The RACER Mailbag, August 3

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: Let's suppose that come the IndyCar finale at Monterey, the championship is down to Marcus Ericsson and Alex Palou or Scott Dixon and Alex Palou. Does Chip Ganassi let Alex suit up that weekend?

Bruce Kerr

MARSHALL PRUETT: Yes, without a doubt. Chip is many things, but he isn’t an idiot. If Palou’s in the mix for a second consecutive title, that’s not something Ganassi would monkey with and risk losing -- for himself or his sponsors -- due to the lawsuit.

The real question here is whether Palou, if he’s out of the championship fight, would help Ericsson or Dixon in the remaining races? After Dixie’s comments in Toronto about loyalty and whatnot, I don’t know if he and Palou are besties anymore (they never were, to be honest), and if the distance Marcus kept from the Palou media frenzy last Thursday at IMS is an indicator of where he stands with Alex, I do wonder if Palou would do his best to take points off of CGR’s rivals or go for individual glory and race wins that take points off his teammates if he’s not in the title picture.

Q: Are there any rumblings of Hypercar teams participating at the 2023 Rolex 24? I seem to recall a mandatory BoP test at Sebring scheduled this fall for interested manufacturers, but outside of Cadillac, Glickenhaus (sarcasm), Porsche, BMW and Acura, is anybody else interested for 2023? If not next year, do you see any WEC Hypercar manufacturers making the leap in 2024?

Joe

MP: Only rumors I’ve heard is we might get Peugeot, but to my surprise, Toyota has been awfully quiet on coming over to play. Yep, my guess is those who skip 2023 will join in 2024 after getting a proper look at the pace of the GTP cars.

Q: After just watching the race at Indy I again come away disappointed in the announcers. Two in the booth is fine, three in the booth, not so much. It seems that quite often Townsend Bell and Hinch are in competition to see how much information they can dispense. The more they talk, the faster they talk. Many times they verbalize so much information it is mentally exhausting. They do not have to tell me everything they know all of the time.

Chuck Genrich

MP: Good to hear I wasn’t the only one who noticed the information overload going on, Chuck, and if that wasn’t happening, we had the pit lane reporters cramming as many potential headlines for this week into their hits as well. It was a weird one, for sure.

Q: What’s the deal with Jimmie Johnson getting as much TV coverage as the race leaders? I understand he’s a big name in NASCAR, but until he consistently proves himself in an IndyCar, I don’t think he deserves the attention. I tend to think it is because Carvana is such a big commercial sponsor. If that is what is takes to watch IndyCar races, then so be it.

I’m a fan of oval races and wonder why IndyCar doesn’t seem interested in racing at the Kansas speedway. Is it the banking on the track?

Tim Hurd, Kansas City

MP: I’d put it down to Jimmie being the most famous and widely recognizable name in a series where everyone other than Helio Castroneves has zero profile outside the sport. And then you have the fact that NBC has half the NASCAR schedule on its channels, so the inevitable attempt to create crossover viewing interest is a constant. Throw in the Carvana ads, and yes, no doubt, it’s a strategy employed by NBC, not a coincidence...

If TV ratings are up as a result of NBC’s ‘Constant Jimmie’ approach, we’ll owe them a big thanks. If not, we’ll chalk it up to another attempt to use the biggest name in the series -- like we had with Danica -- to try and appeal to a wider audience.

As for Kentucky, I’m sure IndyCar would be interested if the track approached them with a good offer and plan of how they’d put a strong crowd in the stands to watch the race. The process tends to be tracks reaching out to a series, not the other way around.

Even when he's hiding behind sunglasses, a hat and some carefully cultivated stubble, he's still the most recognizable person in the IndyCar field. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Q: You're on the record stating that IndyCar, as a top-tier national series, shouldn't be anyone's opening act. That precedent has been set aside. I for one would have much rather seen it happen at an oval. If you were in charge, what oval would you do the double IndyCar/NASCAR event at?

Shawn, MD

MP: I’d go for Gateway. Talk about a clear depiction of differences between the two types of cars and racing where I’ve got to believe IndyCar comes away with a lot of love and respect for the quality of its show.

Q: During the broadcast of the race on the IMS road course, one commentator applauded a driver (maybe it was Rinus VeeKay) for his work ethic. I have a sense of what that means in other sports, like football or basketball, but I'm curious what it means in IndyCar, or racing generally. I know drivers work out and probably spend some time on a simulator, but do they watch race film, review telemetry, and that sort of thing? If they do, is that helpful for a race the following week, at a different track, or do they just file that information away for use when they return to the same track?

Chris in Richmond, CA

MP: I joke with a few of the younger IndyCar drivers that their lives sound like the old MTV Jersey Shore routine of GTL -- Gym, Tan, Laundry -- but in most cases, they all train hard, spend time on a simulator of some sorts, meet with their engineers to gameplan the next race or review the last, and look over onboard data in the same rearward- or forward-looking capacity.

Hard to say exactly what the reference was to the driver in question, but it’s not uncommon for a bright young talent, as we so often see in other sports, rely heavily on that natural talent when they’re new to a league or series. Within a year or two, it’s also common for those talents to realize the big stars put in an incredible amount of time and effort to expand their capabilities through all the aforementioned items. Most of the elite IndyCar drivers possess the same speed, within a tenth or less, so refining that talent and adding new or greater skills through hard work is where the differences are made.

Q: With IMS having a shared IndyCar and NASCAR weekend on the road course for the second year, I have a question. Could IndyCar and NASCAR use the same template on a race weekend that IndyCar did with Hy-Vee at Iowa and Indianapolis did with both series at Fontana to save the big track? If you also incorporate Long Beach, I think it would be a big success and add an early-year IndyCar race in March when the weather is good.

Jeff in SoCal

MP: Anything’s possible, but I don’t know if IndyCar looks at itself as a savior of tracks it doesn’t own and hasn’t raced at in many years. Last time we were at Fontana, it looked like a glorified private test day where a few thousand fans -- amazing souls -- snuck in. I think that ship has sailed.

But the reason for this note is to recognize the fantastic promotion and activation by Hy-Vee at Iowa, and make a suggestion for Milwaukee. It's truly impressive seeing what a committed corporation can do when so motivated. Now it's time for John Menard to step up. Have Menards do at the Milwaukee Mile what Hy-Vee did at Iowa. Menards is a Wisconsin-based company that has grown by selling to Wisconsin and surrounding Midwest states. Mr. Menard has received significant financial benefit from the markets that he serves, and in the process has become a billionaire.

I am well aware of his involvement in IndyCar over the years, and his withdrawal after the death of Scott Brayton in '96, along with his subsequent involvement in son Paul's stock car career. I attended many a sprint and midget race at the Hales Corner's Speedway before he bought the site, and constructed his "Speedway Menards." I'm aware Menards also sponsors the ARCA series.

Now it's time to give something back to the state and communities that made him and his corporation what it is today. I'm certain the marketing pros at both Menards and Penske Entertainment could devise a profitable plan to bring the cars and stars of the Indy 500 back to the Mile.

Bill P., Central Wisconsin

MP: I just did a basic Google search, Bill, and found many instances where Menards has donated millions of dollars within Wisconsin, mostly along the lines of education assistance, so I wouldn’t paint John or his business as lacking in the giving back department. I’d love to see Menards join with IndyCar and fund a return to the Milwaukee Mile. But he doesn’t owe anything to anyone.

As for Josefffffff, I have Little League trophies with my last name misspelled like it was a running joke. Purett and Prdtt are my favorites. If a guy wins two IndyCar championship in the last five years and one of his rivals who was there for 43 races over that span hasn’t learned it’s Josef, not Joseph, I could see how Newgarden might be a little bumpy.

Maybe if Josef walked around with his name emblazoned across his chest, misunderstandings like this wouldn't happen. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Q: I love the idea of the combined Indy weekend to try to grow and explore each other's fan bases. One negative is that it pits the NASCAR and IndyCar diehards against each other. The NASCAR-first folks found the IndyCar race boring. I admit it was not the best race of the year, but was far from boring. Meanwhile the IndyCar folks will complain about the bumping, the stages, the restarts, the crashes, the GWCs, basically anything they can. There's some merit to it but at the end of the day, I wish everyone would just step back and respect each form of racing for what they are. If you prefer one over the other, great, but there's no need to try to compete with and trash the other to make yours feel morally better. I hope both series continue to lean on each other and grow going forward.

Why do the fan bases feel the need to trash each other? I'm an admittedly younger guy but am big on history, too. Is there some part of motorsports history I've missed that led to this, or is it just different tastes for different people (and a desire to be "right")?

Ben from Toronto

MP: We tend to be fairly tribal, Ben, whether it’s our tastes in music, food, or politics. I don’t see a reason why passionate fan bases in racing would be any different. And yes, being right is a massive form of currency being chased by loads of people today.

I’ve never cared for NASCAR, and as a younger man, talked all kinds of trash about it whenever I had the opportunity. As I’ve gotten older, the desire to do so has waned, so maybe it’s an age-based thing. But I’d rather hear about IndyCar fans vociferously advocating for our series and defending it than saying nothing.

Q: I have two questions. First, everyone says Alexander Rossi is a top driver and Andretti is a top team. Can both be true if Rossi went three years without a win? Bad luck does not seem to be the answer considering the inconsistent performance of Colton Herta, Romain Grosjean not matching his performance with the Coyne team, and the 29 car always going backwards.

Second, why do you beat up on Alex Palou and give Ganassi a pass? I agree it is a mess. However, if you are correct that his contract is for $200k, I cannot imagine any other business where the owner would not reward his employee with a new contract in appreciation of what he has done for him. I am hoping that McLaren can drag the IndyCar culture into the 21st century.

Keith Scott

MP: Not everyone says Rossi is a top driver, but I do. Andretti is having an underwhelming year, and yet, they’ve won twice. They vied for the championship last year and the year before, etc., and it takes more than one down year to develop a trend. If they’re off again next year, we’ll have something to talk about. Most drivers go through rough spells in their career. Rossi isn’t the first or the last and has shown he’s back to his usual front-running form.

What would you like me to hit Ganassi for, exactly? I’ll gladly slam Chip or the team for any wrongdoing but need some help on where they did Palou dirty. Maybe something will come out of the lawsuit that reveals Ganassi’s dirty deeds, but so far, I’ve seen nothing.

Asking Palou, who was free to sign or not sign a contract to drive for the team, to honor the contract he voluntarily signed, is a bad thing? The culture you mention of businesses constantly rewarding high-achieving employees with new contracts is pure fantasy. Doesn’t happen in F1, NASCAR, IMSA, or IndyCar.

Bonuses for delivering wins and championships? Sure, provided a driver or their manager, if they have one, negotiated for such things in their contract. A team tearing up the original contract, voluntarily? Nope.

What about personal responsibility? Signing a contract and then pissing and moaning because you don’t like the terms is just lame. In the reality you’ve proposed, contracts for drivers in the top 10 will be torn up and replaced every year. If Newgarden wins the championship, Roger Penske’s going to toss his contract and hand him a new one with millions added to it, just because? C’mon, man.

Q: Jimmie Johnson appears to have stepped up his game, on ovals at least. We were rooting hard for him at Iowa. You didn't mention him in your post-race work and I would like your opinion of where he is in learning to drive these difficult and complex cars. Your thoughts, please?

Gramps, Birmingham, AL

MP: No worries. If I write a post-race story about an aspect of the race like I did with Jimmie after Iowa, I tend not to double up by covering the person or topic again in the Cooldown lap column.

Jimmie’s figured out the car on the ovals; I could see him getting a win on one next year. He’s come an amazing distance from where he started on the road racing side, but -- and there’s always a but -- he’s joined IndyCar at the absolute worst time to face such a daunting learning curve. In a field of 24-26 full-time cars, there’s been maybe one or two easy entries for Jimmie -- while strapped into a car provided by the 2020 and 2021 IndyCar champions -- to pass most weekends.

The rest of the drivers are just too experienced, even coming out of Indy Lights or F2, to be layups for Johnson. In another era, he’d have a much easier time putting five or six drivers behind him, but that isn’t the era he’s in today. Give him another two or three years and I could see Jimmie living somewhere in the P14-P16 range at half the road/street races. The problem here is all those he’d fight against will only get better over those two or three years…

Q: I don't hear much about post-race tech with IndyCar. Do the cars have tech, and how tough would you say it is? We are hearing of tech issues in NASCAR and F1 relatively often but seemingly never in IndyCar.

Also, what's the backstory on Fontana? How do you go from a two-mile track to wanting to take all that land and make it into a short track? Then nothing for a few years after the announcement? Seems super-strange. Are they going to change it, or leave it? If they change it, then will they just sell off the extra land?

Andy Brumbaugh, Columbia, SC

MP: That’s entirely by design on the IndyCar tech side. IndyCar’s had a well-established tech process and tends to push its teams hard to be in compliance before qualifying and the race so there’s no issues afterwards. Last I heard on Fontana, the grand plans to do a Honey I Shrunk The Oval were sidelined by all of the effects we’ve seen from the pandemic. Labor shortages, cost increases and supply shortages, etc.

Fontana 2015: thrills, spills, and absolutely zero concerns about being stuck in traffic while leaving the track after the race. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images

Q: My questions are about the weight jackers and dampers. What happens to an IndyCar when a driver adjusts a weight jacker? Is it mainly by feel, driver instinct or is he getting instructions from the stand? It would be nice to have a video of a driver in the cockpit adjusting the weight jacker and then explain in real time what he's feeling in the car. Or a CGI graphic that shows what’s happening to the car.

Sort of the same question for the dampers. A picture of the part -- where it is on the car? Could a driver tell the difference between off-the-shelf dampers as opposed to in-house developed based on ride?

Doug

MP: I totally agree, those would be great animations to have. Oval rookies will receive input from their engineers to make weight jacker adjustments, but it doesn’t take long to grasp the effects of increasing or shortening the ride height on one of the rear corners of the car to push harder diagonally on a front tire or, if desired, to reduce the amount of load on that tire. Dealing with understeer? Use the weight jacker to extend the rear damper where it’s mounted and add crossweight to the front to reduce the understeer. And vice versa.

I ran an Indy Lights team at the Freedom 100 in 2005 and engineered the car as well and the setup on race day had way too much understeer for the driver’s liking. We spent the entire race with me on the radio telling him to keep adding more turns to the weight jacker to move weight onto the front of the car and by the end of the race, we’d maxed-out the weight jacker’s range. I mention that because it’s a great tool, but if your starting point is way off, it will help you but won’t save you.

As for what drivers can feel, yes, quality drivers can feel every little change, be it a suspension tweak or a different brand of damper.

The front of the car has a damper hatch that covers the suspension:

At the back, the dampers sit atop the bellhousing:

Image by Marshall Pruett

Q: Shouldn't we be seeing better results from MSR at this point in their first season of pairing veterans Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud? Their qualifying results have been pretty lackluster and while both drivers have had some solid runs, they've been overall a mid-pack team. Can some of this be attributed to their technical alliance with struggling Andretti Autosport, the meshing of all of the pieces of a new two-car team, etc.? Any insights are appreciated... rooting for better results for Helio and Simon.

Secondly, it would seem that there is a simple fix to try to alleviate the issues caused by too many cars attempting to qualify at road and street courses. Seeing drivers get caught trying to find a gap or getting a run interrupted by someone exiting the pits is frustrating. Why can't IndyCar run three smaller initial qualifying groups instead of two? The fastest three from each of the three groups transfer to a Fast Nine. Or maybe the fastest four from each making up a Fast 12 group that could create a Fast Six, if necessary. Worried about enough time for the support series? Make each segment in the progression a shorter time period.

Tim Shipp

MP: We covered the qualifying stack-ups in a recent Mailbag so no need to run through that again, but on the MSR front, yes, it’s been a serious surprise this year. With most teams, I can tell you what to expect from them any given weekend, but with our friends at MSR, qualifying has been a crapshoot, with exception for Pagenaud, who is usually the one leading the team in that department. But I still can’t say if they’ll have one, two, or no cars in the Fast 12 (I don’t place a lot of emphasis on oval qualifying).

It's race days that have been the shockers where it’s been a spin-the-wheel-of-misery for both cars. Setup off? Brutal pit stop? Contact? Wonky strategy? Electrical issue? Mechanical issue? The Andretti team that supplies technical resources -- setups and staff -- hasn’t been stellar for a lot of the season as well, so there’s some linkage there as well. It’s mainly the race days that seem to be going from bad to worse for MSR, and that’s where the bleeding’s got to stop.

They're on the road to somewhere, but the journey's taking longer than Meyer Shank would like. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images

Q: I've heard a lot this year about how IndyCar teams (and other race teams in general) can't find enough qualified employees. I thought I would pass along my experience trying to break into the racing industry.

I have been in manufacturing for 12 years, mainly in off-highway hydraulics, electrical power generation, and structural welding. I am currently Quality Manager for a midsize off-highway parts manufacturer. I am also an AWS CWI with plenty of welding experience.

I've applied to almost every IndyCar team for entry level jobs when I can find them online, and have sent my resume to other teams that don't have jobs posted.

I don't want to sound cocky, but I would think that if the situation was as dire as it seems to be, teams would be looking outside racing experience for people looking to get into the industry with backgrounds like mine. Do you think this is contributing to the labor shortage in IndyCar and racing in general? Or is it really that hard to pick up from another industry to where IndyCar teams and those at similar levels simply can't afford to hire those without experience?

Jeff

MP: Thanks for sending this in. It’s the lack of racing experience part for crew-based jobs that is the disqualifier, as many team owners/managers have told me. If you’re a newbie with a mechanical engineering degree and have a lot of software experience, you’ll have an easier time getting a response because an assistance race engineer doesn’t need to know how to align an IndyCar or yank the differential out in minutes and fire it back into the side of the transmission with the requested changes made with all the bolts torqued and the bolts safety-wired in a balletic flurry of fingers and tools.

But if you’re going to be one of the responsible folks in charge of preparing and running the car, there’s an expectation that you’ll show up having put in a few years of learning the basics about racing by crewing for an amateur team or maybe even a Road to Indy outfit and have a clue as to what the job entails from the firsthand knowledge you’ve gained. I got my start in open-wheel at 16 and, no joke, looked like a lost puppy for the first two years. The team wouldn’t let me do anything meaningful on the car beyond clean it and help when asked to take something off. Putting something on? Not a chance.

This might be something a desperate team would be willing to do if it had the entire offseason to train someone with no racing experience, but there’s a massive amount to understand -- what to do in your role, where to stand in the pit box, what to look for when the car comes in, how your duties intersect with your teammates and when you need to step in or step back, etc., etc., etc. I spent nearly 25 years straight doing these things as a crew member, and if I had to step in and sub for someone on an IndyCar team tomorrow, they’d be yelling at me the entire time because I’d have a ton of rust to knock off and would undoubtedly get a lot of things wrong.

Q: In the last Mailbag, reader Todd brought up the interesting scenario of at doubleheader weekend in Wisconsin. Love the idea and I think it can work. Not on the same weekend, though. Run Milwaukee as a one-day show the Saturday after RA. It's probably unrealistic to have the teams stay all week, so maybe just have the drivers come back Thursday and Friday for appearances. Run whatever Road to Indy support races that are Mile-capable. As we’ve seen with Bommarito Auto Group and Hy-Vee, if a sponsor is engaged enough, ovals can be successful. I can’t imagine Menards not being able to get behind the Milwaukee portion of the Wisconsin double and activating in the same manner.

While we’re at it, maybe IndyCar can work with some of the great short tracks in the state to help create a Wisconsin Speedweek. There are plenty of series and tracks capable of running midweek shows. If not the entire week, at least schedule some stuff Wednesday-Friday in the area. I know it’s a different fan but there are plenty of fans that’d be excited by this concept for the week. Why not?

Eric Z

MP: Yes, if I had to guess, the Mailbag’s had John Menard mentioned a few hundred times as the perfect guy to sponsor a Milwaukee race, but so far, no dice. IndyCar tends to do major events with the promise of significant TV coverage, which makes adding mid-week races on short tracks something that might have the series’ owners asking how they’d pull that off. I love the idea -- there’s nothing wrong with it -- but this just doesn’t sound like something IndyCar would get behind.

Q: Regardless of the subscription cost, I was surprised that the NBC folks didn’t take the opportunity to try and grow the subscriber base by offering a free weekend.

Carl Bathelt, Simi Valley, CA

MP: Good point, Carl.

Q: Do you think A&D Narigi Consulting can be motivated to put together a package at Laguna Seca like Penske and Hy-Vee did at the Iowa Speedway? Laguna has a history of events other than racing. (Or did Monterey County screw that up?) It’s the only venue to host IndyCar, the pope, and the Grateful Dead in a single year (1987). Why not on the same weekend? OK, the pope may not be available, though he’d probably be a heckuva draw and he could give both a benediction and the command to start engines. And these days what’s left of the Dead may not draw. Hmmm, I see some tweaking of the lineup will be necessary.

Tom Hinshaw

MP: If we can’t get the pope, would Paddock Jesus, aka JR Hildebrand, be a good substitute? Laguna’s management team has been a revelation. Narigi’s fought like hell -- even against some who installed him in the position -- to get the money needed to renovate the facility. Full respect to him and his team. But he and they have no experience in recreating the Hy-Vee/Iowa model. If it were to happen, Penske Entertainment would need to lead the process from start to finish, with support of A&D Narigi.

Q: Make Milwaukee the season finale on a Saturday in September, run it like Hy-Vee does Iowa and the grandstands will be full.

Question: With Chip Ganassi's loyalty to team, and as you said, at this point Alex Palou is "dead to him," why doesn't Chip remove Alex for Ryan Hunter-Reay? Let Alex sit until conflict resolution?

Bradley J, Sussex, WI

MP: Hard to make a strong legal argument that you want to win Palou’s services for 2023 and beyond while parking him, and the same goes for Alex. He’d grab his helmet and head to McLaren tomorrow if he could, but he’d be compromising himself by showing a judge he’s not willing to honor his current contract with Chip. That’s why both are going forward to complete the season and ensure they don’t weaken their respective positions in court.

You’ll get a lot of song-and-dance nonsense about wanting to keep working together and holding hands and riding unicorns into the sunset together, but don’t believe any of it. If RHR ends up getting to do a season in the 10 car while Ganassi goes after some of the 2024 free agents, that would be a beautiful thing.

The next step in this saga will be a team owner wearing a bad disguise trying to trick Palou into signing a contract during the autograph session. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Q: I wish Helio the best. For the first time, ever I rooted for a driver to get four Indy 500 wins. Seriously comparing first time racing go-karts, or even sports cars, to running the chaotic idiocy of Daytona befuddles me. Personally, I hope it doesn’t happen. I don’t see any positive outcome for him.

Tim B.

MP: The guy is towards the end of his racing career and wants to try a new thing or two before he’s finished. Can’t say I understand why that seems to rankle his fans.

Q: What's with all of this new-found Mid-Ohio hate out there? For $50 I get through the gate, my kids go for free, free parking, I bring my own chairs, food, and drink. What more could a fan want? This is currently a well-attended and seemingly successful event.

As for the facilities for the teams? They sure looked old (ancient really) the one time I was in the garage area. These factors are for the series and the teams to worry about and in no way will improve my fan experience. I hope these complaints don't give fans the idea that a race at Mid-Ohio is nothing short of an excellent afternoon.

I took my four-year-old son and my five-year-old daughter to the IMSA race there the last two years and it is a damn shame they won't be back. We all had a blast together at IndyCar weekend. I am trying to raise two motorsports fans and now these internet monsters want to kill off all of our local races. While I am ranting, RIP Columbus Motor Speedway. Sorry for the novel.

Steve K, Hilliard, OH

MP: Not sure if I’d position it as hate, Steve. The track has been old and creaky for many years. What I’ve come to understand is the long-overlooked items -- the old-timey charm of bathroom stalls that look like they’re from an 1800s saloon and whatnot -- have stopped being cute as most of Mid-Ohio’s rivals have upgraded their facilities in modest or significant ways. I think of it like all the homeowners on the block have, one-by-one, renovated their houses, and in the middle of the block, there’s this one that feels like it's a bit of an eyesore. As I continue to say, I love the place, but that doesn’t matter. If a major series like IMSA has decided it no longer meets its standards, that can’t be overlooked.

Q: Reading your Hy-Vee article about the Iowa races, and I completely agree with the part on the empty seats in the grandstands. I was at the Iowa races for the races, but during a yellow we headed down for water and, wow -- there's thousands of people under the stands or in the concourse. Mostly, they're girlfriends and wives who are clearly dressed for watching the preceding and following concerts. They were enjoying a two-hour beer and smart phone break while their significant others were out in the sun, happy as could be.

Great way to get everyone to buy a ticket to an event. And, a smart way to not exclude anyone that had to bring a plus-one with.

Nick

MP: Thanks for the feedback, Nick.

Q: I read your latest article about the Silly Season, and there seems to be a bit of intrigue this coming off-season, which should be interesting to watch. I am interested in what you are hearing for the upcoming car count for 2023? Seems as if everything will stay the same with car count for the existing teams, with the exception of Foyt No. 11 car, which would drop the full-time entries back down to 25.

With Arrow McLaren SP set to go to three cars, and Juncos Hollinger a strong possibility to move to two cars, that would bump the field to 27 full-time entries, and if Dale Coyne/HMD added the rumored third car that would bump the field to 28 full-time cars.

Would guess Ed Carpenter will run a partial season on ovals; curious to know if you have any insight on any other teams that might be planning on running a full or partial season like Paretta, DragonSpeed, Cusick, the Enersons, Vasser Sullivan, or anyone else, and maybe the estimated percentage of possibility ?

Will we see 30 cars at any events next year, and if so, will IndyCar go to three qualifying sessions to reduce the congestion?

Rod, Fresno, CA

MP: I hope we get to 27-28, Rod. Paretta Autosport should be back, with ECR, for a partial schedule. I don’t foresee Cusick and DragonSpeed teaming up again. Vasser Sullivan seems more like a 2024 or later thing, once the new formula is in place. The Enersons, who reclaimed their cars from Top Gun, are the only first-time entrant that has a chance of being on the grid in partnership with an existing team that I know of.

Q: Does McLaren stay in IndyCar after Zak Brown is no longer the CEO? Not saying he is leaving soon, but I don’t see a European CEO staying in the series. Also, you’ve said numerous times that the Daytona road course is off-limits to IndyCar due to NASCAR. Why does IndyCar play nice and allow them to use the Indianapolis track?

Steve Mattiko

MP: I’d have to believe the answer is yes because McLaren has made a giant investment by buying the controlling interest in the team and commissioned a massive new facility, both of which come as part of long-term plans. McLaren’s board of directors would have shot down both moves if they felt it was nothing more than a passion project by its CEO.

Also, keep in mind the commercial side of McLaren/AMSP with some big and highly committed sponsors who’ve invested in the team. Signing Rossi perfectly fits that theme: Vuse is said to have wanted an American driver, over the age of 26, to be part of a new multi-year campaign, and they went and got their guy and are rumored to be paying him a sweet sum to be their guy to give Vuse exactly what it’s looking for. That kind of move speaks to real business plans, not the whimsy of an IndyCar-loving boss.

Tony George opened that door decades ago to increase revenue and it went well until it didn’t. That awesome weekend we just had at Iowa? That’s NASCAR’s track. No need to poke the bear just to be petty.

Q: My boys and I made the trip from Arkansas to Iowa for the doubleheader. It was well worth the price of admission for the two races. We have been to several IndyCar races, and I'm always amazed when they don't have souvenir event t-shirts or merchandise for sale. I figured after we got home, I thought I'd check the hyveeindycarweekend.com website, and sure enough, there's a link at the top for "Shop." Sweet, I thought, I can get some shirts after the fact. Click on the link, and it takes me to shop.ims.com. OK, odd, but there's a link at the top for "Events," so I hovered over it and my choices are GMR Grand Prix, Indianapolis 500, and Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.

I'm just amazed at the fact that Hy-Vee and IMS didn't think about having shirts and other merchandise for sale. It seems like a lost opportunity for some additional revenue, as well as continued promotion of the race if those shirts, hats, and other items are out and about.

Greg Warren, Little Rock, AR

MP: Hello to you and my father’s home state, Greg. Prior to the Brickyard/Indy GP last weekend, I hadn’t been to a NASCAR race in 12 years, and I was amazed at the size and amount of driver and team merchandise tractor-trailers in the infield. I also couldn’t help notice the comparatively tiny AMSP merch pop-up tent, positioned next to a tater-tot stand. If there were other IndyCar merch offerings inside the track, I missed them.

IndyCar does an excellent job selling drivers' jerseys. I see those all the time at IndyCar races. Hard to say if they feel there’s enough of a market to do big allotments of merch for individual events outside of the 500, and whether the series leaves it up to the tracks to do their own event-specific gear.

I bet none of the NASCAR team merchandise stands offered the convenience of drive-through service, though. Image by Marshall Pruett

Q: Can you describe what is meant when drivers are trying to get the rear ends of their cars to "rotate" through a turn. I get that they want the car to turn, but how does a race car "rotate"? Do the rear wheels actually help the car steer?

Sean Raymond

MP: Great question. Couple of things to consider here. If you look at an IndyCar from overhead, there’s a suspension settings that angles the front and rear tires to point outwards or inwards. That’s the setting called "toe." At the Indy GP last weekend, and on road and street courses, it’s standard practice for the front tires to be toed out. That helps the car/front tires to react quickly and turn the car when the driver cranks on the steering wheel -- the tires are already slightly pointed in the direction of the corner. It’s also standard for the rear tires to be toed in, which creates stability at the back of the car when turning. Rear toe adjustments can help the back of the car to rotate, and then you have the camber settings.

If you look at the car from the front or rear, camber is the setting that tilts the top of the tire inward or outward. On road and street courses, all four will have positive camber settings (tilted inward towards each other at the top) with the front tires tending to have more positive camber than the rears. If the rear is too stuck for the driver’s liking, a touch more rear camber could be dialed in to take a tiny bit of grip away to help the rear rotate -- to slide, basically, but not to an extreme point.

When the rear suspension settings -- and there are many, along with the differential settings -- are working in harmony, the back of the car follows the front in a nice and predictable manner, but when the front’s lacking grip or the rear is overly stuck, you don’t have the rotation that makes for a fast car.

Q: Look, I get it, F1 is at the top of the list for several drivers. They are the best race cars out there (although not the best on track racing) and it’s where several IndyCar drivers want to end up. However, Alex’s poor contract management and Pato always talking about F1 (not to mention getting bent out of shape after McLaren gave Colton a test drive) have really soured me on them.

Colton seems to handle it the best by taking the approach that IndyCar is where he is focus is and if he got an offer for an F1 seat then he will make that decision when the time comes. I would think that someone would sit them down and tell them to shut up about F1 and just drive the best for what you have right now. So many drivers have moved to other series for the lure of more money and failed miserably. What are your thoughts?

Tim T, Fishers, IN

MP: I get confused sometimes because we seem to want our drivers to open up and share who they are with us, but not the things we don’t like, and in those areas, they should shut up. Not sure that’s how it’s meant to work, but I could be wrong.

Hey, I love IndyCar. It fills almost every day of my life, but if we’re talking about speed and thrills, F1 and IndyCar are like the NFL and the USFL. If a player in the USFL harbored no interest in making it to the NFL, I’d have serious concerns about their competitive desires. An IndyCar driver talking about wanting to be part of the world’s most popular racing series featuring the most insane open-wheel cars is exactly what I’d expect to hear. It won’t happen for 99 percent of them, but why can’t they dream about it?

Q: I liked your stories from Iowa and got to thinking... Could Cleveland make a return to the IndyCar schedule if the right sponsor (s) and Penske Entertainment came together to create a dynamic event like Iowa was.

Two large Cleveland-based firms jump out at me: Progressive Insurance, and metals producer Cleveland Cliffs. Both firms are Fortune 500, and could use this event for B2B networking, as well as treat their employees to an awesome event, much like Honda does at Mid-Ohio.

Burke Lakefront Airport could be used once again, unless the city or county have a better venue in mind. Feel free to pass my thoughts to R.P., or others in his corporate circle.

David, Pittsburgh

MP: Thanks, David. The airport is under discussion for being razed and replaced with commercial or residential properties.

You'd think the fans would look happier considering they're in Cleveland. Anthony Kent/Motorsport Images

Q: I wanted to come around to ask you about the 2024 schedule and beyond. As a fan in the Northeast, are there any talks of having let's say Watkins Glen, Lime Rock Park or Pocono Raceway coming back? IndyCar has a strong market here in the Northeast and it should be showcased with a race or two. We miss going to Pocono every year.

Robert N

MP: I haven’t heard anything about races being sought by IndyCar in your region right now, Robert. The idea of IndyCar at Lime Rock makes me think of 25 open-wheel moon launches. Only thing I’ve heard about is the formative stages of a new street circuit event, but I can’t say exactly where it would be held.

Q: I read your colleague John Oreovicz’s column re: IMSA going to IMS next year and noted his comments about Mid-Ohio’s poor state that matched your previous comments on this issue.

Having a think out loud here. Given Honda have sponsorship of the IndyCar race there, is an engine supplier in IndyCar, a manufacturer entrant (via Acura) in IMSA’s GTP category and has a huge manufacturing presence in Ohio, do you think there would there be any interest on its part in taking ownership of the circuit? Would it be able to use it as an "experience center" for the Acura brand or Type-R models? Are there any local restrictions (e.g. noise etc.) on number of days that Mid-Ohio can run events? Obviously this is all dependent on Green Savoree having any interest in selling up…

It would be awful to lose it from both IMSA and IndyCar calendars given the high quality of the racing that the circuit provides, for support categories as well.

Ross, Aberdeen, Scotland

MP: Thanks, Ross, I enjoyed catching up with Oreo at IMS and do hope Mid-Ohio’s owners at Green Savoree Race Promotions can rally corporate support, raise finances, or do whatever’s needed to bring the circuit into the 2000s. It’s not like this is a unique situation; plenty of tracks have done modernization projects and Mid-Ohio is just the latest to find itself with the need to act.

Most automobile companies are sinking all available funds into the changing technologies that will dominate their futures, which makes forking out tens of millions on a giant piece of real estate and taking on a circuit renovation the kind of thing that wouldn’t happen right now.

Q: What is NASCAR thinking by disqualifying two cars after the Pocono race for two pieces of clear vinyl? Is this actually some kind of "unfair advantage"? If so, so what? Clever innovations were always one of the appeals of racing!

Gary in Dayton

KELLY CRANDALL: NASCAR did exactly what it told teams it was going to do when the Next Gen car came along: if you touch it in any way, it’s going to be a penalty. The Joe Gibbs Racing penalty wasn’t about the intent of whether the tape provided an advantage or not, the penalty comes from there being a material on the car that is not supposed to be there. The RKF Racing (Brad Keselowski after Atlanta) and Front Row Motorsports (also after Pocono) penalties are because they modified a vendor-supplied piece. Teams never do anything if they don’t believe it’s going to be an advantage. In this case, it sounds like the tape on the Gibbs cars would have smoothed some edges, and that goes toward improving aerodynamics.

Q: Last week’s letter didn’t make the Mailbag. I had asked why Ferrari wouldn’t leave Carlos Sainz out to see if he could build a 5s gap and then pit him with two laps to go for fastest lap. That seems like a positively smart decision compared to what happened Sunday. Ferrari strategists seem to be letting other teams dictate strategy to them. Starting on the medium tires, they responded early (too early) to George Russell. The reality is they aren’t covering Russell at that point. They’re trying to gain a tire advantage since they’re chasing. Covering Russell was foolish, but throwing the hard tires on? That felt like the knight from Monty Python yelling "I’ll bite your leg off!" I’m not necessarily a Ferrari fan, but I am bummed this has destroyed what could have been a good championship (in both championships).

Ryan in West Michigan

CHRIS MEDLAND: Ryan, you're preaching to the converted here. They absolutely seem to panic when under pressure strategically and make really bad decisions, and changes have to be made to stop it. Ferrari's big problem for me -- as I wrote about in my Charles Leclerc column a week or so ago -- is that they make big errors and throw away major points, rather than small ones that limit their losses. Sticking with their preferred strategy and running long before pitting for softs (as they did with Sainz) might have handed Verstappen track position, it might even have let Russell or Hamilton in, but then they're looking at second, third or fourth. Instead, they ended up sixth from the lead.

This feels like a good moment to revisit Nurburgring '99, when Eddie Irvine swooped into the pits to discover that Ferrari had only brought three tires out of the garage. Motorsport Images

Some mistakes are understandable, but with this one they had all the data -- prior warnings about the hard, all other top teams avoiding it, much cooler temperatures, a car that has been easy on its tires recently and Alpine running the hard but not finding any pace after more than 15 laps of the stint -- and yet they still made the wrong decision.

If Ferrari and Leclerc simply accepted losing out but took their quickest route to the finish without mistakes this season (I'm thinking Imola, Monaco, France and Hungary) then it would still have lost out to Red Bull but picked up an extra 35 points even if I'm being conservative. Instead, what could have been a 45-point deficit in that case is 80 points.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, August 5, 2015

Q: I have enjoyed your work through the years and tears of open-wheel racing. What do Mark Miles, TGBB, and the Hulman family have in common? None of them could manage a one-car funeral procession!

Crist "Zorba" Blassaras, Scottsdale, AZ

ROBIN MILLER: Not true. The IRL ran from 1996-2007.