The RACER Mailbag, April 27

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 read with interest two recent articles on RACER.com quoting Roger Penske on F1's expansion into the U.S. market and his desire for more ovals on the IndyCar schedule.

Mr. Penske seemed unconcerned by the F1 expansion. His attitude came across as "a rising tide lifts all ships." More F1 fans should translate into more racing (and therefore IndyCar) fans. While that may be true, Mr. Penske has missed a huge point. I see U.S. companies like AWS and Oracle as sponsors on F1 teams. Those sponsorship dollars should be in IndyCar. A more popular F1 means fewer sponsorship dollars for an already-starving IndyCar paddock. Also, if more F1 fans means more IndyCar fans, why did IndyCar fail at COTA, which packs them in for F1?

As to adding ovals, where are they going to come from? NASCAR owns half of the ovals in the country and they do not subscribe to the "rising tide" theory. NASCAR will do nothing to support IndyCar races on its ovals, as it sees IndyCar as a competitor for fans and sponsorship dollars, not as a partner in the auto racing business. The other half of the oval population is owned by Speedway Motorsports, LLC. Based on the way they promote at Texas, they don’t seem a reliable partner to help IndyCar grow its portfolio of oval races. I submit that Speedway Motorsports has never properly promoted IndyCar at Texas. While it depends on your perspective of what a good crowd is, I would remind people that when Texas was drawing really large IndyCar crowds, they were made up mostly of NASCAR fans who had to buy season ticket packages that included the IndyCar races in order to obtain what were then precious NASCAR Cup tickets. Unless Mr. Penske wants to get back into the racetrack business, I don’t see where an expanded oval schedule will come from.

Mr. Penske is correct in that IndyCar’s mix of tracks make it a unique championship. I would love to see a 21-race schedule with seven ovals, seven temporary circuits and seven permanent road courses like CART had at its peak. But, as the late, great Robin Miller was forced to point out too many times, those days are gone.

Bill Carsey, North Olmsted, OH

MARSHALL PRUETT: Thanks for the read-through, Bill.

Q: Along with the announcement of Paretta’s 2022 plans, I saw it was continuing the partnership with the University of South Carolina. To what capacity are USC and Paretta Autosport involved with each other?

Ian from SC

MP: Beth tells me the team “will be providing virtual guest lecturers and are looking to build cross-discipline internship opportunities across sports business, marketing, and engineering” in their relationship with the University of South Carolina.

Q: Listening to the local (Quad Cities) evening news tonight and heard a commercial from the Iowa Lottery announcing a chance to win tickets to the Iowa race and some laps around the track during the weekend. You get a chance to win with purchase of a lottery ticket. I wasn't in the room so didn't see if the ad featured IndyCars, but I'm guessing that it did. Nice to see another TV ad promoting the race and series.

I don't think Mario was mentioned as a successful driver after leaving Penske.

Mark Stetson

MP: Great to hear, Mark. Good note on Andretti. I guess I didn’t think of Mario as a post-Penske driver since he achieved so much success in racing long before he drove for The Captain and I wouldn’t credit R.P. as being the impetus for Mario’s success afterwards.

Mario Andretti claimed one Indy car win from 23 starts with Penske between 1976 and 1980 (and this race - Pocono, 1976 - was not it). But he also won 11 grands prix and a world championship during the same period, so he probably slept just fine. William Murenbeeld/Motorsport Images

Q: I know IndyCar teams have spotters. Why don't the cars have blind-spot warnings the way almost every street car does?

Earl, Edmonton, Canada

MP: Great idea. It’s one of the things I’ve written about a few times as being a smart upgrade for the next IndyCar. IMSA’s sports cars have rear-view video cameras that feed into the cockpit and some even have radar that informs the driver which side a pass is being attempted. At a place like Indy, such technology would be great to have.

Q: From a development standpoint, is USAC still viable for Indy cars? I did attend the recent USAC Sprint Car race at my home track in Ohio (Atomic Speedway in Alma) and the quality of racing was good despite it not being the golden age like it was 20 or so years ago.

Matthew Marks, Jackson, OH

MP: Only if IndyCar re-establishes an oval championship within the full-season championship. There’s just nothing that a USAC oval education is going to give a quality driver that a quality road racer can’t pick up in a season or two of IndyCar.

Q: Will we be using the DW12,000lbs in 2030? I think at the very least we’re married to it until 2026 at this point. Has Indy Car considered commissioning the new chassis so that it is available to implement should this prove to be a poor decision? They can slow roll the rollout of the new chassis, but they should at least have it designed and ready to put into service if it’s needed.

Ryan in West Michigan

MP: I can reveal here in a #BreakingExclusiveScoop that starting in 2024 when the new hybrid powerplants arrive, every IndyCar driver will be required to have passed a tractor-trailer driving school and present a Class A CDL to the series to receive a racing license.

Kidding aside, I will admit that when I sat down with R.P. for 30 minutes or so in Long Beach and rattled through a long list of questions for various stories, the new-chassis-timeline question was the one where I was praying he’d say, “Why yes, it is a priority and we’ll have the first renderings to share in a few months.” If RP doesn’t want it anytime soon, we won’t be getting it anytime soon.

Q: I’m in Toronto and I see the Honda Indy tickets are for sale. All the seats seem to be in one area. I used to sit on the start finish straight and now these seats aren’t available anymore. I was thinking Green Savoree should bring the grandstands back and offer them at a super discount price of $5-10 a seat, and maybe offer these in areas of Toronto where there may be underprivileged kids or adults who maybe can’t afford the full price.

Maybe team up with local schools to sell tickets and do a little fundraising? Just a thought…

Frank, Toronto

MP: Might be hard to get a promoter to spend money on renting grandstands just to take a loss. I’d assume the cheapest tickets are of the general admission variety, and having walked every inch of the Toronto circuit, I can tell you there are some interesting vantage points to be had with a GA ticket.

Q: Even if Paretta's team isn't contesting the Indy 500 in 2022, it would be nice to see Simona De Silvestro race the 500, maybe with another team. Maybe Simona (or Ed Carpenter) could find another sponsor for Simona for the 500. Perhaps Fuzzy's Vodka might be interested in returning?

The Indy 500 needs enough participants to continue the bumping tradition, and with Ed's team, Simona is likely to survive the bump.

Also, is the pit stop competition still planned for 2022?

Bill in CA

MP: If sponsors wanted to spend $1 million for Simona to race in the Indy 500, I’m sure they’d have written the checks. Yes, Carb Day will have the pit stop competition.

Q: Many, many years ago, during the time when many people raced what they brung at Indy car races, I remember car owners coming up into the packed grandstands at Milwaukee and looking for pit crew members. I think the pay was a T-shirt and maybe some beer after the race. My father did not think that was a good idea. Maybe the 33rd car at Indy could find a crew that way!

Mike in Phoenix

MP: You were raised by a smart man, Mike.

Q: I have noticed that Scott Dixon has his car set up at Indy so that his steering wheel is aimed to the right (one o’clock) on the straightaways so that he doesn’t turn it as much to the left in the corners. I take it he does this in order to have less speed scrubbed off in the corners. As he is consistently at the top of the speed chart, it seems it works. It doesn’t seem other drivers have their steering set up so aggressively. Why wouldn’t they try replicating Dixon’s setup?

Andrew H., Chicago

MP: Every driver has their preference. Dixie’s teammate Alex Palou has his preference, and he nearly won the Indy 500 on his second try. Helio has his, and he’s done OK at the Speedway. Same with Takuma Sato, etc. I wouldn’t attach Scott’s excellence at Indy with a specific steering wheel angle setting.

When you consider that Dixon likes the No.9 to handle like a sprint car, it's probably not a surprise that other drivers have second thoughts about borrowing his setup for Indy. Jake Galstad/Lumen

Q: I can’t help but feel that Will Power, Colton Herta and IndyCar in general narrowly avoided catastrophe last Wednesday. We all know what happened at Lausitz 21 years ago and the mere notion of it occurring again scarcely bears thinking about. I know it "shouldn’t happen" and the cold weather, plus the sealant put down created unique conditions for the drivers to handle, but unexpected situations are exactly where the advances in safety are put to the test. Wheels work their way loose and people make mistakes on cold tires, in short the unexpected is always uncomfortably present. As is ever in motorsport.

But Power’s incident made me think: why isn’t there a wall separating the warm-up lane and the track? I understand at places like Texas, Fontana or Michigan, where the cars come out on the apron adjacent to the track, an inside wall would not be feasible, but at Indy the cars are a fair way from the track and the pit wall could be extended to follow the contours of the warm-up lane. I’m sure there is a valid reason for this and obviously hindsight is 20-20, but I thought of no better authority than yourself to put this question to!

Will Brown from Cambridge, UK (A city globally famous for being where Callum Ilott is from).

MP: Callum Ilott, then some school or something, I believe, in that order! I had a similar thought for a moment about whether an inner wall to separate the exit and entry lanes from the corners. Other than citing tradition of the corners being open, there’s no reason I can come up with the prevent it from happening, with the exception of frequency. It’s such a rare occurrence, so is it worth changing big section of the track in the off chance we have a Zanardi-like situation? I’m a numbers guy. There’s a ton of things we could change to ensure something doesn’t happen every 20 years. But is that worth the effort, or do we accept there are high risks that rarely become a reality?

Q: What is the identity of Indy Lights? It has been strange to see drivers like Matt Brahbam (2022) and Max Chilton (2015) racing Indy Lights. Do you think a consolidation of Road to Indy would save it? None of the feeder series have over 16 in the field. Would it be worth consolidating it by having one car with various restrictors, running multi-classed like Star Mazda/Atlantic series long ago, or IndyCar owning the cars and renting them out?

Paul Hirsch, Westlake, OH

MP: No, I do not think there’s a significant problem that warrants consolidating the RTI. Penske’s first crack at improving Indy Lights has gone well -- not amazing, but well -- and I expect it to continue to improve in 2023. We’re living in a time where the global and domestic economies are anything but solid and steady. Discretionary funds for sons and daughters to play race car are tight. I’m not worried about the RTI.

Q: After watching the three spins on pit lane exit at the Indy test and other cold weather/tire incidents over the years, why has the series never allowed tire warmers to be used? From my understanding, a set of tire warmers only runs $2000-$5000 so cost should not be a factor when safety is involved. What are your thoughts?

Tony, Atlanta

MP: The spins had nothing to do with tire temperature; we’d have seen 100 spins if that were the case. There’s lots of things that would make driving the cars easier that could be introduced. But I don’t hear basketball fans calling for changes to make shooting the ball easier for every player, or football fans wanting to make passing easier for all quarterbacks. Making driving the car easier for those who are less skilled at extracting maximum speed on cold tires seems like everything I wouldn’t want to see in IndyCar.

Q: So, I do realize this would never happen. And judging by the problems experienced by the not-at-all stock cars again last weekend, it's probably a good thing this will never happen. But IndyCar used to race on dirt, so let's do it again! But better!

How about a one-off, non-championship but big money purse race once a year. Build 20 tube-framed '50s roadster-style cars with 300ish hp small block V8s up front, and have 'em battle it out for 25 lap qualifiers and a 50 lap feature. A tube frame car with a mildly-powered Chevy 350 or Ford 302 is probably the cheapest race car to build in the world. Teams can raid junkyards for replacement engines...

Do it as an invitational-type event and throw a few old-school Indy guys in there – kinda like how that superstar racing series did on the asphalt short tracks.

The best 10 or so current IndyCar drivers versus five current young dirt car up-and-comers and five "wild cards." Toss in a couple of NASCAR guys too. Tony Stewart and Kyle Larson should absolutely be there.

But we need a sponsor. Who's the biggest seller of potting soil? Think we can get a few million bucks from an organic manure company to put on the "Dave's Dung Delivery 100" once a year?

Mike in s****y Tampa

MP: How could Tampa be s****y, Mike? My French Fry, Sebastien Bourdais, lives there! I love the idea. Since we’re going retro, I bet I could get the Pep Boys and Northern Lights to sponsor it. Smoke and Larson in junkyard roadsters? C’mon, they’d get their asses kicked by Parnelli.

Q: I flip open my laptop to find the second day of Indy testing is under rain delay. A few moments later I see the usual safety trucks running laps to dry the track. Isn't there a better way? Given all the advancements in motorsport over the decades, it seems this archaic technique needs a serious upgrade. Is IndyCar looking into more efficient, faster and cleaner track drying technique? Maybe this would be a question to pose to STEM classrooms in finding a solution.

BTW, this will be my 25th. consecutive Indy 500. Had to puff out my chest a little.

Fred in Oregon

MP: So you’re saying sending Montoya out in a jet dryer is a bad idea?

We have the technology. Motorsport Images

Q: The state of Missouri is extremely lucky to have the USA's newest road course in the amazing Ozarks International Raceway located near Lake of the Ozarks. Having been recently to a regional sports car event, we were amazed at this facility. Obviously they have more work ahead, but the infrastructure for major race weekends is apparent. Have you heard of anyone connected with IndyCar having spoken with or even touring this awesome road course yet? Would Indy cars have any problems with an undulating track that has over 1000+ feet of elevation changes per lap?

Rusty, Hollister, MO

MP: I’ve seen photos and sure hope to pay a visit at some point. I can’t say if or what its FIA circuit rating might be, but if it’s up to grade to hold an IndyCar event, and there’s money put up to pay the sanction fee and properly promote an event, I’m sure the series would listen.

Q: While watching the open test at the Speedway on Wednesday and Thursday I was reminded of never being able to find an Indianapolis speed chart that shows the complete field with tow speeds and no-tow speeds. Maybe I’m just not looking in the right place. I enjoy seeing who is genuinely fast and the ones just looking for headlines. Also, I think when they start doing full 30-lap test runs in May, those are clear indicators of who to watch for. I know these things are mentioned here and there, but I can’t find a source for all the info?

Dave in DE

MP: IndyCar started including NTR (No Tow Report) info on its live timing and scoring page, which can be found on its website. There’s definitely value in knowing where the driver stand on the no-tow side, but it really only applies to qualifying potential and solo running in the race which, as we know, is a rarity. It’s when you see a driver running in the top five in with a big tow lap and also have a top five no-tow where the real contenders emerge.

Q: After reading your article discussing IndyCar's plans to extend the classic DW12 chassis to receive its Bar Mitzvah, the only thing that I could think of is that Roger Penske the team owner is looking purely at the near-term bottom line and neither the long-term bottom line nor the concerns that the drivers have voiced over its weight and aero issues. As Mike Hull pointed out when the new engine was being tested, the teams are going to have to spend at least $250,000 to update the DW12 to handle the hybrid, while a new chassis could be in the neighborhood of $400,000. Taking Mike's math based on what CGR has (10 cars) how does "saving" $1.5 million in 2024 actually help the teams in the long run? CGR will end up spending $6.5 million to update the DW12 and then purchase the new DW2? which ends up being a 62.5% premium. To me, that math doesn't line up to help the bottom line for these teams. Am I missing something?

Chris in Alexandria, VA

MP: There’s a lot of opposing things going on at the same time. We’re about to receive a cool and new higher-tech engine and ERS combination, but we’re stuffing it into the oldest active racing chassis in professional open-wheel. It’s like doing an amazing renovation inside a house, but leaving the old, rusty and dusty exterior alone. Conflict No. 1.

The call was made to spend a ton of money on developing these new engines, and they will certainly cost the teams more money, so there’s a willingness to spend on new things, but not when it comes to complementing the new motor with a new chassis that’s designed and optimized to handle the extra rearward weight. Conflict No. 2.

Q: I really enjoyed the IndyCar race at Long Beach and if Josef Newgarden was 23 years old today, he would be a leading candidate for a Formula 1 drive to replace Daniel Ricciardo at McLaren. That being said, I’m not a fan of push-to-pass like I was five years ago. I think it’s being abused by the lead driver for defensive purposes and once you’re out of P2P and you’re behind the leader there’s no chance to pass. I believe it’s time for the series to have DRS and I’m quite sure that Roman Grosjean, who finished second at Long Beach, and other IndyCar drivers wishes the series would adopt DRS. Hopefully the rule makers will have this rule in the series in 2024.

Alistair, Branson, MO

MP: Can’t say I’ve heard the call for killing P2P in favor of DRS as a common request from drivers, but I hear what you’re saying. I’ve never been a fan of P2P or DRS, and especially DRS since it’s automated in the races. If drivers are going to have a tool that helps them pass, I’d rather have that tool be something they control and have to manage, so in that regard, P2P makes more sense to me than DRS.

Q: I was watching Indy 500 testing and one of the commentators said the race at Barber is sold out. Is this indeed a fact? I cannot remember a time, even during the heyday of CART, that a road course was sold out. Either way, aside from Texas, it appears the attendance at IndyCar races as been solid so far this season.

Brian, Joliet, IL

MP: According to the Barber site, Sunday’s race is indeed sold out while tickets are still available for Friday and Saturday. Only thing we don’t know is what that sales number is for Sunday. Is it 15,000? Is it 30,000? I hope it’s something big, because the track and the series deserve it.

Q: When I read the article about the new green Firestones, I just thought of Japanese Super Formula because its tire supplier Yokohama has also developed environmentally-friendly tires. Also, the series is inventing its own mobile app that lets you see live in-car cameras and telemetry, just like the IndyCar mobile app. Both are very similar and you aren't surprised about it because one of companies involved has a business tie-up with NTT. I'd like to hear your thoughts about this app, which will be released next year.

https://twitter.com/SUPER_FORMULA/status/1518018651651076099

Mitsuki Matsuura, Kanagawa, Japan

MP: The app looks solid. I’ll be watching.

Q: Is Al Unser Jr. still involved in motorsports, either as a consultant, coach partner, etc.?

Werner, Cedar Grove, WI

MP: He’s been active in the Parella Motorsports Holdings F3/F4 racing world doing coaching with Future Star Racing team.

Al Jr's still in the game. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: A lot of series (F1, DPi/Hypercars, GTs of all types) use the "swan neck" approach in attaching the rear wing to the gearbox. I think Honda used the swan neck design when it had its own aero package. When the common aero package was introduced, IndyCar used the more tried-and-true approach. Was their decision based on cost or was it based on minimizing variables in a new package?

Jonathan, Ventura, CA

MP: Simplicity was the driving force here, and since the solution would be universal, there was no desire to do something more complicated or ornate.

Q: First let me say that I sincerely hope that your wife's health issues improve. I know that that must put an immeasurable stress on both of your lives.

Having said that, I was very disappointed by your response to Nick from Locust Grove, VA. He asked a perfectly reasonable question, which was, why do those who pay for the premium Peacock package still have to endure commercial breaks. Your answer was snarky and rude. And it answered a different question than he asked. Your answer was to the question, who has a more difficult life, you or I. With all due respect, whether or not your life is difficult (and I truly believe that it is) is irrelevant to his legitimate question. I think that you owe him an apology.

Jim Amerian, Santa Monica, CA

MP: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jim, and the kind words about my wife. And that’s exactly how I would have responded to Nick -- thanks for sharing your thoughts -- if a straight comment or opinion was submitted.

Best thing I can tell you is the Mailbag is no different than real life where questions get asked and the answers may or may not be exactly on the topic or what somebody wanted to hear. We do know that this weekly forum isn’t a place where everybody gets a trophy, right?

And while it’s good to know my life is irrelevant, my life experiences -- both personal and professional -- inform my views on how I see and respond to things. Just like your life experiences inform your views and responses. How wouldn’t they? The Mailbag is full of opinionated fans and an opinionated person answering the questions, but somehow, I should be a blank slate and remind myself that my life holds no meaning when answering submissions? Huh?

The commitment here is to be my authentic self. I can be really nice and can also be a real a**hole. I can be thoughtful and I can be snarky, rude, and sarcastic. If it wasn’t already apparent, one thing I’m not is a saint. Every week we get letters from passionate fans saying they loved/hated my response to whomever about whatever, I was right/wrong about something, etc., and that’s normal. It’s how this stuff works. However, the "responding to responses on how I responded" routine isn’t what the Mailbag is about, and that will change.

So, back to the original subject, yes, when I get a letter about all the ills of a $5 subscription, you bet, my life experiences will shape my response. FWIW, my life isn’t difficult. It’s actually rather amazing. I get to do the thing I love most for a living, and I have an amazing wife who is the center of my world. I’m the luckiest guy I know.

Q: Twenty-six years ago on May 12, 1996, Arie Luyendyk set the Indianapolis track record at 237.498mph. What would your experts guess how fast this car would go if taken out of museum and refurbished to racing condition and installed with the latest tires and dampers?

Dave Wells

MP: I asked the man himself, and here’s what Arie said: “Hard to tell, but I think the tires were better back then because of some chemicals that were allowed then that aren’t allowed now. I’d want to use the same dampers because they worked so well, and I’d guess we’d do the same speed as then.”

Q: I apologize if this has been asked before, but it's related to ground effect and the porpoising phenomenon we see in F1 today. Looking back at an era in F1 and IndyCar of the late 1970s/early '80s, two dominant cars come to mind with regards to ground effect -- the Lotus 79 (Mario's 1978 championship car) and the 1980 Chaparral-Cosworth (Johnny Rutherford's Indy 500 race winner). I don't recall in race reports or in TV broadcasts either of these cars, or other ground effects competitors, experiencing porpoising. I'm sure it happened, and if so, how was it addressed with those cars?

This year's issue in F1 seems to have the designers baffled. Is it too late for Mercedes to abandon the current design and resurrect the chassis design from the first test in Barcelona? It has to have been considered, at least.

Terry J.

MP: Going backwards is almost never the answer in these situations, Terry; they need to solve the problem with what they’re racing.

Yes, porpoising was indeed a major issue when big ground effects tunnels made their way into the CART IndyCar Series. The problem was resolved by going to massive springs that could not be overpowered by the gigantic amount of downforce, and while that stopped the aerodynamic hiccups, it also robbed the cars of a ton of mechanical grip. The fix was far from optimal.

More than anything with what the F1 teams are dealing with today, their schedule has been a big contributor to the lingering aero issues. Lots of races, lots of international travel, and minimal time to go and do proper track testing to try and resolve the problems is at the core of why some teams are making limited gains. As the porpoising has shown, CFD, simulators and virtual testing can’t predict or resolve everything. Sometimes, the solutions are only going to be achieved in real-world running, and there isn’t enough time during a GP weekend to erase fundamental problems and prepare for a motor race.

CHRIS MEDLAND: On the Mercedes point, the problem with that solution is it throws away all of the potential performance in the developed car. The base model was just to check systems and learn about tires, etc., with little focus on performance, but Mercedes is very confident in the outright aerodynamic numbers of the car it has run since Bahrain, it's just unable to exploit that performance. If and when it finds a solution, it thinks it will be right up there snapping at Ferrari and Red Bull's heels, but it'll never do that with the Barcelona-spec car.

Q: With my limited understanding, the porpoising effect going on over in F1 is essentially the ground effect engaging disengaging, yes? Do you think this issue could have been avoided if they had proper testing where test drivers actually test drove instead of just relying on computer models?

Shawn in MD

CHRIS MEDLAND: In a nutshell, you're right -- it's the downforce working, then not working, then working again, all in a rhythm. But if you watch most of the cars on track, they're still struggling with it and haven't solved the issue after four races, which means six days of pre-season testing plus roughly 19 hours of track time during a race weekend. The fixes are going to come in tandem with simulations, but I think that shows that if they were doing extra testing in pre-season it would still take a long time to resolve. You'd need at least an extra three-day test just to be at the point we are now.

Q: Haas has had a major step forward in performance this year. Curious to hear your thoughts on the biggest contributor for those gains. Could you break down, say percentages of car/propulsion system/driver pairing for us? And a follow-up: If you packaged this year's Ferrari engine in last year's car, what sort of improvement might have we seen at Haas last year, all else being the same? Thanks!

Andy Rolfe, Brighton, MI

CHRIS MEDLAND: I think it's important not to underestimate the car in all of this, because Haas wrote off last year and was heavily focused on 2022 for a long time. I'd probably go 50% car, 20% power unit and 30% driver, because if you look at what Kevin Magnussen has achieved compared to Mick Schumacher, he's scored all 15 of the team's points and scored in four of the five events offering points. If this was last year's line-up, Haas would have a single point on the board (because Schumacher's P11 in Bahrain would become P10 without Magnussen ahead of him) and wouldn't look anywhere near as big a step as it does now.

That also tells you not to overstate the power unit, which is clearly a good improvement with Ferrari and Alfa Romeo both being so strong, but it's not that any of those cars are reliant on straight line speed only. All of them have good aero performance, so if you put this year's Ferrari PU in last year's Haas, I think you just get a few more Q2 appearances and maybe the odd lucky point, but not a lot more.

However you crunch the numbers, Haas is roughly 82% less sucky than last year. Carl Bingham/Motorsport Images

Q: Should A.J. Foyt be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame? (He is on the 2023 ballot). Will Smokey Yunick ever be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

Kurt Perleberg

KELLY CRANDALL: I don’t see A.J. Foyt being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and as a first-year voter myself I can say he won't be on my ballot. While Foyt is a Daytona 500 winner, I think more of open-wheel accomplishments and legacy than NASCAR when it comes to Foyt. I’m not sure he’s made enough of an impact for folks to consider voting for Foyt versus someone with a much stronger resume who is on the ballot. As for Smokey Yunick, never say never. But Yunick is a name that is mostly brought up (passionately) each year by outsiders and not those within the sport. Nor has he ever made the ballot. Maybe someday we’ll learn why he keeps getting snubbed.

Q: Not the biggest NASCAR fan since the retirements of J.G. and T.S.  but a bit reinvigorated since Kyle Larson was reinstated. Is there a way to control these cars at the superspeedways? Can they stop bump drafting, or last-lap "wreck the leader" wins? Do they want to? How can the teams afford all of the carnage? Does it take someone getting killed, as Ryan Newman almost did, to change things?

Tim B.

KELLY CRANDALL: If you want to stop bump drafting then NASCAR needs to make a rule that bumpers can never touch -- which would lead to a ridiculous level of officials getting involved in the race -- or just stop going to superspeedways. Daytona and Talladega have been on the schedule for decades, so that doesn’t seem likely. So as long as teams race at those two tracks there will be wrecks and aggressive driving. As much as teams and drivers complain about the racing, they show up every year and always have inventory so I’m not sure that talking about what they can afford matters. To its credit, NASCAR is always working on the superspeedway package to make sure it is the safest it can be for the next Daytona or Talladega race. It is constantly learning from each wreck and driver feedback, which points to why we have not had a fatality since 2001. It’s an easy thing for drivers to say and they certainly have a point, but they also are the first ones to credit NASCAR for the ever-evolving safety of the cars when they walk away from a crash.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag, April 30, 2014

Q: Although the DW12 has raced very well at Barber, there really is only one good passing zone on the track. It seems like a great passing zone would be created if they took out the chicane on the back straight. Even Dixon alluded to that in his interview. If they intend to continue hosting the Verizon IndyCar Series, why not lay some pavement and turn that into a high-speed kink? It wouldn’t turn it into Elkhart Lake, but it would be a terrific improvement.

Matt McGowan, Collegeville, PA

ROBIN MILLER: George Barber’s facility is the most pristine in North American road racing and the IndyCar races are well promoted and the fans have embraced it. Initially, I recall the drivers making suggestions to track changes that would enhance passing and, one was what you pointed out here, but nothing has been done just yet. However, behind Alabama and Auburn football and the NASCAR races at Talladega, the IndyCar race is in the top five sporting events in 'Bama, so it would behoove them to make the track even racier for Indy cars.