Yahoo Autos The RACER Mailbag, November 6
Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week.
Q: I was listening to Marshall’s Week in IndyCar podcast and had a light bulb go on. Since the owners did not pay for their charters, why not have an opportunity for other teams to enter by booting the car that finishes 27th in the standing and allowing a new entry? The new team can pay a one-time entry fee to enter the series. At least this creates an opportunity for new blood.
Vincent Martinez, South Pasadena, CA
MARSHALL PRUETT: There was a similar concept floated by Penske Entertainment, whereby the last charter entry or two in the entrants’ championship could be taken — purchased at a fixed price — if those worst-performing charter entries were beaten in the entrants’ standings by non-charter teams, but that idea was shot down a while ago. Sadly, IndyCar’s charter has absolutely nothing to do with fostering new entries; it’s all about protecting and rewarding those who are already here and competing as full-timers.
Q: I’ve always been a fan of American open-wheel racing since I can recall, it has always been my favorite sport and I’m in my 60s. I wish the series was still open to any and all engine manufactures, but that’s a day long gone. I was a huge fan of Teo Fabi and his move from F1 to IndyCar, mainly with Porsche. Do you have any Teo stories of interest?
Mark McKinley, Floyds Knobs, IN
MP: I wish I did, but I was just coming into IndyCar as a crew member from Formula Atlantic and Indy Lights when his career was winding down. Got to see plenty of his drives and always appreciated how such a small person could wield such big cars with great speed. His helmet livery, a tribute to the late Peter Revson’s helmet design, was among my favorites from back in the day.
Only regret while putting together this short documentary on Porsche’s first and only IndyCar win was being unable to connect with Fabi.
Q: Have you seen the Honda commercial “Unstoppable Dreams,” featuring various blips of racing crashes where Honda is involved, specifically F1, off-road and dirt bikes? Noticeably absent is any IndyCar footage. Is this a subtle hint of it being absent from IndyCar permanently in the near future?
Jeff, Colorado
MP: I have; delightful ad. But it’s also not the first time Honda has chosen F1 over IndyCar in its national campaigns.
Purely a guess, but Honda has two open-wheel series to consider to use in its big ads to try and sell cars, and considering the booming U.S. popularity of F1 in recent years, I can’t imagine a scenario where Honda’s marketing executives would approve the less popular series for the ads.
Also, why would Honda use an ad to hint at anything? It told IndyCar around this time last year, here on RACER.com, that the series needed to up its game and improve the value it receives or risk losing Honda as an engine supplier, event sponsor, and benefactor to the series.
Q: Lots of talk about IndyCar and a race in Mexico. I attended the Champ Car race in 2007. Both Mario Dominguez and David Martinez were flying the flag for Mexican fans. The circuit was packed, and from that experience I believe a race organizer would be able to get more than 60,000 spectators if Pato O’Ward is on the grid. Nobody expected either Mario or David to win. With Pato, the proposition would be very different. I feel all the ingredients are there for a successful IndyCar race in 2026. Here is hoping others agree.
PS: Bring back the Peraltada!
Oliver Wells
MP: Completely agree on the former final turn at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez; the Peraltada was scary-fast.
Nelson Piquet’s Williams FW11 looked pretty well planted through the Peraltada in 1986 – which was just as well when you consider how little runoff was available if something went wrong… Motorsport Images
Q: I’ve been hearing rumors about the Iron Dames switching to Porsche for WEC and IMSA next year, and with Michelle Gatting and Celia Martin sampling a Mathey Porsche in the Bahrain rookie test, it feels like those rumors are pretty strong. However, with their affiliation with Iron Lynx and therefore Lamborghini (as the team that runs the Lambo GTP), would there be any pushback there from Lamborghini against them switching? Is the Iron Dames project affiliated/funded/supported by more than just Iron Lynx?
They have far more success with the Porsche in ELMS, and as an Iron Dames fan, I would love to see them switch.
Lucas, Cincinnati OH
MP: Iron Dames is a privately funded effort by Deborah Mayer, and to that end, they use whatever marque and model they prefer. I’ve heard the same thing about a full-time switch to Porsche.
The Iron Lynx site is in a factory arrangement with Lamborghini, with PREMA Racing serving as the operational layer, and if they remain under contract, I’d expect to see GT3 and GTP cars from the Italian brand under their tent. But I’ve been hearing for a few months that, at least on the GTP side, there are questions as to whether that relationship will continue.
Q: You’ve mentioned this one in a recent Mailbag, but is the Nashville street race ever going to come back on the IndyCar schedule? If so, would the superspeedway race be in danger? Could IndyCar keep both and maybe make it a dual event on back-to-back weekends? By the way, how successful was the latter, in terms of attendance? Do you think it has a future beyond 2025? And if so, would it be possible to remove or try to scrape off the bump between Turns 3 and 4 that caused Nolan Siegel to crash?
Also in a recent Mailbag, you wrote that Laguna Seca, Portland and Detroit have “abysmal attendances” and WWTR “has been in a steady decline.” I was surprised by this, since these are all relatively new additions to the schedule. But most of all, this reminds me of the TMS situation, especially WWTR. So, here again, do you think these venues have a future with IndyCar? Which do you think could be ditched and at what point?
Lastly, shortly after the F1 Mexican Grand Prix, the news broke that IndyCar and Mexico have re-engaged discussions for a potential 2026 race. Will these discussions be specifically about the Mexico City track? Could there be other candidates, such as Puebla or Monterrey? Maybe I’m the only one who thinks like that, but I just hate what Hermann Tilke did to the former, which is why I hope for the two latter. My pick would be Puebla because it’s an oval; but Monterrey is Pato’s hometown, so that one would be an instant sellout. Which one would be your pick and which do you think is the most likely to happen?
Xavier
MP: The promoter and Nashville Speedway signed a multi-year deal, so IndyCar’s season finale will be held on the oval, not the streets of Nashville, for the foreseeable future. If the return to the speedway in 2025 is just as good or better than what we had in September, I think the talks of returning to the streets will be forgotten. Plus, all of the teams and drivers I spoke with in Nashville loved ending the season on an oval, and that isn’t likely to change.
On the second point, keep in mind that at almost every event on the IndyCar calendar (excluding the ones owned/promoted by Penske Entertainment, or where Penske co-promotes, or rents the facility to put on a race), the series’ owner gets paid $1 million or more to appear at the Laguna Secas and Portlands, which is a significant income generator.
That means Penske is often in a quagmire over whether to prioritize income over appearance while looking weak at poorly attended events like Laguna and Portland, or to jettison some of the weak events and try to upgrade audience size and income by going to Texas in 2026 for the Arlington Grand Prix.
The biggest dog on the calendar in terms of audience size is either Laguna or the Indy GP, and all I hear from the paddock each year is how much they hate Portland, so my guess is one of the West Coast stops would be trimmed if a sacrifice was required. WWTR’s shrinking audience isn’t great, but IndyCar isn’t looking to shed any ovals.
On the last point, the talks have been with the Mexico City GP promoter, so I’d assume it would be about the GP circuit. But I’d rather see IndyCar go to someplace that’s unique to IndyCar. How about a Mexico City street race?
Q: I have heard some rumors online that the promoters/owners of Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez are hoping for IndyCar to run the one-mile flat oval configuration. I’m also hearing that IndyCar leadership may be lukewarm towards this proposition. Is there any truth to these rumors? Anything you have heard?
I would think with the excellent show IndyCar put on at ovals last year (minus Iowa…), they would be interested in an opportunity to showcase what makes this series unique. It would also be an excellent opportunity for O’Ward to showcase the unique aspects of his skill set.
Kristopher, Seattle, WA
MP: No clue as to where the rumors come from, nor have I asked Penske Entertainment about circuit choice, but if IndyCar is going to race at the site of the Mexican Grand Prix, it needs to avoid using the same track layout because F1 cars are miles faster and it would only lead to derision.
Remember how badly IndyCar was clowned when it ran at COTA and was really slow? Whether it’s a shortened version of the road course or an oval, or a quick loop of the stadium, IndyCar needs to size its event to its popularity, and that means something smaller than we see with F1.
Q: Will this be the all-new Dallara IR-27 IndyCar Series chassis for 2027 and beyond?
Therius Oktavio
MP: No, it will not. But keep trying!
Q: It’s Mark Miles’ fault that fewer people die racing cars now compared to the 1960s.
It’s Mark Miles’ fault that insurers wouldn’t touch a racing series in the 21st century if it had the fatalities of the 20th.
It’s Mark Miles’ fault that Roger Penske didn’t spend all of his money to prop up IndyCar to the level that fans expected.
It’s Mark Miles’ fault that guayule is pronounced WHY-yule-ee.
It’s Mark Miles’ fault that Argentinian fans harassed drivers on social media.
Cleveland taking down the airport? Mark Miles.
Michael Andretti’s departure? Miles.
Alex Palou’s lawsuit with McLaren? Mark.
Me having one more beer than I need tonight? EFFIN’ MILES.
Tire wrecks employee’s car at IMS? Well, that was Doug Boles.
Ed, Jersey
MP: I’m glad to see Mark’s misdeeds being called out. Why he caused the e-coli outbreak at McDonald’s is beyond me.
This happened five years before Mark Miles was born, but it was still probably his fault. Motorsport Images
Q: My wife’s company is heavily invested in sponsoring sporting events like MLB and NCAA football. I have been trying for years to get them to look into IndyCar racing in a variety of sponsorship opportunities. Now that there is a major event here again in the DFW area, I feel like it is the right time to really push to get them to see the financials of sponsorship. Here are the kinds of things I’m thinking about that I’m trying to get the numbers for:
1. Associate or presenting sponsorship for a race like the new Arlington GP.
2. May-only primary sponsorship for a full-time car (think Dale Coyne) or primary sponsorship for an Indianapolis-only effort like Dreyer and Reinbold or an added car for a team like Rahal or a Texas-affiliated team like Foyt.
3. Primary sponsorship for a part of the season for a full-time car or primary sponsorship of a part-time entry.
I’d love to see what the numbers are that I could present them, or who would have that information that I could point them to. I’ve explained previously the ROI, but also do not have the type of numbers they’re looking for. This is an untapped market for them and I believe they could add significant benefit in the areas of financial support, outreach and visibility. Any chance you know those kind of things or maybe can point me to the people from whom I can acquire that information.
Thank you for anything you might be able to provide.
Dan W.
MP: Since we’re talking business with event sponsorship, it would be easier to connect you with the right people at the series in a private email. On car/team sponsor costs, it depends on the team, but if it’s a car with no sponsors, it could be as low as $250,000 and rise from there, and that’s based on the team’s desperation. Teams ask funded drivers for $1-1.5 million these days for Indy, so the range is significant.
Annual budgets are in the $8 million range on average, but many flirt with or exceed $10 million per entry.
Q: There are so many complaints about the availability of races on streaming, etc. I think it’s never been easier to watch whatever race you want. I’m old enough to remember when we had to watch the Indy 500 on an edited tape delay on Sunday night. The rest of the IndyCar season, if it was televised at all, was only shown a week or two later on Wide World of Sports. Practice and quali on TV? Forget about it. Going back further in time, my father used to get a mail subscription to the Indianapolis Star for the month of May. Otherwise, there was no coverage at all.
Everything can be improved, but let’s be thankful for what we have now. There is more racing content than I can ever hope to watch.
Chris Schaffner, Concord, MA
MP: Amen, Chris. I appreciate your thinking of the Mailbag as something other than a place to complain.
Q: As an IndyCar fan, I wanted to register my huge appreciation to the 2024 championship-winning team. Last week they announced three driver signings for 2025. Two for their new NXT team and one for their third seat in the IndyCar team. These signings bring great depth, talent and excitement for all the fans, sponsors and hosting media services. Congratulations Chip Ganassi Racing for bringing so much additional value to the series.
Oliver Wells
MP: The sarcasm runs deep in this one…
Q: I wanted to respond to Big Possum’s post from the 10/30 Mailbag. I like the cut of Big Possum’s jib (I might be a few cold ones deep while writing this). However, the Possum left out one very conspicuous name when he was talking about the racers of old: Mark Donohue.
Mark Donohue was the son of a lawyer, grew up in an affluent suburb, went to an elite private school, and graduated from Brown.
He was also a hell of a racer who could win in anything on four wheels (his record proved that). Team Penske wouldn’t exist today without him. I have no doubt that Roger would say that himself.
ARF, Northern Virginia
MP: And his son David is a heck of a talent as well. He’s recently moved into IMSA’s race control booth as a steward and occasionally drives cool things at historic events.
Q: Why does IndyCar, its management at all levels, continue to step on its on foot and insert that foot into their mouth? For years it was all about expanding its fan base to the younger demographic. Well, that hasn’t occurred. So what was done? Promote the single largest event on the schedule, the Indianapolis 500, that doesn’t really require promotion at all and has a multi-tiered attendance fan base almost guaranteed each season plus its live network exposure. Attempting to copy F1’s success with Drive To Survive, IndyCar promotes, again, 100 Days To Indy, but missing the point entirely in terms of its impact by displaying it on the CW network whose most likely viewer, by the network’s on viewer data, is a male 58 years of age.
And what’s next? Copying NASCAR by renaming the Lights series NXT which is also a copy of the WWE NXT wrestling series… brilliant. And then, screening the first season of 100 Days To Indy on Paramount+ for streaming global exposure.
What is wrong with these people? Do they know nothing about marketing? Do they not know how to conduct valid research that can guide rather than manipulating numbers to prove their conclusions precipitated in advance of the research even taking place?
Is it just about lining the pockets of a few with income?
Dennis, Bloomington, IN
MP: If we had a time machine and went back to watch cavemen drawing on walls, I’m confident we’d find depictions of complaints about IndyCar’s lack of marketing and marketing expertise. I’m also confident that if we went forward to the year 3000, we’ll continue to have complaints about IndyCar’s lack of marketing and promotions knowledge. The topic will never go away.
Q: OK, what’s really going on with Michael Andretti and the team? How does a guy who has been fighting to get into F1, who says he will never give up, who has put millions into the venture, got Cadillac on board, fought tooth and nail his whole life to WIN, suddenly give up and quit?
Mario hasn’t spoken on the subject, and other than a written letter Michael hasn’t given any reasons on camera. It seems like us, the fans deserve more of an answer. Is this some behind the scenes scheme to get into F1? Was he forced out of his own company by Dan Towriss? There has to be more.
Mel, Arizona
MP: We don’t deserve anything because Andretti owes us nothing. We dedicated a lot of words to this in the two or three Mailbags that followed the news in late September. Might be worth parsing through those for more info.
We’re bored with running “serious team owner” photos of Michael, so here he is in the F1 McLaren in 1993 instead. Motorsport Images
Q: In your 10/30 Mailbag you said in relation to a question on how to watch IndyCar on FOX “you pay for cable that includes FOX, which I have to image is a standard inclusion in most cable packages, you’ll have access to FOX’s streaming content through its FOX Sports app.” Should also note that, at least on Comcast , that both FS1 and FS2 are standard channels in their sports package and no streaming will be required to watch the practices and qualifying, as these channels supposedly will show.
Bill Stanich
MP: Thanks for the catch, Bill.
Q: This is going out to all three of you. Apologies in advance but I’m going to utter two of the most hated words in motor racing: track limits.
I’m fed up with it!
The first race I can remember watching as an enthralled five-year-old was James Hunt winning the 1974 International Trophy at Silverstone, the last time F1 cars drifted through the old Woodcote corner before the chicane was installed. I’ve seen tracks evolve through the introduction of first catch fencing and then gravel traps. Drivers still had to respect each other’s space as the risk-reward margin for an ill-judged move was too much. Unless your name was Senna or Schumacher of course, and that’s where the rot set in!
But these huge eyesore wastelands of concrete and tarmac run-offs that makes tracks look like parking lots, soul-less with all their character sucked out of them, and don’t get me started on the hallucinogenic patterns around Paul Ricard! They have made modern drivers lazy.
Before I get chastised, yes, I know why they are there and for good reason. But has it got too extreme? Racing has been reduced to third rate video game level driving with cars being able to go off track and drive back on at will and allowing the poor, dubious style of racing in F1 that has social media such a toxic dump. The low curbing at many of these circuits because MotoGP and World Superbike also race on them only accelerates the situation. It’s so frustrating watching races decided by bonehead driving rather than by driving skill.
I admit, F1 has held little interest for me since the late 1990s, IndyCar is my passion, and there’s no such thing as track limits on an oval! With NASCAR going road racing more, how long before it becomes part of the discussion?
Peter Kerr, Hamilton, Scotland
MP: Here’s my six most hated words in motor racing: People who complain about track limits.
CHRIS MEDLAND: All I can say is you have the backing of the drivers on the grid in F1, Peter. The consensus after the arguments in Mexico and Circuit of The Americas was there would be far fewer incidents of this manner if there was a physical deterrent on the outside of corners.
The Red Bull Ring in Austria found a good one with a strip of gravel it can fill in when MotoGP and track days are taking place, and I think we’re going to see a lot more of that implemented at F1 tracks.
KELLY CRANDALL: NASCAR already has track limits. They are used in the esses at Circuit of The Americas and for the chicanes on the Charlotte Roval.
Q: It’s hard to keep track of all the drivers Dr. Marko has dropped over the years, even just a race or two into it. But somehow Perez lives to fight another day. Does he have compromising pictures of Helmut in a vault somewhere?
Shawn, MD
CM: I know what you mean, Shawn. Leaving Miami – the sixth round of the season – Sergio Perez was second in the drivers’ championship and had scored 103 points. In the 14 rounds since, he’s scored just 48 points, and is now eighth.
His 20 points since the summer break are the same as Pierre Gasly has managed in an Alpine, and that run includes Checo’s only top six since Miami, scored at Zandvoort.
But there’s an indifference to that seat now, because Red Bull showed it wasn’t overly concerned by the constructors’ championship situation in the summer when it had been very clear a change was likely to come and never did. I believe Marko was actually more on the side of sticking with Checo because of the lack of an obvious replacement – he wasn’t a huge fan of Ricciardo coming back – plus, it wouldn’t disrupt the team at a time when it was really having trouble with its car.
In addition to that, the absolute priority at that team is to provide an environment that Max Verstappen is happy with. I’m certain Verstappen backs himself against anybody, but bringing in an unknown quantity alongside him mid-season could have rocked the boat a little.
Perez is a very good driver, and he’s shown it both before Red Bull and on many occasions alongside Verstappen, too. His qualifying lap this year at Suzuka, for instance, was of the highest level. But if the inconsistency was frustrating before, this run just surely can’t be tolerated by a front-running team. For both the team’s sake and Checo’s, a change has to be made next year.
If I was Perez’s manager, I’d already be trying to line up a move to Sauber and if that was on the cards then would perhaps even instigate talks with Red Bull, because it really feels like he needs a fresh environment. He’s better than he’s shown this year, but you can’t go this long under-delivering at that level.
A change of scenery might be in the best interest of both Red Bull and Perez. Mark Thompson/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Q: Will we ever see an end to the nonsense of teams being able to practically rebuild their cars during a red flag? Cars should be in parc ferme and no changes allowed until green flag racing!
DJF
CM: Hopefully! This seems to come up every time there’s a red flag in an F1 race, and I’m under the impression most drivers would like the rule changed. The reason it hasn’t been is safety-based – a red flag usually means a big crash or heavy rain. Either way, you can either get a puncture from debris if there was a big crash, or bad track conditions in the rain will require full wet tires or fresh intermediates.
The problem is, because you can gain from not changing tires when you really need to, it shifts the safety issue earlier. As we saw on Sunday in Interlagos, some drivers viewed the risk to not pit as one worth taking, but they ended up running on old and worn tires in heavy rain. That increases the risk of a big crash, and also increases the need to throw a red flag as a result.
Leaving things up to the discretion of the race director is always going to be controversial, but one solution would be to say drivers are not allowed to make any changes to a car under red flag conditions – even tires – and then if the conditions are deemed worthy of demanding them on safety grounds, then that call can be made on a case-by-case basis.
Similarly, you could say changes are allowed but at the expense of a drive-through penalty once the race resumes, as that would give teams a chance to change tires or repair damage if they wanted, knowing what it would likely cost them.
Q: I might be in the minority, but I enjoy NASCAR’s playoffs, maybe even more than the points system. Wasn’t there a season during the Tom Brady years that the Patriots had a near-perfect regular season, only to not make the Super Bowl? I see the current situation (at least, who’s in at the time I wrote this) the same. And there’s no one advocating that the NFL take on FIFA scoring. Lastly, would you know how close the final standings in playoffs line up to what the results would have been in a points system?
Shawn, Bernardo, TX
KC: I went back through the standings for the Patriots and found this: They went 12-4 in 2019 and lost the wild card game; 12-4 in 2015 and lost the conference game; 14-2 in 2010 and lost the division game; and 16-0 in 2007 and lost the Super Bowl.
As for the standings under a point system, it does not matter. It’s comparing apples and oranges, because teams and drivers race to the system in place. So for someone to argue that such-and-such driver would be the champion under the previous formats, to me, is not accurate.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, November 6, 2013
Q: Given Kimi Raikkonen’s stature and Lotus’ standing, I was surprised to hear he hadn’t been paid all year. I was curious if getting paid is an issue for drivers in IndyCar, given how many teams run on shoestring budgets? I’m also curious to how they are paid salary, per race? And do they still get paid if they miss races due to injury? I can’t imagine A.J., Mario, or Uncle Bobby driving even one race with payment in arrears.
Steve, Aurora, CO
ROBIN MILLER: Oh yeah, it’s been an issue for as long as there have been drivers and owners, though thankfully not too prevalent in IndyCar. I know a driver that was promised half of the purse if he qualified at Indianapolis and he never got a penny, and I know of another driver who didn’t get paid all season but didn’t want to take legal action because he thought it might hurt his reputation in the IndyCar paddock. Some get retainers and a percentage, some just get a flat fee and some get a percentage only. I doubt if anybody ever stiffed A.J. for fear of a bloody nose and the other two you mentioned were quite clever about being paid for their services.
