The RACER Mailbag, December 7

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’m hard-pressed to think of a larger manufacturer of racing cars than Dallara. Although it is a private family company, what would it be valued at if someone wanted to purchase it lock, stock, and barrel?

P. Worth Thompson

MARSHALL PRUETT: $44,932,017.54. But with the leftover Cyber Monday discount checkout on Dallara.com, type in DW12-4EVER at and you’ll get an extra 20 percent off. Seriously though, that’s the kind of info that’s only made available under NDA.

Q: There's a lot of chatter about F1 vs IndyCar TV ratings. The conversation might need to start turning to IndyCar vs NHRA. With NHRA on Fox and getting the lead in (or out depending on the region), from the NFL, it's only poised to grow. One race this year I read hit 1.67 million average and 2.8m tops people watching. And it wasn't even Indy, it was the opening round of their Countdown in PA. They have absolutely phenomenal diversity amongst their fields, with men and women of all ages and backgrounds picking up wins.

It almost seems that they may be more primed to grow their audience faster than IndyCar is here in the States. This bugs me as an IndyCar fan, but I guess it’s great for motorsports as a whole. Penske doesn't seem to have a plan aside from rebranding Lights as NXT and cutting their purse and putting races on cable/streaming. Meanwhile, NHRA has figured out how to get a TV deal with a major network, keep/pull sponsorship from NASCAR with Camping World, NAPA, etc., and get even more name recognition with Tony Stewart looking likely to go Top Fuel racing in the next couple years or sooner.

I know IndyCar started the year really strong, but as a fan for 25 years, I can't help but feel that it’s fading faster than ever. That, or other types of racing has caught up in the eyes of the viewers.

I won't even get into the fact my kids are asking me for the new NHRA and F1 games for Christmas. I wish I could find an old copy of the Indy 500 DOS game from when I was a kid and show them what fun really is.

Michael in Brownsburg

MP: I had a lot of folks forward me the links to news of IndyCar’s chosen video game creator having its board of directors quit, so that 1980s-era DOS game might be the hot ticket in 2023 because at least it exists.

The growth and momentum being shown by all of IndyCar’s rivals is seriously impressive. They’re either gaining on IndyCar or pulling away. I’ve written thousands of words in recent mailbags on the topic so I’ll stand on those as the deeper dives on the subject to explore.

Not sure if the discount code also works for company clothing. Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment

Q: After reading the Iowa article and having had time to process things, I don’t think $100 is a bad price for a one-day event given everything the ticket offers. If I got to see Carrie Underwood and an IndyCar race and my tickets were $100, that’d probably feel like pretty good value.

The hurdle (and in my case barrier) is that this is a two-day event in the middle of nowhere. Going to Newton, Iowa isn’t convenient for a lot of us. It’s on the outside edge for me for what I consider close enough to home (six and a half hours). I’d probably feel a bit differently about the event if it wasn’t a doubleheader. I think the other hurdle for Indy Car fans is, going to see a race and getting a concert is a bonus. The event now feels like going to a concert and the race is a bonus, and I’m not a concert-goer.

I do hope the event is successful. I know if it was at MIS, which is closer to home, I’d have already paid for my tickets. I also think I’d go back if it was a one-day Saturday night event as well.

Ryan in West Michigan

MP: If 75 percent of the event was comprised of $100 flex tickets, there would be nothing to talk about. It would be the best ticket in sports entertainment. But there only so many of those tickets available.

Like you, I hope the event is a sell-out. I also hope IndyCar will bring back the 2.65-liter turbo V8 formula and for the Freedom 100 Indy Lights race to return.

Q: I'm new to following IndyCar and am surprised by the negativity, at least in this forum, around the sport. I've watched the 500 my whole life but never much, if anything, of the series beyond that. During COVID, with the dearth of sports programing I watched about 40 years worth of 500s on YouTube, and when the season started back up I began following it and was hooked. I catch every race, practice and qualifying; during the off season I'm watching old races on YouTube, and am all in. I tried other racing and found F1 not nearly as interesting, couldn't find any appeal in NASCAR and do enjoy IMSA but nothing compares to the speed and competitiveness that IndyCar has going.

From the view of a newbie I see a great product, don't care if they change the chassis or engines, enjoy the broadcasts on NBC and am surprised that it is not bigger than it is. So there you go!

Mike in MN

MP: Thanks for writing in, Mike. The greatest advice my French Fry Sebastien Bourdais ever gave me was: “Don’t read the comments!” There’s a hardcore group of IndyCar followers who can find the negatives in puppies and ice cream, and as you spend more time navigating the innernets, the spots to embrace and spots to avoid make themselves known.

I know Facebook isn’t the happiest place on the planet, but you might give the Elite IndyCar group a try there. Kind and passionate folks there, led by Adam Schrack. There’s also been an amazing group of racing fans who lean mostly towards IndyCar who’ve banded together around my podcast named the PRUE Day. It’s an amazing group of fun, thoughtful, and compassionate folks. They have a Discord group where most of the hilarity takes place. Drop them an email here if you want to join a cool new racing family.

Q: Thank you for the article on the Iowa ticket prices. I was seriously looking at going. I wasn't able to last year as I was unsure with my stroke recovery. I love the track and want to attend, but at $150-200 per ticket per day, I'm going to have to nope out. I can attend Saturday and Sunday at Road America for $140 per person total. Or, I can take some days off work and go to Elkhart Lake for $160 for four days per person, including parking. It's closer, so I can go home each night. For Iowa, just my wife and I would be $600 in tickets plus parking plus gas plus hotel...  All in all, at least a $1000 weekend.

I saw Weird Al Yankovic at the state fair several years ago for $30. Awesome show. Full crowd with people singing along and having a great time. Just saying. I dropped $250 a ticket to see Bob Seger, but that was the 12th row with no hotel or long-distance travel. Ed Sheeran isn't Bob Seger. I suspect you are right that the majority of people will be music fans with some that stick around for a race. The ticket prices are great for fans of those music acts.  For IndyCar fans, we'll probably watch at home.

John

MP: This Iowa ticket price hike has become Penske Entertainment and Hy-Vee’s version of “Let them eat cake.” The size of the disconnect between what the promoters believe is affordable and what the IndyCar fans who happily paid last July are saying they can afford next year is frightening.

Q: You want to put race fans in the seats? Then put cars on the track all day and all weekend with support races of some kind. Not music concerts. The fans are not there for the music. We'll wait and see, but I think it's a bad move with this major price hike and lost customers. Iowa isn't an F1 venue.

Jeff, Florida

MP: I love the idea of having bands at IndyCar races. Just not when the financial demands of those musical acts cause IndyCar fans to tap out financially.

Q: I only want to go to the Iowa race and have no interest in seeing the concerts regardless of who the performers are.  Why not offer a cheaper race-only ticket alternative? I realize that is not likely to happen and I will stay home. I have already canceled hotel and car rental reservations.

Mike

MP: I hear you, but how would you police such a thing? Have security sweep thousands of IndyCar fans off the premises while Band A plays before a race, let them back in, and then sweep them out again before the post-race concert?

Q: Spot-on with the analysis of Iowa next year. When I got my renewal notice, and showed it to my wife (a first-timer last year), I got the "NFW" answer within nanoseconds.

We're just not big country fans, and paying so much more for tickets for something we don't want is the end for us. I'll probably go to one or two other races, maybe Gateway and Road America again.

John Becker, Downers Grove, IL

MP: You can’t go wrong with Gateway and Elkhart Lake.

Q: With GT3 becoming the law of the land at Le Mans as of 2024, what type of performance might be expected in comparison to the out-going GTE cars in terms of speeds and lap times? GT3 cars are faster head-to-head against GTE cars but are equalized by being heavier.

Matthew Jackson, Ohio

MP: If you want to wander down a rabbit hole, visit IMSA’s T&S site and do some comparing and contrasting between the lap times set in GTLM’s final season in 2021 and how its GT3-based GTD Pro replacement fared in 2022. That should offer a strong glimpse of what might be seen at Le Mans, with the caveat being that the ACO/WEC could dial performance up or down with the GT3 cars to better fit between the other classes.

Q: On the Andretti Autosport website it shows Herta, Grosjean, DeFrancesco and Marco as its drivers. Is there another driver the team has not announced yet?

Jim Doyle, Hoboken, NJ

MP: No, the only driver change from 2022 to 2023 is the addition of Kyle Kirkwood.

You might not see Kyle Kirkwood on the Andretti Autosport website yet, but you will see him in one of the team's cars next year. Gavin Baker/Motorsport Images

Q: So I've been thinking long and hard about things IndyCar needs to do to help improve its profile, and while reading some of the comments regarding the prize pool for Indy Ligh-...erm, NXT, something really hit me hard.

If you look at the F1 fandom, they make a far bigger deal out of the ladder prospects than we tend to. But this wasn't always the case -- Formula Atlantic used to be a huge deal both for the prospects coming through it, and for its own awesomeness. I've said many a time before that America needs that -- a second-tier open-wheel series to follow and help hype up the big leagues, and that's what clicked: the importance of how the undercard helped hype the big leagues back in the ’90s. NXT does not currently do that. The car, while entertaining, is a bit too meh, the participation leaves a lot to be desired, it's way too expensive to run, and there's no eyeballs on it.

Indy NXT needs a revamp, and it needs to start with the car. Despite it being newer than the DW12, I think replacing the IL-15 should be an even higher priority than a replacement for the DW12. The car needs to have its costs brought down, so ditch the big oval engineering. To be perfectly honest, I think big ovals outside of Indy are probably on the way out for open-wheelers anyway, so why spend the money? Not engineering for big ovals can allow for a reduction in exotic materials without impacting road course and short oval performance. But moreover, if we're going to stick to Dallara, they should use an existing tub to bring economy of scale into the equation.

So I propose a new Indy Lights car be built around the Dallara F320 tub used in Euroformula Open and Super Formula Lights. The design is meant for engines packaged similarly to the one Lights uses, so some slight aerodynamic revamps to help it handle the short tracks better would be all the design needs.

Secondly, the schedule should not blindly follow IndyCar. It needs to be used to spread the word of AOWR to places where they can't quite justify the cost of a full IndyCar race. Roger should even look into getting it on the undercard for NASCAR races, and even get it some headline action here and there.

Lastly, get a handful of races on actual TV, even if it's just USA. It doesn't need to be all, or even a majority, but Indy NXT on a TV now and then would be a good boost.

There are of course other things that need to be done, but they've been covered plenty. It's unfortunate that even Roger Penske can't just snap his fingers and make such deals fall into place.

FormulaFox

MP: Back in 1996, our Genoa Racing Indy Lights team ran two drivers, both sons of significantly wealthy fathers. One paid $900,000 for his season and the other paid $1,100,000. The season featured 12 races. Using an inflation calculator, that scales up to 1,720,000 for the first driver in 2022 dollars and $2,100,000 for the other. With 14-race seasons pricing out today in the $1,500,000 or less range, I’m not sure I can say it’s too expensive, especially considering the big bump in car count for 2023.

Best way to kill a series that’s struggled with car counts is to do a new car right when it’s turning the corner. Agreed on the TV side.

Q: Wow, the open hostility to the new ticket prices for Iowa is telling to say the least. This is really a festival beyond two races at the speedway. The four country and western acts must have cost the promoters a fortune as they command big money, and probably make as much money in a weekend on tour as some IndyCar drivers over a season.

A lot of comments have been made from people saying they are priced out of the deal, with disparaging comments on the demographic shifts. If I were in the promoter’s seat, my revenues are a function of the thing called price elasticity of demand. That is, how do I maximize revenues at a given ticket price structure and give us the best chance of making money at the end of the day? So, as this is a huge price increase, albeit with an all-star entertainment component, they are banking on those people weighing it against other options. You will lose some attendees, for sure. However the attendees you will have at that higher price point will likely generate revenues more than compensating for the reduced head count. At least, that is in the calculation.

Further, given its location in Iowa and the draw from the quality concerts, many will come as they probably do not have the chance to see them anywhere else. There are those who will go to see the concerts perhaps more than the racing. They may be first-time IndyCar live attendees and the opportunity to turn them into fans with great racing is the opportunity.

It’s a smart move, because standing pat is a loser. I attended two IndyCar events last year: Road America and the Nashville demolition derby. Nashville ticket prices were easily double Road America.

The venue diversity is a strength of IndyCar.

Emmett, Dallas

MP: Thanks for your input, Emmett. The big hope expressed last July at Iowa was the music and racing crossover would turn concert goers into IndyCar fans as a byproduct of being there and seeing one or both races. As one of the promoters told me, that didn’t seem to be happening so much as Saturday and Sunday played out; fans largely took shifts, with the racing fans cooling themselves beneath the grandstands when the cars weren’t on track, and the music fans trading places and cooling themselves under the stands when the cars were on track.

Hopefully, a decent number of music fans liked the IndyCar product and want to return. But whether we’re talking about IndyCar fans or music fans, the price of admission is the first hurdle to clear. For those who can clear it, and I hope there’s a packed house next year, it’s an awesome lineup of entertainment. We’ll know in July if the doubleheaders have more fans than last July.

Q: Hypothetically, if Dario Franchitti hadn't had to retire, do you think Scott Dixon would have been as successful as he has been, or would Franchitti have out-performed him?

Geoff

MP: Dario was never at home in the Dallara DW12; he won the Indy 500 in its first season but placed seventh in the standings to Dixie’s third. And Dixon had taken four wins in 2013 to Dario’s zero when his teammate had that gut-wrenching crash the following year at Houston; Scott had the title in his grips when Dario was ruled out for the season finale and he wasn’t in contention for the championship at the time. Dixie’s most underappreciated talent is learning from teammates and incorporating their finest skills and tricks into his expansive bag of knowledge. Dario was the better of the two in those first few years as teammate, but that flipped in 2012 and stayed that way until Dario had to retire.

Dario had a memorable month of May with IndyCar's then-new DW12 in 2012, but for the most part he struggled to click with the car. Michael Levitt/Motorsport images

Q: To play off of Kyle's question from November 30, a lot of drivers have driven in more than one series: Mario, Jim Clark, A.J., and Dan Gurney all drove F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR, for example. In the modern day, JPM and Jimmie Johnson have done the same (more than one series, not necessarily F1).

But with one exception I know of (Tony Stewart as a team owner), no-one seems to switch into or out of drag racing. Why is that (other than money, of course)? Are the skills that much different? The fans? It can't be age, since John Force is 70+ and still competitive. Why is the NHRA taboo?

Bonus hypothetical: If the Nashville street race were to go away, and the Pittsburgh race isn't likely to happen, what are (or could be) the chances of a GP of Louisville?

Rich in Kentucky

MP: I wouldn’t characterize drag racing as taboo among the IndyCar crowd. It’s just the total opposite of what draws people to road and oval racing. We could put the NHRA in the same category as offshore racing or motorcycle racing. There are super passionate fans for all three, but they’re so dissimilar, you rarely find crossover among fans or drivers. I’ve never cared for NASCAR; that doesn’t mean it’s bad, but I have zero interest in wanting to watch or follow that type of racing because I grew up around amateur road racing. I’d guess the same mindset is at play with road or oval racers (with exception to the late and great John Andretti) having an interest in the NHRA.

IndyCar and the Nashville promoters want to keep working together, so there’s no need to explore hypotheticals, brother (but sign me up for the Louisville GP tomorrow… that needs to happen, even if the Nashville GP stays for another 20 years).

Q: The pot days of IndyCar fascinate me. 1986. Bill and Don Whittington; Randy Lanier. These guys showed up, no sponsors, top equipment, and top-level skills. Ironically, they spent decades in prison for crimes smuggling product which today is legal. I’m in no way advocating for illegal activity.

My question, is the competitive level of IndyCar really just about having enough money? Are there people not actively involved with the sport who are capable of winning, but have been shut out for one reason or another? These pot teams seemed to have put together talent and equipment which was at least competitive with the best in the series, in a very short period of time. If world-class talent is being ignored, I wonder if the series is really indicative of the best?

Pete

MP: I’m not sure I would say the Lanier and Whittington efforts were world-class on the IndyCar side; they were in IMSA, for sure, but the Penskes of the world in CART weren’t under competitive threat from Randy in a Arciero entry, etc. I’m not saying the smugglers didn’t have some good days in IndyCar, but they weren’t posing a challenge to the top teams on a regular basis, and even with crazy amounts of money to spend, it would have required poaching the best engineers in the paddock to turn a midfield team into a real contender. That didn’t happen, so the results were often good, but rarely great.

Q: I must say Kyle Kirkwood showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie year with Foyt and also did really good in IMSA with Lexus. With Kirkwood going to Andretti for IndyCar next season, is Andretti, being a Honda team, going to allow him to compete in any IMSA events for a rival Japanese car maker?

Brandon Karsten

MP: I checked with Kyle and while he didn’t mention the team, he did confirm he’ll be continuing in IMSA. We can safely assume it’s still with Lexus. If he were tied to Honda with a personal services contract, or was one of the few remaining factory drivers signed to Honda Performance Development, I’m sure driving for Lexus would not be an option. But since he isn’t tied to Honda/HPD in those ways, it was between his manager and Andretti to agree to his driving options, and I’d look for him in a Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 in January at Daytona.

Q: Last week you candidly stated that “a sale to Liberty would scare the hell out of me” and I completely agree with your reasoning. That brings me to one historical and one future-looking question. I read that from 1950-1960 the Indy 500 actually counted in the F1 points race. Do you know why it was ultimately taken off the calendar?

Second question is about a potential Liberty acquisition of IndyCar. I personally feel IndyCar is the most competitive and entertaining series in the world, but if the FIA points allocation for IndyCar racing is any indication, they seem to greatly discount its value. If, God forbid, Liberty were to acquire the series, what do you think the odds are that it would be turned into an American F2/feeder series? Any chance they re-integrate the Indy 500 into F1?

LA Indycar Fan

MP: On the first question, I’d suggest reading Edd Straw’s piece on the great American F1 drivers that ran last weekend; he does a nice job of answering why Indy fell off of the F1 points-earning calendar. I think Liberty would strip-mine the series of its most valuable dates (“F1 returns to Long Beach!”) and I’m not sure what they’d do with the 500. But as I was very recently told and reminded, R.P. has had multiple offers to take the series and/or Speedway off his hands, and he’s strongly opposed those outreaches and offers. We could play the "what if" game for hours, but R.P. isn’t budging.

Would Liberty have an F1 return at Long Beach in its sights? Motorsport Images

Q: After reading about the stark increases in Iowa prices, I did a comparison of my tickets for 2022 and 2023. I am in Section 410, Row 3, which is in the upper grandstand section. My tickets are the same price as last year. As a matter of fact they are 7% less, since I bought them during the renewal window. I imagine a large percentage of the seats are similar to mine, seeing no or a nominal increase. It is likely just the previously-priced flex seats that went up so much. It might be due to the fact that those lower sections are much better for the concerts, but that is a guess. I am afraid some people might read your article and not even look at tickets for 2023, which would be an injustice to the series and the event.  Perhaps a follow-up article with a deeper dive is in order comparing ticket prices across the board in order to not discourage people to return or look into the event for the first time.

Don Weidig, Canton, Ohio

MP: Thanks for sharing your ticket story, Don. For the waves of stories I’ve received, unfortunately, yours is the rarity. A 7-percent drop is great to hear. That majority of the stories that started landing once the renewal opener were not related to the flex tickets; they involved the non-GA tickets and the frustration as being squeezed to pay for kids. In numerous calls with the series in the days before I wrote the story, there was no pushback on the realities of prices significantly going up from year to year. The pushback was on failing to adequately appreciate the added value that came with those ticket prices. I’m genuinely glad you’ve got a positive story to share. If I had more of them, they’d have gone into the original story.

Q: I remember reading a piece on RACER a while few years ago that talked about possible improvements to the P2P system. It seems the main criticism of the system is that since it can be used both offensively and defensively, it's mostly a wash.

In this article, Will Power suggests a "no-reply" system where the attacking car must be within one second of the defending car in order to engage the system (much like DRS in F1) so that the system can be used offensively but not defensively, thus improving overtaking opportunities. It's also mentioned t at the no-reply system is (or at least was at the time) used in Indy Lights.

Do you think a no-reply P2P system would work well in IndyCar to improve overtaking?

Garrick

MP: I’m not saying we see passing like we did back in the CART days when the Hanford Device made for a zillion overtakes (on speedways) but passing isn’t an issue at most of IndyCar’s races. If Power’s idea made for more passes, I’d be open to seeing what it looked like, but I’m not sure this is a big problem that needs solving.

Q: TC Davis brought up a really good point in last week’s Mailbag in regards to F1 qualifying and the slow return to the pits that frequently ruins a run. God forbid F1 follow IndyCar’s lead on this, but put the timing line before pit entrance and the problem is solved. 

GV in Miami

CHRIS MEDLAND: We have addressed this idea before where I’ve said it would be cool for F1 to do if it felt the need, but it doesn’t solve the issue we were talking about last week because that’s about slow prep laps before their flying effort -- it’s never drivers on a slow in lap as they usually are much quicker returning to the pits.

Q: The question in the Mailbag last week about how silly F1 qualifying looks as cars try to gap themselves made me wonder how the spectacle might change in a year or two when tire blankets are gone? Slow out-laps will be a thing of the past. I know they’ll have to bring the tires up to temp properly, but I think we will definitely see a change in how things are handled. Will the push lap be flying lap one or two, or even three? We won’t know for a bit yet, but one thing is certain: when the core of the wheels and tires are cold with no heat built into them, slowing like we’ve seen as recently as Abu Dhabi will absolutely kill your tire temps and kill your lap.

Ryan in West Michigan

CM: Yeah, I’m intrigued by this too, Ryan, because the really slow part will be the first half of the lap when drivers are fighting with the cars a bit more and trying to get the temp in in the first place. Pirelli has mentioned cars will be designed with this in mind, but there’s only so much you can do and it could well be multiple laps, although I think three might be a stretch at most venues.

Q: The F1 slow tire preparation laps are a total joke. They want tire warmers and then do everything possible to cool the tires down before they start their hot lap. Ditch the tire warmers and then starting with ambient temperature tires that the drivers will have to ran at a minimum level of speed to get the them up to the proper working temperature. 

The crying is just that: crying. End the warmers in 2023. Rip the bandage off the scab so the racing can heal. Cold tires separate real drivers from posers.

Chuck McAbee

CM: We are close to that point, Chuck -- tire warmers will be gone in 2024 and Pirelli will have designed a whole new tire for that season, but we still might see slow out-laps. It’s not actually because of trying to cool the tires down that drivers do that, it’s trying to get the best space on the track for their run without potentially meeting traffic.

Every team wants the best track conditions, which come at the end of each session when the most laps have been completed and the most rubber laid down. So that leads to them all being sent out at a similar time, ideally wanting to be last across the line to start their lap. They’re actually risking their tires being too cold looking for a gap, but then can get it wrong when the tires don’t offer the grip immediately.

Track layouts play a big part too, because in Abu Dhabi the already slow final sector just saw cars going even slower. At other venues it’s easier to time and we don’t see quite the same level of shenanigans.

All of the above said, I totally agree that handling cold tires is a skill F1 should be embracing.

Remember when IndyCar tire warmers were a thing? Paul Webb/Motosport Images

Q: Do you think Honda will continue supplying engines in F1 after 2025?

Guillermo Calvillo 

CM: Right now, I’m 50/50. I think Honda is looking into it, and Red Bull’s management would love that to be the partnership it has so that it’s effectively Honda helping it with its own powertrain company. But there are is interest from other manufacturers, plus Red Bull has made some very good hires when it comes to its PU department, so I don’t think it’s imperative.

The main lesson from Honda is it tends to make decisions relatively emotionally and quickly depending on the situation at that time, so if the optics are good for the wider company it could well make that call.

Q: With F1 having a cost cap in place, is there any regulation that still prevents a team from shipping a fully assembled spare car to a race event if they chose to spend their resources in that way? Has this come up at all in the paddock as a possibility?

Andy, Brighton, MI

CM: There’s no direct regulation against having one ready as far as I’m aware, but there are indirect ones. You need to self-scrutineer any change of chassis and submit it to the FIA, and a driver can’t run two different chassis in the same session so there’s just no need. Plus you’ve got nowhere to keep a fully assembled spare given garage setups these days, so teams just have a spare tub (chassis) and build it up with all of the required components if ever required.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag, December 3, 2014

Q: Besides Al Holbert and Vern Schuppan, are there any other Le Mans drivers that left their mark at Indy? (Not counting Gurney or Foyt.) If memory serves me, Schuppan’s best 500 was with his own hastily put together team. Any insights?

Redding Finney

ROBIN MILLER: Vern drove for Dan Gurney in 1976 but finished third in 1981 in his Theodore-run McLaren. Vern is a good guy and a good driver. As far as your question, Stefan Johansson won Le Mans outright in 1997 and two other times in his class. Mario, Danny Sullivan and Lloyd Ruby ran Le Mans along with Eddie Cheever, Sebastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud. Cheever won his class and Seb finished second for Peugeot. Mario and Michael ran together once and I think Roger McCluskey may have also run a couple times along with Jerry Grant and two-time Indy starter Walt Hansgen, who was killed at Le Mans in 1966. As good a road racer as he was, Parnelli should have tried it but never did.