The RACER Mailbag, June 29

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.

NOTE FROM MARSHALL: My wife and I are headed out today for a vacation to celebrate her birthday, so I’ll be away for Mid-Ohio and most of next week. As a result the Mailbag will also take a break, but you’re welcome to send in questions and I’ll pick them up for the next Mailbag which will run on July 13.

Q: I have a few random, and dated, comments and questions. Happy to see Daly and Rosenqvist doing well lately. Hope it continues for them. The Indy GP seemed to have a noticeably larger crowd than in prior years. Do you agree, or did it seem similar to before?

As amazing as the Indy 500 is, I can understand double points although, at the same time because it is such a huge race, I think having it be for no points at all could also be good. I know that many won't agree, but that is OK.

Lastly, I find it very impressive how Andretti is able to consistently find new sponsors to bring into the sport, not only as a great way to make ends meet, but to sell the series and his team and any B2B deals they work out. As it is to find money, good for them. (Honorable mention to Rahal as well).

Andy Brumbaugh, Columbia, SC

MARSHALL PRUETT: The Indy GP looked and felt like the healthiest I’ve seen it firsthand since the inaugural race in 2014. The only thing missing in your thoughts about awarding no points for IndyCar’s biggest race is the reason why you think it would be a good idea. Since I can’t come up with a reason where it makes sense, or would be a positive, I’ll need your help on the rationale with that one. Michael’s business development team has been the best in IndyCar for more than a decade; RLL, as you note, isn’t far behind and if we’re handing out awards, Graham Rahal might be the best driver/businessman we’ve seen since Parnelli Jones.

Q: I can't recall in the past years hearing drivers state during interviews how much fun they are having in IndyCar. This is why they race and we live vicariously through them. Driving a car fast is a blast! I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Mike in Indy

MP: IndyCar drivers have tons of fun in the series, but it doesn’t always extend into pure fulfillment behind the steering wheel. As the best drivers have told me, when compared to the pre-aeroscreen DW12s, or the manufacturer aero kit DW12s, or the Lolas, Reynards and Panozs some drove in CART or Champ Car, the current iteration of the DW12 is underwhelming due to its high weight and high center of gravity.

These drivers aren’t like you and I who get a thrill every now and then by going quickly for short bursts in a road car. These are elite professionals who want to drive the sharpest, most exhilarating cars, and for many who’ve driven the DW12 and other IndyCar models prior to 2020, the car today is considered a disappointment.

There are periods in every sport where the rules make for something that’s less explosive or dynamic than other periods. From a pure driving standpoint, IndyCar’s best drivers long for a lighter and more nimble machine.

Q: I know Firestone takes different compound tires to different tracks. What about the rain tires? Do they have different compounds of those or is there just one type that is taken to all tracks?

Craig

MP: One compound, and some of the rain tires being hauled from race to race by Firestone are a few years old.

A couple of Firestone rain tires wait forlornly under stubbornly dry skies for their chance to shine. Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment

Q: There were reports over the past weeks indicating a likely depleted field for the upcoming IMSA race at CTMP/Mosport, specifically due to the COVID requirements for entry into Canada. Estimates were that 25% or more of the grid are not vaccinated. Interestingly, I have not heard of any similar concerns amongst the IndyCar paddock about the Toronto race. I was wondering if you could shed any light on both the upcoming IMSA and IndyCar events. Are there still concerns about the ability to properly field entries?

Mark Thurygill

MP: Hard to say on the IMSA side, since I haven’t focused much on the series this year, but the entry list is noticeably light in GTD, bringing the total car count to 26-27, based on whether the CarBahn/Peregrine team can recover from having its Lamborghini trashed by the two idiots playing bumper cars in LMP2 last weekend.

I can say that with IndyCar’s well-known shortage of experienced crew to draw upon, I’d be surprised to learn if any of the full-time teams with entries headed to Toronto would allow this to become an issue among their employees. Complying with all border-crossing requirements in order to do the job comes with accepting the job.

Q: How do you rate the chances that the Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar will become a race winner? Peugeot’s record in sports car racing speaks for itself, but this car is so unique you have to wonder. I can't imagine the Peugeot board of directors forking over hundreds of millions of dollars on a design they don't think will win. On the other hand, Mercedes bet the farm on a zero sidepod design for their F1 car this year and it's been third-best.

Jonathan, Ventura, CA

MP: I would have been concerned if the 9X8 was designed 30 years ago and lacked all of the highly refined simulation tools to validate the concept. But in 2022, I’m not concerned. The only question is how the car will fare against proven cars like the Toyota and Glickenhaus Hypercars, because until they share the same track for qualifying or a race, the respective strengths and weaknesses of the Peugeot won’t be known. The shock would be if the 9X8 was faster than the two models with more than a year of racing and development to draw from, so in that regard, if it’s last on debut, that’s where it belongs. If it's last after six months of competition, that’s where the alarm bells will be triggered.

Q: I'm heading to Mid-Ohio and dragging some friends along with me. One is a big racing fan, the other went to IU so he gets it and the third is big sports fan but I haven't been able to turn him into a race fan and probably never will. I took him to Indy last year, and while he had a great time he wanted to go somewhere different this year. Our schedules all lined up with Mid-Ohio. Do you have any suggestions for how to make the race an enjoyable race for all? We have tickets in the Esses but plan on walking around to check out the track. Are there any viewing areas you would suggest we stop at to check out the action?

Also, if Tony George were still in charge of the Speedway, do you think he would use his powers to entice the new LIV Tour to hold a tournament at the Speedway's golf course? He just loves a good split.

Mikey, Long Island, NY

MP: Mid-Ohio has two big features that should make it fun for everyone. First, almost section of the track can be accessed by foot or golf cart, and you’re pretty close to the action, so that makes for great viewing and photography, if that’s of interest. Watching the cars blast through Turn 1, on driver’s left or right, is incredible, and from there, Turns 4 through 9 from the inside of the track (driver’s right) are my favorite. Crazy elevation changes and lots of bravery on display.

The other aspect to love at Mid-Ohio is the camping and communal vibe you’ll find while exploring the outer loop. If you’re a Rossi fan, you’ll find people with Rossi shirts or banners, often with the BBQ going and a few adult beverages in hand, and they’re usually happy to welcome a member of the Rossi tribe into their area. Same for Herta fans, Newgarden fans, etc. It’s an awesome place to make new friends, spin some yarns, and feel like you’re connected to the core of IndyCar. Road America’s the same way.

And yes, Mr. IRL would certainly welcome a rebel tour to play on the IMS greens.

Q: The lack of fans sitting in the grandstands for the IMSA races can be deceiving. Being an old baby boomer race fan for years, you can't sit in the stands all afternoon. The sun is so intense that three to six hours would be tough and foolish. Great views and I can afford it but you have to take great care of fair skin. Gave up a great seat in Turn 4 for the 500 because of this.

Clay, Duluth, GA

MP: It certainly can, but when there’s also a lack of fans lining the circuit and the camping/parking spots are largely empty as the overhead shots from the helicopter revealed last weekend at Watkins Glen, you just have a limited number of fans at an event. I wish that wasn’t the case, Clay.

Q: I just saw the "Ford v Ferrari" movie for the nth time and decided to understand the real circumstances that screwed Ken Miles. The movie shows Dan Gurney as the winner – not true – and misrepresents the ending laps. If the movie were accurate, I think Gurney is the type of stand-up guy who would have corrected the outcome on the spot. Yes? Evidently Amon and McLaren were not so inclined at the time.

Did any of the participants (especially Amon and McLaren, both dead well before the movie) ever express regrets or try to correct the results, as impossible as that sounds? Any precedent for changing the record? Probably not, since it’s a French race.

Shelby tried to make peace with his part in the decision, but the results still stand. If Miles were still alive today, how would he feel?

The movie, with all its rewriting of history, really highlighted that previously unknown and under-appreciated Ken Miles was a key figure in American sports car racing and that he got royally screwed at Le Mans.

Richard

MP: RACER's Mark Glendenning interviewed Chris Amon shortly before the New Zealander's death, so let's hand it over to him:

MARK GLENDENNING: For some reason I still haven't seen Ford v Ferrari – which I need to do something about – so I can't speak to the film's version of the race. As Amon told it to me, he and McLaren's Ford was unique that year in that it started the race with Firestones instead of Goodyears due to both drivers having personal sponsorship deals with Firestone. But the tires starting chunking badly during the early hours, prompting McLaren to jump out of the car at the end of a stint and march off to negotiate a tire manufacturer change mid-race. Amon takes up the story from here:

"The upshot of that was that we'd had three pit stops before any of the other cars had done one. So Bruce said, 'Hey, we've got nothing to lose, let's just drive the hell out of it'. Which is effectively what we did. By the daylight hours of the morning, maybe seven or eight o'clock, we'd actually gotten ourselves into the lead. And then of course later in the morning the sign went out saying 'Ease'. And that meant, hold station. That's when everything started to go pear-shaped.

"Bruce was in the car, and we were close on a minute in front. So Bruce slowed down, and unfortunately the second car didn't, and caught and passed us very quickly – we'd slowed by something like four seconds per lap. It was at that point that the senior Ford people made the decision to go for a dead heat, because if they couldn't control the drivers and stop them from racing each other, then that was the solution – it would make racing each other pointless.

"Little did the team know, the [race] organizers had decided that they were never going to have a dead heat. So it all got a bit messy there over those last few hours. I guess the situation after the race... Ken was very upset because he was a full-time resident Shelby driver, and he'd won at Sebring, he'd won at Daytona, and I think he wanted the triple crown. 

"I think Ken sort of felt that he had the right to win, which I never really understood. And the whole thing wasn't helped by the fact that he died at Riverside just a few weeks later. That was a bit hard to cope with at the time.

"As we came to the finish, I was still thinking it was going to be a dead heat. It wasn't really until a few minutes after the finish that I knew we'd been declared the winners. It was a bit strange standing and watching the finish, because Bruce crossed the finish line a few car lengths ahead of Ken anyway. Bruce always said to me that Ken backed off... whether Ken backed off or Bruce accelerated, I'm not sure [laughs]. But that was always Bruce's line."

You can read the full interview with Amon here. Apologies in advance for the formatting – it's from the old version of RACER.com, and it went a bit wonky when it migrated to the current site.

For all of Ford's efforts to orchestrate a dead heat at Le Mans in 1966, McLaren was clearly ahead of Miles at the checker. David Phipps/Motorsport Images

Q: With the debut and driver line-up release for the Penske Porsche Motorsport team, and Silly Season in full swing in IndyCar, I was curious to know if there has been any talk of the current IndyCar line-up for Team Penske joining up as endurance drivers for IMSA as well as potentially for Le Mans? I would really enjoy seeing McLaughlin, Newgarden, and Power running in a Prototype.

Also, with the dual effort by PPM to run both IMSA and WEC, could we see more than just a two-car entry at both Daytona and Le Mans, much like CGR did with the Ford programs, or are they set on just a two-car effort for both marquee events?

Jamie Doellinger, York, PA

MP: I know that Newgarden, Power and McLaughlin would all love to be part of the PPM 963 program, and the only chance I can think of is as fourth drivers at the Rolex 24. It’s the only event where more than three are used in IMSA, and the WEC/LM24 limits teams to three per car, so if it’s going to happen, it’s January in Florida. If I’m PPM, I’m bringing all four cars to Daytona and learning as much as possible with the extra two WEC cars. I’d expect the two IMSA 963s to head across to France in June.

Q: My 11-year-old son asked me about types of Indy 500 drivers and, of course, I had to say there were two kinds… drivers that have hit the wall and those that will eventually.

But that got us to thinking. Who are the most successful Indy 500 drivers that have not hit the wall? I assume Ray Harroun never did. Won only 500 he entered. Guessing there are others from back in the day.

So my question is, who is the most recent Indy 500 winner to have never hit the wall at IMS? This would include the race, qualifications, practice and testing. Road course and e-racing (ha!) excluded.

I need to do more research, but maybe Simon Pagenaud? The only thing I can find online is about his e-racing crash with Lando Norris.

Josh Laycock

MP: You might be onto something with Simon. As much as I love trying to answer all manner of questions, clearing my calendar to do days of research across hundreds of sessions to answer a single submission isn’t the purpose for the Mailbag. But if you decide to wander down this rabbit hole and spend umpteen hours researching every session for every winning and come up with the answer, please send it in!

Q: Thank you for the great article and video about the restored Gurney Eagle on MPShowMe44. I was newly married and had kids during the "life" of this car, so I never got to see it race or read about it. It’s so beautiful! But I have one question: how come the Cosworth engine created so many problems with the chassis and the stock block engine didn’t?

Sean Raymond

MP: Kind of you to say, Sean. But the real star of that video is Jacques Dresang, whose research made for a fun piece of storytelling. In the most basic terms, the car was designed for the stock block Chevy, so every aspect of the 81 Eagle was optimized for that naturally-aspirated V8. AAR was short on funding, wanted to maintain its presence in IndyCar as a constructor and entrant, and couldn’t afford the turbocharged Cosworth DFX engine, so it went with a simpler and cheaper Chevy V8, which also came with a weight break compared to the DFX. The car’s designer, John Ward, told me the motor was aluminum from top to bottom, which helped as well, and with its relatively compact footprint in the back of the car, it was delightfully packaged and handled and performed accordingly.

I wouldn’t say the DFX caused outrageous problems by any means, but the car’s sweet spot was with its original engine layout.

Q: Dampers are one of the few areas open to development for IndyCar teams, but what goes into this development? Are they machining new pistons and other components in-house? I'm also curious to know if the paddock has a preferred starting damper (Ohlins, Penske, Multimatic etc) that the individual teams then modify to their own specs?

Joe from Ohio

MP: For those who do their own, it’s everything inside the damper, except for the inerters, from what I’m told. For those who buy them from elsewhere, I think you’ll find most have modified whichever brand they already had, rather than there being a go-to model to buy, gut, and make their own internals.

Q: With no oval tracks (other than the four already on the schedule) seemingly wanting to host an IndyCar race, or IndyCar not wanting to go to any more ovals, what about returning to Burke Lakefront Airport at Cleveland, or some other airport? I remember a many good races there, lots of passing, and drivers taking chances going into the turns. Other than the road course at Indy, I find the street and road races to be boring lately. Most of the lead changes are during pit stops, or the leader having a problem. Is there any chance of going back to Cleveland, or some other airport?

Jim, Ontario, Canada

MP: I believe Burke Lakefront Airport could become Burke Lakefront Condominiums or something similar if local authorities have their way. As for why IndyCar doesn’t go race there or another airport venue, it’s because nobody is trying to promote an airport race right now.

CLEVELAND. Motorsport Images

Q: After so many weeks discussing the incredibly lame balloon release "tradition," I thought we needed to talk about the 500 tradition that Indy fans really want to keep: The Indy 500 Kick In The Balls.

Sure, it hurts to get kicked in the nuts. Of course, the human testicle wasn't designed for this sort of abuse. And yeah, it's probably bad for our long-term reproductive health.

But it's tradition, dammit, and all traditions deserve to be kept for their own sake. I simply can't enjoy the Indy 500 if it isn't preceded by a swift hit to the crotch. It was good enough for my father, and his father before him, so by golly it's good enough for me. Maybe Roger Penske got scared by enough members of the Medical-Industrial Complex to cancel the official event, but I hope other tradition-minded fans will join me next year in our own unofficial Kick In The Balls just outside the circuit.

Let's keep this great Indy 500 tradition alive, so we can continue to celebrate the Great American Race the way only scrotal pain can.

Bakkster, MD

MP: Never change, Bakkster.

One question, though. Does your favorite kick-in-the-crotch Indy 500 tradition also include the very gender-specific specific "Gentleman, and only gentleman, start your engines"?

Q: The Mailbag questions about creating a special TV show to raise ratings always crack me up. They are good and do help, but they cost money to produce. It’s always the money thing getting in the way.

Anyway, here's my fantasy TV show to raise awareness of IndyCar. AJ Foyt, Pancho Carter and Paul Tracy take Colton Herta and Pato O'Ward on a road trip from Indy to Laguna Seca in a 1974 Ford Country Squire Station Wagon (green with wood paneling). The goal is to teach these young kids how to drive open-wheel cars. I'm not sure they'd get out of the parking lot before punches get thrown...

I'd have thrown in Uncle Bobby, but he's sadly no longer with us.

John

MP: I love the concept. I also love the inverse idea; throw A.J., Pancho and P.T. into a one of their DW12s in max-downforce Iowa qualifying trim and see if any would last five laps before their arms fell off.

Q: F1 seems to show time behind the car in front of the driver. IndyCar shows time behind the leader. Is there any particular reason IndyCar has chosen that? Or is it just what always has been done? I think I would prefer what F1 shows.

Craig

MP: F1 actually does both, and I’d welcome seeing NBC Sports incorporate the information into its scoring pylon.

Q: I am curious as to why there has been no mention (or punishment) of Will Power purposely running into Devlin DeFrancesco on the cool-down lap at Road America? I know he was mad, but I have always understood such an action to be a pretty egregious violation of the rules.

Joe in Turlock

MP: First I’ve heard of it, Joe. Meh. I don’t watch racing hoping for the refs to blow the whistle at every opportunity.

Q: Would you be at all surprised that I live in Utah and actually was an evangelist for two years? If IndyCar would send me on a mission to preach about it, I would do it. I am 100% converted to the cause. If you know of any preaching opportunities out there, just let me know.

Ever since I attended Long Beach, and witnessed IndyCar racing in person, all I can think about is being a part of it somehow and learning as much as I can. I have since completed Beast by Jade Gurss, The Split, and I am just about the finish Paul Page’s book. Are there any websites, blogs, or other books you would recommend?

Mike from Utah

MP: That’s great to hear, Mike. I don’t spend much time on other IndyCar-related sites, so I’m of no help there. As for books, pay a visit to my friend Paul Zimmermann’s The Motorsport Collector site, or any other reputable racing memorabilia/racing book seller, and take home some old Carl Hungness Indy 500 annuals and some of the Autocourse CART and Champ Car annuals. Amazing history is captured in those pages and in many cases, they can be had for not a lot of money.

Q: Each IndyCar has its number on both sides of the roll bar cowling. Each number also has a black circle maybe two inches in diameter. What is it? What does it do?

David Mannweiler, Indianapolis

MP: I’m wondering if you’re seeing and referring to the holes in the roll hoop where the tow bars slide through?

Light-colored car, white numbers. All the better to show off the tow bar holes in the roll hoop. Karl Zemlin/Penske Entertainment

Q: With so many incredible V8 engines powering street cars in cars from USA, Germany, Japan, Korea, why hasn't IndyCar looked at an equivalency formula for "stock blocks" like in the old days? Weren't the stock block rules a cost-saving idea?

It would bring instant variety to the field, create jobs in engine building shops around the country and maybe lower the bar for team entry. And we'll never see so many amazing V8s ever again.

Earl, Edmonton, Canada

MP: I’d guess the reason why is it would involve completely abandoning a fully functional engine formula that has two highly invested auto manufacturers who promote and support the series in ways that local engine builders with no history or investment in IndyCar would not. This was tried last with the original IRL formula in 1997, and it was a total s***show that proved to be among the least popular eras of all-time. So other than those two reasons, I’m all for it.

Q: NASCAR requires cars to fit windshield wipers for road courses in case of rain. How difficult would it be to fix a wiper on the aeroscreen?

Shawn in MD

MP: Well, the stock cars have windshield wiper motors, a built-in mounting position for those wiper motors, and wiper blades designed to fit the motors and windshields. Indy cars do not have windshield wiper motors, a built-in mounting position for those wiper motors, or wiper blades designed to fit the motors and aeroscreens. So, it would be difficult, my friend.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag, June 28, 2017

Q: Any good A.J. stories from his trip to Le Mans last week? How did Ford convince Foyt to go back to Le Mans after 50 years? Certainly it wasn’t for the French food. Also loved your video on the Foyt dictionary. When you interviewed him on "Wind Tunnel" in 2009, I volunteered to keep score for Greg Leary on A.J’s favorite expressions. The tally was as follows: “This is quite true” (four times), “To be quite truthful” (seven), “All in all” (twice) and “Misfortunate” (0). Having A.J. on "Wind Tunnel": priceless.

Mike, Vernon Hills, IL

ROBIN MILLER: Biggest shocker since Tex started wearing tennis shoes, but I think Edsel Ford was the big reason and only reason the ’67 co-winner returned to France. He said he lost 20 pounds because he couldn’t eat any of that $%*# and he caught a cold, and that’s his last trip across The Pond – until I convince him to go to Goodwood. I also heard that when Ford first approached him about the trip, one of his conditions was that he have a hotel room with a bathroom so he wouldn’t have to keep walking down the hallway like he did in ’67. But I’m told he actually had a good time, and he was smiling in just about every photo I saw, and he even got back behind the wheel of the GT40. So, to be quite truthful with you all, I think he had a better time than he let on.