Robin Miller's Mailbag for March 24, 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: IndyCar is my favorite racing series, and it has been for 40+ years. In watching what's going on, I'm a little concerned. I hate to be a Danny Downer, but it seems like it's tougher to get promoters for tracks, oval attendance is terrible and the tracks are becoming extinct, street courses are very difficult logistically and financially and lose tons of money, many road courses that aren't on the current schedule can't handle Indy cars, prize money is so bad it's not even published, TV ratings stink, and it appears the auto manufacturers are now jumping on the e-bandwagon after a slow start.

On top of it all I sense a little concern for the future in your (our biggest, best, and most knowledgeable cheerleader) responses other than confirming the racing is the best anywhere. I know we have some exciting young talent and great racing, but if nobody is watching (and therefore no incentive for sponsors or TV networks), what's the point? There doesn't seem to be much money to be made in the entire venture, but surely I'm missing something from an owner's standpoint. I've said before that it now seems like a glorified club series, and I have no idea why owners who have to scratch and claw for sponsorships continue to do it other than because they love it and need a hobby.

As a side note, a financial advisor once told me, "never invest emotionally.” It seems like R.P. did that very thing, but I'm simply not seeing much upside and return on that investment in the near or even slightly distant future. I hope I'm wrong, but regardless, I'll be watching every IndyCar race again this year.

Randy Mizelle, North Carolina

RM: I was most concerned that sponsors would bail after COVID, but as I wrote on Monday, the fact there will be 22-26 cars at every race tells me this is not the case. I think the owners are racers to the core, and have figured out how to stay on track in these challenging times. Obviously, they’re not making a profit, and breaking even seems like a long shot, but they’re keeping IndyCar alive. And R.P. has spent millions and lost millions but hasn’t wavered in his commitment.

Q: I understand the reasons for the late start of the 2021 IndyCar season, but assuming we get past COVID during this calendar year, I expect an earlier start date next year. Still, I have always believed now and in years past the early part of the schedule has been way too thin with events. Nearly a month between St. Pete and Barber? Seems a little tough to build momentum, as opposed to NASCAR cramming its gimmicky product down your throat week after week following Daytona.

Have you heard anyone in power express any concern for such a spaced-out introduction to the season, even in normal times? I think they have it right to not compete with the NFL, and to some degree college football, at the end of schedule. But by the time IndyCar gets in full gear, we're already in summer with all the diversions that brings. Might be worth the effort to try and pique more interest in March and April, and try to carry it through the summer. Still believe 20 events is the right number. Your thoughts?

Jim, Indy

RM: I think all the solvent tracks on the IndyCar schedule have the date they need to try and make it, but nobody is going to move just to get the season started earlier. I’m sure Roger and his people have scouted various sites, and sure it would be great to open the season in February. But being off the map for five months instead of six really doesn’t spark much awareness, and the number of races is irrelevant because you can only go where the promoter has a fighting chance. And right now 20 is way too many.

Has IndyCar considered this place for an extra race in March or April? Asking for a friend. Sutton/Motorsport Images

Q: Will there be a streaming service for IndyCar similar to what F1 offers? IndyCar has such great drama it is a shame it can’t be watched with multiple video and audio feeds.

Luther Prater, Muncie, IN

RM: “Peacock Premium will provide fans in the U.S. with live coverage of practice and qualifying as well as coverage surrounding the Indy 500, Indy Lights races, race-day warm-ups and full-event replays of IndyCar races this year. The price, $4.99 a month, also gives fans access to Premier League, U.S. Open golf, Olympics and more. There are also plans to enhance video opportunities, during races, on the IndyCar App. IndyCar.com has also been offering new video ‘franchises.’” Dave Furst, VP of communications for IndyCar.

Q: I plan on heading to St. Pete for the race next month and am anxiously waiting for the tickets to go on sale. Do you know if there are going to be limited paddock passes? Do the drivers have to quarantine to their motorhomes and hotel rooms for the weekend? I'm so used to seeing the drivers out and about in the restaurants and on the street. I even remember accidentally ending up at a party in one of the restaurants and most of the drivers were there. That was always part of the excitement of the weekend! Maybe I'll see you there if we can get in the paddock.

John from Elizaville, NY

Q: Just read a pretty cool story about Scott McLaughlin on IndyCar.com, and it got me to thinking about this rookie class. All the drivers have a great amount of racing experience coming in and I give them that respect, but they have none in IndyCar, so that qualifies them as an IndyCar rookie. But not all of them will get the full IndyCar experience because of their choice to not run the ovals. Looking at it in the reverse, I think about the guys that had very little road course experience as short-track oval guys, but didn't shy away from a discipline they weren't great at. My question is, taking away injuries that prevented them from competing, can you remember any time that a driver received a rookie of the year award for choosing not to run the full schedule?

Bobby G.

RM: Not to my knowledge. A few big names refused to run Langhorne in the 1960s, but drivers never started picking and choosing until this past decade or so. And sometimes it was budget-driven, so a driver might choose Long Beach, Indianapolis and Mid-Ohio because of the exposure for their sponsors. Ed Carpenter got better and better on road courses, but understood he was still a second or two off and opted to just run ovals and hire a road racer. Mike Conway was badly injured at Indy and eventually decided no more ovals, while Max Chilton likes the Indianapolis 500 but passes on Texas and Gateway.

Q: Is Juncos Racing finished at the IndyCar level? Will Dreyer & Reinbold be entering cars at the 500 this year? Is there any more talk of this Top Gun team with R.C. Enerson entering the 500?

Jim, Ontario, Canada

RM: Ricardo is always looking for a way to get back to Indy and still has cars, but not sure about 2021. I believe Dennis Reinbold will likely run Sage Karam again but not sure about J.R. Hildebrand. There was a story in The Indianapolis Star recently that said Top Gun was up and running so hopefully Enerson gets a shot. They bought cars from Dallara for Indy, so that’s a good sign. (ED: You can find out more about who is planning what for Indy in Marshall Pruett’s piece from yesterday).

Q: I saw an article on another website stating that IndyCar events on road courses will be only two rather than the traditional three days. Is it true? I've seen nothing on RACER.com or IndyCar.com about this.

David, Waxhaw, NC

RM: I don’t think anything has been officially announced, but my understanding is two days for road courses and two and a half days for street courses (with a late Friday practice period).

Q: I’ve been an avid consumer of your work since the Indy Star days -- you are amazing at what you do, and I wish you all the best. Thank you for decades of insight, and sharing a passion for a sport we love. That book would be priceless!

With the announcement of Mission Foods sponsoring JPM, it hit home that I use their products regularly. I'm sure many of us diehards would like to support the series' sponsors where/when we can. Is there a site that lists the IndyCar sponsors to help us show our passion and support via our wallet? Love the different sponsors and liveries over the course of a season, but it can get a bit confusing. Suggestions?

John Sullivan

RM: There is no site like that, per se, but I imagine just going to the team’s website and learning about the sponsors would be easiest. Your idea has some merit so I sent it to IndyCar. Maybe having a place to look on IndyCar.com would create some traffic and interest.

It might not be this year, but Juncos will be back. Gavin Baker/Motorsport Images

Q: I haven’t heard much about lack of mechanical grip hindering passing for a few years. What’s your opinion of the current status? Any mutterings from any drivers? Is it even a relevant question now? With Dallara making the bodies, it ought to be a lot easier to change if warranted instead of trying to write a lot of construction rules for teams to innovate around as in other racing series.

Steve De Cenzo, Vancouver, WA

RM: Let’s ask Bill Pappas, the VP of competition and engineering for IndyCar. “We are always listening to the paddock and fans as to whether the drivers can pass, especially on ovals. Mechanical grip is ultimately quantified by tire grip. So, if we were to change the bodywork to increase downforce, which doesn’t necessarily improve passing, the tire needs to be harder to deal with the increased loads, which will reduce mechanical grip. We are continually working with Firestone to tune and optimize the tire to ensure the drivers have enough mechanical grip. It’s not perfect, but we do have competitive and challenging racing.”

Q: So, what do you think of NASCAR racing on the converted dirt track at Bristol? Bold and imaginative or gimmicky? Maybe board track racing next year?

Dave Morgason, Plainfield

RM: A little of all three, but pretty smart because it’s a return to their roots and FOX is promoting the hell out of it and it will get a big audience. Be nice to think it won’t be hard and slick, but today’s new NASCAR fans probably don’t care. It’s making people talk, and they’re gonna watch.

Q: I saw that John Oreovicz has a new book coming out called Indy Split about the split in 1996 that fractured the foundation of IndyCar racing and almost took the Indy 500 down with it. My first thought was you, Robin, know more about this topic than anyone, so who does Oreovicz think he is? Then I saw you did write the forward, lending much credibility to this ugly saga.

My second question then: it happened a long time ago, and who cares? There is no doubt that IndyCar racing and even the 500 has not rebounded from those days, but my bet is that even without The Split we would still be in the same spot due to the proliferation of entertainment choices we have today. And besides, most fans under 40 or so don’t even know about The Split. What’s so new and different in this book that would make me want to spend $35 on it?

Jim Fischer, Mentor, OH

RM: First off all, Oreo is a good writer who covered CART/IRL/IndyCar for ESPN.com, Autosport, RACER and was the PR man for PacWest. He knows the sport, the players and the politics, and this book needed to be written because it lays out all the stupidity, egos and mistakes that were made on both sides. And you can’t say The Split didn’t do the damage, just look at the attendance, sponsorship, TV ratings and media coverage that CART had in the ’90s and see how it’s diminished today. You didn’t mean to but you almost sounded like Fred Nation, the former IMS mouthpiece who blathered that the Indy 500 was in decline in 1995. Really, Fred? You mean when Roger Penske couldn’t get a ticket unless he paid double face value? And there were 50,000 people on hand for Bump Day? John spent several years getting interviews and going over notes and old stories, and I think it was about as even-handed a view as anyone would want. I’m proud of Oreo for penning a much-needed history book.

Q: What was Ron Dennis’ problem with Michael Andretti, and why was Danny Ongais such a tough interview? (I’ve always thought he’d make a great “Tough Guys” candidate).

David Spear

RM: Ron Dennis isn’t a real warm guy to start with, and who knows if it was Michael not living in England and not being at the shop, or the fact they wanted Mika Hakkinen in that car, but they didn’t gel.

Danny just didn’t trust a lot of people, especially the media, and we would argue about how it was good for IndyCar that somebody from Lexington, Ohio or Boston was writing a story about him. His stance was that the questions were mostly repetitious, but I countered by saying he was a big name and that was part of his job -- to help promote his series. I like Danny and he was a clever fellow -- people who dismissed him as dumb didn’t have a clue. And he was brave. And determined.

Q: I listened to Marshall Pruett's podcast on John Paul Jr. Good stuff. Ever since he started around 1980, I thought of JPJ as one those "shady" drivers who won so many IMSA races and titles in the early ’80s. They weren't exactly a good image for racing. Then in 2000 at Road America, my son and I saw him outside the Dyson team awning leaning on a pole smoking a cigarette. I wasn't going to approach him, but he caught our eyes and gave a little wave to my son, so we went over. After greetings, I mentioned that I saw him win the 500 at Road America in 1980, and what a sweet-handling car (No. 18 Porsche 935) he must have had that day. He looked at me very seriously and said, "That car was a pig!" Then he smiled and added, "But it was a damned fast pig!" We laughed and wished him good luck for the race. He thanked my son and said to me, "And thank you, Dad, for bringing your boy out with you to watch us." Its funny how you can be so wrong about someone until you meet them. RIP and Godspeed JPJ!

Bill B.

RM: Glad you listened and changed your opinion. I’m not sure there was ever a nicer person than JPJ and his career was derailed because he loved his father, who was the devil. But I never heard him complain about anything and it was cool he got some good rides in sports cars. I’ll always remember him chasing Mario all over Caesars Palace (he led until near the end) and the 1978 world champion was impressed that someone with so little experience in an Indy car could be that good.

Q: I hate watching a car spin out or stall, and with no on-board starter, have to be parked or lose a lap waiting for the tow truck. To deprive a racer of a competitive race in that circumstance seems really stupid, and it hurts the show by causing yellow flags that may not have been needed. I have a battery and a starter in my car, and it still functions and handles just fine. Why hasn’t IndyCar mandated starters? I am sure with all the factory engine support, it would be doable with very modest weight added. And who cares if the lap time is 0.3 seconds slower because of the extra weight? I seem to recall they had bad luck with starters years ago, so they abandoned them after just a year or two. Any talk about bringing them back?

Marwood Stout, Camarillo, CA

RM: They weren’t reliable, they got hot and neither engine manufacturer wanted to waste any more time or money trying to save them.

"Seriously, you should try growing your hair out a little at the back." Motorsport Images

Q: Paul Page recently posted a picture of himself competing in the Toyota Celebrity Race at Long Beach. It got me thinking. In this day of social media, has anyone thought of reviving it? It seems to me that having a bunch of celebrities compete and then spend a lot of time talking about it on their social media or talk shows as they promote their new projects would be a great way to attract new fans. They should make an effort to invite celebrities that have something to promote, similar to the late night talk shows. Back when this event was run, I never felt like the celebrities talked about the race enough outside of the event itself, and that would need to change. Their personal social media exposure gives it that chance.

Rob C., Ringwood, NJ

RM: I haven’t asked Jim Michaelian but between IMSA, Stadium Super Trucks, vintage cars and IndyCar there isn’t a lot of available time. I remember Gene Hackman, Clint Eastwood and Bruce Jenner competing one year and all the TV stations and Entertainment Tonight, etc., were there, but you never know if that sold one ticket. It ran from 1977 to 2016 and that seemed like enough.

Q: Ty Gibbs won the Daytona Xfinity road course race in his first ever Xfinity race. Has anybody ever won an IndyCar race in his or her first ever IndyCar Series race in their career?

Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY

RM: Nigel Mansell at Surfers Paradise in 1993, Graham Hill at Indy in 1966 and Buzz Calkins in 1996 at Orlando.

Q: The wildly popular Offy engines have always been a riddle. Well, a riddle for me and probably everyone else who have come of age in the spec engine times that we live in. They were unbreakable monobloc-cast straight-four motors that allowed for high piston compression punched out to the rules of the day. Yet it seems to be far from a spec engine. It was a popular tool for countless teams -- rich, poor and everyone in between -- throughout the decades. Also, I vaguely recall seeing a picture of an Offy V8 that quickly came, went and was forgotten in the dawn of the Cosworth area. So I’m left wondering: who are the forgotten masters of the Offy black magic?

Redding F.

RM: Sonny Meyer, Herb Porter, Travers & Coons, Jack McGrath and George Bignotti come to mind.

Q: As I type this, I am watching Kaylee Bryson racing a midget on dirt somewhere. She reminds me of Sarah Fisher: fearless and talented. I don't feel that my week is truly started until your Mailbag arrives. Where do you see Kaylee’s future?

Ron Ford, Muskego, WI

RM: I imagine if Toyota desires it can bring up the NASCAR ladder system, and that gives her the best chance of making it.