The RACER Mailbag, April 20

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. Due to the high volume of questions received, we can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.

Q: I just got back from Long Beach and all I can say is wow! This was my first time attending and that is a race I have wanted to attend for a long time, so I had big expectations. All I can say is the weekend completely exceeded my expectations.

We got in on Friday and went straight to the track, and within five minutes of being there we had seen Rossi, Power, Sato, Rick Mears, Scott Pruett, and many more. We said hi to all of them. They all responded and some of them even stopped to say hello and ask how everything was going so far. We even saw you and tried to catch up and say hello and ask you a few questions, but we lost you in the crowd and by the time we saw you again you were too close to the hotel for us to catch up.

At the end of the day we ended up walking out with Ericsson talking like normal people, just like he was there to watch the race as well.

It was unreal to watch Seb on Saturday cut through traffic on his way to that historic win as well. I am so glad I saw that in person – to read what happened just doesn't do it justice.

Before the race we were on our way over to Grandstand 29 and went over the walkway with Felipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor. They were amazing and answered all of our questions and joked with us about tacos and beer. Class acts. They saw us Sunday morning again and even recognized us and asked us how our tacos were. Sunday after everything was winding down we even walked out of the track with Palou. It was unreal – the defending champ walking out with the crowd and no-one was aware it was him. It was a great conversation and he has very high hopes and I would say a solid plan to defend his title.

Where is the fire and next-level drives we would see from Rossi before 2020? Does he not trust his car enough anymore? It seems he has lost a little fire and doesn't drive as hard as he used to. Do you think he has made his mind up and is already checked out of Andretti and ready to move on? If that is the case, do you see him staying at a Honda team or starting completely fresh and going Chevy?

Tony, tiny town in northern Utah

MARSHALL PRUETT: I’m struggling to picture your ability to keep up with the fast and super-fit drivers but my big ass was too fast to catch… ;)

I can only speak for the worlds of IndyCar and sports cars where I’ve spent my life, but yes, the folks you mentioned — champions, legends – and regular crew members are some of the kindest and most approachable people I’ve met. There are a few jerks, as one would expect, but for the most part, we’re fortunate to have paddocks loaded with racers who are humble and engaging.

Rossi’s been let down by his team in every race this year, often while running in a strong position. As I wrote in a mid-March silly season piece, I won’t be surprised to see him at Arrow McLaren SP or Chip Ganassi Racing, and I know one reporter says he’s already signed with AMSP.

I’ve also said a few times since the end of the 2021 season that a change of scenery would do wonders for him if 2022 follows the same maddening trend, and so far, the old cartoon anvil refuses to leave his No. 27 Honda alone. The scuttle from the last races of 2021 was he told Andretti he was leaving, no matter what, after his contract was finished at the end of 2022. Given Michael Andretti’s line to me and others about ‘evaluating’ whether he should keep Rossi is not exactly the strongest endorsement I’ve heard.

I just want the guy to have a clean weekend where he visits the podium. You don’t go on a tear like he did through 2019 and then somehow forget how to drive.

My guess is that unless he goes on a rampage and wins a bunch of races and decides staying with Andretti is the best move, it might be time for a new relationship with another team where no baggage and no cartoon anvils are involved.

The last time Rossi won – at Road America in 2019 – we hadn't even had a pandemic yet. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images

Q: I realize this topic was covered a few Mailbags ago, but with the month of May approaching, I am hopeful Doug Boles will consider intervening on race scanner programming at the largest spectator event in the world. Many dedicated IndyCar fans have spent a lot of money on their race day scanner setups.

I understand the pandemic has upended a lot of things, but at the very least, have an antenna set up where we can program our scanners over the air. Manually programming 33 cars, TV, radio and PA channels is time consuming and frustrating. And for the record, Racing Communications is not a suitable replacement for Racing Electronics. Their website is non-existent and they do not seem to offer any services to race fans whatsoever.

R.P. has made it a priority to improve the experience of IndyCar fans at IMS. Not having any OTA programming at the Indy 500 is a big step backwards. Doug, I am thrilled to be coming back home again. How about an OTA antenna near Gasoline Alley just like last year?

Lee, Minneapolis

MP: Get to work, Boles!

Q: At race like Long Beach, how do IndyCar and IMSA share the pit boxes? Do they have to take down their pit stands and equipment after each session? Also, when a driver gets a trophy, do they have to give it to the team?

Geoff

MP: All depends on the event, but in general, you’ll see IMSA teams (or similar) slide in for practice sessions with their equipment towed onto pit lane and towed away after the session. Long Beach is so narrow behind the pit wall, it’s not possible to stack a full set of IMSA timing stands and whatnot behind the IndyCar setups, so we see IMSA teams place their equipment farther down pit lane past the IndyCar pits. At Detroit, there’s enough room behind the pit wall so we have IndyCar teams break down their setups, move them back prior to IMSA’s Saturday afternoon, give way to the IMSA teams, and return after the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race to move everything back into place.

Q: One of your readers recently asked about a shuttle to IMS for the 500. Received this link from the Speedway.

F Melkey

MP: Thanks!

Q: Although I was never a J.J. fan in NASCAR, I have wished him well in IndyCar. He seems like a great guy. Since his start in the series, a procession of rookies have come in and done well. I was happy about his performance at Texas. I just can’t understand his failure on street and road courses. When does it become an issue? So many crashes, and on-track issues besides performance. When do they pull the plug?

Tim B.

MP: The answer to topics like this always come down to who is in control, and since Jimmie brought Carvana to the team and is the central figure in how the No. 48 car is funded, the only person to pull the plug would be Jimmie. And since he’s enjoying himself, despite having a horrible weekend in Long Beach, there’s nobody outside of Mr. Johnson who can or will dictate when he stops driving the car before his two-year contract concludes in September at Laguna Seca.

Q: Just have to say that I have gained a lot of respect for Jimmie Johnson this season. I know a lot of folks like to poke fun at him in the Mailbag, but seriously, give the man some respect. He doesn't have to do any of this and certainly doesn't need to do it for the money, yet every week, he goes out there and puts in the work. Breaks his wrist on Friday at Long Beach, comes back and keeps racing. Then, after a hard weekend, flies across the country for immediate surgery and back in the Chevy simulator on Tuesday! Jimmie Johnson and Carvana are doing something for IndyCar that hasn't been seen in a long time – advertising!

Now that Jimmie is racing full-time rather than sharing the ride with TK, does TK have any races in IndyCar left after the Indy 500? Really wanted to see TK have a legitimate shot at another Indy 500 win or two before he hangs up the steering wheel.

Stephen in Seattle, WA

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MP: We’re on the same page with Jimmie. The easiest move to make would have been to step aside and let my French Fry jump into the No. 48 car. Instead, Johnson gutted it out and sent a message that he’s willing to make however many mistakes it takes to get to where he wants to be.

Outside of CGR this May, I don’t know of other quality teams holding a seat for him, but hope to learn more about his options next time we speak.

Johnson took his share of lumps at Long Beach, but wowed some fans with the way he soaked them up. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: Exactly how did that wheel nut land in the radiator of Pfaff Motorsports Porsche? Did it come out of the wheel gun? Was it struck by a tire? You hate to see that happen, but someone on the Corvette team needs to buy a Lotto ticket or head to Vegas. You couldn't pull that off if you tried 100,000 times.

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

MP: Flew out of the gun, I’m told. You might enjoy the photo sequence LAT’s Mike Levitt caught.

Q: So it's the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. As you reported earlier, Toyota doesn't intend to enter IndyCar any time soon with the TRD badge. So when are we going to see the announcement of Acura as the third engine supplier?

Jim, Indy

MP: I love your way of thinking. All we need is GM to announce the return of Buick to IndyCar, and Honda to announce it was adding Acura and we’ll have two engines badged as four unique brands. And if/when Toyota joins the party, we’d have six as GR and maybe the shuttered Scion brand could be assigned to the cam covers.

Q: Marshall, did you have an opportunity to visit with Evi Gurney when you were down for the Long Beach Grand Prix? If so, any update on the Dan Gurney autobiography? We’ve been hearing for several years now that she’s going through photos. Will this book ever be published?

Rick Johnson, Lynnwood, WA

MP: Well, I feel especially stupid, as yes, I spent an hour or two at AAR and was invited to sit with the Evi and the Gurney family at the RRDC dinner honoring Rick Mears but didn’t think to ask about the book’s progress.

UPDATE: AAR's Kathy Weida got in touch after this week's Mailbag went live to say that the written portion of the book is finished, but the photo selection process continues. Dan's sons Alex and Justin are working on that part with publisher Ed Justice as they have time.

Q: I've forgotten why teams are required to run both the red and black tires in races. With the big buildup of rubber at Long Beach, it looks like not requiring the reds would have kept the track in much better condition outside of the main groove. Is any consideration being given to letting the teams run the tire they prefer without having to run both kinds in the event? Thanks for the great coverage of IndyCar!

Ricky Krisle

MP: Just an added layer of strategy and complexity, Ricky. IndyCar is built on mastering a diverse array of challenges at a series of tracks unlike those tackled by any other championship, so extending the challenge to mastering two types of road/street course tires fits the series’ character. Also, if we were to go down the path of letting teams ignore one type of tire, Firestone would not be open to wasting their time and money on the unused option and would likely stop production on one of the two, leaving IndyCar teams with a single solution.

Q: During the Long Beach race, the announcers said that portions of the Long Beach track had been coated with a material that increased grip. Could the same product be applied to Texas to overcome the NASCAR coating issue?

Bill

MP: Anything is possible, but the main issue here has been Texas Motor Speedway’s devotion to doing whatever NASCAR wants, and since NASCAR wants PJ1 applied to the lanes above the bottom groove, that’s what IndyCar has been forced to deal with in recent years. Applying another gorm of goo to the track surface for IndyCar feels like it would add another problem to deal with.

Q: I am a big Andretti Autosport fan. Having said that, over the years has its pit crews and strategy seemed like the Keystone Cops? They seem to never be a match for Penske (few are) or Ganassi.

At Long Beach, it was both strategy and performance. My guess is the team did not use any Push-to-Pass on the in-laps for the first stops, nor did it anticipate that anyone would. Lost 1.0s+ there and then another 1.0s while stopped. I could not believe Herta was leading by a second, and coming out of the pits it was not even close. Assorted other cartoon anvil stuff happens to them – the dropped wheel nut for Rossi.

At some point, it is not a cartoon any longer. Andretti just doesn’t seem to be up with the top teams. Maybe Andretti Autosport spread too thin? There is only so much talent out there.

Jeff Smith, State College, PA

MP: The results speak for themselves, so the best I can offer is that Dale Coyne Racing was once the worst part of Santino Ferrucci’s races because no matter how well he did during his stints, the team managed to lose a ton of positions when he was in their car during a pit stop. Changes were made, improvements were made, and the problem has been largely solved. Same with A.J. Foyt Racing, which has done a massive turnaround in 2022 with the No. 14 car on pit lane.

The Andretti team is loaded with amazing men and women going over the wall. They will turn things around and get back to business.

Q: I found it rather irritating that the Little Caesars/Subway/Supercuts/Metaquest commercial marathon kept being interrupted by the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Please remind me why I'm paying $5 per month for Peacock, especially during these inflationary times, to view what (in my youth) was free network television.

Even more irritating than the sheer number of commercial breaks (which weren't even side by side format, but actual three-minute commercial "breaks") is that at least one of those commercials, and sometimes two, were promotions for Peacock... which I'm already paying for. To further my frustration, two of these green flag commercial breaks came back to a race under a yellow flag due to crashes. Why am I paying for this again?

I love IndyCar, but after the 500, I'm cutting the cord (figuratively, since I'm streaming) with NBC (Nothing But Commercials) and will go back to reading about races after they're over. This is just the kind of double dipping corporate greed – charging a fee to watch commercial television – that drives away fans.

Nick, Locust Grove, VA

MP: I’ll admit, my first reaction was one of jealousy and envy. I long for the day where a voluntary $5 expenditure can make me mad. Outside of all the normal costs of life, for the last three years I’ve had an $1800 bill to pay every month for my wife’s specialized physical therapy. We sure wish it wasn’t necessary, but it is, so I work a ton to keep us afloat. I’m sure the commercials being shown during the races on your $5/month streaming service are frustrating and hope your cord-cutting decision brings happier times.

Q: With a two-month gap between race one and race two in the Indy Lights schedule I wondered why the series does not race at Long Beach. Is it budgetary? I remember Atlantics racing there. Also is R.P. 100% against the Freedom 100? Historically it was a tremendous race nearly every year.

Oliver Wells

MP: Long Beach is never lacking in series to fill its schedule, so it’s not exactly a case of IndyCar informing the promoter that it will bring a Road to Indy series. With R.P. being in charge for the first time with Indy Lights, his approach has been to cut costs, limit big travel expenses, and narrow the focus doing fewer races per weekend. Dispatching Indy Lights to California for a single race would go against everything he’s trying to establish. My first visits to Long Beach came as a crew member in Atlantics and Indy Lights. Amazing times. Yes, R.P. is 100-percent against Lights cars on the IMS oval. The Freedom 100 is well and truly dead.

The Freedom 100 was always worth the price of admission. Especially in 2013, when the race served up a four-wide finish. Image via Road to Indy

Q: With the limited number of tires allocated for a race weekend I'm wondering if teams have ever tried switching them between left and right or even flipping them on the rims to get access to more rubber? Thinking this would make sense for practice rounds and save an extra set of stickers for qualifying and the race.

Maybe this is too extreme with the change in rotation direction, but I switch the sides of my FV club racer's tires every weekend to try to even the wear and get more life out of them. I don't ever recall this coming up, but I bet you know the answer!

Rich G, South Carolina

MP: IndyCar tires are specific per corner on the ovals, so that’s not an option. I imagine it could be tried on the road and street courses, but it isn’t allowed, nor would Firestone perform those swaps if they were asked.

Q: Before The Split happened in the ‘90s and IndyCar became more spec, how did chassis and engines and the like get approved? Did CART/USAC have their own formula like F1, or was it something else?

Matthew Houk, Columbus, OH

MP: Yes, CART was its own sanctioning body and set the specifications for the cars and engines that were created from its first season to the last and had their own formula, USAC before that, AAA before that, etc. That first IndyCar formula debuted in 1911. Formula 1’s in 1950.

Q: I have a question about the 33rd entry for the Indy 500. There is always some talk about how there aren't enough crew guys because of the expansion of full-time entries. But I don't understand why. There were enough crew guys for 35 entries in 2021, so what's the reason for there not being enough possible for 33 entries in 2022?

Frank Lehamnn from Germany

MP: A few variations on the same theme, Frank, with a number of full-time teams adding full-time cars and no longer having extra crew to deploy for extra cars of co-entries. Some of the month of May crew members took full-time jobs with teams for those new season-long entries, so the pool of ready-and-waiting veterans has shrunk. And in the case of Team Penske, which is down two entries from 2021 (no Simon Pagenaud or support for Paretta Autosport), those ‘unused’ staff members have been deployed to Roger’s new Porsche Penske Motorsport program.

Q: I remember someone stating the best way to make new IndyCar fans was to throw a street race in their lap. After booking Long Beach for the first time instead of the local TMS (expected disappointment after last year), I couldn't agree more. To say I was blown away was an understatement!

The track was always busy with great variety (IndyCar, IMSA, Trucks, Drifting, Historics), a car show and exhibition inside, great food options, a concert, and plenty to do around (shops, beach, touristy things). My wife who is not a race fan but tagged along with me even admitted she had a great time! Already looking to rebook next year because I want to relive that experience again.

Based on the experience and energy of this weekend, why has no one consistently been able to utilize this blueprint successfully outside of Long Beach? It felt like an event, not just a race. Are IndyCar and IMSA that much at odds with each other that they can't see the mutual benefit of doing this more often than just Long Beach and Detroit? And not a question, but I really hope Iowa is successful as it seems to be trying a similar approach

Ben, Cypress, TX

MP: Great to hear, Ben, and yes, I’ve always been an advocate of adding street races for the sake of making new fans in an easy, downtown location where non-fans might want to check out what we’re about. IMSA hasn’t organized a street race of its own in forever, nor do I see them changing that practice, so it’s up to IndyCar to work with its promoter base to see what’s possible. Green Savoree give us the St. Pete and Toronto street races, Penske does Detroit, and we have the new Big Machine group behind Nashville. Would one of them be up for expanding, or would a new street race promoter need to raise their hand?

Let's bring back the IndyCar/sports car double-header street race in Baltimore. Problem solved. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: I'm sure there's something in the works to remember Robin at this year’s Indy, hopefully joyous in reflection of his love for the race and humorous based on his years of memorable quotes. After your comment about how embarrassed R.M. would be about naming the race for him at Milwaukee, perhaps something could be done at Indy to give him a poke in the ribs?

When he was being remembered after his passing it came to light just how generous he was and wanted no recognition for it, so I was thinking that something done for charity in his name would be correct.

But instead of the typical event, maybe do something with humor injected. Like the Robin Miller 5k at the track some morning where participants must wear vintage t-shirts and sweatpants while consuming a Pepsi and a donut? That's just off the top of my head, but the idea is to do something that would fit the RM mold.

Tracey St Aubin

MP: We raised north of $20K for charity in Robin’s name last year, and we can certainly do more. Thinking of doing a dinner with some of his/our closest friends and spinning yarns about the old fart. Since I’ll be covering Indy for the first time without him, it will be sad and weird, and to be honest, with the daily workload to handle, I’m not sure I want to take on doing a whole charity production as well while going solo. We’ll do something, though, for sure.

Q: I get the impression you have to grow up fairly wealthy to do to make it to the top level of racing. Is that a fair assessment? I don't think less of a driver if their family has money, but it would be cool to hear if there were any Average Joes in IndyCar.

Evan, Tonawanda, NY

MP: Big money or big talent has always been the ticket to land in pro racing, and for the most part, the best drivers are all from normal backgrounds. Scott Dixon had to sell shares — a future earnings deal – as a kid where investors put up the money to get him racing in America, and it was only though that investment group that he landed in Indy Lights and earned his way forward. The late Justin Wilson had to do the same and it took a long while to pay off the investors. Your reigning champ Alex Palou comes from utter normalcy; so does Pato O’Ward. Same with Alexander Rossi. Same with Scott McLaughlin, who worked as a racing mechanic and fabricator before getting his shot in Australian Supercars. And so on and so on.

It's not uncommon for mom or dad to have a good job that allows them to pay for karting, and maybe even the first step of the Road To Indy, but it’s rarely more than that when we’re talking about the top half of the field.

Q: It appeared that the build-up of marbles off of the racing line was a big issue at Long Beach, and is an issue at most of the IndyCar races. I just watched a replay of the Australian Grand Prix, and it didn’t look to me like there were marbles off the racing line even at the end of the race. Am I just not seeing them? Is the makeup of the tires that much different? If the marbles are due to softer compounds, would it make sense to use harder compounds, which likely would make the cars much harder to hustle around the tracks, but might also showcase driver skill?

George from Seattle

MP: The cars are already incredibly hard to drive on the limit, so I don’t think there’s a need to make them impossible to drive. Driver skill is showcased on every lap — some display more than others. Going to harder tires wouldn’t change this. No doubt the marbles were excessive at Long Beach; a mid-race visit by the sweepers would have been a welcome intermission.

Q: Nice to see Juncos Hollinger willing to step up and take one for the team and get that 33rd car in the show. It got me to thinking to back in the day when a who's who of race car drivers showed up and wanted a crack at qualifying one of the extra dozen race cars that were sitting around the garage. Bump Day was a necessity back then. Now for many reasons (money) it's not.

Yes, it is exciting to watch and yes, the network hypes it and can sell big-time commercial spots. And yes, it is a tradition, but the way sponsor money is these days, let's be glad we can get 11 rows of three considering there are only 26 full-timers, give or take. Right from the get-go you need seven more cars and about $7 million to make it happen. If it happens there is no 34th car, then so be it. Let's move on. Maybe next year will bring some additional cars and we can revisit that tradition.

Jeff, Florida

MP: The big change some of the Indy-only entrants have experienced is the lack of willingness for full-time teams to lease extra cars or co-enter on cars they’d run. The hardships being felt this year might actually have a positive effect next year as some have refused to let this happen again and say they are going to buy their own Dallara DW12s to at least have that big asset under their control. Having a car won’t solve everything, but it does take some control into their hands next time around.

Q: I'm a lifetime Indy 500 attender and have been to the Bommarito 500 at WWTR Raceway three times now. Looking to make my first visit to Road America in June with a few buddies. If we get GA tickets, any tips/recommendations on where to catch the action? I am sure Miller answered this question a few years back, but would appreciate your insights! Thank you.

Eric from St. Louis

MP: Fantastic choice, and Road America is the perfect example of why I make the same recommendation for all road courses: Bring a rolling cart or backpacks where you can strap a folding chair in place and spend the event touring the incredible vantage points inside and outside the facility.

Elkhart Lake is particularly special because there are tons of spots to view from, be it on small/free grandstands or from the hills or valleys in your own chairs. I could just say ‘everywhere,’ but honestly, walk the hill to the paddock, take a look around, and then pick a direction and wander in any direction and you’ll find fans, food, and amazing sights. And if you enjoy photography, it’s one of the best road courses in the country for finding and taking great shots with beautiful backgrounds.

Q: I'll be passing through Indianapolis this summer and was thinking of stopping by the Dallara factory, but I see they've stopped doing tours for the public. Do you know if/when they might be opening that back up? Otherwise, aside from visiting the IMS Museum, is there anything else to see or do in the Indianapolis area that would be interesting for an IndyCar fan?

Eric

MP: Definitely worth calling and asking Dallara, and yes, plan on spending at least half a day at the museum. Well worth checking the schedule at IRP (or whatever it’s called these days) to get your short track fix, and it might also be worth ringing a few IndyCar teams to see if they’d welcome taking you on a tour. The bigger teams might say no, so don’t ignore some of the smaller outfits who could be open to the idea.

Q: I sure miss Sid Collins and crew from the ‘60s. I am 77, and attended the 500 22 times between ‘67 and 2000. I believe many ol’ timers would prefer announcers with midwestern roots to the main man now from across the pond. What say you?

Roy Parker, Auburn, AL

MP: Leigh Diffey, the announcer you’re referring to, came here from Australia, and having fallen in love with the country, became a naturalized citizen many years ago. He’s living the American Dream, but somehow his native accent is not as desirable to be heard over the Indy 500 broadcast? And with so many Brits and Aussies and Kiwis working in IndyCar since the 1960s, many of those races called by Collins featured pit crews or drivers whose speech sure as heck wasn’t midwestern in origin.

As for me, as a kid, my best friend was Amir Saberi, a first-generation American whose parents escaped Iran. Next to them on our block was a Russian family, and next to them was a first-generation family of Japanese and Chinese origin. Our neighbors to the right were from Germany. Most of the kids I grew up with either had an accent or accents were heard from their parents, so that’s my norm.

We actually write these captions in an Australian accent. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: Everybody likes to see IndyCar teaming up with the likes of IMSA and NASCAR on various race weekends throughout the season. Why doesn’t IndyCar team up with Formula 1 now that there’s soon going to be three American F1 weekends?

Liberty Media is already American-owned. IndyCar could race on the Saturday. The world already sees IndyCar as ‘Formula 1 Lite’ so it’s not like there’s that much pride to swallow. The cross-pollination could only lead to better things in the future for both!

P.S. Will you commentate on the 24 Hour of Le Mans broadcast again?

Brad from Hollywood

MP: Can’t say I agree with anything you’ve written here, Brad. What ‘the world’ thinks of IndyCar doesn’t matter for a series that doesn’t race throughout the world. Would the NFL agree to hold the Super Bowl on a Saturday ahead of the World Cup’s main event at the same venue on a Sunday because soccer is a bigger deal globally? Not a chance in hell. IndyCar is our biggest, oldest, and most meaningful open-wheel series. Why on earth would it position itself to be the lame opening act on home soil?

Calling the LM24 in 2017 was a thrill of a lifetime as SPEED/FOX Sports said farewell to the race. Since it’s been taken over by the horrendously bad Eurosport group, I can’t see a way or reason for me to do it again. Thanks for asking.

Q: A recent Mailbagger has asked wishfully about a Panoz '07 Champ Car "clone" for 2025-ish. Which made me wonder...

Can't we (me & R.P., after he hires me as "automobile stylishness & coolness executive") just scale those' 07 Panoz's up by 15.279'r% (Roger, that's a niner... see what I did there...) and make the new cars shaped like slightly bigger Panoz Champ Car for the upcoming 2025-ish chassis? Surely it'll fit the new fancy electro-wizardry hybrid stuff inside, right? Engineers are smart enough to figure out how, anyway. Minor issue, surely.

The ‘90s and 2000s open-wheel cars were almost all amazing-looking. What happened to the higher front nose with a not-so-wide front wing that extends below the nose? F1 cars used it, Champ Car used it... And of course, it looks cool. The early DW12 had some anesthetic ‘peculiarities’. But they were still good enough cars to go fast and not crash. Bonus!

Was it a safety issue from the higher nose, and fear of another Zanardi crash situation involving a nose cone entering another car’s cockpit in a T-bone-type crash?

Or just evolution of the rules in the chase for downforce and lap time that caused front wings to grow to sometimes hideous proportions?

I do really like the new DW12 iteration. Looks sleek, looks fast. That's all you really want from a race car. And speed, obviously. Why no more upturned noses? Curvy front wings? They looked cool - so it's clearly worth tens of millions of dollars in development. Right?

Mike, still in Tampa

MP: Oh no, Mike. That’s $20 in the ‘front nose’ fine jar for you. Safety has been a reason cited for the general lowering of the high noses across open-wheel racing, but I don’t recall that being said for the DW12. I agree — the high noses do look pretty. It’s the one thing I’ve written about that I’d love to see changed with the new car when it arrives in 20??.

Q: Firstly, I am a fan of all IndyCar drivers, so whoever wins the 500 I’m okey-dokey with that. Secondly, and more importantly, I hope that Jimmie Johnson wins the race this year but only to see NBC go apes*** forever and ever afterwards. Every car-cam shot from every race after that will be from J.J.’s car. All commercials will be Carvana ads. Every pre-race show will be 30-minute Jimmie Johnson infomercials. Every post-race show will have J.J. interviewed before the winner. You know I’m right, don’t you?

Janis (hiding out in a rock and roll band in central Florida)

MP: You just broke my Sarcasm-ometer, Janis.

Q: The last Mailbag seemed short on accolades for the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend, so I feel obliged to comment. It was a great time! I've been going since 1987 and the vibe is always good; this year had some excellent reasons to love going to the races. Big action in the IMSA race, aggressive Porsche Cup, hysterical Super Truck antics, incredible historical IMSA (am still hearing those four rotor Mazdas in my brain and wondering how much Zak Brown spends maintaining his Jaguar), and of course a great IndyCar race.

I am particularly impressed with the accessibility of the drivers. The Friday autograph session was packed, and every driver I spoke to said that they were having a good time. In particular, the RLL trio was smiling, joking, stepping up for selfies, and made you want to hang out and have a beer with them. And for a much lower ticket price than F1.

This is how you build momentum for the series – excitement, accessibility, multiple fun race series in one weekend. Granted, Long Beach has a long history and was the crown jewel that the IRL sought for years, but man, if every IndyCar race was like this we should be able to double annual race attendance and, over time, television ratings.

Paul in San Francisco

MP: It’s a spectacular event without question. The history and provenance help, for sure, as does the oceanside setting. It’s not exactly a secret, but most of the track owners/event promoters belong to a group that meets a few times each year. I wonder how IndyCar might leverage the skills and creativity within that group to help some of its underperforming venues.

A couple of young fans enjoying the Long Beach vibe with Simon Pagenaud. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Q: If they really cared about scraggly starts they should go to standing starts. Oh wait, I forgot standing starts in IndyCar are impossible. I remember years ago they would wave off starts, sometimes more than once. Now it seems if the polesitter is less than three car lengths ahead they let it go.

Dave

MP: Duly noted.

Q: F1 has a budget cap. It is early in the season and some teams have incurred multiple crashes with significant damage that is obviously expensive. Assuming that teams budget for these occurrences, is it theoretically and hypothetically possible for a team to incur so much expense in crash damages that they reach the budget cap and can no longer rebuild and field a car?

Steve in Florida

CHRIS MEDLAND: Yep, it is theoretically possible! You're right that teams have budgeted for it, and Otmar Szafnauer made clear that Alpine has allocated quite a lot of money on that front so that it doesn't get caught out, but it's not a bottomless pit anymore so if a team was to write cars off on a regular basis (think Mick Schumacher's crash in Jeddah – estimated at up to $1m in damage by Guenther Steiner) then it would at the very least have to start moving resources away from car development or similar and onto production. If a team had a shocking run, then technically it could hit the budget cap limit, although in that case it would likely still manufacture the required parts to race and just take a penalty handed out by the FIA.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 23 April, 2014

Q: Is there any chance you could obtain the rights to write the definitive biography of A.J. Foyt? I have the one that was issued in the late ’70s and it is rubbish. You know A.J. quite well and nobody loves open-wheel racing more than you. You are truly the best writer when it comes to Indy.

Joe Thoms

ROBIN MILLER: Well, thanks for the compliment but Bill Neeley wrote a book in 1983 (A.J.) that’s a pretty good read about Super Tex, so go on Amazon and see if you can pick one up. A.J. asked me once why I hadn’t written a book yet and I told him I couldn’t until he’s passed on. He wondered why and I said: “Because after you read one of the chapters you’d want to kill me.” He called me an a**hole, I agreed and said that’s why we were pals.