Robin Miller's Mailbag for February 3, 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: Let me be one of the many to say congratulations for your selection into the Motorsports Hall of Fame. Well deserved, for sure. As I read the Mailbag or one of your stories, it’s like I am having a conversation with A.J., P.J., Mario, or others, as you ask them questions I would. As you share these conversations with us, it fells like we are having a casual conversation with the racers we admire. Thanks for that!

My question as we look to Barber and that start of IndyCar is, are we going to see anyone who can beat Dixon, and can J.J. finish in the top 10 at any race? If he becomes a backmarker, does he pull the plug?

Harold, Dayton, Ohio

RM: Thanks for your kind note and for supporting the Mailbag. Dixie will be stout as always, but I pick Colton Herta to dethrone him after winning a close battle with Pato O’Ward. I think if Jimmie Johnson finished on the lead lap it would be like a victory, because he’s definitely going to be a backmarker. It’s going to be very tough, and he knows it. But he’s in for at least two years, and I admire his pluck.

Q: I apologize if you have already answered this... I just came on. However, is the Indy 500 this year going to be restricted to a percentage of fans, or will we all be able to go?

John, Milwaukee

RM: Too early to know what kind of percentage might be allowed in, but The Captain is planning on fans and Mark Miles hopes for at least 150,000.

Q: Short and sweet here Robin, hopefully it makes the bag! The 2021 season is shaping up decently. We've got two dozen full-time cars and lots of interesting Indy entries.  To have JPM, Helio, Simona, etc., in good rides should be nice. Schedule seems to be adjusted to what's going on. Hopefully by 2022 I can get to a race again (likely via jet liner, with nothing in the Northeast). Who are you picking to win the title? Most importantly, congratulations on the Motorsports HOF induction! You are completely deserving, and here is why. Your writing and numerous weekly TV appearances, whether through ESPN, RACER, Wind Tunnel, etc. were often the only focused news and gossip coverage IndyCar racing received.

I cannot begin to thank you for literally keeping the sport alive for people like me who grew so despondent during the split years. You always broke wild stories, provided insight when often there was none, and your bi-annual or so stories on unification for years held hope for many of us that the dopes running things would get it together. Please don't ever retire, and write that damn tell-all book!

Greg from Belleville, NJ

RM: I think 2021 is going to be the changing of the guard with little Hertamania and Pato resuming their Indy Lights duel to decide the NTT Series championship. They are still learning ovals, but there are only four of them and nobody is quicker on street or road courses, so the Kiddie Korps finishes 1-2. Thanks for your kind words.

A wheel-to-wheel duel like this at Long Beach later this year could decide the 2021 championship. Barry Cantrell/Motorsport Images

Q: I was wondering if it is funding or maturity that is preventing Sage and VK from getting full-time rides or even partial rides in 2021? Seems like there is a higher ceiling with VK and Sage than Jones, Grosjean, and others? The new era of racing is less about your talent and finishing in top 5-10, but the budget you can provide. Will this new driver formula provide the side stories and action that we had with P.T. or Robby Gordon?

Todd from MI

RM: Not sure who VK is, but Sage is a confounding story because he started out so good and Dario was one of his biggest supporters, but after his year with Ganassi it just seemed like owners forgot about him. He’s still a kid and Dennis Reinbold believes in him, and would run him full-time if the budget ever came together. But Coyne hired those two guys because they brought money, and I don’t expect any fireworks like P.T. and Gordo delivered.

Q: I have been following the ongoing team changes, including the most recent developments at Dale Coyne/Rick Ware Racing. My question is a simple one. Is the starting grid (besides the Indy 500) growing too large for the tracks?

Spencer Fienup

RM: Oh no, CART accommodated 27-28 cars back in the '90s. It’s tight at places like Mid-Ohio with 24-25 cars, but doable.

Q: I count 24 full-time entries for the season as follows: Penske, Ganassi and Andretti (four each); RLL, Foyt, Carpenter, Coyne & Arrow McLaren SP (two each); Meyer Shank & Carlin (one each). There are partial seasons/Indy one-offs announced for four additional drivers:  Castroneves, De Silvestro, Montoya and Marco Andretti, bringing the total confirmed Indy entries to 28. RLL & Foyt generally run third cars at Indy, bringing the total to a probable 30. Where are the other three cars coming from in 2021?

Bill Carsey, North Olmsted, Ohio

RM: A.J. is likely going to run Charlie Kimball at Indy and I expect Coyne and Carlin to field additional cars as well, so coming up with 33 cars won’t be a problem.

Q: As a member of your generation, I really enjoy your perspective on how the races, the cars, the tracks, the sponsors, and the bosses have changed over the years. I know you’ve been close to the fans (to your eternal credit) throughout your career, and I hear your occasional frustration with some mindless notions and fears among today’s fans. I also know every one of your readers relies on you to level with us. So my question is: Have IndyCar fans changed over the years? (Beyond there being fewer of us, sadly.) My guess is: better in some ways, not so good in others. How do you see it?

Phil Wagar, Bellbrook, Ohio

RM: Good question. The old-schoolers like me grew up following our heroes at Terre Haute, IRP, Eldora and the Fairgrounds and they took us all the way to Indy. The races are much more spread out today and expensive, so it’s not easy to go to more than a couple, and it just seems like a different dynamic since you can barely see the drivers at work and they’re not always easy to find after the race to get to know them. And a lot of them come from other countries, so you don’t know much about them when they arrive. I don’t see nearly as many young fans as I used to, but the ones who are IndyCar fans are certainly passionate and buy T-shirts and hats. There’s just not nearly enough of them.

Q: OK, there's got to be some backstory with Tony Kanaan driving oval races for the Ganassi IndyCar team this year. I vividly remember three or four years ago when Tony was driving his last full season for Chip and was ordered to pull a perfectly functioning car into the pits and retire it. They interviewed him as he got out of the car, and he was absolutely livid. On that occasion I couldn't envision Tony and Chip even saying hello to each other, yet here they are working together in 2021. I want to know the scuttlebutt behind all this, please! Why did Chip order Tony to pull in a perfectly functioning car, albeit a slow one? At whose instigation was this kiss and make-up session? Did it take a while to develop, or was it a quick ‘let's be friends’ situation?

By the way, I just watched your roast of Bobby Unser on YouTube, and it was a really good program. I had no idea that Rick Mears was that good a speaker, although I've met him on several occasions. And Bobby answer could not stop laughing the entire 45 minutes. I wish you'd done one of those with my buddy and Idol Dan Gurney! But great job there!

David Lind

RM: I don’t recall what happened that day, but I can tell you that money heals a lot of wounds and I think NTT is a big fan of Tony Kanaan. The Unser roast was one of the greatest nights ever.

If there's a juicy story behind T.K. being parked mid-race at Gateway in 2017, we'll probably have to wait until long after his second stint at Ganassi is over before we hear it. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images

Q: The last couple of weeks there have been a lot of letters in the Mailbag about NBCSN and what’s going to happen to IndyCar. I agree with you the NASCAR ratings are so much higher than IndyCar, except for the Indy 500 of course. My question is why are the TV ratings so much higher for NASCAR? And I know that a few years ago it seemed like half the NASCAR drivers were named Dale, Jeff, or Ernie, but other than that I am scratching my head. I defy anyone to go in person or watch a race on TV and tell me that a bunch of taxi cabs bumpin’ and grindin’ and tradin’ paint is more exciting than open-wheel cars going 230mph, and lots of times wheel-to-wheel. Please tell me what I am missing Robin, and why NASCAR draws better ratings?

Don, Grand Rapids

RM: This is an old history lesson so please write it down, because I’ve repeated it so often. Prior to The Split in 1996, CART and NASCAR were neck-and-neck in TV ratings, attendance, sponsorship dollars, and Bernie Ecclestone was freaking out after Mansell jumped ship in 1993. ESPN helped put NASCAR on the map and its exposure exploded. Was it coincidence that NASCAR started adding seats after The Split because its attendance spiked? I don’t think so. People got pissed at CART/IRL and turned to NASCAR, and there was also a big surge in popularity because of Earnhardt and Gordon. The stars didn’t run at the Indy 500 anymore but they did at the Brickyard 400, and stock cars took over Indianapolis for almost a decade. France was instrumental in convincing TG into starting the IRL after promising to be his “partner” and all that contributed to NASCAR’s runaway popularity. NASCAR won the open-wheel war. It averages three million viewers per race while IndyCar can’t get to a million, and 10 times more people watch Daytona than the Indy 500 despite NBC’s best efforts to promote it. Bottom line is that more people care about NASCAR, and I don’t think it’s got anything to do with the quality of racing.

Q: Assuming you would appreciate a non-Peacock related question, I still find myself extremely disappointed that IndyCar decided to cancel what was one of the most entertaining races year after year, let alone a great opportunity for younger drivers to obtain superspeedway experience... that being the Freedom 100. What is your understanding behind that decision?

Doug Sharp

RM: All I heard from Lights owners was that R.P. was against it because of the speeds, but that’s so hard to imagine.

Q: U.S. automakers are certainly putting a lot of effort and direction into electric vehicles, and GM in particular. While it may be too soon for a funeral for the internal combustion engine, how do you think the direction of the industry will impact auto racing in the coming decade? And congratulations on your induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.

Dave Morganson, Plainfield, IN

RM: My uneducated opinion is that as long as Honda and General Motors keeps cranking out engines as we know them, IndyCar racing will continue to have that sweet sound. But I hope I’m dead and buried before Indy ever becomes an electric race.

Q: I’m following up on a question on the importance of driver inputs to engineers in the modern era. Since driver inputs are less important now for performance, is it still important to make the car feel better for that driver, and more suited to their driving style? There certainly still are some differences in driver preferences/styles (e.g. Graham Rahal seems to have a distinctive style all his own) -- are those preferences/differences minor or major between drivers in the modern age?

Mark Koppen, Sonoma, CA

RM: I didn’t mean to imply that feedback was less important nowadays because it’s still very important; you just have engineers and computers to back you up or try and change your thinking. Rahal and Sato are teammates but cannot necessarily drive the same car because they prefer different feels, and I think all teams are like that. And I think there are some major differences.

Q: OK, I’ll admit it: I’ve watched Formula E! Is there any possibility of those drivers coming to IndyCar? I really like Jean-Eric Vergne! I would love to see what he could do over here.

Dan, Lima, Ohio

RM: Absolutely, all they need is $3-4 million and we can plug them in. There are some very good drivers in that series that got derailed headed for F1.

In a perfect world, Vergne may well opt for IndyCar over Formula E. But when you're tossing up between getting paid well to race in one series against paying millions to race in the other... Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Images

Q: I'm curious about your thoughts on Roger Ward. Even though he was before your time, why do you think he gets short shrift when it comes to mentioning the “great” Indy car drivers?

Jest Jake

RM: Nobody who watched him race in the late '50s and early '60s would consider him anything but great -- especially on the mile dirt tracks and at Indy. Smooth and smart was Ward’s style, and it would have been easy to see him as a four-time winner with a little luck.

Q: As I re-watch last year's St. Pete race, I have to wonder what was said between Marco and the safety team guys who refused to restart his car or tow him? Did they know they were ending his career by taking that million away? What about Sato the (not-so-) Great? Any words of apology for taking Marco out of a decent result? The more I think about it, the more I'm saddened. But it was a house of cards that Marco built from so many bad results, and you put yourself in a position where one cut tire ends your drive.

Related to another letter from last week, someone suggested he was forced to race. Not so. Mike knew Marco would have to choose it, and after early attempts to interest him in karting, Marco backed off for a few years. This was when he was maybe 8-10 years old. Then he approached his dad about it, and it was game on. But they didn't force him. They did make sure he had the best gear when he needed it...

Bill Bailey

RM: Nobody “had it out” for Marco, he had a flat tire and IndyCar doesn’t restart cars in that shape in the interest of restarting the race ASAP. It did suck because he was having a good run and would have kept his Leaders Circle funding, but it wasn’t intentional by any means.

Q: I remember Pat Flaherty being on “What’s My Line?” after his Indy win in 1956. He brought his helmet with him with the shamrock painted on the front.

Bill Kennamer, Fayetteville, AR

RM: I don’t doubt you Bill, but I just spend an hour looking at every show in 1956 after May 30th and I couldn’t find it.

Q: Just a heads-up on the "What's My Line" e-mail. I`m pretty sure I remember Al Unser Sr. on "What's My Line" shortly after winning Indy in 1970. I read the Mailbag religiously every Wednesday. Keep up the good work!

Wayne Smitreski, Allentown, PA

RM: I couldn’t find Big Al either, but that’s not say it doesn’t exist. I just looked at YouTube for two hours and my eyes are bleary. Thanks for reading and participating in The Bag.

Q: First, thanks for part two of your decade in headlines. Equally entertaining as the first. A question came to mind while reading it.  Where did the nicknames that some of the drivers have come from? Some are obvious, like Super Tex. Others like Rufus, not so. Please share any colorful stories you may have.

Second, I want to say congrats on your Hall of Fame induction. I get how something like this causes mixed emotions of both pride and embarrassment. What I will say is, as a fan of F1 and NASCAR, I only wish that those two disciplines had an equally enjoyable equivalent to the Mailbag.

Duncan, Port Perry, Canada

RM: Rufus Parnell Jones was his given name and a jalopy buddy started calling him Parnelli, but a lot of us old guys like to use Rufus. Or Ruf. Thanks for your kind words.

Q: Lots of talk about the demise of NBCSN, but no one asked about your future, Robin. Will you be back on the air in 2021?

Michael McGill, Tucson, AZ

RM: They kindly gave me a new contract and I know I’m going to write essays like I did last year, but not sure if I’ll have a role on television.

Q: I read your column and most of the Mailbag regarding the Peacock switch. Honestly, this sounds pretty good. Basically the same thing we have now, plus more. It seems like everyone is hung up on the ratings numbers, but NBC is not. They have not dropped IndyCar, or moved it to full streaming. To me, there has to be something else that they are looking at. I wonder if that number is the replay? I stream all of my TV. I do not watch IndyCar races live, so my viewership is not counted in the ratings.

Just like all of the practice sessions. I cannot stream them live, but I normally see all of them before the race. If that has nothing to do with it, is it IndyCar sponsors buying commercials during the broadcast? NBC is not doing this out of the good of their heart. They are benefiting in some way that we just do not see. By the way, that is a very good thing! I am happy with everything that NBC has given us. I will start my Peacock subscription Feb. 1st.

Turn 3

RM: You are spot-on. Peacock is cheaper and much more content, and who knows what might be added on the IndyCar side. I don’t think replays count towards ratings, but NBC decided to become the motorsports channel a few years ago and has stuck to its guns. Fans should enjoy 2021 with nine races on network because that will probably never happen again. I would imagine future schedules would be split between USA and NBC, and that’s still a good deal considering how poor IndyCar’s ratings are.

We've already torched through all of our good photos of peacocks, so in recognition of the crazy weather that hit some parts of the country over the past week, here's a celebration of snow. First up is the launch event on the site of the freshly-announced 1982 Detroit Grand Prix: a day that ended with Nelson Piquet helping Frank Williams push their rental car out of a snow bank. Motorsport Images

Q: With the recent announcement of IndyCar moving to Peacock, I have wondered why Speed didn’t think of this sooner. I’m a bit surprised we don’t have one paid network to get all of our racing series, especially in America. One low monthly payment to get IndyCar, NASCAR, maybe even F1. Sure, it might be difficult to figure out race start times when you have a lot going on, but I bet IndyCar and NASCAR could at least work it out and then go from there. We could see more Saturday night races! Maybe back-to-back races. Then they could open an app that has over lapping content, extra stuff, post/pre race stuff.

OK, I know, but who would do this? If you ask me, this is the best opportunity for Roger to take on, if anyone. Cross the line to NASCAR country and get them on board. Then start adding IMSA, MotoGP peeps, Australian Supercars... you get the point. I bet a lot of us would take one major paid steaming service with all this in one. They could even do their own shows and have racing movies... so many possibilities! So who has the balls to do it? Do you think it’s even possible?

Erik Steinbrecher

RM: IndyCar practice and qualifying shows are moving to Peacock this year, not the races, but FOX had no interest in keeping Wind Tunnel and it was one of its most successful shows, so be happy NBC decided to become the racing channel. Could all racing be streamed under one banner? Not until the FOX/NBC contract with NASCAR is up, and their ratings are still strong enough they don’t need to stream. But it’s probably in the future for everyone else, just not sure when, and I doubt if any one entity will take it on.

Q: Do you think that with this move the chances have increased or decreased the odds of getting a weekly discussion program for IndyCar like Wind Tunnel? I personally see the opportunity for an expansion of IndyCar programming. I look forward to reading your insight.

Bob J, Tempe, AZ

RM: IMS Productions has a studio, cameras and all the necessary technology, but after the bloodbath Roger Penske took in 2020 I don’t think this is a good time to pitch it. If John Menard decided to sponsor it and spent a few million it could happen, but it’s an expensive proposition for a niche sport.

Q: Is it bad of me if I find the bitching about NBCSN and Gold Pass going away amusing? NBC still is the best broadcast partner IndyCar has had in decades. 2021 has a majority of the races on the main NBC channel. As of right now (and subject to COVID changes), people need six months of Peacock for the full IndyCar schedule. That's six months at $5/month for a total of $30 compared to the $50 Gold Pass. Same coverage, more content overall, and I'm saving $20. Sign me up! USA network in 2022 will be good for IndyCar as well, as that has a larger audience than NBCSN did.

John Balestrieri, Milwaukee

RM: No, because I agree with you. What do people want? We have to pay for everything and Peacock is a bargain.

Q: I used Peacock last year after I discovered the third season of Kevin Costner series Yellowstone. I wanted to view the previous seasons, so I subscribed. It is a stable, reliable app. And for your $4.99 per month, you will get a lot more than just IndyCar.  I think this is a win. I am currently a subscriber to NBC Sports Gold to watch qualifying and other content on racing. Peacock is cheaper and adds other content you might be interested in. I even signed up for “Premium Plus” which gave me TV with no commercials. Is there any chance IndyCar would have that option? I don’t care if it would increase the price to $10 a month for the Plus option, I’d be all over it during the racing season. Takes me back to the time when I had the huge satellite dish in the back yard and could find the feeds with no commercials. Hell, I spend a lot more that that at the concession stand when I go to the races.

I don’t understand what the fuss is about. I love racing and will do what I can to watch and support it. I understand it’s not on the big network, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the '60s and '70s. Maybe it’s just an old man’s view that at least I have access to it versus waiting for the paper to arrive the next morning to see who won back in the old days.

RT Roberts

RM: Depending on the subscription volume I’m sure it’s something NBC could look at, but right now I think everyone is just hustling to get a grip on 2021 and promote Peacock and USA.

Q: Hey America, stop your crying. Try being an IndyCar fan living in America's Hat (aka Canada) where you traditionally need a miner’s helmet and a shovel to unearth the deeply buried television coverage of past years. Having so many races on NBC last year was a beautiful thing. The future would hard-pressed to be worse than the past.

David in Vancouver

RM: Hear, hear, David. Like I wrote, the fact there are nine network races this season is both awesome and shocking given IndyCar’s poor ratings, and it appears NBC has invested for the long run. I think there will be some changes for 2022, but even if it was Indy and four races on NBC and everything else on USA, that would be fine.

Not sure that 1978's Arrows FA1 F1 car got much of a shakedown on its launch day at Silverstone. Motorsport Images

Q: Hello, and thank you for the coverage and constant efforts to help IndyCar gain some coverage and more airtime. But I have to say, you really missed the point about why people are upset about the NBCSN thing, and more importantly, the obvious eventual move to a streaming service. Here's the issue. With Peacock, you don’t just pay $5 per month! NBC requires anyone who downloads their apps to sign in with their cable provider credentials. Personally, I have internet but I do not have cable. Why? Because it would cost me $200 per month to get all the stupid packages in order to watch all the sports I want to watch. So in order to watch an IndyCar race on Peacock, I also still have to pay for cable. Plus the package that includes USA, most likely. That's double-dipping and no way people are gonna be OK with it.

Also, in order to get Peacock, I would either need to buy a new TV that you can download apps onto directly, or purchase another streaming service like Hulu, etc.

So let's add this up: Gotta pay for cable, even if you aren't gonna watch anything on the cable network. Need internet too, obviously. That's $100 per month right there. Now I also need Hulu, which is like $30 per month, last I checked. Finally, I need to pay NBC again for Peacock at $5 per month. That's $135 per month. Over $1,500 per year. That is why people are mad! NBC is just forcing people to pay them twice. What the hell is the point of downloading Peacock if I already have cable and could watch the race on cable/USA network? I don't think I need to remind you of the pandemic, and the fact that a lot of people are very, very broke right now. Including myself.

Mike in Tampa

RM: Well Mike, I’m sorry, you’re the first fan that’s broken down the expense in such detail, but I can’t imagine it’s like that everywhere. I don’t profess to know what’s best for IndyCar except to say that NBC made a commitment three years ago and re-upped for 2021, and hopefully will keep going in 2022 and beyond. Nobody else appears to have any interest in IndyCar, and I think we’re lucky to have NBC whether I worked for them or not. There is going to come a day (soon) when we are going to have to pay for anything and everything we watch (hell, it’s already here), so I guess it’s just a matter of picking our poison.

Q: I was watching some of my favorite shows on a variety of channels through DirectTV. I don’t know if anyone has been paying attention, but almost every channel was heavily advertising their new streaming services. Streaming is coming, like it or not, and I think IndyCar needs to get on board now. I believe this is a great opportunity for IndyCar to increase its ratings -- they can’t get much worse. I’m hoping NBC/Peacock sticks with IndyCar and beyond 2021, because if they don’t we might have to watch races live streamed through Miller’s phone, and that would be horrendous.

Brad Heuer, Idaho

P.S. I’m 50 and love IndyCar and new technology. I’m confused by all these naysayers that aren’t embracing new technology, but have no problem emailing you through the internet.

RM: I imagine if sponsors embraced all streaming then IndyCar might be willing to be the first major sport to jump, but as tenuous as money is right now, I’m not sure IndyCar can afford to take a flyer. Could streaming Peacock average 500,000 a race? I don’t know, maybe in a few years, but television still has an attraction and still winds racing’s watch. I hear what you’re saying, but it’s probably still a couple years away. People hate or are scared of change, but sometimes when they get all the facts it goes down easier.

Q: I read your column about Peacock and understand your point that, "The reality is $4.99 a month is the cost to watch the show, what’s the big deal?" I think the "big deal" is innovation, opportunity, and market trends. IndyCar will still be fighting for minutes on Peacock and still will be playing second fiddle to NASCAR (maybe IMSA). Many people like myself who are millennials and have pursued streaming-only and cut the cord by calculating the cheaper cost, but the increase in many streaming services has quickly caught up, and although COVID can contribute to retention, there were many services reporting decreased users in January in 2020.

I believe this trend will continue as the economy recovers post-COVID, and people will be out making up for lost time and the likely first cuts will be the extras. In addition, there are many streaming services such as PlutoTV, RokuTV and many more offer 100s of channels for free, free on demand, and you can even set it up with your antenna to get your free local stations. Two weeks ago I was watching the 2020 Chili Bowl on RokuTV and playoff football games on my antenna, all free and legal.

Peacock is not only a paid service, but it has the same hang-ups as any other big station. Half the field in IndyCar is international, yet again with Peacock, even our friends across the border of Canada do not have this option. With the free apps its available anywhere in the world, even if you travel overseas.

I have been a fan my entire life. We all know that when IndyCar goes over in time this year and the corporate switch is thrown, the coverage will move so NASCAR Truck practice can start, there will be no post-race interviews and the Mailbag will become overloaded with complaints. I am not disappointed in IndyCar because of the reality check, I am disappointed because it has a good product but nobody knows about it. Maybe it’s time to take a risk and stop playing it safe at the bottom of sports.

Paul Hirsch, Erie, PA

RM: Let me make something very clear here: Some of IndyCar’s best ratings are when a NASCAR race or qualifying session leads into an IndyCar race. So they kinda work together, especially since NBC promotes both on each other’s races. What happens if you get off TV and go to all streaming and suddenly you only have 12 cars? Trust me, that could happen, because sponsors still seem bullish on television. Maybe a year or two of Peacock showing practice and qualifying will stimulate growth or interest, but I can’t imagine it ever getting to a cable number for at least three years. And by that time, it may be too late. But Roger Penske usually makes the smart move, and if he gets the right advice and signals, maybe he’ll surprise us and IndyCar will be all-streaming by 2024 except the Indy 500. It’s easy to say let’s just go all-streaming, but it’s a lot tougher if you’re writing the checks for an IndyCar team.

Very different snowball-launching techniques on display here from Mark Blundell and Mauricio Gugelmin at Nazareth in 2000. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: So instead of paying $49.99 for IndyCar on NBCSN Gold, I can pay $49.99 for an annual subscription to Peacock and get IndyCar plus a bunch of other stuff? Yeah, that isn't exactly a bad thing. I am so tired of people bitching that they don't want to pay to see IndyCar, blah blah blah. It must be so encouraging for the powers that be when they hear their loyal fan base won't fork over less than $5 per month for their product. These same idiots also bitch that it won't help bring new fans to the sport. I have to disagree. I think younger fans are more likely to find IndyCar on Peacock than by channel surfing. That's just not how younger people watch TV anymore. Cable is a dinosaur as far as they are concerned.

From a growth standpoint, IndyCar would do better by having the next TV deal on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime. Ideally it could be something like what the NFL does with Thursday night football. It's either on a network channel or NFL Network, but also simulcast on Amazon Prime. Peacock could very well end up being a good thing in the long run for IndyCar.

Paulbin, Ellenton, FL

RM: Agreed, in the long run it could be a good thing. The questions are: when do you make the move, and will it cripple your economics?

Q: With talk of an autonomous car race at IMS, I thought you might get a laugh from a comment made by Mr. Anthony Joseph Foyt nearly 40 years ago in his book "My Life as America's Greatest Race Car Driver.” There isn't a mechanic in the world that gives a driver credit for knowing a thing about race cars. They think that a driver is just a necessary evil and they would be a whole lot happier if you just ran all the race cars by remote control. I can see the whole picture: You've got 33 mechanics, sitting along the pit wall, each one with a little black box with two controls and they're running this Indianapolis 500. Two-thumbing it. ‘Man, he's got the best thumbs in the business,’ they'd yell. And then they would have this banquet and they would give the Golden Thumb award." - A.J. Foyt

Curt, Columbus, Indiana

RM: That’s why we love Anthony Joseph. Thanks for ending The Mailbag with a smiley face.