The RACER Mailbag, March 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.

Q: How is IndyCar’s search for a new head of marketing going? Also, if anyone out there is looking for an IndyCar video game substitute, download the IndyCar 2023 mod available for "Automobilista 2" from Kaos modding group. It’s available at Race Department’s website.

Rob, Rochester, NY

MARSHALL PRUETT: Last I heard, which was around St. Pete, there were no prime candidates, but that was almost a month ago. I sent the series a note asking for an update, and while nothing was provided on the marketing VP search, we did get this promo:

"In the near-term, with the significant growth in investment across IndyCar marketing, we’ve prioritized bolstering the size and scale of our team and resources. This includes doubling our digital staff in the first quarter with several searches underway to fill new roles in our organization. And the addition of a national creative firm and new publicity agency to assist with efforts. Our leadership team across IndyCar Marketing is doing a great job leveraging a more robust staff and tool bag."

Q: Now that I’ve had the chance to watch a replay of the 12 Hours of Sebring and then hearing and reading about the braking issues the Paul Miller Racing BMW had during the race, I was wondering about brake pad and rotor changes during a race. I reckon how often teams change brakes would depend on the type of car and how long the race is. Are teams changing brakes more or less frequently compared to what they were doing 10 or 20 years ago?

Brandon Karsten

MP: Fewer changes these days, for sure. Typical deal where technology and products improve over time, but even so, it won’t guarantee no problems occur as PMR experienced.

Q: I'm sure RACER’s comments will be lit up again about the IndyCar sim fiasco, as they should.

I'm a 68-year-old guy who supports IndyCar and have since I was 10 years old. The fact that no viable IndyCar race sim exists today will not deter me from doing my 27th 500, third Nashville (they will get that one right eventually), and 14th Long Beach. But this is 2023 and us old dogs will pass on, needing to be replaced by the newer fans -- kids who live and breathe video games.

My kids are huge race fans and I will partly credit that to a video game called "Grand Prix 4" -- a 20-year-old game that we still run! It is unique in that it can be challenging like all of them, but even kids enjoy it as the rookie settings really work. Geoff Crammond wrote that one. I believe he is retired, but for a price The Captain may bring him back. The guy is a master and could make Indycar come to life on a PC or Xbox.

That game is so famous, hobbyist programmers worldwide still offer free tracks and cars for it. We run the 2022 Indy cars on GP4 now.

If heads haven't rolled at Georgetown and 16th, they surely should. Just my two cents.

James Herbert Harrison

MP: Along with my teammates at whatever junior open-wheel teams I worked at in the early-to-mid 1990s, I spent hundreds of hours playing Crammond’s "Grand Prix," "Grand Prix II," etc. Every racing game that followed was influenced by Crammond, so while it would be great to have the man himself, there are plenty of sharp and proven game makers IndyCar can engage to bring a product to market.

There's probably a lot of things you could have seen in the Minardi Team USA Champ Car hospitality unit that you can't see in the IndyCar paddock today, but a current series video game is definitely on the list. Motorsport Images

Q: Any recommendations for someone attending the Texas IndyCar race for the first time on Sunday?

Scott Thompson

MP: Not sure where you’re going to be located, but if you can move around, get as close to Turn 1 and Turn 4 as possible because the speeds are insane. Same with the backstraight; if you can get near Turn 3, it’s also something wild to experience. Other than Indianapolis, Texas is the only oval on the calendar -- and it’s been this way for decades -- where the raw speed into, through, and out of the corners is truly jarring.

Outside of the track, there’s tons of standard fare for BBQ and beer. If you want to see IndyCar people -- crew and maybe some drivers -- visit the Buc-ee’s right across from the main TMS entrance and you’ll find folks stocking up on all manner of wacky food and drink at the unofficial convenience megastore of IndyCar.

Q: I don't know where all this grumbling about the IndyCar points system came from. You know what's silly? Thinking drivers should score points for running in the lead pack during the race, but dropping out before the finish. And why should we care what F1 used back in the last century?

Here's an idea: Winner gets 100 points. Second through 33rd get zero points. The end.

I like that IndyCar awards points all the way through the field. If 20th place awards the same points as 11th, the back half of the field is just out there cruising around! Why would they risk the damage if the payout is the same? Weight the points heavier for finishing towards the pointy end of the field if need be, and maybe have a provision that the cars must be running at the finish to be awarded those points. (Or must be on the lead lap? Could get tricky at Iowa).

Would anyone say it wasn't fair if the Astor Cup was awarded to the driver with the highest average finish over the season?

PS. John in Cincinnati is 100% right. The current ful- course yellows in North America, especially the wave-around procedure, is hurting racing. We're artificially penalizing the cars that have better pace.

Gabe, Northwest Indiana

MP: It’s IndyCar. People will complain about anything.

Q: Does anyone know how to listen to the radio broadcast of an IndyCar race at the track in real time without a scanner? When I lived in Chicago and drove down to the 500, I’d take my scanner, headsets, sandwiches and who knows what else in my scanner bag into the race. Now that I’ve moved and fly into Indy, I just use my far more portable phone and AirPods, but even on the IndyCar app and the local radio stations stream, the radio broadcast is delayed a half lap or so after bouncing off various satellites, I’d assume.

Any ideas?

Larry Miller, Key West, FL

MP: I’ve grown accustomed to having Peacock playing on my phone with AirPods or similar. What other solutions might we suggest? Maybe I’ll just post Leigh Diffey’s cell number so people can get the calls straight from the booth.

Q: I read with interest your article about IndyCar going down to Argentina to check out the track there for a potential race. I know Juncos is pushing this idea hard, but how serious is the interest on both sides for holding an international race in Argentina?

On an unrelated note, I was happy to see that Linus Lundquist got an IndyCar test with RLL. Hopefully it leads to someone giving this deserving kid an IndyCar ride.

Chris Howe, Upper Sandusky, OH

MP: There’s interest, provided there’s a significant payday on offer for the series and its entrants. As a professional sports property, it takes money to get IndyCar to turn up and put on a show, so if all the travel costs are covered and it enriches the series and the paddock, a trip to (insert international venue here) will be considered.

Lundqvist is a scrappy kid. I’d love to see him reach IndyCar and have a long career. He has a built-in chip on his shoulder after getting jerked around with a useless advancement prize by Penske Entertainment, so if I’m writing the script for his career, he gets signed by RLL or another top team, gives Team Penske fits for the next few years, and comes full circle after being hired by Roger to win for him…

Q: With the fallout from Mike Shank cheating to win Daytona, is it safe to assume Acura/HPD will end its association with the team? Has this hurt his relationship with Michael Andretti, as this action denied he along with WTR a win? Or this will blow over and Mike will have no repercussions beside the minor slap of wrist from IMSA?

Bill Hicks, Arizona Bay

MP: I’m concerned, for sure. Receiving a factory contract from a proud manufacturer like Acura/Honda is like winning the financial and reputational lottery. Same goes for having a lucrative factory contract and losing it.

Big teams make runs on each other’s sponsors, drivers, crew, engineers, and factory deals all the time. Heck, some with factory deals do all they can to take the deal away from a stablemate…trying to get the manufacturer to spend all their money on a single team. All of that’s normal.

But when you add in something like MSR’s Rolex 24 cheating situation, it hands their rivals the wrong kind of ammunition to try and pry Acura/Honda from their factory grips.

What’s done is done here, and taking everything away from MSR won’t make the Rolex 24 scenario go away. If the team keeps winning for Acura and keeps the company in title contention, it might be hard to part ways. If the rest of the season is a disappointment, looking elsewhere -- or to one of the other suitors who’ve been calling and emailing non-stop since the penalties were announced -- might not be as hard. Anxious months are ahead…

There might still be another chapter or two in this year's Rolex 24 controversy to play out yet. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: I am as big on the history and tradition of the 500 as anyone and it pains me to write this, but I am thinking we’ve long reached a point where the market and business model has evolved and IndyCar and the 500 would be better served to follow a charter-type setup and guarantee all 33 spots for the 500.

For the latter, we already largely know the 33 car and drivers combos of the race for this year despite the race being "open" to all, and engine leases mean we are never going to see 40+ cars. All these things have been more or less true for 20+ years now. Qualifying is already structured in a way to acknowledge that fact. Does bumping one car really bring any value to sport in the here and now? It’s not like the masses show up for bumping, and bumping plays second fiddle to the Fast 9 on day two of qualifying anyway. I cannot think of any value besides the historical connection. And bumping one car is not the same as bumping a dozen, or even five, in my opinion.

For the former, there are many ways charters could be done. IndyCar could take an F1-type approach and have 11 teams run two cars per race and a third car for the 500. Or maybe create 24-28 franchises/charters to accommodate the current field and then teams or IMS puts out "bids" or "requests" -- maybe do what Le Mans does? -- for the remaining spots annually for the 500.

Either way, I think the guaranteed 500 spot would result in additional sponsorship for teams and make those dollars easier to acquire. Plus, it would create additional value on a team’s balance sheet besides equipment and their building. I know it’s not an apples to apples comparison, but just look at the value of a Cup charter.

I wish the economics were such we could have four days of qualifying and 45 cars trying for 33 spots, but it hasn’t happened in 20+ years. The more I think about it, the more I keep thinking IndyCar is holding itself back because it doesn’t want to acknowledge that fact.

Mark Schneider, Columbus, IN

MP: Last year, I interviewed most IndyCar team owners, and Roger Penske, for an in-depth evergreen piece on franchises, and I need to get that feature ready and filed. The annual Indy 500 grid situation is a symptom of a bigger problem, and that’s value.

Want to buy a major league football or basketball team? You know what those are worth, and I’ve yet to see any of those recent purchases lose value for the new owners. How about an IndyCar team? What’s that worth? No clue. It’s not a commodity to covet or think of as an investment because there’s no established market value that can be traded upon.

Other than a newly-reduced Leaders Circle contract valued at $910,000 for the top 22 entries on offer from the series, there’s no business link between IndyCar and the small business owners who put on the show. We’re accustomed to wealthy industrialists who love the series starting teams, and former drivers becoming owners, but we’re still waiting for someone to start a team because it was a smart business move. We see that happening in other series, just not in IndyCar.

Q: With aeroscreens here to stay, is there a point for drivers to keep using full-face helmets? Open-face WRC-style ones would be more appropriate to help aid in cooling, as well as allowing us to see more of the drivers’ expressions as they muscle these rocketships around the track.

Kevin, SoFlo

MP: That thing where there are vents that allow high-speed air into the cockpit aimed at the helmet and where the risk of fire with refueling and crashes makes the prospect of using open-face helmets not the best of ideas.

Q: After many years of not attending an IndyCar race in person, I went to last year’s race at TMS and had a great time. However as you know, the stands were practically empty.

I was just online looking for tickets for the PPG 375 and I’m baffled as to how so few tickets are available for sale. Take a look at this screenshot, which shows the tickets available for sale (there are a few more tickets for sale closer to Turns 1 and 4 that are not in the photo, but not many). Ticket sales for this year’s race may certainly be up from last year, but I can’t imagine the place will be full by any means. There is no way it goes from empty one year to a full house the next. Does TMS or IndyCar limit the number of tickets for sale? Something is fishy.

I wanted to send this to you before race weekend so you can compare with what it actually looks like during the event.

Jason

MP: I heard about this last year as well, but after the fact, so this helps. I rang TMS and was told the VP of ticket sales was actively adding seats for the event on Ticketmaster, so that’s a good thing.

Q: A race at a novel new venue, (Argentina has recently been mooted) to a possibly appreciative crowd is fine, but should IndyCar not look to its core?

While some North American venues work fine, many races in the series are poorly attended, ovals are dwindling, and interest from the media and general population is woeful. Why stage a race abroad when so much improvement is needed at home?

Anthony Jenkins, Brockville, Canada

MP: Feel like I’m saying nothing particularly new or revelatory here, but if you have an opportunity to add an event that has the potential to be positive for the series in terms of income and audience size, wouldn’t that be the exact thing to embrace?

How would ignoring an event in Argentina, or another international destination that could be a boost to the series, help the poor turnout at Texas Motor Speedway, which IndyCar doesn’t own or promote, or Laguna Seca, which IndyCar doesn’t own or promote? Struggling to find the logic on this one.

Empty spectator areas at tracks like Laguna is a problem, but a potential race in Argentina would not get in the way of the solution. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images

Q: I just read your response to JZ in Wisconsin about the drone and the Roombas cleaning up the track to avoid full-course cautions all the time. I would hope if we ever get the new car they could implement some kind of control system to have a virtual safety car. Couldn't they use the pit lane limiters at a time where a virtual safety car would be instigated currently and monitor the speeds? It seems like that would really minimize the full course cautions.

CAM in LA

MP: No need for a new car to make this happen. When race control triggers a caution period, drivers are alerted on their dash. With that alert, slowing and pressing the pit lane speed limiter (or a secondary limiter at whatever track speed the series would mandate) could easily happen. Same could be done with a local yellow where the series provides instructions on where the slow zone starts and ends.

Q: I live in an area that is surrounded by racetracks and has a great racing heritage. We’ve got NASCAR NHRA, motorcross, and some of the best sprint car tracks and fans in the entire country. Yet my favorite series -- IndyCar -- no longer visits. The closest race is six hours away in another country. Do you think the series will ever come back to the Northeast? In the past I would attend three races a year. Now I just go to the Big One.

Jared, Reading, PA

MP: I’d love to say the Northeast is a scheduling priority for IndyCar, but I haven’t heard of any events on the horizon in the region.

Q: Any update on the Andretti F1 bid? I haven’t heard any updates in a while. And why are the WEC cars slightly faster than the IMSA cars? Seems like both the GT and prototypes are slightly faster.

Mark, Niagara Falls, NY

MP: WEC’s Hypercar formula allows for higher tech and performance which, on the surface, should be equalized with the LMDh/GTP formula through Balance of Performance restrictions, but that didn’t happen and rarely happens, frankly. IMSA’s all GTP cars, so there’s no concerns with trying to balance the speed of two different formulas.

On a Sebring-specific note, the WEC held its big pre-season Prologue test at Sebring days before the event, so its cars were dialed into the circuit in ways the IMSA cars were not.

CHRIS MEDLAND: No update on Andretti as of yet, but that's because the FIA is still in the Expressions of Interest phase -- any prospective new team can still make an initial submission, so it's only once that window closes that we'll hear how many firm applications there have been and what is being considered.

Q: With Andretti Global/Cadillac, Honda and Porsche all having expressed interest in taking over an existing team, which one in your opinion will have the strongest case for being granted entry into F1?

Mark Corrigan, Croydon, England 

CM: I think Honda is most likely to take over an existing team -- or at least invest in one and become the power unit partner -- based on its existing work and technology, but I believe Porsche would have had the strongest case as a new entrant if it wanted to be one. That's assuming it would have been a full works team with its own power unit, because that's what makes an entrant more attractive to F1 and the FIA. But regardless, it appears Porsche's interest has cooled as it couldn't find the right partner and I was never aware of it wanting to be its own new team.

So of the three you mention that only leaves Andretti applying to be granted an entry (the other two just wanting to join forces with/take over an existing team), and it has a decent chance if it's willing to pay whatever entry fee F1 now decides is an acceptable figure. And that's a big if.

Q: What are you hearing about the NASCAR race in Chicago?

I've been watching the evening news on various local TV stations, and the only station really covering NASCAR is WFLD-32, and occasionally NBC-5, (because they have to, since the race will be on NBC). The rest (TV, radio and newspaper) have only been airing the negatives about it.

For example the (legitimate) whining and moaning about the six to eight weeks that Lake Shore Drive will be shut down, cutting off the main thoroughfare for summer visitor traffic to the lakefront and access to the Shedd Aquarium. 

Another major foul-up: the dates for the closure and race coincide with the very popular "Taste of Chicago" event, held in the very same Grant Park where the race is. An effort to relocate the event to Navy Pier was scuttled when Navy Pier refused to take it, because the main way to get there is the very same Lake Shore Drive that will be mostly closed during the race. Cooler heads prevailed, and it was rescheduled for September, but not before a ton of bad press.

The current Mayor, Lori Lightfoot, who rammed it through, has been voted out of office, and neither of the two runoff candidates has voiced any support for the race. Don't expect to see either of them rolling out the red carpet. Nor will the aldermen in whose districts it will be running -- all are against it.

The little digital people in the grandstand look happy enough. Chris Graythen/Getty Images via NASCAR

Finally, the local TV sports shows, if they show any racing at all, only show crashes, or in the case of ABC-7 tonight, they only showed a segment of Ross Chastain tossing a watermelon off the tower at COTA, but not one clip of the race, or information about who won -- the anchor only commenting "that's really weird.”

You can remind the NASCAR brass about how Chicago is not a great sports town as they claim: It's a great Cubs (baseball) and Bears (football) town. No other team, no other sport gets as much year-round press as those two. IMHO, if this race is a success, it better be a $mashing $uccess, otherwise my guess the new mayor will find some loophole in the contract to end it.

Sorry to be Bobby Bringdown.

John Becker

KELLY CRANDALL: You’ve pretty much covered it all. There has been plenty of criticism and skepticism from locals around the race, but NASCAR is forging ahead. NASCAR believes this race is going to be a one-of-a-kind event, and they are planning for it to be more than just a race with all the entertainment and other festivities promoted around that weekend. There might not be a lot of local promotion, but NASCAR is doing everything it can to remind people they are racing through the streets of Chicago. Just look at how Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was sent to that market during his victory media tour.

When Lori Lightfoot was voted out of office, I know there were questions about whether the event was going to go forward because she was a big proponent of it and has given it support, so I reached out to a fellow media colleague who is based in Chicago. He told me what I suspected, which is that a contract is in place, and this year shouldn’t be affected by that. However, going forward, it’s anyone’s guess if NASCAR will be back. 

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag,  March 26, 2014

Q: Gary Bettenhausen was one of my favorite open-wheel drivers. I was in awe of how he chased with all his might, the family dream to be an Indy 500 winner. His father was a rookie in 1946, and Gary drove his last Indy 500 in 1994. I thought about how many changes took place at Indy from when Tony Sr. first started and when Gary finished. I suspect Gary detested many of those changes.

After reading your obit on Gary I also thought about the personal tragedies he endured with his dad dying at Indy, Merle losing his arm, Tony losing his life in a plane crash and his own debilitating injuries. I know Gary was broken-hearted about the family never winning the Indy 500, but was he bitter too? I never got a reading on how Gary viewed his career.

Gerry Courtney, San Francisco, CA

ROBIN MILLER: Other than stating the obvious about his family’s bad luck at Indy, I never heard a bitter word from GB. He charted his own course and I think he was very satisfied with all that he accomplished and how he did it. Sure, a few years ago he admitted he probably should have listened to Penske and concentrated on Indy cars only, but it didn’t bother him. We’d kid him about being the first five-time Indy winner if he wasn’t so stubborn and he’d laugh and roll with the punches. But he was beloved by so many because of that hardheaded spirit, his work ethic and the fact he could still win races with one arm. They played "My Way" to end his memorial service last Saturday night, and nothing says it better.