Miller's Mailbag for May 12, 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: Why does IndyCar have such a hard time keeping venues, ovals in particular? In general, the on-track product is far superior to any other series. It seems like all the balls that need to be juggled, like getting butts in the seats, to competitive packages at each track, to catering to TV ratings (which seems to get the most attention right now)… each time one is addressed, another one falls. Does ISC still own all the potential ovals that IndyCar could run on?

What happened with Pikes Peak, Nashville, Phoenix and Milwaukee are well-documented attendance disasters, as was Pocono. The bang for the entertainment buck has to be there, for casual fans and for potential fans. Something that gets folks to the track then they get hooked on the sights, sounds, speed, and competition. Losing Texas could be a disaster!

Troay Strong, Kansas City

RM: For the 10,000th time, you can’t make people go to oval races, where they usually face a long drive and then lots of sitting and waiting for the race. Gateway and Chris Blair figured out you have to give the fans an all-day experience, and that’s what he does with the Road to Indy and vintage cars and non-stop entertainment. Promoters have to spend a lot of money, and if they don’t have a big-time title sponsor, they can’t come close to breaking even. Phoenix was a great example of trying to resurrect an old stomping ground and giving up after three years because nobody cared. But Long Beach, Mid-Ohio, Road America, Detroit, Gateway, Barber and St. Pete have developed a nice following with a good format.

Q: I don’t understand all of this oval obsession. Going to TMS used to mean cringing and pucker-worthy formation racing at the Texas Death Bowl. Then PJ1 came along and everyone complained about the single-lane racing.

It’s time to give up on the failed business model of American open-wheel oval racing outside of Marion County. Instead, let’s do street ovals. Think of the mile-high corner at the old Denver street course, or Hinch out-braking Sato on the last hairpin at Sao Paulo. Two long straights with two parking lots for the turns would do it. And I can think of a certain municipal airport in Northeast Ohio where you could set up a short track oval, a high speed roval and a traditional road course all without paving another foot of tarmac. A triple-header weekend that would showcase the versatility of IndyCar. So what say you about street ovals, Robbie?

Don Davis, Chardon, Ohio

RM: Ovals are IndyCar’s heritage and keep the series the most diversified, but at what point do you just pack it in at a place like Texas because nobody shows up anymore? I’m amazed Eddie keeps scheduling a race. But a parking lot oval isn’t a bad idea. Caesars Palace (second version in 1984) was a roval in a parking lot and real racy, while Cleveland would be a natural with its width and long runways. In both cases you’re taking oval racing to the population, but unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any movement for such an animal. BTW, in regard to last week, Texas had no say in whether qualifying was held on Saturday -- that was an IndyCar call.

AVUS set a high bar for street ovals. It also set a high bar for being insanely dangerous, even by the standards of the day. Motorsport Images

Q: I love oval racing and wish there were 10 on the schedule. But reality is otherwise. After the comments (valid) about Texas, we may be down to two in the future. I got to thinking: what if something happens to Gateway and we are down to only one?

Here is a hypothetical thought experiment. If teams did not have to configure cars for multiple ovals and could focus exclusively on Indy, how could the regulations, specs, aero packages, rules and procedures be modified to give the drivers and fans the ultimate Indy 500 experience? Hint: new track records would be kind of cool.

Craig Smith, Boulder, CO

RM: Well, back in 1953 there were 12 races, all dirt ovals except Indianapolis, so the schedule evolved with Trenton, Milwaukee being paved and a new paved oval at Phoenix. Would it cripple IndyCar to only have Indianapolis? Probably not, although it certainly removes that element that sets you apart from everyone else. But a new track record isn’t going to suddenly revitalize practice or qualifying crowds, and there are three months between Indy and Gateway, so it’s not a mad thrash to change cars.

Q: Just had a great chat with Linda Price at IMS (who says hi!). She reached out to let me know they're adding a few viewing areas for the flex ticket holders (GA tickets) for Saturday’s road race, which is awesome. It worked out well, since they hadn't sent my kids tickets and she got that fixed. IMS does have a personal touch, and so many of them don't just work there but they are passionate about the fans and Speedway. Thanks for the assist.

Jamin T.

RM: Good to hear, Linda and her staff work long hours and couldn’t be any friendlier or accommodating.

Q: Has time caught up with "ovals-only" Ed Carpenter? He has, until recently, been a force at the Indy 500, but at other increasingly rare ovals of late especially Texas -- both races -- he was nowhere, badly outshone by kids and even by first-time oval racer McLaughlin. After this year's 500, should he hang up his helmet and just run his team? Has he spoken of doing so?

A Jenkins. Toronto, Canada

RM: All fair questions and I will ask Edward when I see him, but he almost beat Will Power three years ago and he’s a three-time polesitter, and I just can’t imagine he’s suddenly lost it at age 40. IMS is his bread and butter, so we’ll see what happens.

Q: What is your opinion of the penalty for hitting a racer from behind in IndyCar? Bourdais was hit from behind and Newgarden went to the back under yellow. Newgarden then proceeded to gain spots for a good finish. This in turn gave him points to move out of trouble for Sunday’s race. Drivers were complaining about no qualifications and the big wreck on the start gobbled up Bourdais and others. This was, in part, a reason for Newgarden starting up front and having a second-place finish. If he would be penalized one or two laps behind the leader, placing second would have been much harder. Your thoughts?

Doug Apple

RM: Obviously there are different sorts of rear-end contact: battling for a spot, someone slamming the door in your face or a chain-reaction way ahead of you before people have gotten strung out. I thought Newgarden’s penalty was pretty soft because he destroyed Seb’s race and car. I understand Herta checked up suddenly, but you’re supposed to be in charge of your car at all times and Seb managed not to hit him. A stop-and-go under green seemed like a punishment to fit the crime.

No need to worry about Ed. He gets an extra tenth or two just from those shades. Joe Skibinski/IndyCar

Q: I enjoy reading your Mailbag, and the responses. And yes, I do miss your grid walk on NBCSN. Two questions. 1) Who was the best female, in terms of ability, to run at Indy? I always thought Sarah Fisher would have won if she had decent equipment, but Danica came closest to winning back in ’05. Here's an idea to settle it: If the genie grants the wish, get all of the women (Janet, Lyn, Sarah, Danica, Simona, Ana, Pippa, Katherine, and even Milka) at the height of their careers, give them identical cars and top-notch pit crews, and let them have at it: A 500-mile race with a decent purse for the winner.

2) While I do wish for more ovals, and my preference is for more ovals, Marshall Pruett reported IndyCar is looking for more, and has had discussions with Homestead-Miami, and is looking again at Richmond and Iowa. I do understand why the road/street courses are more popular with fans and drivers, but often they come across as very boring on TV, with few on-track lead changes in the course of the race. While the road/street courses have had great racing, there have been too many races where it's a parade. I would love for another 1.5 mile oval -- Kentucky Speedway or Homestead, instead of yet another road/street course.

And one comment: A shame there wasn't one last Cannonball before Brock Yates became ill. Maybe the race record would have fallen, maybe not. Kind regards, and keep up the good work! You are missed on NBC.

Matt Wiser, Auberry, CA

RM: Simona is the best all-around racer, period. Danica was really good at Indy, Texas and Homestead and Sarah ran strong on ovals despite never having the best equipment. And neither has Simona until this month. Put those three in a match race at IMS in the same cars and it would be a good show. As for going back to old ovals, why? Nobody cares, that’s why they crashed and burned, and there have been as many good street and road course races as you could want in the past few years. And they draw fans. Brock wanted to have one last Cannonball in 2005 or 2006 for all the participants of the first two, and I almost had Paul Newman talked into it when Yates’ lawyer told him to cease and desist. Thanks.

Q: With the passing of Bobby Unser, the Indy 500 legend ranks are all in their 80s and dwindling. Besides Rick Mears, what other former drivers are going to step up and try to fill the enormous void that is coming in the Indy 500 Legend community? A.J., Mario, Bobby, Al, Parnelli, JR, all so much dominated the ’60s, ’70s, and even into the ’80s that there is a large gap between them and the next spokespersons for the Indy 500 and IndyCar.

Allen C., Brownsburg, IN

RM: There are none. Mears, Sneva, Little Al, Michael, Danny and Rahal were all damn good, but never captured the public’s fancy like The Magnificent 7 did in the 1960s. Different time, lethal consequences and a connection to the dirt-track crowd made those guys forever heroes -- along with their personalities.

Q: Uncle Bobby... man, I am sorry to see him pass. Watched him at Indy but mostly at the Wisconsin State Fair Speedway (I never liked the term Milwaukee Mile, but I have to admit, it is pretty good) in both stock cars and Indy cars. He was never my favorite (Mario was for Indy cars; Don White for stocks), but I respected him greatly.

Where I will always remember Bobby is from Indy 1973. After Swede Savage’s crash, Dave Diles was interviewing him and said that other drivers (Jerry Grant, Joe Leonard, George Snider) had said that the track was unsafe. Bobby put him down pretty fast, saying, "No, it is not an unsafe racetrack. For the most part, they are running pretty good speeds -- 185 miles per hour." They interviewed Al Unser a bit later and he said the track was fine. But then again, Bobby and Al have seven Indy 500 wins between them. And the other guys? Well, you know. Do you remember that exchange?

Mark D. Bell, New Berlin, WI

RM: I do, and Bobby was always of the mentality that it was up to the driver to deal with the conditions.

Q: About 15 years ago, I was working as a pilot weather briefer in Wichita, Kansas. A call came in on a Sunday afternoon. The woman on the call said she was Bobby Unser’s wife and they wanted a weather brief back to Albuquerque. She said Bobby had laryngitis, so I took most of the flight information from her and then briefed him. Even though he was whispering, you could tell it was him. When I was finishing the call, I realized that I did something that Robin Miller and Sam Posey had never accomplished: I talked more than Uncle Bobby and I got the last word! Rest in peace, Mr. Unser.

William LieBeno

RM: Lisa was a commercial pilot, and that was probably a great couple of hours since Bobby couldn’t talk. But you pulled off a rarity.

Q: Back in the early 1980s I was on the CART Safety 2 truck in Turn 1 at Pocono when a baby deer ran from the infield and tried to jump over the steel wall to get outside of the track. It failed and was standing on track during an active practice session. We called for a red flag, and all the safety trucks converged on this frightened fawn that was running back and forth between us. We heard a noise and saw Bobby Unser coming towards us on a scooter. He walked up to the deer, picked it up, and set it over the wall. Then he just scooted back to the pits. Many years later, at the Riverside Reunion where he was honored, I asked him if he remembered the deer at Pocono. He laughed, and said, “Your safety team may have known a lot about rescuing drivers from race cars, but you were too scared to pick up a baby deer!”

Mike M.

RM: Great story, and I can hear him expounding right now.

Q: Every single week I read letters from IndyCar fans complaining about the lack of attendance at races and the terrible TV ratings, and I agree. And NASCAR attendance and ratings are down also. But maybe I am the only person that thinks this, but I think the biggest reason for lack of interest is a cultural thing. This is not the same country it was even 30 years ago. These millennials nowdays much prefer to watch a 125lb guy in shorts and knee socks running around dribbling a soccer ball in a "thrilling" 1-0 game. Don’t ask me, Robin, because I do not understand. I am sure like you, I would rather watch IndyCars going wheel to wheel at 220mph than watch a soccer player get grass stains on his knees. I guess we are just getting old if we feel this way, but I don’t have any other answer.

Don, Grand Rapids, MI

RM: It’s true, times have radically changed, but you can’t blame young people when guys my age and younger simply quit driving to races because it was easier to sit home and watch television. Short tracks seem to be hanging in there in terms of crowds.

Sounds like the trick to getting those pesky millennials is to give them IndyCar and soccer at the same time. Motorsport Images

Q: We hear of no mention of Al Unser Jr. anymore. Has he settled into a non-racing lifestyle, low-key, back in Albuquerque, not visiting IndyCar races?

Tom Fitzgerald, Las Vegas, NV

RM: He’s still living in Indy and has a few speaking engagements lined up for this month, but don’t think he’s had a full-time job since Mike Harding folded his team.

Q: Hope all is well. Always enjoyed your work. Do the IndyCar teams bring back-up cars to the track anymore? After the Saturday accidents at Texas I noticed a lot of questions as to if the cars that wrecked would be repairable to race the next day. I remember back to the ’80s and ’90s when almost everyone had a T-car, especially at the bigger tracks. Is this not the case anymore? Thank you for your time.

Brian Mroziak, Uniontown, PA

RM: Most teams bring backups but they don’t have engines in them, so like they did with Hinch at Texas, because his tub was damaged, they took the engine out of his main cair put it in his backup.

Q: I don’t know what R.P.’s long-term plans for the IndyCar series are, but I think a single European race a year could be a money maker. Formula 1 has become nothing more than a Mercedes technology showcase. It is more boring now (if that is possible) than the Schumacher/Ferrari years. Hamilton is one of the all-time greats, but let’s face I, Formula 1 is a Mercedes procession. So, what venue would ensure IndyCar success across the pond (and pay for itself)? I think Donington Park in the UK and Portimao in Portugal would be ideal locations. Donington has been vastly modernized (and I think IndyCar has raced there before), and Portimao is absolutely state of the art.

The key to both is having a local driver in the race, and Zak Brown. Zak has a couple of outstanding drivers under contract -- Lando Norris and Filipe Albuquerque. Lando has been punching above his weight in Formula 1 the past couple years and seems game to drive just about anything. There is some great footage of Lando driving a 1000hp McLaren Can-Am car at Goodwood, and he was a kid in a candy store. I think if Zak offered a seat in the hypothetical IndyCar race, Lando would give it a go. Same goes for George Russell, assuming Williams would let him drive a one-off race. Zak’s other go-to guy is Filipe Albuquerque. Formula Renault champ, three-time winner of the Rolex 24, current ELMS champ, WEC LMP2 champ and former factory Audi LMP1 driver. Filipe is fast and his racecraft is second to none. Assuming Mrs. Albuquerque would let him drive an open-wheeled car again, he would be immediately competitive in an Arrow McLaren SP.

I know you’re not big on Formula E, but another Portuguese driver (Antonio Felix da Costa) is the current Formula E champ. If I remember correctly, da Costa was fitted for an IndyCar seat last year -- another possibility. I think having local drivers in a competitive chassis would draw crowds post-pandemic (especially when the new engine package arrives). Do you think R.P. and Brown would ever consider something like this?

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

RM: RP doesn’t like foreign races, and unless it paid a fortune I doubt he’d be interested. He’s trying to craft an American schedule that can sustain itself.

Q: What a freaking great story Marshall Pruett did about the 2001 CART race in Texas that was cancelled. I was kinda surprised while I was reading it that Eddie Gossage wasn't asked to comment about it. But at the end of the story, it was revealed he was asked to comment and he declined. Were you surprised he declined to comment, and why do you think he declined? Also, were there any revelations in the story that surprised you?

Ron, Portland, OR

RM: Eddie likes to control the message of that fateful weekend and that’s his prerogative. One driver claimed to have blacked out through a couple corners -- that was a new one, and I was there.

Q: Robin, this may be a little before your time, but I was watching the 1957 episode of "The Racing Years" on Amazon Prime, and they showed a little of the "Race of Two Worlds" which was held at the high-banked Monza oval in 1957 and ’58. It was great to see some of the names from the Indy 500 world that went to Italy for the race! Foyt, Bettenhausen, Sachs, Ruttman, Parsons, Rathman, and so forth, but what really surprised me was seeing that the Indy cars basically went over there and dominated.

It was interesting that the Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma and Watson -- all with Offy power -- were basically untouchable against the Maseratis, Jaguars, and Ferraris. Even in ’58 when most of the Formula 1 teams -- Ferrari, Maserati, and Jaguar -- specifically built special cars for the event, they still couldn't compete with the Offy-powered cars. So, two questions. Why didn't anyone compete in Formula 1 with an Offy-powered machine? (Or did they but I haven't heard about it)? And did they really stop holding the race because of safety and funding (Bettenhausen set a lap speed record of 176.8 mph!), or were the European teams tired of getting their butts kicked?

D Thomas, Tell City, IN

RM: I can only imagine the Euros thought they might have an advantage with a four-speed gearbox (and they did on the first lap) but Monza was so fast they didn’t have a prayer against the Offys. And after two years of getting smoked, can’t blame them for not wanting any more.

A Kurtis Offy enjoys some northern Italian sunshine at Monza in 1957. If all of those onlookers were unsure what to make of it then, imagine their expressions once the thing started doing laps... Motorsport Images

Q: Just heard Roger Penske give a speech in which said he offered Pancho Carter a part-time ride while Mario Andretti ran F1. Pancho turned it down because it wasn't a full-time deal. Some kid named Mears accepted the offer. What if…

John Fulton

RM: Sounds like the dream job today, but Pancho was in his prime and didn’t want to be a part-timer, and I imagine R.P. would have banned him from running midgets, sprints and dirt cars since this was four years after Gary B.

Q: It always makes me laugh when I hear Paul Tracy describe blocking maneuvers as “the Pruett Fade,” as he did (again) during the Texas broadcast. What’s the back story there? Do we think Pruett takes that as friendly ribbing, or do he and Tracy have a difficult past? Blatant blocking is a disease that has infested all forms of motorsports over the last few years, and I share your hatred of it.

Mike in Marietta, GA

RM: Not really sure, I sent P.T. an email to explain it but still haven’t received a reply. But it’s more of a draft than a blatant block.

Q: I have followed racing for a long time. You hear drivers talk about how they could “race close” with someone and they trusted them. One would assume the top-level guys that win were the guys you could trust, but I don’t think that is always the case. Without naming names, there may have been a few front-runners that guys didn’t want to race. Conversely, there had to be guys that ran in the pack that probably did have that trust. Who would those guys have been? My thought is guys like Kenyon, Kunzman, Bigelow and Pancho may have been in that group. Didn’t win much, but were clean. Any others?

J.G.

RM: First of all, Pancho, Kenyon, Bigelow and Kunzman won a helluva lot of races in USAC but never had the best rides in IndyCar. The only major star I ever heard criticize another front-runner was Rodger Ward. He said Jim Hurtubise made him nervous. But most front-runners got there because of car control, talent and being able to run wheel-to-wheel, lap-after-lap.