Robin Miller's Mailbag, March 10, 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: Whenever I am waiting for the start of the new IndyCar season I always go to YouTube and watch old CART races. Recently I watched several races from the 1993 and 1994 season, and while I would never trade the excellent racing the series has had over the last several years, there are two things lacking in the current series.

The first is household names. When we were kids in the 1960s we would ride our bikes and pretend we were race car drivers. I was Mario Andretti and my friend was A. J. Foyt. And in grocery stores, at sporting events, and in car repair shops, everyone knew the names Foyt and Andretti. In today’s world, I doubt whether two kids would pretend they are Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi.

The second thing lacking is storylines. In the two seasons I mentioned, several things were happening. In 1993 Nigel Mansell was having an amazing season in his first year in IndyCar. Al Unser Jr. was going to leave Galles Racing and move to Penske, and Rahal built its own chassis. Honda showed up in 1994, and we had the tire war in 1995.

With all that being said, there one story I am really looking forward to watching, and that’s the arrival of Jimmie Johnson and Romain Grosjean. I am encouraged that these two drivers, especially Jimmie, think enough of the series to want to come over. I hope that they are both able to race well, and I think their interviews after the first few races will be fascinating to hear. Anything else I’m missing?

Rick Schneider, Charlotte

RM: I think the kiddie corps (Herta, O’Ward, VeeKay, Palou) and their march to the front will be the most compelling story of 2021. True, IndyCar may not have many household names like the old days, but give these kids a few years and maybe that can change.

Q: Got my vaccine at IMS on Saturday, and IMS did a great job getting people in and out. Driving through the garages and Gasoline Alley was cool. Getting my shot in one of the F1 garages then going down pit lane to exit put a smile on my face. While waiting in the holding area they were handing out 50% discounts to go to the museum during the weekend. What a great promotion. I had been meaning to go to see the Granatelli exhibit last year, but never got around to it. Great time. They had the Novi that Hurtubise drove, along with some other great cars. Only wish they had the STP-Paxton Turbocar (it is at the Smithsonian) and the 1964 Ferguson NOVI that Unser drove. Did you get your shot?

Joe Mullins

RM: I did, and Mark Miles was kind enough to drive me. I tried to record the experience on my video camera but accidentally cut off his head, so we couldn’t use it. But like you, I was totally blown away by the organized, friendly, efficient manner of the National Guard, frontline health workers and medical personnel. It was as easy as a fast food drive-through.

Q: I just received my COVID vaccination at IMS. What a masterful job they did of having enough people present to move us quickly and efficiently through the process. I’d rather be here for racing, but at least I got to see my favorite place on Earth again today. Do you think IMS will host another round of shots?

Ian Kohlhaas, Indianapolis

RM: I do, but its all contingent on the supply of Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. I still love Mark Miles’s idea of a line for testing, a line for shots and a line for buying tickets, but logistically it might be tough to execute.

Present-day IndyCar doesn't seem to be doing that badly for storylines. Michael Levitt/Lumen Digital

Q: Please keep doing what you’re doing. You’re irreplaceable! Long-time Indy fan here, going back to the Trenton days in the '70s. I’ve been watching the off-season activity, and have two thoughts: 1) Gratitude should be our attitude to The Captain and all the IMS/IndyCar team. What they are doing amid unprecedented difficulties is incredible. 2) For arguments' sake, I’m thinking this may be deepest IndyCar talent pool ever, or at least since the merger. I know the great old days of A.J., Mario et al, and the '80s with Mears and the others, were amazing. But this 2021 crop of U.S. and international, young guys and older veterans, experience from many different types of racing (F1/NASCAR/Supercars) is a wonderful thing. They all want to be in IndyCar. We should fully appreciate your thoughts?

Jeff B, Bernardsville, NJ

RM: I don’t disagree it’s one of the best classes of the last few decades – we've got JPM, Helio, Marco, Ed Carpenter, Grosjean and TK as part-timers along with J.J. – but I think the depth of the teams and reliability of the cars/engines just makes it so much more competitive and tougher to win a race. I got some grief for predicting Pato and Colton would battle for the title, but times are a-changin.’

Q: OK, we don't want another split, but a lot of us like ovals. We're all happy Mr. Penske bought the IMS franchise, so we want him to benefit from his investment. We know the Indianapolis 500 is the most sacred race in the world. Nothing can ever replace it. But what if the last race every year was the Indianapolis 250?

Marty Jorgensen, Des Moines, Iowa

RM: I think one oval race a year at IMS is perfect, and let’s just keep the Indianapolis 500 in that special category.

Q: I think it is a sad thing that IndyCar is not running at COTA. COTA, being North America's newest and most modern racetrack, should have the continent's top-tier open-wheel racing series, and the fact that it doesn't is further evidence to me that the damage that was done by T.G. and the CART/IRL split 25 years ago has left ugly scars on our beloved sport. I'm sure R.P. has his hands full dealing with this COVID fiasco, and if anyone can turn this around, it is Roger. I miss the CART IndyCar Series at its peak, and in '98 I attended the 500, Long Beach, Vancouver, Toronto, and Surfers Paradise. The Aussies and Canadians are great IndyCar fans. I also wish the IndyCar championship carried more prestige, like the NASCAR Cup or the F1 world championship. Your thoughts?

B. Saunders

RM: The Split did diminish the open-wheel championship and allowed NASCAR to jump ahead, and F1 has always been the world championship, but COTA is probably more about what is going to work best. The IndyCar race in 2019 didn’t draw a very good crowd, the track is supposedly on shaky financial ground, and replacing IndyCar with NASCAR in Texas would just seem to be good business.

Q: What’s the logic behind the 5:30 p.m. start time for Nashville? Was that the only TV window, or was it that 90 degrees feels like 110? What about a rain delay? Got lights?

Jeff, Florida

RM: It’s the Summer Olympics and Nashville falls right in the middle of NBC’s coverage, so a late afternoon start on NBCSN was the best solution. And Indy cars have rain tires, so unless it’s a monsoon, I would imagine they can pull off the race in three hours.

Q: I was in Florida for the Daytona 500. During the rain delay, I took a walk back to the hotel. I get in the elevator to head up to our room, and wouldn't you believe it, Roger Penske joined us in the elevator. I kept it friendly with small talk as I typically try not to bother "stars" knowing most of the time they just want to be treated like normal people, but I so bad wanted to ask if there's ever a chance of Iowa getting back on the IndyCar calendar. I heard Roger looked at buying Iowa Speedway at one point, but saw something that made him back out. Is this true, and if so, do you know what it was? Also, is there a possibility of seeing any ovals added to the 2022 schedule?

Jeremy, Iowa

RM: The Captain did look into buying Iowa, but the financial structuring and payments to the state were not conducive to good business so he passed. I would say a new oval is a long shot because it’s just so hard to find a promoter willing to take a chance. Gateway is a rare exception because of its leadership and sponsorship, and somehow Texas keeps hanging in there, but three ovals might be the max for a long time.

Q: Any talk of running a Harvest GP at IMS in 2021?

John, Granger, IN

RM: No, but obviously it could be a fallback plan if another track runs into problems with COVID.

Q: I’ve been reading The Mailbag for a long time, and truly look forward to it. I’ve been to every 500 (except last year) since 1966, so it’s very much a part of me. Love the ovals and not a big fan of the road courses, but watch them on TV. Always like seeing new tracks, and I know they’re always looking for new venues. Has Roger Penske considered running the May road race as normal, and the second road race the opposite direction? It would take some modifications to run-off areas, but would give fans, drivers and teams a "new" track. Once upon a time, refueling systems were a problem, but they refuel on both sides now at various tracks. Just a thought.

Mike B., Plymouth, MI

RM: As good as last year’s Friday road race was at IMS, I cannot imagine thinking about changing the course. That was one of the best road races ever, and I doubt if The Captain has ever given a different direction a serious thought.

Q: Will we see more IndyCar Series drivers race in other racing series in the future, since we saw Conor Daly race in Las Vegas in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series?

Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY

RM: Well, you got to see them at the Rolex 24 and again at Sebring this month, and Rossi ran the Baja 1000 last year and wants to try the Dakar Rally. Dixie has floated the idea of driving a NASCAR race for Chip, but not sure he’s received a lot of encouragement. T.K., Helio and Marco are going to compete in Tony Stewart’s SRX series this summer, and Kanaan is also running stockers in Brazil.

If watching racing drivers compete outside of their regular series is your thing, IMSA's endurance events – especially the Rolex 24 – will be right up your alley. Richard Dole/Motorsport Images

Q: Is Speedway Oil Co. sponsoring this year's 500? When it first became a sponsor, people were excited and bugged you about it. You said not to get too excited because it was a minor sponsor. People identify with Speedway, and here's why: I was at Indy a few years ago to attend the big PR fair Indy hosted in the infield before the 500. I was trying to be a race team marketer, and had an ad in SpeedSport News. While I was there, Dave Darland, the Silver Crown racer, contacted me about a sponsor. As I was leaving Indy filling up with gas at a Speedway, it hit me: Speedway, being an Indy/Indiana-based company, would be a great sponsor! So I did calls and letters to its corporate, of course with no luck. Point is, Speedway stations stands out.

Last week's Mailbag had a comment from a former yellow shirt. I could tell stories of being a yellow shirt, too. We could all share our little stories, only the purpose of Mailbag is to ask you questions to hear your answers and your stories. Please share more of your stories and experiences. You've got so much to tell and are so good doing it -- give us more!

Bob Hunt, Lodi

RM: Yes, Speedway sponsors the Indy 500 and NTT IndyCar Series in addition to proving fuel for competition and operation. I imagine a lot of midget and sprint car teams have approached it, but Speedway seems to like its pairing with Indy and IndyCar. Sometime the stories you guys tell are better than mine.

Q: Has a driver with a less than full-time schedule ever won the USAC/CART/IRL/IndyCar championship? I ask because it seems like there are a lot of talented part-timers this year (Helio, Jimmie Johnson, Conor Daly, Max Chilton, Tony Kanaan, Pietro Fittipaldi, Marco Andretti, Romain Grosjean, Ed Carpenter). Considering how difficult it seems to get sponsorship, and how many part-timers there are, I'm also wondering if sponsors care more about drivers doing well in the big races versus bringing home the championship trophy.

William in LA

RM: Not to my knowledge. Rodger Ward ran 9 of 13 races in 1962 and was the champ thanks to his Indy victory, but he had a full-time ride. In 1946 there were only six races and Ted Horn won the title even though he never won a race (Rex Mays won half of them), but I’m sure he had a full-time ride because he didn’t win Indy. I think most sponsors would prefer to win Indianapolis than a championship.

Q: Hey Robin. Big fan of the work you do for us open-wheel junkies, can’t thank you enough. I have read a lot of stuff about Rick Mears over the years. At the Speedway, how would you rank him? He’s my all-time favorite, so I’m a little biased. My top five is Mears, A.J., Dario, Uncle Bobby, Big Al. Not necessarily in that order.

Jamie, Columbus, Ohio

RM: Instead of ranking The Rocket, how about simply saying he was one of the best? Impossible to leave out Vuky, and A.J. Watson said the three best he ever saw were Parnelli, Vuky and Troy Ruttman -- and not in any order. Michael Andretti led more laps than some two-time winners, and Mario led 556 and only won once, so it’s a very subjective subject. But thanks for reading.

Q: Kyle Larson won the race at Las Vegas with no sponsor. When was the last time a car won an IndyCar or NASCAR race with no sponsor?

Bill, Lebanon, IN

RM: I’m not sure how many sponsors there were at Indy in the 1920s-’30s-’40s-’50s, so maybe it was the Boyle Maserati. Did Jimmy Clark have one in 1965? Don’t recall seeing a sponsor on George Follmer’s car when he won Phoenix in 1970. Not sure John Paul Jr. had a sponsor when he captured MIS in 1983 for VDS. Graham Rahal was simply RLL in 2016 at Texas, and Sebastian Bourdais had nothing but Dale Coyne on his sidepods when he won St. Pete in 2017. Colton Herta was simply Harding Steinbrenner Racing when he claimed his first IndyCar victory at COTA in 2019. Greg Sacks won the Firecracker 400 in 1985 with no sponsor, and you have to imagine those early NASCAR days had lots of cars without backers. But without all the photos this almost an impossible question, and could take days to discover. A big thanks to Russ Thompson for his great memory.

Q: Carlin came in three years ago with two full-time cars and drivers (admittedly ride-buyers, but still). Now it is down to one car that has two drivers, and one of those drivers (Chilton) hasn't scored a top 10 in any of his races for the team. What's going on, and what will it take for it to be competitive in the same way a team like Coyne is?

Jordan, Warwickshire, UK

RM: Conor Daly finished sixth at Texas last year for Carlin and was eighth at Gateway in 2019 and 2020. So the team has potential, it’s just tough to split the ride, and Max shows flashes of top 10 form. It’s not easy, obviously, and this is probably the toughest time to try and score results, but I think Trevor will get it right. He always does. Especially if he had one hungry, full-timer.

Q: If IndyCar fans want the 2.65 back and F1 fans want the V10 back, why are the governing bodies so against it? Are the series really just run by the engine manufacturers?

Steve M.

RM: I’m not sure there’s any groundswell by IndyCar fans for the 2.65, but yes, in this day and age, you are very reliant on your engine partners -- especially when there’s not a big line to jump into your series.

Q: The recent discussions concerning IndyCar safety and watching the films "Yellow Yellow Yellow” and “Rapid Response” got me to remember Simona De Silvestro's crash at Texas and resulting fire. The safety team had problems initially getting her out of the car and putting out the fire. I never heard what the issues were and what changes made after the accident (which I assume there was). Also, was there anything other than a typical sponsorship change when AMR took over the Holmatro Safety team?

Brian M.

RM: All I remember is they had trouble with the fire bottles and removing her, so it was starting to be very concerning. I don’t recall the details, if it was the Texas safety crew or IndyCar’s or both, but changes were made after that race. No clue about sponsorship transfer.

Some sponsor somewhere missed a trick by not getting its logo onto Herta's car at COTA in 2019. Motorsport Images

Q: So, when Toronto gets cancelled again, will IndyCar run a double-header weekend at Mid Ohio, or back-to-back weekends?

Bill Carsey, North Olmsted, Ohio

RM: Marshall Pruett’s story last week makes you think Toronto is still an iffy proposition, but since both races are promoted by Green Savoree, it might be a quick fix to do two at Mid-Ohio. Hope it doesn’t come to that.

Q: I saw the question about ticket sales for Nashville and why big sections are sold already, A package was offered early on (The Founders) for $1,500 and it includes almost everything you could ever need for the weekend. I’m happy to say I have seats in GS1, the braking zone for T1. Hopefully I see you at St. Pete, and thank you for the Mailbag, it's always good stuff.

Jack, Ft. Myers

RM: Thanks for that information Jack, with all the big names coming on board it makes you think Nashville is going to be a big deal and well-attended. Garth Brooks and Randy Bernard are having a cookout for the racing people who didn’t lead the witch hunt for Randy, and I can tell you who won’t be invited. (OK I made that up).

Q: What’s your favorite IndyCar livery of all time? For me, nothing beats the 1998-’99 Hollywood-sponsored Reynard-Mercedes of Big Mo (along with all the Marlboro Penske cars, ha ha).

Daniel Martins, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

RM: The Travelon Trailer Special driven by Jim Hurtubise in 1960. It was two shades of purple with pink pearl (according to Jack Fox) and it also sported chrome wheels. It looked as fast as Herk drove it -- nearly 150 mph.

Q: Thanks for suggesting the documentary “Rapid Response.” I was glued to the show and intend to watch it a few more times. It allowed the full spectrum of emotions, from horrified to scary to humor, and gave so much insight and knowledge. You guys at NBC need to show this so the fan base can see inside the garage and how safety, although at times very painful, evolved.

Skip Ranfone, Summerfield, FL

RM: It’s possible with Peacock that NBC could need some extra motorsports programming, and Steve Olvey’s book that became a documentary would be well-received. I’ll suggest it, thanks Skip.