The RACER Mailbag, July 26

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 can't help but wonder if Simon Pagenaud's slow return to the 60 car is by design from Meyer Shank. With the buzz that both seats would be changed next year, are they purposely slow playing his return to the car to get the opportunity to give Conor Daly an audition along with Tom Blomqvist? I get the feeling we will not see Simon back in the 60 this year. What are your thoughts?

Joey, Boynton Beach, FL

MP: This isn’t a plot by Mike Shank and Jim Meyer.

“That’s total BULL****!!!!, and you can put that all-caps and put a bunch of exclamation points behind it,” Shank told me yesterday. “Whenever Simon’s cleared, he’s back in the car. It would uncomplicate my life more than you know, if we knew for sure he’s going to be back at Nashville. Whenever he’s clear, he’s driving.”

So, there’s no scenario where the team doesn’t want Pagenaud back in the car ASAP. As it looks to 2024, and as we revealed earlier in the year, Blomqvist is expected to move up and into a full-time IndyCar seat, and while Simon isn’t signed beyond 2023, there’s a lot of value to having a champion and oval ace like Pagenaud positioned next to mentor Tom as a rookie.

Shank’s desire to have Pagenaud back for the next race does have some urgency, since Blomqvist won’t be available due to racing MSR’s IMSA GTP car at Road America that weekend. That could lead to Daly, or another driver of MSR’s choosing, to being on standby until Pagenaud’s availability is known. And with the No. 60 Honda having fallen to the wrong side of the Leaders Circle cutoff line, Shank and Meyer have more than the issue of who will drive the car to solve in the five races left to run.

Q: Someone needs to penalize IndyCar race control. The confusing penalties or lack of penalties is frustrating, but what happened Sunday in Iowa should cost someone their job.

The quick yellow when Canapino brushed the wall was a NASCAR move, but the lack of immediate yellow for that loose tire is inexcusable. That could have been launched into the stands. Multiple cars went by it at speed. The AMR Safety Team could have been there in the amount of time between when it came loose and when the yellow was thrown.

While we are at it, whoever was responsible for letting Sting Ray Robb make it to pit exit should be suspended.

Ryan in West Michigan

MP: The 7.5 seconds I counted between the wheel’s exit and the caution light going on—which is about a third of a late-stint race lap at Iowa—wasn’t a good look. In the Canapino yellow, I counted four seconds from the time he glanced off the wall to the yellow being triggered. Bear in mind that the folks in race control aren’t necessarily watching the same NBC feed as the rest of us, so the broadcasters seeing it happen from start to finish doesn’t mean race control is following the same feed. I spoke to IndyCar and they told me the caution was triggered the moment they saw it.

Unlike road and street courses where race control relies on a big bank of TV screens that show tons of trackside angles, race administration on the ovals — with the exception of Indy — is more of a firsthand live-view situation where they are looking down from the tower atop the central grandstands onto the track and calling things as they see them happen. Given the event had a new hospitality compound erected that blocked the view of Turn 3 for most of the people in the main grandstands, I’d have to think it obstructed their view as well and made seeing and calling the caution take longer than anyone wanted. Since we saw it instantly on TV and they did not, and since they called it the moment they saw it, there had to be a reason for that delay because there’s no way race control sees a wheel on the racing line and arbitrarily waits for a few seconds before acting.

The reason Robb was disqualified from continuing in the race had little to do with him, and everything to do with his Dale Coyne Racing team failing to stop him before leaving without all the wheel nuts attached, and then failing for the rest of the lap to tell him to stop. It’s the latter where the DQ was assessed.

Making matters worse, this was the second day and second race in a row where the Coyne team left one of Robb’s wheels loose. The difference being is he was able to cruise back to pit lane on Saturday and have the issue resolved without the wheel leaving the car.

It’s safe to assume he felt similar loose-wheel sensations on Sunday and slowed accordingly, hoping to reproduce Saturday’s outcome by getting back to his pit box with everything attached, so that’s on the kid, but it won’t happen again. I’m sure IndyCar will reiterate in the next drivers’ meeting that stopping the car in the name of everyone’s safety is what’s expected.

The Iowa doubleheader didn't bring much joy for the No.51 team. Hope they at least enjoyed the concerts. Motorsport Images

Q: I won't be able to watch the debut of "Jackie" on ESPN.  It sounds like a must-see program.  Do you have any info on rebroadcasts, whether it be ESPN or a streaming service?

Dan, Mansfield, OH

MP: I just looked and it’s already available on ESPN+, so stream away!

Q: With his array of sponsors, is it feasible to consider Devlin DeFrancesco at Ganassi next year? Chip wouldn’t have to spend any money, and he could learn from Dixon and improve.

Daniel Martins, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

MP: No. It would be perfect for Dev, but he doesn’t fit what Chip’s looking for right now.

Q: I was listening to Graham Rahal's comments (diatribe), after he spun during the race, Saturday.

I have a couple thoughts: (pick one)

1. Graham Rahal has completely lost his skills

2. His team can't set up a car

3. Mr. Rahal can't communicate to the team exactly what he needs to feel in the car

4. All of the above

Obviously, it's a family team, so I feel badly for the engineers responsible for the car.

Russ Zipoff, Dade City, FL

MP: The guy said it was the worst-handling car he’d ever had on an oval, so I’ll take his word for it. Two of his six career wins are on ovals, and at Iowa, he has four top-five finishes, so he knows the fast way around the place.

From RLL’s three cars and six race results in Iowa, the best was a 13th from Lundgaard on Sunday; the other five were 18th or worse, so we know they missed the mark by a wide margin. Conveying what you want and a team’s ability to find it, have it, or give it to you are very different things. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as ordering a Happy Meal and getting everything you wanted handed over in a box with a toy in it.

No team has demonstrated the struggles of rebuilding its engineering program better than RLL after winning in Toronto and being completely lost a few days later in Iowa.

Q: Was Portland not coming back for 2024 left out of your recent "Nashville getting a new date" article?

Jared, Reading, PA

MP: No, that would go into a "Portland not coming back" story, not a "Nashville getting a new date" article. According to the people I talk to, fans of the Portland IndyCar race would be wise to schedule a visit next year around its familiar late-season spot on the schedule.

Q: With so many races this year having 27 or 28 entrants, it made me wonder: has there ever been an IndyCar season where this many cars and drivers have entered every race, and with so few driver changes?

As I make it (and please correct me if I'm wrong!) so far we've had:

It feels like there's been less driver-swapping than usual. will have started every race by the end of the year?

Paul Rayner, Edinburgh, UK

Paul brings up some excellent points: 2023 has seen at least 27 cars start every race, and if that pace holds as planned, it would be the first time this has ever happened in IndyCar.  The closest before that would be CART back in 1998, when we had 27 cars start in 17 of the season’s 19 events.

We have had 24 drivers start every race so far in 2023, and all are scheduled to drive the final five races.  If that holds, it will break last year’s record of 23 who started every race.

In terms of driver changes, we have had three cars run in 2023 with multiple drivers: one shared ride (No. 11), one driver change (No. 20) and one injury (No. 60). Both 2014 and 2022 also had three cars with multiple drivers. The fewest driver changes/shared rides during a season that I can find would be the 2007 IRL season with one: Ryan Hunter-Reay replacing Jeff Simmons at Mid-Ohio for Rahal Letterman Racing.

Q: The IMS website lists Sunday general admission tickets for the IMSA race as sold out. Given the size of IMS, I find that very surprising. Is the IMSA race already more popular than both IndyCar races on the IMS road course?

Kyle

MP: IMS president Doug Boles told the Mailbag it was a brief glitch that was fixed. GA tickets are still available.

Q: I imagine the paddock is alive with 2024 rumors. Can you throw some light on the possibility that Shank may drop to the 500 only, or run just one car in 2024? I find it unlikely with Liberty Media as a shareholder plus the apparently close relationship with SiriusXM and Autonation. Maybe things have soured this year. Maybe it’s pure speculation.

Secondly, Malukas mentioned Hy-Vee numerous times when interviewed by IndyCar. Am I becoming too clever/ gossipy, or can we read something into that?

Oliver Wells

MP: There’s a zero-percent chance MSR runs fewer than two full-time cars next year. As for Malukas, RLL would need to run six cars to accommodate all of the drivers it’s supposedly running in 2023.

Malukas is speeding right into the heart of all the silly season chatter. Motorsport images

Q: I love the look of the IR18 from the side, it makes me remember pre-shark fin prototypes. But while watching Iowa, I realized something... with the aeroscreen cutting some air to the rear wing, why didn't Dallara develop a new aero for the car with a rear wing that covers all the car's width? I guess they'd need to cover the rear wheels a bit for that. But wouldn't this make the cars better, especially on ovals?

William Mazeo

MP: You’d be surprised at how unwilling teams are to spend money on new parts if they aren’t completely necessary, and a new rear wing wasn’t necessary with the introduction of the aeroscreen. Make a big change like that at the rear and a complementary change would be needed at the front. More downforce on ovals doesn’t automatically create better racing. It’s finding the right amount for the track that creates great racing, as seen earlier this year at Texas.

I do expect new superspeedway wings at some point, but not next year since the costs of going hybrid will be significant.

Q: Why does it take so long to get back to green racing? I’m sure people have complained about this before, but I feel like it’s getting worse, not better.

For example, Canapino brushes the wall and keeps driving -- not even a crash. It’s questionable why a yellow even comes out all. But then 20 laps of yellow, for what?

I’m watching with my sons and they’re 12 and 14. I don’t need explain attention spans of kids today, but we’re all wondering what takes so long?

Thomson boys, Gilbert, AZ

MP: We’re talking about two very different things here. The main question is hard to answer because some series are faster than others at returning to green, with IndyCar being the best I’ve seen here at home. Others, like NASCAR and IMSA, can burn 20 to 30 minutes with ease.

Canapino’s glancing blow off the wall didn’t seem like it should have taken all that long, but I believe the series took time to send the sweeper trucks out, let pit stops take place, and then needed to re-order the field a bit, so it was an anomaly. Without that, the caution would have gone from lap 87-102 instead of 87-105. By my rough count, about 12.5 minutes were consumed, which is too much, but using the Canapino caution as a blanket indictment of IndyCar’s caution procedures wouldn’t be fair.

Q: Finally we have sweepers cleaning up the marbles during yellow flag laps! I've seen them on track several times since Indy, and I applaud R.P. and his team! As avid racing fans, all we want to see the guys have a chance to duke it out with clean passing zones -- the last thing we want to see is a Monaco parade race.

Joe, California

MP: Great note, Joe.

Q: So a random thought while I'm watching the Sunday Iowa race regarding superspeedways. Do the IndyCar teams even want another superspeedway? With the extreme speeds, it's so easy to trash a car, so is a superspeedway even worth it for the teams?

Josh, Louisville, KY

MP: If that’s the fear-based angle teams were taking, they’d be pleading for street courses to be removed from the calendar. Two cars were destroyed at St. Pete. Another one in Long Beach. One in Detroit, I think, and Rosenqvist’s in Toronto. And we’ve yet to get rolling in Nashville, aka, Crashville.

Speedway racing is a big part of our history. I hope to have more, not less.

Q: You’ve talked about Romain Grosjean and his contract situation numerous times. Do the sponsors have a say in who the driver is? Does DHL get a say, or is it all up to Michael Andretti? And do you think Grosjean stays at Andretti?

Cory

MP: Without a doubt, yes, Cory. A major company like DHL, or any other, wouldn’t commit to giving a team millions of dollars without agreeing to the choice of driver who will represent their brand. I recall hearing at the time of the impending Hunter-Reay-for-Grosjean swap that Romain offered an international profile for the company through its sponsorship of the No. 28 Honda that RHR could not bring, and after almost two seasons of getting whatever amount of international exposure it sought from having Grosjean in the car, we’ll soon find out if the company wants to continue, and if it does, whether Grosjean is still their guy and still who Andretti wants in the car.

Q: IndyCar drivers have been jumping starts and restarts all year without consequence. Pato O'Ward put Scott Dixon in the wall at Long Beach without penalty. Drivers have been weaving down the straights at IMS for years without a word from race control. Josef Newgarden played chicken with the attenuator at IMS coming to the checkers and no one said anything.

Sting Ray Robb leaves the pits with a loose wheel at Iowa and he's immediately disqualified?

Even if you believe that loose wheels are especially dangerous, I've seen wheels fall off in the 500 -- where speeds are significantly higher than Iowa -- twice in the last decade and no one was DQ'ed.

Why was this situation different from these other non-calls?

Kyle

MP: Hoping the answer earlier in the Mailbag covered this one off, Kyle. It was a team penalty, but Robb, who’s paying to drive the car, paid the price. He deserves better.

Q: At the recent oval doubleheader in Iowa, team owner and oval specialist Ed Carpenter's participation went almost unnoticed. He got little or no mention in television coverage and finished near the back, many laps down. That has been the situation for a number of years recently, even at Indy. I realize there always have to be those who make up the numbers, but how does he continue to get sponsorship for his ovals-only career, and does he not see his time has passed on track?

A. Jenkins, Ontario, Canada

MP: I’d say the Iowa weekend as a whole was brutal for ECR. Carpenter started up front on Sunday and I watched his No. 33 Chevy sink like a rock. VeeKay did his best, but his car was largely uncompetitive, earning a best of 17th for the team at the event. Hunter-Reay was racy at times, but his car also went to crap, and closed the event by smacking the wall.

Ed’s struggles were the worst of the team, and it’s true, we’d have to look back to his fifth at the 2021 Indy 500, fifth at Texas in 2020, and second at WWTR in 2019 as the last times one of IndyCar’s most accomplished oval drivers placed better than 11th in a motor race.

Moving to a third car that only runs on the ovals, compared to having the best ECR entry he shares with someone who handles the road racing for him in the same car, has been rough.

Iowa was low-key for No. 33. Phillip Abbott/Motorsport Images

Q: Can you explain the wave-around? At Iowa, a number of cars a lap down got their lap back under yellow. Does everyone who is one or more laps down get a lap back, or just those who are down one? I assume the advantage is that those people who were down one lap can also put with the leaders.

Matt, Florida

MP: Per the rules, there’s nothing specific listed about laps and getting things back. What you see in IndyCar on ovals is a lapped car staying out under caution when the leader pits to then pass the leader, get a lap back, and pit afterwards.

7.7. Race Restart 

After a Yellow Condition, cars between the pace car and the race leader are waved by: The wave-by will take place as soon as practical.

NASCAR, I believe, has a different practice where the first car that’s a lap down gets it back as part of its wave around procedure. I think it’s called the "lucky dog" but I don’t watch enough NASCAR to say for sure.

Q: Just remembering Sam Hornish. IndyCar Radio was playing the last minutes of his win at Indy this weekend. What was the driving force behind him leaving IndyCar racing? My guess, is after the merger there was more road racing and Sam wasn't up to it.

Steve

MP: If we’re looking at timelines, the Indy Racing League rebranded itself as the IndyCar Series and incorporated road and street racing into its calendar in 2005.

I’d say a road racer like Hornish, who came up in his era’s equivalent of the USF Championships presented by Cooper Tires by using USF2000 and Formula Atlantic as his primary training grounds, was on the established road to CART, but his main opportunity came in the IRL, so that’s where he went. He won the Indy 500 and the championship in 2006, and then a bigger opportunity arrived in NASCAR. Had nothing to do with road racing; that was his foundation.

Q: Two quick money questions: Since Graham Rahal's primary ride failed to make the 500 and a large part of the purse is made of leader circle money, do they just miss out on that amount or since they are a full time entrant is it somehow made up to them some other way?

Second, I seem to remember NTT Data moving over to McLaren from Ganassi, so are we still sure that the 10 is a seat that will be paid instead of going to who brings a check?

Andy Brumbaugh, Columbia, SC

MP: If you’ve caught some of the races this year, you’ll have seen the No. 10 Honda has carried primary sponsorship from the American Legion, and we also wrote a story about the Legion taking over from NTT in 2023. Seeing how Alex Palou’s not paying to drive the car, and that it’s had sponsors on it at every round, I’m feeling pretty good about what I’ve written about it being a seat that pays.

As for the Leaders Circle, it’s a lot like movie "Fight Club" where the first rule of the LC is we do not speak about the LC… I doubt I could get anybody from the series to provide an answer on this, and teams have to sign quadruple NDAs to get their LCs, so RLL wouldn’t answer.

But, if we consider how RLL is a longstanding and upstanding member of the series, I’d imagine the series made them whole on payouts for the No. 15 Honda, despite it missing the race. It’s the series’ money, so they can do with it as they see fit.

Q: Alexander Rossi intrigues me. I am a fan, but his general/public demeanor makes him appear to be aloof and non-caring -- even on a podcast with his name in it. I have seen him be very generous with fans first-hand so it almost seems his persona is calculated. Was he this affected by F1?

As an amateur psychologist, I think this is just a coping mechanism. That said, he seems to not like half the tracks, dislikes sim work, and people in general (a trait I can relate to.)

He’s a smart guy but is he too smart for his own good? I realize this is a results sport but he does himself no favors outside the car.

Teams must see this and I can’t imagine he’d ever be Penske material again. Is his manager part of this? Does Dad not call him out?

Mike DeQuardo, Elkhart Lake, WI

MP: I struggled to make sense of Rossi until my wife, an introvert, began explaining some of the deep-cut attributes exhibited by many introverts. As an extrovert, it was a huge "aha" moment.

Almost everything you’ve assigned to Rossi are things I would attach to Newgarden as well -- introvert, lets himself loose on his Bus Bros content done in a controlled environment that you wouldn’t see him comfortable doing among a large group of people, can be prickly, but also very giving and charming in smaller settings when he’s at ease, etc.

If Rossi starts winning again, and provided McLaren doesn’t have him signed up for a super-long contract, I think he’d be a perfect candidate at Penske. I can’t find the outside-the-car items that would disinterest other teams if he’s putting up multiple wins each year.

Q: Regarding the IndyCar officials on pit lane in the yellow fire suits, could you elaborate as to what they monitor in the pits during both practice and race day?

With the recent on-air discussions on how the IndyCar medical team establishes a cognitive baseline for each driver before the season starts in order to evaluate a driver's cognitive health if needed during the season, how would this work for a relief driver like Tom Blomqvist, whom I presume did not participate in the preseason assessments?

Doug

MP: The pit techs observe, inform, field questions from the teams, and maintain safety and order, led by IndyCar technical director Kevin Blanch. They’re the on-the-field referees we see in other sports, but aren’t nearly as intrusive as we see in the NFL or NBA.

The IMPACT test can be quickly administered by IndyCar with ease prior to a race, and every driver needs to pass their physical evaluation and receive sign-off from the series medical team and IndyCar’s competition group led by Jay Frye. Tom having to step in with a few days’ notice was not a big deal; IndyCar has a well-defined process for such things.

IndyCar's pitlane police.  Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: I thought IndyCar completely mishandled the opening-lap crash and subsequent track blockage in Toronto. There should have been an immediate red flag, anyone who was blocked but ultimately able to continue should have been waved around and not lost a lap, and Rahal should have been placed at the back for illegally using a runoff area to pass. This is supposed to be entertainment, and the fans and sponsors want their cars to get visibility. In this instance I think it was only a couple of cars that could have continued, but Rossi is a big name so why not keep him and any others on the lead lap (for a while at least)?

IndyCar seems to make these kind of anti-entertainment decisions too often (the 500 being the only memorable pro-entertainment decision that comes to mind). For instance, I think they should be looking for situations for wave arounds as a regular part of the process during all yellows, for everyone a lap down. Why not keep as many cars as possible in the conversation?

Doug

MP: Actually, it’s supposed to be a sport that also, hopefully, entertains. With the hair-trigger use of red flags at Indy, a track blockage on the first lap did seem like an easy call to make with a red. But whenever I think something’s an obvious call this year, in IndyCar or IMSA, the opposite happens, so I no longer trust my judgement. As I saw someone opine on social media, more than 10 percent of the race was burned by not going red which, for those who paid to see a motor race, might have compounded the question as to why the race wasn’t stopped. And since it was only being aired on Peacock -- at least in the U.S. -- it’s not like there was a big event waiting to knock it off the air.

Rahal did nothing illegal, so let’s not make things up and say he did. Also, I’m confused, because if we’re saying misfortune should have fewer consequences and drivers should get their laps back, just for the sake of it to improve the entertainment value, why would Rahal deserve a penalty for passing a bunch of cars to avoid going a lap down?

Q: For my 80th birthday I'm going to the 2024 500. Which section should I sit in?  

Ed 

MP: That’s a great birthday gift to yourself, Ed. Since I’ve never bought a ticket or sat in a seat for the Indy 500, I asked my favorite IndyCar group on Facebook to help with answers. And here are a few replies I picked in case you aren’t on Facebook:

1) 'I’ve sat a few different spots over the years. I find SW vista (exit of T1 to the short chute) to be very easy access with lots of washrooms. Shade under the stands all race as well should one need to take a break...'

2) 'This year was my 64th. Indy. I have tickets in Northwest Vista up high and also seats in E Penthouse. I’ve sat in both and actually enjoy my Turn 4 seats a bit better. But, as people have said, they are uncovered and can be brutal on a hot day. If you have a small bladder, the steps can be brutal too. E Penthouse has elevator access through B Penthouse and it’s an easier trek to the restroom. For a first-timer, I would probably try and find Paddock Penthouse near start finish line. He will have good seats, have great views of all the pageantry, see pit stops and be under cover and they won’t break the bank.'

3) 'Call IMS ticket office and tell them your situation. They are wonderful with helping customers. Maybe you’ll get a seat at the finish line.'

4) 'We sit in A Penthouse and love it. Covered so you don’t bake in sun. Will be costly in secondary market, but worth it. Elevators up to top and view is incredible. A is great also because it is toward the end of pit road and gives you the tip-of-the-spear pit action.'

Q: Toronto was the first IndyCar race I have gone to in person in about six years, and me and my buddy thoroughly enjoyed it. Packed crowd, good atmosphere and a good setup, they utilize the space really well. I was surprised with the huge amount of F1 fans there, it seemed like the same amount of people were wearing F1 merch as those wearing IndyCar stuff. I talked to a few of them, just curious to see why they wanted to come to an IndyCar race, and many of them said it was in town and they wanted to check it out, plus it was much cheaper than the F1 race in Montreal. Perhaps the rapid growth of F1 is helping IndyCar and other racing series as well?

I had a curious thought this week. Why don't we see a Red Bull presence in the IndyCar paddock? It seems with their backlog of junior drivers waiting for an F1 seat, it would be worthwhile to have a couple of them come over here and get racing experience with a pretty competitive field. At least organize a partnership with an existing outfit.

Dan, Rochester, NY

MP: I loved seeing the year-on-year increase in crowds, Dan. On the paddock/participation side, they are the best Formula 1 team in the world and are followed/seen by roughly the same amount of people in the U.S. who watch F1 races on TV as people in the U.S. who watch IndyCar on TV, so I can’t find the marketing value there. On the Red Bull Junior Driver placement side, that makes a ton of sense. Chip Ganassi has one or two seats that could be bought and used to develop that talent, but after that, you run out of top-tier teams who are willing to run paying drivers (Andretti, Penske) or aren’t a rival in F1 (McLaren).

Q: Leading up to the Toronto weekend I had been hearing rumors that a contract extension was in the works for the race. Is that still expected?

Joe

MP: Here's a story on this topic we posted a few weeks ago.

Q: This may seem really dumb, but I’m wondering why IndyCar tires are called "primary" and "alternate" when it really seems as if it would be more accurate to just call them something like "hard" and "soft"? After all, teams have to run both compounds in each race and the tire of choice seems to change depending on the track, the weather, etc. So one week’s primary tire could very well be the next week’s alternate, depending on circumstances and team choices.

And while we’re arguing silly semantics, why not change “drivers, start your engines” to “teams, start your engines.” After all, the drivers haven’t started the cars in decades; the task being performed by a pit crew member shoving the starter up the car’s bum.

Changing the call to “teams” would not only be more accurate, it would be more "inclusive" (and isn’t that what counts the most these days?) as well as helping to stress the fact that racing is a team sport.

Jim Bray, Calgary

PS: I attached a quick drawing of your favorite French Fry for your viewing pleasure.

MP: Well, for another five races, "Drivers, start your engines" will indeed be inaccurate. So if a change is going to be made, it needs to happen now. In 2024, with hybrid engines coming online, drivers will start their engines, thanks to the motor generator unit’s ability to engage the input shaft and spin the crank to fire the motors through the wizardry of electronics and hydraulics.

As for tire nomenclature, I wouldn’t want my brand’s tires referred to as hard if I was trying to convey their performance capabilities. And the degrees of hard/soft varies between tracks, so it makes more sense to me to avoid that route and just go with what they are -- the primary option and the alternate option to the primary.

Nice work with the drawing. Only mistake is that he’s not flipping me the bird.

Q: Regarding last week's question from Bob, would tire competition actually be good for the series? I was under the impression that modern tire manufacturing was so good that racing tires wear artificially fast for the sake of competition. Isn't that why every major series uses a single manufacturer these days?

If we had manufacturers competing, wouldn't that also incentivize them to compromise safety for the sake of performance?

Mike, California

MP: Not sure, I follow, Mike. We have Chevy and Honda competing with engines, and they aren’t compromising safety for performance. Same with every other non-spec form of racing. If anything, I thought the whole idea of competition was to make things better and win through excellence.

Most endurance racing series do or have welcomed multiple manufacturers and safety wasn’t an issue. We had Michelin, Pirelli, Yokohama, Kuhmo, Falken, Goodyear and others I’m forgetting in the ALMS, and it was a big deal that was important to the series and the brands to be involved in open competition. Same with IndyCar when we had Goodyear and Firestone. The belief that major corporations would risk tire failures, vehicle damage and driver injury for the sake of performance is baffling.

Q: I went to the Rolex 24 this year and was blown away by how loud the engines were, especially in the GTP class. I’ve been to the last 15 Indy 500s in a row and can say that it isn’t nearly as loud.

I know that the Honda engine in the Acura GTP car was originally conceived as the 2.4L IndyCar engine that never came to be. When the engine formula was announced, Jay Frye said that the goal was to be “fast and loud.”  Do you think that the engine would have been as loud in an IndCar? If so, wow! Now I’m really bummed that we don’t have those engines in IndyCar.

Matt McGowan, Collegeville, PA

MP: A more ferocious engine like the 2.4s should have made cooler sounds, so yes, and the 2.4 in the ARX-06 GTP does sound awesome, but I’d put that mostly down to it revving higher than the other prototypes and standing out because of that difference.

Q: Set up the PVR for the Honda Indy Toronto race on TSN for the pre-race and race coverage. Later that evening I opened the pre-race taping, only to realize that the half hour recorded was Wimbledon! Fast-forward through that to the race coverage. Wimbledon coverage finished and joined the race in progress -- lap 26?! Canadian fans important? Nah.

If this the effort to make sure us “important” fans are looked after then please don’t bother.

Mike, Ontario

MP: Take note, TSN.

Q: I went to Peacock to watch the Toronto race and it had already begun. I discovered there was no way to watch from the beginning. I was either watch from the point where I joined, or wait until the race was over. I waited and it was more than an hour after the broadcast ended before the replay was available.

This is an oddity in the streaming world as usually you can opt to start the stream from the beginning.

Randall, Citrus Height, CA

MP: Of all the streaming platforms and the options they offer with player controls, let’s just say that Peacock has a lot of chassis setup work to do to catch the other teams.

Q: I just realized that IndyCar and NASCAR went head to head on Sunday, and IndyCar is on the network while NASCAR is on cable. Not complaining, but a little shocked that the open-wheelers are getting the headliner billing from NBC in this instance. Is it due to the prospects of a more spectacular show in Iowa compared to a more likely snoozer for the tin tops at the tricky triangle?

Marc, Columbia, MD

MP: I love the idea of executives judging the anticipated quality of races while assigning their TV homes, but I’d look closer towards the Iowa doubleheader being a really big deal for IndyCar, which is co-promoted by IndyCar, and had some big sponsors and musical acts involved. To my knowledge, Pocono was just a standard Cup race.

Q: Have you ever seen a Can-Am documentary titled "Circuit"? Internet searches indicate it was filmed in 1981. I'm curious if you know who funded the project? Paul Newman and his team are featured throughout, which leads me to believe it might have been charged to his credit card.

I never had a chance to see any of Can-Am Version 2.0 in person. I was deployed overseas during that time and the series came and went before I returned to the States.

The Formula 5000 conversions look wicked fast, even by today's standards. Some of the footage from Riverside is downright scary. The season’s final race was filmed at what I believe is the old F1 track in Vegas.

Yes, there is some cringe-worthy inappropriateness (it was the 1980s), but there are also some great interviews/conversations with the likes of Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Al Holbert, Teo Fabi and PLN. One the best scenes shows Bobby pounding a Budweiser (from one of those little brown bottles) after a hard-fought race. No scientifically designed rehydration products in those days.

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

MP: I have! One of my favorites, in fact. Frey Racing, a Bay Area racing parts store and racing team, had their shop in San Jose, and in the lobby, they had a display case with a deep selection of racing video cassettes for rent, and Circuit was among them. I did that 60- to-90-minute roundtrip drive more than once as a kid in the late 1980s to rent that sucker. Later, I bought my own copy and still have it in a crate somewhere. I always assumed Garvin Brown, whose family founded Jack Daniel’s whiskey and ran Danny Sullivan, was the money behind the film.

Q: Sick of seeing the compulsory driver pictures of them putting in their ear buds with a mean look on their face. Why not a nice happy face? They are among the very few lucky enough to race at the highest level. These pictures are almost as bad as calling race drivers "athletes," which Robin squelched in the Mailbag a while back. He said calling them athletes made him puke. These earbud pictures are about to make me do the same. Just sayin’.

Big Possum, Michigan

MP: The ear-touching photos are a specialty of IMS Photo and I kid them about it, but that’s their go-to shot. Robin was wrong. In his day, yes, you’d have been an idiot to call most drivers athletes, but you’d be an idiot to say today’s professional drivers aren’t. Stock up on barf bags.

He's putting his earpiece in, and looking happy about it. Hope this helps, Big Possum. James Black/Penske Entertainment

Q: Over at Meyer Shank Racing, two former champs are at the bottom. [ED: Helio’s never won the championship, but he’s come close enough times that we’ll let it slide]. Is it the car, or -- heaven forbid I say this since they're a decade younger than me -- did they lose a step?

Shawn, MD

MP: In their first full season together at MSR, Simon was 15th in the championship and Helio was 18th, which disappointed everyone. But their technical partners at Andretti also had a down year; Rossi was their best in the standings in ninth. So if you look at that, and realize Simon was only six spots behind Rossi, it wasn’t the end of the world.

Returning for their second season together at MSR, and as Andretti made significant gains, the gap has expanded with Helio and Simon being near or worse than 20th in the standings. A lot of deficiencies have come to light throughout the year as well, and as a team, MSR bears plenty of responsibility.

But to your point, we’ve also seen Helio hit that stage where a lot of elite drivers who raced into their late 40s and early 50s admitted upon retirement: It’s not that you lose the physical or mental ability; it’s the inability to summon the same KILL-KILL-KILL mindset that fuels the next-generation stars on every lap.

The desire to take the same crazy risks that got you that race win when you were 25 and single isn’t the same when you’re 45, married, and have kids at home. It just isn’t.

That’s why, at times, you get glimpses of former glory from older drivers, but it doesn’t happen often enough to make them regular contenders for podiums, wins, or titles. At 48, I’m celebrating Helio for being 39 points behind Graham Rahal and 40 behind Rinus VeeKay in a car that’s certainly no better than theirs from race to race. His current station of 20th in the championship could easily become 15th if he has a strong close to the year and those right in front of him hit turbulence. But is he beating Herta, Kirkwood, and Ericsson (or whomever next year) in the championship next year if he was signed by Andretti? No, but an Indy 500 win is possible.

At 39, Simon has many years left.

For Pagenaud, his issue isn’t new or based on age. He’s been unstoppable when the right setup is found, but if it’s off, the results haven’t been what he or the team wants. He’s put in some gritty drives at times where he’s taken an ill-handling car and delivered an impressive finish, but those are runs to 14th or 16th when eighths and 10ths are what’s desired. Some drivers, like a Lundgaard or an O’Ward, are fazed by nothing and almost always go forward. That hasn’t been Simon’s story for a while, and that just makes it harder to deliver top results because the car needs to be close to perfect to do so. That also puts a lot of pressure on a team to deliver at crazy high levels.

There was a hope that the ex-Penske teammates would recreate some magic at MSR, and it hasn’t been their reality. Simon would be a great mentor for Blomqvist, and if that’s the direction the team goes, 2024 could be a good one for MSR.

Q: Nyck de Vries out at AlphaTauri, and Ricciardo in. There hasn't been any mention of Herta being in F1 next year (other than through Andretti team ownership). Last year he seemed to be in the running but due to a technicality he didn't have enough points for a Super License. He sits eighth in the points in IndyCar and is not exactly setting the world on fire. He is young, however F1 has a short shelf life. Has his opportunity come and gone? Given that Nyck wasn't even given a full year, perhaps it was a good thing that he didn't get the ride?

Paul Hirsch, Westlake, OH

CHRIS MEDLAND: I wouldn’t say Colton’s opportunity has come and gone, but he’s not going to be racing in F1 next year. I think Red Bull was keen to beat Williams to the punch with a U.S. driver and felt Colton would make more of a splash than Logan Sargeant given the interest around a move from IndyCar, but the Super License put paid to that, and based on his results this season it looks like he won’t have one next year, either.

As you mention, AlphaTauri is an unforgiving place and if he’d struggled then there would have been a chance it was him being dropped so the team could evaluate Daniel Ricciardo -- which was as much of a factor as Nyck’s performances -- rather than being given time to settle in. But I still think Colton has real potential and Andretti has said he’d definitely be one of his drivers if his entry bid is successful, so the focus will be on a Super License for 2025 in that case.

I know you only asked about Herta, but Alex Palou now feels like the front-runner if an F1 team turns to an IndyCar driver, and I could see Helmut Marko making moves for next season to try and put him alongside Ricciardo if the Australian beats Yuki Tsunoda from here on out.

Q: NASCAR has scheduled an oval tire test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after the Brickyard weekend. Is NASCAR considering going back to the oval for the Brickyard race? It seems that would not allow the running of the IndyCar road course event that weekend. What are you hearing?

Ralph, Indianapolis

KELLY CRANDALL: Obviously, the 2024 schedule hasn’t been released yet and it’s probably still going to be some time yet before it is. However, Goodyear isn’t going to test at the oval for no good reason. There has been some pretty good talk within the industry that returning to the Indy oval is a real possibility next year, but no one has committed to a yes or no answer.

The reason this is now on the cards is because of how well the Next Gen car is performing on oval tracks, and NASCAR and Indianapolis have always been open to eventually moving back to the oval when it makes sense. As far as the NTT IndyCar Series piece, if NASCAR goes back to the oval, it sounds like a date change is being considered as well because it would a tough task to switch the track over from the road course to the oval. Again, no real solid answers from anyone, but there seems to be a lot of conversation about what the future holds for Indianapolis and NASCAR.

The wait for a Super License continues. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: Daniel Suarez said he was knocked out of the Pocono NASCAR race because he was back in the pack with all the squirrels. I'm not too sure how I'd feel to be called a squirrel by a fellow NASCAR driver, but I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the next drivers meeting. Your thoughts?

Joe, California

KC: Daniel Suarez didn’t say anything egregious; he was frustrated at his day coming to an end for reasons not of his own doing, and is facing the pressure of not having won a race and fighting for a playoff spot. It’s pretty common for drivers to make comments or insult their fellow drivers in the heat of the moment, but the field knows the difference between something that is just born from frustration, like Suarez's was, or a directed insult that’s part of a larger feud. I would bet no one even paid attention to what he said, and it won’t be on anyone’s mind in Richmond. 

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag, July 29, 2015

Q: You know better than anyone, the press baits drivers, team owners, anyone who can evoke a lively remark in the heat of the moment. The people who need to be smacked with big fines are not the drivers, the team owners, etc., rather the news reporters who poke their mics and cameras where common sense would say, “That is not a real story and we do not need to go there.” It does no one any good to report on this type crap. Stick to racing and let ambulance chasers spook out the scandal sheet crap. 

I hate to see reporters catch a driver after some hair-raising incident of any type and expect a ridiculous lively reply. It is like asking the driver, and expecting a sane answer, “What did it feel like when you were killed?" Rise above the gutter nonsense and stop poking drivers and owners with sore points of the past. That is stupid.

Thomas Grimes, Waco, TX

ROBIN MILLER: I’ve seen East Coast media prod football players after a close loss but I disagree about auto racing coverage. I think most of the people that cover motorsports understand it’s not a ball or a strike or a missed field goal -- it’s a dangerous profession that requires sensitivity in certain situations. It’s our job to ask a driver what happened in a crash or maybe what they thought of the racing, but I don’t see reporters baiting drivers to give sensational answers. Maybe sometimes we don’t give them enough time to cool off but that’s part of live television nowadays.