM: I can’t imagine The Captain cancelling the Indy 500 even if it had to run in November, but way too early to speculate. I’ve already heard suggestions from running it with the Brickyard 400 on July 4th, to making it the season finale in September, but R.P. will do whatever is best. You can count on that.

Q: Based on Roger Penske's business acumen and ability to take emotion out of business decisions, do you think he would (or could) proactively move the date of the Indy 500? Would Labor Day weekend even be feasible? Could they do qualifying the weekend before? Interested to hear your thoughts.

Eric, St. Louis, MO

RM: I think R.P. will do everything possible to get the race run in May, but nobody can answer your question until we see what this country looks like in six weeks. Portland is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, so can’t see Indy running that weekend.

Q: Robin, if necessary do you think it’s possible to move Portland back a couple weeks and run the Indy 500 on Labor Day weekend? Also, what can IndyCar do to protect the teams, especially the smaller, less financially-stable ones? I think going forward, cost control and containment should be very high on a list of priorities to help ensure the viability of the series in the future. It appears a major recession is coming, and IndyCar needs to be proactive.

Mike, Cincinnati

RM: Portland isn’t going to move. You’ve got people who have already bought plane tickets, reserved hotels and planned their vacation around the IndyCar race, and with what’s already happened to the first four races, no, that would not fly. The full-time competitors have the Leaders Circle and Jay Frye has being cutting costs for three years, so we can only hope Elton Julian, Mike Shank and Dennis Reinbold get enough races in to satisfy their sponsors.

Q: Just read your article Uncharted Territory and it reminded me of a thought that I’ve had over the past couple of weeks. The doom and gloomers that emailed you better thank their lucky stars that a man named Penske, backed by a multi-billion dollar company with the same name, now owns IMS/IndyCar through this messed-up time.

I don’t even want to think about the future had Hulman still owned the properties. This is absolutely no disrespect to the Hulman-George family. My point, I’m not so sure a missed Indy 500 would recover with the financial backing of Hulman. Penske has a damn good chance with his resources to see this through should the worst case happen. Uncharted territory, for sure. At least we have the right man and company looking over things – a position I don’t envy one bit.

Kevin H.

RM: I think the 104th Indianapolis 500 will be run in 2020, but there is no denying R.P. is the right man to steer through this uncharted territory. I was emailing back and forth with him on Sunday night, and he came to Indy again this week to meet with the IMS staff to keep forging ahead for May. In these trying times he still resonates confidence.

'Is it November yet?' doesn't really have the same ring to it. Image by Abbott/LAT

Q: So... longtime IndyCar fan here. I was looking forward to attending this year’s race at COTA with my two sons. Loved the race weekend last year. I am disheartened to hear that IndyCar has cancelled the race, but I imagine they had no choice. I looked on the COTA website, and here is what I found:

THIS TICKET IS A REVOCABLE LICENSE TO ATTEND THE EVENT LISTED ON THE FRONT OF THE TICKET. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO A REFUND, REPLACEMENT TICKET AND/OR OTHER EVENT ADMISSION MATERIAL OR TO PAYMENT FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND FOR ANY REASON FROM COTA OR INDYCAR, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION CANCELLATION, SHORTENING OR OTHER ALTERATION OF THE EVENT.

If that is true and IndyCar has covered itself for cancelling this race, and I do not receive either the same tickets for the next IndyCar race in 2021 or for a rescheduled IndyCar race this season, then we will never attend another IndyCar race in person. I do understand the current coronavirus issue completely. I hope many others agree. Maybe this loss will get the proper attention from COTA and IndyCar. I hope Mr. Penske is listening. Sorry this happened on your watch sir, but I bet you have the stones to do the right thing.

Peter C, seriously disappointed in Austin

RM: I’m hoping COTA will make the same offer as St. Pete in that your 2020 ticket money can be applied to 2021 and get the same seats. It sucks for all you fans who purchased tickets, airplane tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars, and hopefully it’s far enough out that the folks going to Barber, COTA and Long Beach can be allowed to cancel their rooms and get credit for their airfares. I canceled my Delta flight to Long Beach and received a refund.

Q: I took my family of four to COTA and Portland last year. This year I had already spent $766 for three-day passes to COTA. The COTA ticket policy states they aren’t required to give refunds for cancellations. It seems like poor form that they shore up their bottom line at the expense of mine two months in advance. Any word on refunds/future event tickets for those who already committed to the race?

Derek Cole, Alamogordo, NM

RM: I would call COTA and ask what the policy will be about credit for future events, but I’ve sent emails to management and not received a reply as yet.

NOTE: Since the Mailbag went to press, we've learned that COTA plans to issue full refunds. See our postponement/cancellation hub for latest updates - MG.

Q: With Jim Michaelian and Long Beach GP looking at the possibility of moving that event to the end of the schedule, how viable is it that IndyCar could move their other postponed/cancelled races and also tag them on to the end of the season?

Don Draffin, Scarborough, Ontario

RM: Not going to happen in COTA with F1 and MotoGP, and doubt if Barber wants to go up against football, but the IMS road race is certainly a possibility for that time slot.

Q: Do you think the canceled races this spring will be rescheduled in the fall? If not, please explain why.

Joe Shatee

RM: Its easier if you read the column we linked to a couple of answers earlier, Joe. I think Long Beach has a shot and maybe the road race at IMS, but you’ll see why COTA and Barber would be doubtful. And St. Pete has no chance.

Q: Considering St. Petersburg was completely set up with grandstands, bridges, barricades, vendors, security staffing, competitors and some fans that had already traveled to the area, how big of a financial impact will this 11th-hour postponement have on future of this event? I do realize St. Pete has been one of the series’ strongest and more popular events, but it was so close to the advertised starting time, I can’t help but think of the vendors and other partners who where fully committed or invested.

My wife and I arrived Wednesday evening in Tampa and of course by Thursday afternoon the news was spreading of the cancellation. All was not lost: we had a couple days in the sun at the beach, some great seafood and flew back Saturday to 40-degree weather in the Midwest, which was great for my sunburn. Stay healthy and safe.

Raymond Little

RM: Co-promoter Kevin Savoree couldn’t put a number on it and neither could Long Beach’s Jim Michaelian (grandstands, fences and barriers were already in place there too), but both said it was substantial. Firestone sponsors St. Pete and I would assume a lot of the folks like you may come back in 2021, so while it’s costly for the promoter, vendors and restaurants, I think it returns next year.

Q: Looking forward to a new IndyCar season, but also with some trepidation as COVID-19 puts the schedule or at least attendance in jeopardy. Here's an only half tongue-in-cheek plan if we are forced to run races sans spectators for most of the season: assuming the ovals and permanent road courses can do so without any problems (besides the biggest one, no income from the gate!), I doubt there's a real way to set up and run the four urban street races after St. Pete without fans. So run at an empty Fontana for Long Beach, an empty Michigan and/or Milwaukee for the two Detroit races, and an empty Mosport or Watkins Glens for Toronto.

Hell, if the Olympics are cancelled, even add a race at the empty Cleveland airport, since even though technically a street race no real venue setup is required, and the track is at a more than safe social distance from the rest of the city! COVID-19 or not, this might be a good devil's bargain: imagine never getting another Mailbag letter asking when we will return to x venue...

Patrick from Brooklyn

RM: IndyCar rented Watkins Glen and Phoenix and both were damn near empty so it might not be that crazy, but unless you paid those tracks a lot of money, why would they do it?

Not sure whether Patrick from Brooklyn should get an award or a lifetime ban for squeezing Fontana, Milwaukee, Michigan and Cleveland into one letter, but here's your freaking Michigan photo. Image by LAT

Q: Man, I am just absolutely gutted for what's happened to IndyCar with the coronavirus scare. A great season was in front of us and now it's been taken away. The drivers whom I feel the worst for are the part-timers and the teams on limited budgets. What is going to happen to those teams and drivers?

Eric R, London, OH

RM: Well, Sage Karam may get to replace St. Pete with another race for Dreyer & Reinbold, depending on the sponsor, but Elton Julian told RACER  recently: “Resource-wise, I don’t know if a small team like ours survives if this lasts six months. We earn money by being on track and this becomes a massive killer if it wipes out our season.” And Mike Shank, who also competes in IndyCar and IMSA like Julian, said so far his partners/sponsors have been very understanding but it’s scary territory for the little guys with all the unknowns.

Q: It may be little, and in the grand scheme of things is not important, but maybe IndyCar can sponsor some iRacing events with the drivers for us fans to watch while we telework or recover from being sick.

Doug B.

RM: Good idea Doug, and IndyCar is exploring that possibility as we speak.

Q: I still have a hard time with the fact that the IndyCar season ends in September. Under normal conditions this is too early, but this is a subject for a later date. Why can’t these cancelled races be rescheduled to October and November? A suggested schedule could be: Oct. 4: Barber. Oct. 18: COTA. Nov. 1: Long Beach. Nov. 15: St. Pete.

Chris DePalma

RM: Long Beach is the only possibility in your scenario. F1 and MotoGP are at COTA in October and November, while Barber isn’t going to go up against college football and St. Pete won’t be back until 2021.

Q: Sad to not see the St. Petersburg race go on, but it’s the right decision. These could be a rough next couple months. Is Roger considering pushing the Indy 500 back if the coronavirus doesn’t settle down? A lot of model estimates are putting this thing peaking in April. I just don’t see things getting back to normal in May.

Roland N.

RM: As organized and smart and experienced as The Captain may be, he cannot forecast when this pandemic is going to end, so he’ll react appropriately when things become a little more clear.

Q: So it appears everyone is parked for the foreseeable future. All the other sports are shut down as well. That's a lot of TV hours with no content to fill. Why not do an IROC series, of sorts? Invite drivers from all series to participate together, on a variety of track types - via iRacing. And televise it. Invite the top iRacing guys, NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, sprint cars, off-road, maybe even drag racers – anybody who has a computer setup for it.

Run a variety of tracks – ovals, road courses, dirt, etc.  I know it's not real racing - but if it's the only game in town.... Plus, it might introduce both drivers and fans to different forms of racing that they normally wouldn't watch or participate it. That might have a carry over effect when we go back to real racing. Thoughts?

Deborah D.

RM: Our NBC director Terry Lingner is working on a concept like you suggested, as is IndyCar, so I think something could happen. I imagine it would be more IndyCar-driven, although if you could get Little E and Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart it might really be a hit. Stay tuned.

Q: How about IndyCar race the first couple of races live on iRacing?

Ray Tetro, IndyCar fan since 1987

RM: It may come down to that Ray, and it’s being discussed.

Q: When discussing the most prestigious automobile races, the common subjects of conversation are the Indy 500, the Monaco Grand Prix, the Daytona 500, Le Mans, Dakar, etc. One common attribute that I see in these events is the combination of skill and a healthy dose of luck required to win. In your mind, is there a common trait that underlines these events, or are they held in such regard for their own reasons?

And second: as we often observe in the world when significant events happen, things seldom revert 100% back to the way things were. Given the current pause in worldwide racing activity, what do you see as the “new normal” in motorsports should our daily lives resume some semblance of normalcy in the near future? Regardless of how one feels about it, I can easily see virtual racing taking a big leap forward to fill the void left by real racing, and perhaps pushing itself further into the professional motorsport realm – especially if some of the sport’s stars continue to participate. Thanks for keeping the Mailbag going, and good health to all in these most interesting times.

K. Bradley

RM: History and popularity would seem to be the keys, along with bravery and curiosity. My old pal David Cassidy use to say that only 50,000 of the 250,000 that came to Indy were true IndyCar fans and the rest were simply attending because it was fashionable or expected of them. Danger drew a lot of people to Indy and Daytona, and I would say the Isle of Man is now tops in that category, but each big event has its own mystique. I have no idea what the new normal would be, but if it’s race cars that don’t make noise or races on computers, I will gladly walk away and watch Dick Wallen movies for the rest of my days.

Are skill and luck the deciding factors at Monaco? Maybe, but qualifying on pole doesn't hurt either... Image by Portlock/LAT

Q: It’s been a while since I wrote, but I never fail to read the Mailbag! Can you explain some of the fury about Alonso? I don’t get it, I’ve been a fan for over 35 years and there have always been drivers from other categories, including F1. I’m worried about the lack of money in the sport I love and we need all the press we can get, so Alonso doing the 500 is awesome! I wish he were doing the whole season.

I think that IndyCar and F1 should meet to see if we could get more teams and drivers in the race! The catering budget for Red Bull could pay for the whole field at the 500. Maybe Roger Penske could make a deal where Monaco could be moved and open up the race for F1 drivers to try to make the race. Imagine the press for both series! Maybe get some IndyCar drivers a ride for COTA, or have F1 back at Indy! Just a thought.

Frank P.

RM: Well R.P. is exploring bringing F1 back to IMS so sticking Josef Newgarden into a competitive car would be cool, but not too sure F1 really cares about making Indy doable for its drivers. As for Alonso, he’s a media magnet who won over a lot of IndyCar fans in 2017, and of course he’s great for the race and IndyCar in general. Love to see him at Road America and Iowa after Indianapolis.

Q: I think it’s great that some people love Alonso and some people despise him. This is good for IndyCar! At Road America last year, I waited in line to meet some of the young drivers. Ferrucci was great, Herta not so much (never even looked up from his phone)

This doesn’t mean Herta’s a bad guy, but it gave me someone to root against on race day.

Jason Scott, Green Bay, WI

RM: I don’t think a lot of people are anti-Fernando (it sure didn’t sound like it after his car broke down in 2017 at Indianapolis), but whether people cheer for or against a driver is always good. Colton is usually very good at interacting with fans even though he’s quiet, so I’m surprised to hear of your encounter. And Ferrucci is simply a crowd-pleaser.

Q: Been an IndyCar fan for over 50 years. Andretti has five cars, two of which are backmarkers, so when is he going to cut Marco? He is always off the pace. He has become complacent. I do not think any other team would hire him. It costs a lot to keep him. What’s your take?

Nate T.

RM: My take is that Marco is the single most puzzling driver of my lifetime, because he does have ability and car control and race craft but obviously something is missing. However, Michael is going to keep him as long as his son wants to drive.

Q: It sounds like Daly is entered for every race. So, do all the points go to him individually? In theory, not likely, he would be eligible to win the championship?

Dan, Lima, OH

RM: Yep he’ll earn points every time he drives for each team.

Q: Conor Daly’s “blended” schedule has me wondering if the points scored accrue to the driver or the car? Will the combined point total between the No.20 and No.59 be Conor’s, or split between Carlin and ECR?

Brad, Bloomington, IN

RM: There are driver’s points and owner’s points for each result.

Q: A letter in your March 11 Mailbag mentioned the waning popularity of oval racing. I have been an IndyCar fan since the mid-'50s and I think the waning popularity is due to the lack of real racing competition. Most oval races look more like a parade that a race... even Indy is becoming that way. Why is this? Maybe because most of the newcomers have little if any oval experience and are out there to display their sponsor’s name more than anything else. None of them have come up through Eldora, Winchester, Kokomo, etc. Where, or better yet, who are the Foyts, Andrettis, Stewarts and Unsers of today? You get my point. The mystique is gone. It is almost one-design racing. Hopefully Mr. Penske will open things up so races become races again.

Tom H., Venice, FL

RM: Oh man, Tom, I’m not sure what Indy 500 you’ve been watching lately but the past six have all had some of the best racing I’ve ever seen, and fantastic finishes. Sure we have spec cars and engines nowadays, but instead of somebody winning by two laps, it’s more like two car lengths. And while they didn’t grow up on the dirt, Scott Dixon, Will Power, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Simon Pagenaud, Alexander Rossi, Colton Herta and Josef Newgarden are all fine racers, and Dixie is about to pass Mario on the all-time win list. I miss dirt races at Springfield, DuQuoin and the Indiana State Fairgrounds and the Novi, Lotus, Gerhardt, Coyote, Penske, Eagle, Wildcat and McLaren but the racing has never been closer or more competitive.

Two of the last five Indy 500s have been decided by 0.2s or less. B-O-R-I-N-G. Image by LAT

Q: Hi Robin; good to talk to you again. I'm the guy who is going to be attending my 73rd Indy 500 in a row this year. I know how you are always encouraging IndyCar to do a promotion in conjunction with the Chili Bowl. I agree, and that seems like a no-brainer to me. I just wanted to point out that at last Saturday night's indoor USAC midget race at DuQuoin, Curtis and WWT Raceway brought an IndyCar show car to sit in front at the entrance, and also had some signage inside. I realize it is just a small thing, but that's the type of thing that they have been doing that has made the Gateway race so successful. Best wishes to you and all of IndyCar for a great 2020 season

Butch Welsch, St. Louis, MO

RM: That was probably Chris Blair’s idea, because he’s a helluva promoter and a card-carrying USAC Silver Crown owner who had signs up at the Chili Bowl about the Gateway IndyCar race. That’s always good to hear, because the more exposure IndyCar receives, maybe it will attract some curious folks who have never seen a race. Congrats on No. 73, just hope it’s in May.

Q: The aeroscreen has been talked about at length in the Mailbag on many previous occasions, and I'm not here to reopen any debate on it. I'm all for driver safety and Jay Frye and the Red Bull Technology group did a solid job of making that be so, along with being more aesthetically-pleasing than the F1 halo. I'm a big believer that the superspeedways still need to have a place on the schedule, and I'm curious what the general consensus in the garage is in terms of either entertaining more superspeedways moving forward, and if the aeroscreen hadn't come into fruition, whether this style of racing would've been phased out for the future?

Also, since these cars have been described as fighter jets with wheels and Tom Cruise has a new "Top Gun" movie coming out this summer, it would seem like a slam dunk for the marketing guys in May if they could get old Maverick to come be involved in pre-race activities somehow, but perhaps that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Mitchell Slagh

RM: I think as long as Eddie Gossage can find sponsorship we’re going to have Texas, with or without an aeroscreen, and obviously Indianapolis is always going to be the cornerstone of the series. But it’s tough to get promoters to take a chance on any oval nowadays, and they’re always going to be a product of supply and demand.

Q: I just finished reading your response to the lady who was irritated by comments in a past Mailbag related to Janet Guthrie.  While I have a healthy respect for her academic accomplishments, behind the wheel she was less than impressive. I saw her run Indy and Pocono where she was more of a moving chicane than a racer. Certainly not HOF material! That said, your suggested manner of recognition is reasonable, as she certainly stamped her mark on Indy history. But, then again so did Jigger Sirois, who I watched run three laps before being waived off only to find his time would not only have made the fastest 33 but would have put him on the pole. He was the only attempt before rain washed out day one of qualifications.

I guess we could recognize many for putting their stamp on Indy history. While Jigger was an excellent short-track dirt racer, HOF material for Indy... nope! The HOF needs to be a very special place. Herk needs to be in the HOF. Is there a time limit to be voted into the HOF as there is in MLB? While he was a bit disruptive toward the end, he certainly is deserving. He was a hell of a racer!

John, Del Rio, TN

RM: I think a statue with a photo would be a great way to honor Janet’s accomplishment, but the HOF wants live bodies for the annual ceremony so there you go. Jigger never drove a good Indy car, and he was a damn good midget racer back in the day when everybody was racing them. But the Jigger award for perseverance is a perfect way to honor his poise and professionalism. Don’t think there is a time limit, pretty sure Pat Patrick was nominated for like 20 years before being inducted. And I’ll keep making Herk a write-in until I die or they do the right thing and put him in. But don’t be surprised if R.P. does the right thing.

Q: The talk about the performance of female drivers in IndyCar reminded me of the race at MIS in 2002 (?). Sarah Fisher fell right to the back of the field in the first stint. With each pit stop her car improved, but I did not think she could get back to the lead pack. By the last stint she was hooked up – passing everyone and taking the lead. The crowd went wild. I think she used up the tires getting there though, and fell to the back of the lead pack to eighth at the end. Very impressive run that was fun to watch.

Jim from NH

RM: Sarah was the track record holder at Winchester in a midget and ran sprint cars and, like I wrote, was the first female to pass cars in an IndyCar race, mix it up with the big boys and be competitive. And she never had first-class equipment. The fact the IRL never made sure she was in a top-flight car always made me shake my head, because she was the most popular driver at that time by a landslide.

Sarah Fisher = badass. Image by LAT

Q: As we all cope with the threat of coronavirus and the cancellation of racing events, can you share memories of drivers who raced when they were ill and won? Did drivers back in the day 'suck it up' and race through illness?

Jenkins, Ontario, Canada

RM: I mean, guys raced with the temperatures and terrible hangovers, but that was commonplace. Parnelli drove with blood pouring from a cut into his eye and into his goggles in 1961 – ditto for Jan Opperman at Eldora in 1974. A.J., Uncle Bobby, Rodger Ward, Bobby Marshman all raced with hot oil burning their feet. Gary B., Merle and Jimmy McGuire raced with one arm, while Bill Shindler drove with one leg. Lee Kunzman returned to racing while he could barely lift his head after breaking his neck and won his first time back in a midget. Herk drove with claws instead of hands, while Mel Kenyon raced with a socket for a hand and Alan Heath had a hook. Vuky drove without relief in 1953 when the temperatures killed another driver.

Q: I’m wondering if you’ve changed your stance following your story about F1 and IMSA potentially running at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the past you’ve stated many times that IMS should only be used for the Indy 500. You’ve also stated many times that the U.S. Midwest is a hotbed of open-wheel enthusiasm. It seems to me that a fall IndyCar finale at the famed oval could work. What better place to crown the champion? What say you?

Doug Mayer, Revelstoke, BC, Canada

RM: I’d rather have F1 and IMSA instead of an eight-hour enduro for doctors and lawyers, or a Red Bull Air race, or a driver’s school or a motorcycle race nobody will attend. Indy should always be about big events. And Tony George made a smart move in 1994 by bringing NASCAR, because it took over the city. But now? The BC39 is better racing and has more of a buzz. I was fine with only one event a year, but obviously those days are long gone and R.P. will do whatever is good for IMS and the city.

Q: I've seen a lot of discussion about the NBC Sports Gold package and/or DirecTV over the past year or so in your Mailbag, but little or no talk about FloSports or the Lucas Oil Racing TV platforms, so I wanted to give them a shout-out as well. You get almost all (if not all) USAC National Sprint races, USAC National Midget races and Silver Crown races (along with some Western events) on the FloSports app and Tony Stewart's All-Star Circuit of Champions series just signed with them as well.  Add the Lucas Oil Racing TV app and you get the Lucas Oil Late Models, Modifieds and Off-Road series as well as Chili Bowl coverage. If they can get these two guys together and partner with someone like MAVTV for an all-inclusive racing app, that, along with NBC's IndyCar coverage is about all I would need.

Daine Crabtree, Noblesville

RM: You didn’t ask a question but it’s a slow week and you’re an open-wheel fan so thanks for the information.

Mateja Lane

RM: Well since there is no racing right now, glad to hear you’re running this weekend, and happy to give you a little free publicity.