The RACER Mailbag, February 26

Q: With the effort that FOX has put forth since the beginning of the partnership with IndyCar, how seriously are Roger Penske, Mark Miles and the whole of Penske Entertainment taking how critical this year is for the short- and long-term success of the series?

I'm not knocking the great things that have come in the past years since the sale to Penske, but there are going to be so many eyes on the series with the promotion that FOX has provided already, and their dedication to the entire championship. Thinking back to controversial items such as the red flag in the 2023 Indy 500, the push to pass scandal last year, and the risk of losing Honda and having no public interest from new OEM's, I really am both cautiously optimistic that the mistakes of the past have been learned from to ensure that this year goes on without any issues, but I am also wary that complacency still exists from how close the field typically is.

Like all of us, I want to see the series taken to the level it deserves to be held on outside of the fanbase, but I am also worried that this year could be more of the same and end up stagnant among casual fans and racing fans that don't typically follow the series outside of the 500.

Alan Bandi, Sarver, PA

MARSHALL PRUETT: Roger is one of the greatest business minds in racing, so I’m confident he’s fully aware of how much is at stake with his series in 2025.

Like any sporting league, IndyCar has its problems. More than I’d like, for sure, and more than the people in the paddock want, as well. But nothing that I know of will prevent excellent racing from taking place over the next 17 events. Assuming the product remains at a high level and new and existing fans tune in a ton on FOX and turn up to buy lots of tickets to watch live, what happens in 2025 should be amazing.

It’s in the stuff beyond 2025, with engine supply contracts ending after 2026, and getting a new car going, which seems like it’s fallen from 2027 to 2028, and cutting costs with great immediacy, where the ongoing concerns do fall.

But if you just want to watch the racing and enjoy a distraction from real life, I’m serious when I say to ignore all of the inside-baseball stuff that’s worrying, delight in the amazing talents of the Patos and Newgardens and Palous and Hertas, and let time and nature handle the rest.

How many more sleeps until we have IndyCars back on track again? Joe Skibinski/IMS Photo

Q: I am having some difficulty finding the answer to this question. How will broadcast conflicts between IndyCar and NASCAR be handled by FOX? As an example, on March 2, IndyCar will go first on Sunday followed by NASCAR later in the afternoon. If for some reason IndyCar runs late, will FOX finish the IndyCar race and then move over to NASCAR, or would it cut to NASCAR before the end of the IndyCar race? There are a lot of permutations as to how any Sunday might play out. What will the general policy be at FOX?

Spencer

MP: Spoke to FOX Sports and they told us there’s an hour-long buffer between Sunday’s IndyCar race and the start of the Cup race. They also said it will be a case-by-case basis on any future needs to switch from IndyCar to NASCAR, and if a switch is necessary, it will be made plain by its announcers and on the ticker at the bottom of the screen with info on where to go within FOX’s myriad channels.

My own input would be that with NASCAR ranking as FOX’s top racing series by a wide margin, and with a deep desire to convert as many NASCAR viewers into IndyCar viewers, the one way to kill that concept is by making Cup followers miss what they tuned in to see on FOX. So if there’s a time crunch, I’d expect FOX to serve its larger Cup-loving audience and move IndyCar to another destination.

Also, we’re only talking about March, April and May before streamers and NBC take the NASCAR baton from FOX, so there’s a smaller number of opportunities for this running-late scenario to play out.

Q: What is your opinion on what impact the newly cancelled Honda-Nissan merger may have on Honda's decision to either leave or stay after its IndyCar contract expires in 2026?

Let's face it, Nissan is a mess, having the last quarter's profits fall from $2.1 billion to only $33 million and a stock price loss of 25% in the last year. But Honda is not much better off, suffering a stock price loss of 15% in the last year. In my opinion it not going to be about a new car, IndyCar's value or expansion plans, but about what Honda has to do to financially survive. It needed this merger, and it looks like me that leaving IndyCar is the odds-on favorite.

So, the follow-up question remains. What is your take on Penske's contingency plan if this most likely situation occurs?

Glenn, Palos Verdes Estate, CA

MP: Zero impact. I’ve never heard the Nissan thing mentioned in any of the many conversations I’ve had with Honda Racing US people since the start of the year. Not once.

If Honda leaves, Roger Penske’s engine company Ilmor Engineering, where he’s co-founder and co-owner, is the obvious choice to supply engines to the entire field. Or, if there’s a desire, he can seek bids from Cosworth and any other specialist racing engine builders to do a spec motor, but since Ilmor makes the motor for Chevy that’s won the last few manufacturers’ championships, it seems like there’s an easy solution to pursue.

Q: I just watched the Trans Am Series at Sebring and I really enjoyed the racing. I also liked seeing Paul Tracy win at one of the classes in Trans Am. Do you think the series has a chance to be close to the IMSA series like it was back in ’70s, ’80s and ’90s?

Alistair, Springfield, MO

MP: I do not. And not because it lacks awesome cars, teams, and drivers. It’s just too small of an organization to take it into a headlining position to challenge IMSA, IndyCar, NASCAR, etc. It needs a mainstream TV partner to put it in front of more people, then needs to race at venues where more than a small number of diehards will turn up to watch.

Great series. Just needs to climb a lot of levels of awareness for it to take off again.

Q: It’s 1986. Michael Andretti won Long Beach and Milwaukee. I’m a sophomore in high school with a full-on mullet. "Talk dirty to me" by Poison is a big hit on FM radio.

Fast-forward to 2025. Michael’s no longer involved with the series. I’m bald. Men my age with mullets are going to see Poison lead singer Bret Michaels play “Talk dirty to me” at IMS.

Folks wonder why the series isn’t attracting a younger demographic…

Ed, Jersey

MP: While I don’t give two farts about Michaels or the other main band, All American Rejects, I thought IMS did a good job at serving up a Dinosaur of Rock for the base -- the mullet crowd -- complemented by the Rejects, who the sons and daughters of those mullets might have listened to in the 2000s.

Q: Have we seen all there is of Linus Lundqvist? First the cut in prize money from NXT when Penske took over, and now a victim of Penske's charter system -- this kid is incredibly unlucky, and I hope he is able to showcase his skills somewhere in IndyCar or IMSA.

Handsome Jo

MP: I still need to catch up with him. I sometimes wonder where he’d be if he stayed with Meyer Shank instead of taking Ganassi’s offer. Can’t fault him for choosing the reigning champions over MSR, which was having a decent but largely unrewarding 2023 when Ganassi approached him. But if he’d stayed, I think we’re talking about him having amazing opportunities with the new Ganassi technical support at MSR instead of wondering if his top-tier career is over.

Q: I know everyone's run plans in testing vary, but I'm not sure I've ever seen Sting Ray Robb that far up the timing sheets in a session on a road course as he was at Sebring. Any insight you can add?

Ryan, West Michigan

MP: Conor Daly as well. Watched them trackside while filming and it appeared that JHR had found a strong direction on damping.

Q: Often wondered if JR Hildebrand would still be driving IndyCars today if he hadn’t kissed the wall within sight of an Indy 500 victory in 2011? Do you think he still has another Indy 500 in him, given that an aging Helio keeps turning up every May? Do you still cross paths with him?

Yanie Porlier

MP: I don’t know if he’d be racing today, which would be Year 15, but yes, I do believe an Indy 500 win would have change the trajectory of his career, led to other teams hiring him away from Panther Racing, and so on. I see JR once or twice a year at historic racing events, at a minimum, and have always enjoyed his company. He was super close to racing for ECR at the Indy 500 in 2023 when derelict sponsor payments had him on standby, but he’s turned the page and is focusing on a Pikes Peak project I just saw mentioned on his socials. He’d be a great choice for the 500, but once you step off that chasing-a-seat train, folks tend to forget your number.

Hildebrand's got plenty to keep him busy outside of the Speedway. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Images

Q: With RP getting up there in age, there will be an inevitable succession at Penske Entertainment. He's healthy and as spry as ever so I don't imagine that happening anytime soon (not would anyone want that). But when it does, will Penske Entertainment be as controlling as it is now, or do you foresee a loosening of the reigns, giving IndyCar leadership the autonomy and freedom it needs to blossom?

Michael, Halifax, Canada

MP: Best way I can think of to answer this is Penske Racing, Team Penske, and Penske Entertainment didn’t become highly controlling organizations in the last five years since the series and IMS were bought. I don’t foresee a change at the top having any effect on its decades-long culture.

Q: I've grown skeptical about this search for a third engine manufacturer in IndyCar. What real incentive does Penske have to find another manufacturer? If Honda leaves and Ilmor is all we have left, that leaves Penske owning the only source of engines. Sure, it would be a burden on Ilmor, but they've had years to figure out the supply issue should this happen.

I think the whole search for a third engine is just blowing smoke in our direction. Roger seems to be following NASCAR with his "fixing it until we break it" approach to running the series.

John, Seville, Ohio

MP: I know for a fact that Penske is talking to manufacturers at this moment, just as they always have.

The incentive is clear: I’ve never come across an organization in racing with a greater fear of failure than Penske Entertainment. Can’t think of anyone or anything that ranks second. Losing Honda, being unable to find a replacement brand, and reverting back to the mid-2000s single-supplier engine era (after Chevrolet and Toyota left) would be a brutal stain on the organization that makes the series he owns look like a total failure. That’s a powerful incentive to prevent it from happening.

This is a scenario of pure rejection at a time where F1 has multiple new manufacturers running into its paddock and IMSA is running out of fingers and toes to count all of the manufacturers it has in its house.

Honda’s been in IndyCar for 32 years. That’s a crazy-long time. If the series’ most enduring and committed auto brand decides to leave, that’s a rebuke of epic proportions that won’t go unnoticed by the rest of the auto industry. And if nobody steps in the take that empty spot, I don’t want to contemplate the ramifications because that’s when the teams’ sponsors start to ask whether they’re on a sinking ship.

We saw it with CART, which crumbled and returned as a shadow of itself with a spec engine in Champ Car, and then it fell apart. I wish I was saying something original and deep, but I’m just reciting what we witnessed with the manufacturer-less CART and Champ Car series and applying it to today.

I know I don’t want to see another American open-wheel series explode, so say prayers or do whatever comes to mind to make the racing gods infuse IndyCar with all the money and manufacturers it needs for everyone to succeed.

Q: As a devoted IndyCar fan, I always enjoyed being able to stream IndyCar races as a video on demand. Will this be an option in 2025, or will I have to keep my DVR?

Jeff Leisring

MP: If you’re able to access the FOX Sports app, yes. After authenticating through our cable provider, I was able to pull up a number of recent items under the REPLAY section (soccer matches, Atlanta NASCAR Trucks qualifying, NCAA basketball) as full broadcasts. The list also had about two days of full items to replay, so I’d think the VOD solution might not be one with infinite time to catch and play what you want. I could be wrong, though. First time using their app.

Q: Having lived through The Split, I fear your silence on happenings in IndyCar for the past few months is indicative of a very unhealthy series. I don't think you'll boil it down and say outright that "X is a major issue and it threatens the existence of the sport."

With that, I have to wonder what the future of a North American open-wheel series could/should look like at this point.

1) NASCAR is running a spec sports car on the variety of tracks that Champ Car/CART/IndyCar was/does/should be doing.

2) There are three F1 races in the USA alone, and five in North America. F1 has never been more popular in the U.S.

3) IndyCar has doubled down on hybrid technology even after F1 proved it adds zero to the sport other than car cost and weight.

4) IndyCar is leaving its oldest fans and discounting new ones with this formula and lack of 21st century marketing that all of the other top-tier sports embrace.

In short, regarding IndyCar – where is this going?

BC in DFW

MP: Wait, I’ve been silent the last few months?

On the question of where it’s going, that’s an amazing question… for which I do not have an answer. And that’s because we don’t hear from the series’ owner about where he wants to take IndyCar, or what he wants it to be that’s any different from what it is today. We simply don’t know Roger’s vision, other than what we assume in keeping it going and putting on a good show for the fans.

Does he want it to set new speed records at Indy? Does he want it to become a leader of innovation or technology? I could raise a dozen other questions, but we simply don’t know what the vision from Penske Entertainment for IndyCar looks like.

We hear IMSA’s leaders spell out their visions. We hear NASCAR’s leaders do the same. We hear Formula 1’s leaders give ambitious takes on where they want to lead their series. The NFL just did it the week of the Super Bowl. The NBA just did it the week of their All Star Game, etc. IndyCar did it prior to the Penske sale. Remember the "Fast, Loud, and Authentic" mantra preached by its former president?

So, I don’t know what else to say here since the owner of the series or his trusted acolytes refuse to step up to the mic and do like most major sporting leagues and provide a road map for what they want to do with IndyCar and where they want to take IndyCar. And they don’t have to, of course, but it’s the norm with other series and leagues.

Outside of idiot writers and reporters like myself, the one person who speaks more about what IndyCar needs to improve and where it needs to go is Zak Brown. Zak’s taken to doing his own "State of the Series" missives, and it’s not by accident. It’s because the people who should… won’t. Maybe that will change.

It's hard to get a read on Penske Entertainment's vision for the IndyCar Series, but McLaren's Brown isn't shy about sharing his thoughts. Joe Skibinski/IMS Photo

Q: My question is about Michael Andretti’s whereabouts. Any word on if we’ll see him anywhere near a racetrack this year? I’m guessing we won’t see him at any IndyCar races (except maybe Indy since Marco is supposed to compete), but maybe Formula E? Supercars? Or is he just counting his well earned money on a beach somewhere?

Rod, Houston

MP: Heard nothing about what Michael is or isn’t doing with his free time. He’s completely divorced from the team he once owned.

Q: Going back to my question last week, you mentioned in your response that FOX execs might veto adding "a non-NASCAR distraction before FOX’s and NASCAR’s biggest race." If I were a FOX exec I might agree. Since I'm not, and am just a concerned fan, I think IndyCar should be exploring every avenue possible.

The last thing I'll comment/ask about the series and its ROI is this: is it true that FOX committed $34 million worth of Super Bowl ads (not out of IndyCar's pocket – possibly pre-negotiated?) while the series got just $25 million for the FOX TV deal?

Rob, Rochester, NY

MP: No argument with you on that every-avenue exploration. I don’t know on the ad numbers because I haven’t asked and don’t care (just being honest). I heard the deal is something like $44 million, and after shouldering a decent amount of the production costs, the supposed profit is something like what you’ve suggested.

Q: For the 2024 races, Iowa Speedway announced major headlining concerts in December 2023. Here we are a week out from the 2025 season opener and they’ve not only not announced any concerts, but they aren’t even acknowledging the event on their calendar. Should we be concerned?

Scott

MP: Had a similar question a month or two ago, Scott, and we were told the info will be forthcoming sometime soon.

Q: If not Honda, then who? Can Chevrolet actually sustain being IndyCar’s sole supplier, and would it want to? How crucial to IndyCar’s lifeblood is this decision?

Michael Baley, Mount Joy, PA

MP: If the costs are removed, meaning Chevrolet would make a profit, I’d assume being a sole supplier would be an option. But what would that cost the teams?

The real elephant in the room, which is riding an 800-pound gorilla, is where IndyCar ranks on General Motors’ priority list in the coming years. Until it signed on to do Formula 1 with Andretti/TWG, NASCAR was its biggest racing program that was miles ahead of IndyCar, IMSA, and so on. From what I’m told by folks who’d know, F1 has shot to the top of GM’s racing priorities, and while it’s overstating the obvious, the move into F1 in 2026 means GM no longer looks to IndyCar as its one and only open-wheel racing series.

It’s joined the big daddy of all open-wheel series, with a giant reach, and all of the fans and spotlights and buzz and global interest. Where IndyCar was GM’s No. 2 racing series and only open-wheel outlet, it’s become No. 3 and is now GM’s No. 2 open-wheel playground. And that’s frightening.

Until it made a massive commitment to joining F1, I had no concerns about GM’s long-term place in IndyCar. After spending two days in Sebring and listening to a few smart people who are deeply tied to the auto and racing industries, I no longer assume it’s just Honda that’s questioning its future in the series.

Q: I'm still curious as to what happens with IndyCar charters if PREMA consistently outperforms other teams with charters over the next year or two? I can see this being a possibility.

Dino, New Hanover, PA

MP: Unless Penske Entertainment chooses to issue more charters, PREMA will need to wait and buy charters from someone looking to get out of the series. PREMA will be better than a few teams by the end of the year, which shouldn’t be a surprise. But seeing how hard the 10 existing teams fought to keep the charter distribution limited to them, I can’t see giving two to PREMA going down without an epic battle.

Q: What was the weirdest series you have ever seen in your life? To me (born 2004) it had to be the SCCA SuperTruck challenge which ran from 1987-1991.

Kurt Perleberg

MP: That was my first thought. Loved watching those silly trucks at whatever SCCA Trans Am weekend or SCCA Pro Sports 2000 events I was at working as a mechanic. The series that ran around then was also an SCCA Pro venture with the Renault Alliance Cup. Total ****boxes with no power or handling, and because of those limitations, there were large swarms of drivers nerfing each other and bump drafting on any straights and doing their best turtle impressions in cars that were never intended to see a racetrack, much less perform.

CHRIS MEDLAND: Mine’s similar to yours Kurt! Stadium Super Trucks are just awesome. I’m pretty sure we had an event at an F1 race in the past, but I really remember it from IndyCar’s Detroit doubleheader in 2017.

I’d been at qualifying for the Indy 500 but not the race that year (I had to be in Monaco for the grand prix – it was like choosing between which lottery I wanted to win. It’s a tough life sometimes), so I went to Detroit between F1 rounds in Monaco and Canada to see what the impact of Fernando Alonso’s debut was after he’d left town.

The first thing I remember is Graham Rahal dominated the weekend. The second is that people thought I was crazy for walking to and from the track. And the third was Stadium Super Trucks, which were just wild to watch. The air those guys get in such big machines is amazing!

MARK GLENDENNING: I want to jump in on this one just so I can mention the Ford Transit Trophy, which was a one-make series for race-prepped Ford Transit vans that I saw when it was a support race for a WTCC round in Portugal. Madness.

Caravan racing at Brands Hatch with a Vauxhall Chevette in 1975. If we can't have the Freedom 100 anymore, can we have this instead? Motorsport Images

Q: To allow overtaking at Monaco, the track should be widened from Turns 13-14 (the chicane before the swimming pool) through to Turn 17, eliminating Turns 15 and 16  so it is straight from 14 to 17 (La Rascasse).  This would require moving the grandstand between 16 and 17 back into the area that is currently boat docking.

The track in this area should be very wide -- basically leave the current track pavement between Turns 15 and 17, and add lanes to the drivers' left where the grandstand now sits. This would allow side-by-side racing in that area and set up late-braking overtaking into La Rascasse.

Bruce

CM: You’re not the first person to look at ways of trying to change the layout in Monaco, because as much as the mandatory two-stop idea is likely to improve the racing it’s not going to create overtaking opportunities. The theory there is you can’t just cruise all the way home after an early pit stop, because you need to find a gap to make a second stop and get that timing right. It should mean drivers and teams are pushing a bit harder, even if they will still leave a lot of margin.

But believe me, I’m pretty sure we’d have had track changes years ago if they were feasible. Sadly, there are multiple problems with the idea you’ve got, including the loss of the biggest grandstand in Monaco – and the commentary boxes above -–at a track where there’s already such limited seating. The nature of the track layout around the harbor means there’s nowhere to move those to.

The main issue, though, is there is no room for run-off. The exit of Rascasse is a rock face, so with cars arriving much more quickly and from a different angle you would need to create a run-off area that isn’t possible. As it stands there is no run-off at all there, but it’s accepted because of the lower speeds cars arrive at (having slowed for the second part of the Swimming Pool chicane), and they tackle it as a hairpin.

Q: MBS, in what was probably just an attempt to get booed less, said this week that he was exploring F1 returning to V10 engines. My understanding is that the current F1 engines are quieter because of turbochargers having an inherent muffling effect, and because the limit on the amount of fuel the cars start with plus the fuel flow limit means that the cars don't rev as high as they could. This might be hard to quantify, but how much louder are the V10 and V8 engines of previous generations when they're shifting at the current 12-13k rpm mark that the current V6 hybrids use, and is it even remotely realistic that Honda, Ford, and Audi stick around if they switch to V10s?

Will, Indy

CM: Correct on your understanding – fewer cylinders don’t help either. I can only quantify it based on personal experience at tracks, but the difference is enormous. The previous generation V8 or V10 would easily be double the level of the current hybrids at those revs, and at such a higher pitch, too (which adds to that sensation of volume).

Previously, you couldn't really hold a conversation anywhere outside at a racetrack when a session was on if they were V8 engines, whereas now you don’t need to raise your voice unless you’re trackside.

To go back to the V10 that would run in Melbourne as part of demonstrations at the Australian Grand Prix, you could clearly hear it from downtown when it was on track in the mornings, and it was running nearly three miles away. If just one current car was lapping, you can barely hear it from the paddock when it’s on the other side of the circuit.

On manufacturers sticking around, it would all be dependent on the direction the wider industry was taking. Obviously there's huge investment in hybrids and electrification at the moment, but if sustainable fuels can be mass-produced then the existing technology won't be forgotten, and there could well be bigger engines re-introduced into road cars as part of a more diverse range. It's also important to think about the marketing value – which is currently huge – that could tempt them to stay, and a return to V10s would likely be cheaper than some of the current technology being developed.

I think it's unlikely to happen if I'm honest, but it is good that the FIA is investigating the idea fully. Surely I'm not alone in feeling the perfect scenario would be some of the incredible V8/V10/V12 engines of the past, but being truly net zero so they are both better environmentally and more impressive to listen to. They'd also likely allow smaller, more nimble cars that would be a big step in the direction in my opinion, too.

Q: Will we see a Project 91 car in the NASCAR Cup Series on a road course or street course in 2025?

Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY 

KELLY CRANDALL: Connor Zilisch is in the fourth Trackhouse Racing car this weekend, but it’s a different car number as he makes his debut. But beyond Circuit of The Americas, there are no announced plans for the Project 91 brand. Justin Marks has spoken in the past about how it needs to make sense and have the financial backing to go with it. Adding another car strains the bandwidth of the organization and takes away from its full-time effort. And there is a big push on the three full-time teams this year and getting back to winning. So right now there are no plans that we know of, but we don’t know what driver and sponsor might come along.

Q: I don't know if there's a fan, owner, driver, crew chief, engineer, mechanic, or commentator in NASCAR that doesn't feel the current car has too much drag and not enough horsepower. Management, though, doesn't seem to or act like they care. 

Is it a case of "we know better," saving face or are they looking at Gen 8 already?

Shawn, MD

KC: There are so many opinions about the car from all corners of the industry, including a belief by some that horsepower doesn’t necessarily mean better racing. When it comes to drag, that has been brought up a lot at superspeedways. NASCAR has been so focused on the safety of the package at superspeedways that it’s hard to answer whether that has been or will be addressed. But as the racing continues to lack at Daytona and Talladega, it’s going to keep being mentioned, and time will tell what straw breaks the camel’s back before a change is made.

Q: This sign was posted on the Kyle Busch souvenir trailer at the Cookout Clash event at Bowman Gray Stadium.  Is having a minimum purchase requirement the new normal?

David, Waxhaw, NC

KC: Speedway Motorsports started an initiative last year where NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series drivers will sign autographs at their racetracks. With that, there may be a “qualifying purchase” to get a wristband for the signing, as you posted.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller's Mailbag, February 25, 2015

Q: Who originated one of my favorite slang terms, “rolling chicane”?  Did you first coin this pejorative label? I’d be interested in your list of some of the drivers who best fit this description?

Rick Johnson, Lynnwood, WA

ROBIN MILER: Not sure who coined it but I know I used “moving chicane” to describe Randy Lewis, King Hiro and Bill Tempero a few times. Drivers used to bitch that they would come up to lap Dick Simon and he’d pick up a second a lap so they had another phrase: “I got Dicked again.”