Robin Miller's Mailbag for September 30, presented by Honda Racing / HPD

Questions for Robin can be sent to millersmailbag@racer.com. Due to the high volume of questions received, we can’t always guarantee that your letter will be printed, but Robin will get to as many as he can. Published questions have been edited for clarity. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of RACER or Honda/HPD.

Q: Don’t you think Veach should have stayed at Andretti and they part with Marco instead? I know that won’t happen, but if Marco was with any other team it would. I was excited for him when he got the pole at Indy, but his performance was lackluster.

Bill Edie

RM: You answered your own question, Bill. Marco is family, he co-owns his car and he’ll be an Andretti driver as long as he stays in the series. Zach had three years, which is more than a lot of guys get, and ran strong in 2018. But he has backtracked the past two seasons, and was likely headed for the sidelines in 2021.

Q: Thinking about possible landing spots for Kanaan’s attempt at a second farewell oval tour. What are the chances he lands at Andretti? It would be cool to see him end it where most of his success started (and with Honda). Are he and Michael on good terms, or is this not even remotely possible?

Joe from Little Rock

RM: I can’t see it, because Michael is scrambling to keep his flock together and not sure T.K. would be in a hurry to go back to the team that kicked him to the curb after begging him to stay and not sign with Ganassi. I think ECR or RLL would be perfect for his final Indy 500.

Q: With St. Pete not being a double points round for the finale, could this be an indication that rule will be gone next year?

Nathan from Australia

RM: We can only hope and pray, but don’t count on it. I get Indy, but the last race of the year should not have that kind of clout and it certainly hasn’t added any TV viewers.

Q: So with Jimmie Johnson coming to IndyCar in 2021 with Chip Ganassi, how would the car situation work out for the team? Would CGR run a fourth car for Johnson, or would someone have to give up or share a ride? And how likely is it that Johnson runs the Indy 500? With him saying he would run the road courses only, I am surprised he wouldn’t at least give it a shot at some point in his open-wheel career.

Brandon Karsten

RM: Let’s just say that Ganassi always does things top shelf, so if he can raise the proper funding and assemble a competent crew, there’s a good chance he’ll field a fourth car for J.J. And even though he may have promised his wife “no ovals,” I think it will be hard for him to be a spectator next May 30.

Ganassi won't be doing anything by halves if this becomes a regular sight in the IndyCar paddock next year. Image by IMS

Q: Love your writing and passion for the sport. While not fully an IndyCar question, this has IndyCar ramifications: Why is Penske stepping out of IMSA? Did Penske decide to exit, or was it forced out because Acura wanted to go a different direction? Hard to believe Acura wanted something different considering the success of the team. If Penske dropped out, then it reasons that he, Tim Cindric and the team decided to put all its eggs in IndyCar and expand to four teams, making way for the Aussie. This shift makes sense considering all the capital Penske has invested in IndyCar. But there might be more to the story. Plus, there are downstream changes for Helio and JPM.  What say you, Miller? What’s the scoop? Congrats on your great success over the years. It pays to persevere.

Gerald Oliver, Midlothian, Texas

RM: We heard Penske was too expensive for Acura, and we also heard that between IMS, keeping IndyCar afloat, adding a fourth car for Scott McLaughlin and the NASCAR effort, that sports car racing was no longer a priority.

Q: Is there something going on between HPD and The Captain? First HPD announces it is splitting from Team Penske in IMSA with only silence from Penske. Then Meyer Shank puts its NSX team up for sale and Wayne Taylor walks away from Cadillac to field a single Acura DPX-05 each until The Captain returns its cars at the end of the season. (ED: Penske is continuing to run the Acuras until the end of the year, and indeed won with Castroneves and Taylor at Mid-Ohio last weekend. Shank and WTR take over the program next year).

Finally, HPD announces it wants to keep Dane Cameron and Ricky Taylor but neither of the Captain’s guys who have both podiumed recently. To an outsider this looks almost punitive. Can you add any insight? If you can’t (or don’t want to) say anything because of your HPD sponsorship for the Mailbag, please feel free to say so.

Secondly, is anyone at IndyCar concerned that McLaren still makes the series ECU? Seems like they should know every bit of logic inside the box and every line of code. If anyone could game the system by tinkering with the sensor inputs (like a tuner chip does to a factory engine) it would be them. Maybe a new box with the new engine formula?

John from Madison

RM: Obviously Shank has been a loyal Honda campaigner and might have come cheaper than Team Penske, but I don’t think there is any animosity. Cameron and Taylor are the future so that wasn’t a surprise either. Never heard one complaint about ECUs and McLaren.

Q: Hinch isn't a mediocre driver? Stats sure say so. Standings after each season: 2011 Newman Haas, 12th; 2012 Andretti Autosport, 8th; 2013 Andretti, 8th; 2014 Andretti, 12th; 2015 SPM (Indy crash); 2016 SPM, 13th; 2017 SPM, 13th; 2018 SPM, 10th; 2019 ASPM, 12th. I don't dislike the guy and he is fantastic on TV, but let's call a spade a spade before I throw up from the love fest.

Hutch, PA

RM: I don’t think anyone with six wins and the pole at Indianapolis can be labeled a mediocre driver, and while Hinch may not be the flavor of the month, he certainly is capable of winning anywhere. Fans gravitate to him because of his personality, but he’s shown plenty of moxie in his career, and while he’s headed through the last corner on his way to the TV booth, he’s still got a few good races in him.

Q: Now that Hinch has a ride for the rest of the season, can someone please get Jon Beekhuis back onto the NBC broadcasts? I wasn't surprised to hear that he was the victim of necessary budget cuts, but was still really disappointed. No offense to Bell, Tracy, and Hinch – who are all great commentators – but they can't figure out strategy to save their lives.

Chris, San Francisco

RM: It’s not going to happen this season, and I doubt if anything changes for 2021.

Q: There has been a reference to Jon Beekhuis in the past two Mailbags with associated references in the comments section. Based upon the comments and FYI to you and anyone at NBC that cares, Mr. Beekhuis is very highly regarded by current IndyCar fans, and more so than some current reporters. We get that for whatever reason, whether his or NBC's, he does not have a contract that gets him a reporting spot at every IndyCar race. While it's a hackneyed phrase, it is what it is, I suppose. However, while it's obviously not within your wheelhouse, in the interest of appealing to existing fans, you might want to pass a word to those in charge that it's in their interest to get Mr. Beekhuis a steady gig in a series rather than passing him about due to circumstances mandated by uncontrollable events. Sorry, no question, just a suggestion.

Alfred N, Northern California

RM: I can tell you that Jon is also very respected in the IndyCar and television family and we all recognize his value, but short of a petition to NBC with 100,000 signatures, I don’t see his status changing in the future.

Q: How about doing interviews with retired drivers and crew chiefs? I’m not thinking about 30 minutes or longer, but rather shorter ones that could be shown during pre-race or rain delays. The content could include clips of what made them famous or noteworthy and what they are up to now. As an example, before I left New York State, I met Davy Jones and Roberto Guerrero. Jones was the lead instructor for an autocross setup at WGI for Jaguar. Guerrero and others were also instructors. Include interviews with fans before, during or after an event. I’m not talking about the 20s deals with Rutledge about name, where you are from and who’s your favorite driver. What I mean is something with more substance like what forms of motorsports they follow, how they see the current event unfolding, reactions to qualifying, etc. And certainly, as a long-time fan, I would be willing to volunteer to be the first!

Don Hopings, Cathedral City, CA

RM: If we had a one hour pre-race show that might be possible, but usually it’s about 20 minutes of actual content and sometimes there is no pre-race show, so while we all enjoy reliving the past and hearing from former heroes, time just doesn’t allow it.

The 'Hire Jon Beekhuis' movement has gained some late-season momentum. Image by Motorsport Images

Q: I believe your comments concerning the future of the sport are well-founded. Next year is when we will really begin to really see the impact on sponsorship dollars after the government printing presses dry up and the free money disappears. I would be stunned if Ferrari agrees to join as an engine manufacturer, I would love to see it happen; hopefully I’m wrong. I know contracts aren’t worth the paper they’re written on – look at NHRA and Coca-Cola (Mello Yello) [https://racer.com/2020/09/21/nhra-files-lawsuit-against-coca-cola-over-sponsorship-termination/]; kinda of foretelling, I would think. My question is, what do you think the car count will be next year, my guess is 18-19? Also, I hope there are 24 cars next year and I can eat crow.

Mike, Cincinnati

RM: I haven’t heard any horror stories yet about teams losing sponsors for 2021 (other than DHL being on the fence) but it’s still early so fingers crossed. I’m guessing somewhere between 22-24 full-timers next year, and that would be more than anyone could imagine.

Q: I know a lot is going to ride on what corporate sponsors will do in 2021. But it looks like we have some very talented drivers vying for a few seats next year. Helio, JPM, Daly, Karam, maybe an F1 defector, etc. It looks like Penske will have four cars with McLaughlin. Andretti would probably love to stay at five, but has three unsigned. Ganassi has Dixon and a road course J.J. program, and hoping he can find the money to fund the other two. Foyt has SeaBass. Rahal is looking in decent shape and has been running strong. Arrow McLaren SP is probably going to three cars. Throw in Coyne, DragonSpeed, Carlin, Ed Carpenter, and Meyer Shank, and there is the potential for a very full field next year. I have my fingers crossed and I'm hoping the sponsorship money comes through. The racing has been good and a lot has been learned this year about what is possible. How are things looking for 2021 from your seat?

John Balestrieri

RM: Ganassi is looking for funding for Jimmie Johnson’s effort but not his other three cars, they all seem to be set for 2021. You can count on Rossi, Herta and Marco, with Hinch likely becoming full-time, and then we’re waiting to see what happens with RHR. I had lunch with Jay Frye last week and as crazy as it might sound, there might be more than 23 full-timers in 2021.

Q: Regarding the Mailbag question from Phil Wolski last week, agree with you that IndyCar is a niche sport, but I am skeptical about how relevant Nielsen TV numbers are nowadays. Do Nielsen numbers take into consideration internet viewing? I haven’t watched a live race of any kind on TV in years. First there was TiVo, then DVRs as standard with a cable TV subscription. Now that I use Roku/YouTubeTV, I haven’t even had a cable TV subscription for two years. How relevant are the network TV ratings in the digital/wifi age? Other than some vague blabber about online viewers during the COVID iRacing stint, I’ve never heard anything about internet viewership. Sponsors and media people aren’t stupid, and since eyeballs equal money, somebody must have these online metrics. Can we get some insight?

Scott B, Gainesville, FL

RM: NBC Sports responded to the new way people watch live events and created: Total Audience Delivery (TAD), which incorporates average viewership across television and digital platforms. It now includes out-of-home viewing (OOH), too. But the Nielsen ratings still determine where advertisers spent their money and how much, at least for now.

Q: With the news of Oliver Askew’s withdrawal from the Harvest GP, how was he allowed to drive after the 500? And speaking of injured drivers, how’s Robert Wickens doing?

Rob Peterson, Rochester, NY

RM: Oliver was monitored by IndyCar and tested before Gateway and Mid-Ohio, but it’s not uncommon that concussion symptoms won’t manifest themselves for weeks. Robert has been going to the races for Arrow McLaren SP as driver coach and ‘continuing to make progress’ is the best way to describe his recovery.

Q: You have probably touched on the push-to-pass subject extensively, but I think the amount of time left to a driver should be an unknown to the rest of the field, and if you have to not show it to the TV audience to keep it unknown, then so be it. Not knowing how much P2P the guy in your mirror has will add to the suspense and anxiety for the drivers ahead with regard to whether they continue to go flat-out, or save the tires and/or fuel. It could lead to much more interesting racing in those final laps. Your thoughts?

Jeff, Florida

RM: I liked the fact they quit showing all the teams because it prevented people from simply watching the computer and warning their drivers when the guy trying to overtake them was using it. I’d much rather go back to that, and maybe let the NBC guys know so they could add a little drama.

Q: I really wish IndyCar would reach out to Michael Jordan and Bubba Wallace. Our racing community is diverse and would welcome them. Why should Bubba put up with that garbage in NASCAR?

Jeff Loveland

RM: I’d say Wallace has been pretty well-received in NASCAR, and he’s a stock car driver so can’t see him wanting to switch disciplines. And it’s great that MJ is involved, but I hear Toyota is driving that bus so there is nothing IndyCar could offer financially to match that.

Bubba's unlikely to be looking for an open-wheel switch any time soon. John Harrelson/Motorsport Images

Q: I thought last year's COTA race was great, and now I don't see COTA on the 2021 calendar. What gives? Why can't IndyCar keep new, exciting tracks on the calendar for more than one year? Texas Motor Speedway and COTA are two completely different tracks, and Texas is a huge state, so I hope IndyCar doesn't give up on COTA. What's the problem?

Kelly, McKinney, Texas

RM: What calendar? Neither IndyCar nor COTA have released a schedule for 2021, but I’ve been telling you for months that COTA wasn’t going to host IndyCar next year because of its financial situation. With NASCAR moving into Austin to go with MotoGP and F1, there is no room or need for an IndyCar race that would only cost them money. I imagine it could still happen if IndyCar waived the sanction fee, but it’s a real long shot.

Q: I know it’s talked about a lot, but it finally dawned on me with the leak of NASCAR heading to COTA. Good for the ol’ stock cars, but I do wonder how the racing will be, because it’s been shown they can’t just race anywhere. Sure they can go around anything, that’s not my point – they can’t produce racing everywhere. Hence my revelation: IndyCar can. Save for the power being too much of a restraint issue, you can drop these cars on any form of a circuit and they can and will race well. Again, good for NASCAR and its attempt to broaden its appeal. It may find, though, that the four wheels they got to work with ain’t nowhere near the wheels that sit under an IndyCar.

Pat Jenkins, Columbus, Ohio

RM: Watkins Glen and Sonoma are two of the most entertaining races that NASCAR runs, and COTA should be equally as racy. There is no doubt IndyCar can put on a good show just about anywhere, but stock cars and road courses are a pretty good combination. And I imagine there will be a helluva crowd.

Q:I know Mid-Ohio happened a while ago, but I only watched it last night. It looked to me that Ferrucci's penalty was to come in and do a routine pit stop. Where was the drive-through or timed stop-and-go penalty?

Jon Perkins, Menifee, CA

RM: “Hi Jon. Thank you for your question. As we have written for these pages before, the Stewards have several penalty options depending on the circumstances and severity of an Avoidable Contact infraction. In this instance, the Stewards assessed an Avoidable Contact penalty to the No. 18 for the incident involving the No.10 and the No. 55 on the opening lap of Race 2 at Mid-Ohio, and as a result, the No. 18 was required to take the subsequent restart from the back of the on-track running order.” Kyle Novak, IndyCar Race Director.

Q: With money being the talk of the town in a lot of series for next year, where do the Road to Indy teams stand, since open-wheel racing is expensive even when well-financed?

Matthew, Ohio

RM: It looks like Indy Pro 2000 is just fine (19 regulars this year) and USF2000 has between 20-24 cars at most races, so the big question mark is Indy Lights. Roger Penske said he is working on a plan, so we should know more in a month.

Q: Current and past, name the top 10 sponsors and unique driver incentive clauses.

Doug Sharp

RM: Marlboro and Target were the two of the longest and strongest sponsors ($10 million per car in CART’s heyday) while Texaco and Kmart matched them for big money and Player’s, Miller Beer, Budweiser, Tecate and Valvoline were also near the top of the heap. Have no clue about driver contracts and incentives, other than wins, poles and finish in the standings were likely tacked on to a salary.

Q: I have been delighting myself with listening to Bobby Unser on old YouTube videos. What a raconteur! The stories. I am not sure of anyone from open-wheel racing that is amusing as he is. Maybe Kimi Raikkonen after he retires. Can you give a recommendation of others I might want to listen to on YouTube?

Steve Selasky, Rockford, MI

RM: Nobody is as funny as Uncle Bobby because nobody is as brave or candid – except A.J., but he doesn’t hold too many B.S. sessions. Graham Hill and Eddie Sachs were quite entertaining, as was Tom Sneva, but not sure any of them would be on YouTube.

Q: Going back to the Uncle Bobby roast, it was mentioned he was banned from Hertz/Avis rentals. Assuming this was true, can you expand on how/what Bobby did to be banned from Hertz/Avis?

Bob Young, Cincinnati

RM: Actually Al and Bobby were both banned from renting cars because of all the destruction they brought forth for a few years. Crashing cars, destroying transmissions, abandoning vehicles and reporting them stolen. Thanks for reading.

He's the gift that keeps giving. Image by IMS

Q: The actual color of the old Foyt car is Poppy Red. This was used on the 1964 and 1965 Mustang, and yes, since the sponsors pay the bill, I don`t think we will ever see the old paint jobs again. Stay well, and thanks for all you do.

Rich Shiroky, Little River, SC

RM: Thanks Rich. Wonder where I came up with Coyote Orange?

Q: Another great Mailbag, but I was disappointed to read, if I understood it correctly, that Super Tex won't sign any Le Mans-related items. I fully understand that it's up to him, and I respect that. Having no fans at Indy this year probably saved me some great embarrassment, then. I have a 1:18 diecast of A.J.'s 1967 Le Mans winner that has been signed by Dan Gurney, Carroll Shelby, and Phil Remington. It needs one more to be the perfect centerpiece of my Foyt collection. Oh, well... the last thing I ever want is to get on A.J.'s bad side. My mom didn't raise a total fool.

Jim Mulcare, Westbury, NY

RM: I think if you ambushed him at Indy, coming out of breakfast at Charlie Brown’s or dinner at the Iron Skillet when he’s full and vulnerable, he might soften up and sign it.

Q: In the ‘It could be worse’ department, did you see that Coca-Cola has cancelled its multi-year primary sponsorship of NHRA, effective immediately? ($20 million owed.) In addition, a couple of weeks ago the winning event payout for the Pro classes (Top Fuel and Funny Car) was reduced to $15K for the remaining 2020 events, (Pro Stock was reduced to $6K per event win). Not that the winning purse had been much to begin with. The Pro Series event win payouts had been at $50K per event for the last 10 years. (Bill Holland earned $51,575 for winning the Indy 500 – 71 years ago!), but had been reduced to $35K per event win in 2020 due to the COVID impact. One professional racer stated he’s essentially racing for “a six-pack and a bag of pretzels.” Hard to believe this national series pays less than many local short tracks pay for a weekend win.

My point – thanks again to The Captain for purchasing IMS and the IndyCar series, and to his dedication and investment to keep the IndyCar series afloat and looking forward to a stronger future in 2021. As many challenges as IndyCar faces, we are much better off than we could be, and thanks to Roger Penske, Dallara, and all our owners, sponsors and drivers for keeping the series going.

Brad from Powder Springs

RM: No argument about the godsend Penske has been, but IndyCar purses are $30,000 to win everywhere but Indianapolis so the NHRA has some company.

Q: Recently I saw a video of you interviewing A.J. Foyt (my favorite driver of all time) and I was hoping you would ask him who he thought was the toughest foreign driver he raced against at Indy. Specifically, I was wondering what his impression of Jim Clark, who I revere as well as the one of the best of all time.

Carl Scott

RM: A.J. spoke highly of Clark from day one in 1963 at Indy, and here’s what he said in a story I wrote for RACER.com in 2018. “I wasn’t real fond of the Brits in general but I liked Clark. He drove hard but clean, and I had a lot of respect for him because he raced at Milwaukee and Trenton, too. When I knocked him off the pole in ’65 and said over the PA that I brought the record back to the USA I got a big ovation, but Clark came down and shook my hand, and I thought that was pretty damn nice.”

Q: Big changes at the top of several racing series with passionate people making big decisions have certainly got me excited, and hopefully others as well, with Formula 1 being the latest change. How confident are you that Stefano Domenicali will change F1 for the better?

Howard W., Bristol, WI

RM: I don’t know anything about him other than his Ferrari connection, and I’m a lot more concerned about IndyCar’s health than F1. Sorry.

Q: I know it is a little off the wall, but why wouldn't Haas give some thought to an American hotshot like Kyle Larson? I know he lacks a Super License and is not familiar with the European tracks, but Grosjean and Magnussen haven't exactly set the world on fire. There is a lot more to F1 than just the driver, but once they could get him licensed, wouldn't a big shake-up like that give an American a chance to shake up the series and maybe grab a podium? Couldn't you see Larson throwing around an F1 car and maybe doing a slide job on some of those champagne sippers? With a little success I could even imagine a Bud Light tent at Monaco!

Paul Imirie, Mint Hill, NC

RM: No interest on either side is my response, and I think we’d all much rather see Kyle at Indianapolis. As talented as he is, it would take years to try and adapt to the cars, brakes, tires and tracks. And Haas ain’t exactly top of the line, so that might make it even tougher.