RDB – Syndication Server

The RACER Mailbag, June 19

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 …

Q: Good to see Malukas back and in the saddle with Meyer Shank. Doesn’t look like he missed a step. You think Arrow McLaren kicked him to the curb too soon?

Jeff, Colorado

MARSHALL PRUETT: I don’t think so, based on what the team was wanting from him. They waited four races and decided his uncertain return timeline wasn’t a fit for their needs. The fact that he never raced for the team was important; if he got hurt while driving the No. 6 Chevy at St. Pete, they’d have waited. Ilott did well as a stand-in, as did Pourchaire, who I can’t believe is now out of the car. Great shot for Siegel, but a cruel twist for the F2 champ.

Now Malukas has a chance to develop at a really good team at MSR and can revive his career and earn an opportunity to stay in the car next year if he does a proper job. He was a wild card at Arrow McLaren — an inexpensive experiment among two proven veterans — without holding extraordinary importance to the team with O’Ward and Rossi there. At MSR, he can prove himself to be a vital cog in the team if he puts up the results in the No. 66 Shank has been chasing.

It won’t happen this weekend or at Mid-Ohio while his recovering hand and wrist are pummeled, but give him some time and I think he’ll be someone MSR will want to keep.

Q: How about this: This proposed international IndyCar exhibition series grows revenue and eventually can move into filling early season calendar spots and a post-season or two non-points flyaways… maybe even a trip back to Motegi to entice/appease Honda or other potential Asian (Toyota/Hyundai) OEMs? Is there enough buy-in across the paddock to make it happen?

Gordon, Dallas, TX

MP: Not sure a Korean manufacturer like Hyundai would see any value in a Japanese race, but the main issue is the fencing placed around the calendar with FOX. The NFL with its Super Bowl and NASCAR on FOX at Daytona own most of February, and FOX and IndyCar are ending their first season together the weekend before the NFL season starts.

Whether it’s IndyCar’s long-held strategy to avoid going head-to-head with the NFL, or FOX’s full devotion to the NFL and NASCAR, IndyCar is left with a strict corridor of when it can be on TV.

I just don’t see where going to (name the places) before the season happens due to FOX’s priorities placed elsewhere, or where the series goes after the NFL dominates FOX’s airwaves from September-January. And no promoter I can think of is going to pay top dollar to host a pre- or post-season race that has no meaningful TV component.

Hands up if you’d like to see IndyCar go back to Japan. (My hand is also up). Steve Shunck/Motorsport Images

Q: With the news that Fox will broadcast IndyCar next year, I hope that they: do not have awful drawings of the drivers instead of real pictures, have someone other than Adam Alexander as the lead announcer, (he does a good job, but he’s too identified with Cup), do not have ceaseless promotions for the next Cup race during the IndyCar broadcast, and bring back Kelly Stavast as a pit reporter.

How many years is the multi-year broadcast contract?

David, Waxhaw, NC

MP: Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles declined to answer the duration part, but two to three years would make sense. He told us in a recent interview that they wouldn’t be signing a long-term deal due to the rapidly changing world of broadcast and streaming options.

Q: Watching Le Mans reminded me how quickly the state of things can change in motorsports. Just a few years ago Toyota was racing against incomparable competition (no offense to Rebellion and Glickenhaus). The top class was frankly uninteresting and uninspiring beyond the intrateam battle with the GR squad. Just a few years later, Hypercar has become the biggest and possibly the most fascinating motorsports class. With nearly 10 manufacturers racing globally in Hypercar/GTP, it’s hard not to be absolutely amped about what’s going on in the prototype world. The cars are cool and interesting, the racing is close and exciting, and there’s more marques than anywhere else in motorsports.

IndyCar, on the other hand, has really got itself into a pickle. Even before Penske, the series sat on its hands and avoided the changes necessary to grow manufacturer involvement. While I understand the reasoning to essentially freeze the ICE units and gently open up the hybrid units for development, it doesn’t feel like a step towards growing the series, but rather a way to prevent it from becoming fully spec. I get the mindset, but I wish IndyCar would do something more inspiring/open.

I just don’t see how additional manufacturers would be enticed by a badging exercise with minimal design influence? With torque sensing and fuel flow meters, you’d think there would be ways to have more passive BoP to prevent a spending war while maintaining close competition. Good racing, technical diversity, and restrained budgets don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

Michael, Halifax, Canada

MP: Amen.

Q: After watching the 24 Hours of Le Mans, what´s next for the LMDh guys at the Ganassi shops in the U.S. and Germany after the Ganassi/Cadillac split at the end of 2024? Another IndyCar program might not be the option…

Do you know why Honda doesn’t choose Ganassi for its GTP program from 2025 onwards, with the existing ties they have?

Lars, Germany

MP: I haven’t heard of any immediate follow-on programs for CGR in 2025, but I am aware of two significant manufacturers who are looking at joining IMSA’s hybrid GTP class in 2026 or 2027, plus another existing brand that races in the WEC and wants to add a GTP program. Any of the three could be a perfect fit for the team.

I’ve heard the bidding process for the Acura GTP effort had some teams come in with a higher financial need than others.

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The RACER Mailbag, April 24

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. 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 …

Q: I’m writing this from Turn 1 at Long Beach. The vibe from the crowd is insane. The IndyCar chassis may be old, but the public still love the races.

By the way, the positive reception of IMSA is getting bigger and bigger. This weekend is special, as always!

Daniel, Brazil

MARSHALL PRUETT: The racing is almost always great. That’s never been a problem with the Dallara DW12 chassis. IMSA’s on a continual rise. I’m so happy to see the series attracting the love it deserves.

Q: Long Beach. What a race, especially the last 10 laps. I don’t care what kind of engine is under the hood (as long as it sounds good, of course), or how old the chassis is, that was a great, nail-biting race.

Jim Hannon, Mount Sterling, KY

MP: Like you, I love a good dueling strategy race like the one we got with Dixon on fuel-saving, Newgarden on fuel-burning, and Herta and Palou on a charge and keeping Newgarden on his toes. It was nothing like St. Pete where almost everybody was locked into fuel saving and the drama was missing altogether.

Q: The Long Beach race just finished but I had to comment on the hysterical complaints from Josef Newgarden and Tim Cindric. Newgarden — if that isn’t a penalty, nothing is. Cindric — anybody can take anyone out of a race. Then Newgarden confronts Herta post race. He claims he got lifted up. I didn’t see it, nor did the announcers.

One incident comes immediately to mind: Newgarden doing a dive bomb on Romain Grosjean and punting him into the wall at Nashville. In that case, Newgarden wasn’t beside Grosjean yet, I didn’t hear any apology or an acknowledgement that the move was “slightly” optimistic. Newgarden’s comments are B.S. and the Penske driver appears to believe his poop doesn’t stink. Newgarden is a great driver but loses respect in not acknowledging that **** happens in races that isn’t a penalty. Finish the race then discuss the matter when the emotions aren’t so high. Dumb move.

Diana

MP: Not sure I saw anything that qualified as “hysterical” from Josef or Tim. Josef was hit by Colton, who acknowledged the mistake, and the back of Josef’s car was lifted up and did go into anti-stall mode, which left him sitting idle for a few moments where he lost two positions. Through no fault of his own, he went from second to fourth, and his hunting of Dixon and a possible win were taken away. I’d be pissed if it happened to me, so I wouldn’t expect Josef or his boss to react in a different manner.

Q: Do you have insight as to why IndyCar merely shows the time (seconds) behind the leader of the race, rather than between cars (as F1 does after a few opening laps)?

I would suggest that it’s far more interesting to know that P12 is 0.453s from P11 than it is to know that P12 is 45s from P1. Of course, one can do the rough math, but it would be so much easier to do it F1’s way.

This allows one to scan the pylon to look for close racing and to follow incremental gains and losses in each fight. I cannot tell the difference between 0.453s and 0.552s via the video, but the fact that the delta is expanding and contracting is interesting.

Gerry Harrison

MP: It’s been their practice for a while now. These are the graphics chosen by NBC. NBC doesn’t broadcast F1, nor do they want to be seen as copying what people see coming across on ABC/ESPN.

I’d love to see them copy everything we see with F1’s graphics, but I just do the math in my head (scary, I know) when I watch IndyCar.

Can’t really blame Newgarden for feeling bummed out last Sunday afternoon in Long Beach. Jake Galstad/Motorsport Images

Q: Please educate me on why there is a drive-through when Pato O’Ward hits Alex Palou’s car, but Colton Herta doesn’t get one for hitting Josef Newgarden? Also, what is the anti-stall for and what does it do?

Steve Coe, Vancouver, WA

PS: Thanks for explaining what it would take to get Robert Wickens into an IndyCar.

MP: I wish I had the answer, Steve. I would have been fine with no penalty for O’Ward, but since one was given, a precedent was set and it needed to be adhered to with Herta. I explain anti-stall in my post-race column, which should be going online shortly.

Q: I know rumors are flying around about David Malukas and his job security at Arrow McLaren right now. I know that Gavin Ward and Zak Brown have made statements in interviews, but I want your personal take, Marshall.

If Malukas is unable to race in the 500, do you think this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back? Possible mid-season replacement or do they finish him out for 2024?

Alex, Michigan

MP: No need for us to debate the rumors. Let’s go with facts: David did significant damage to his wrist/hand when he crashed on his mountain bike, and for the sake of clarity, he wasn’t doing anything reckless or dangerous. It was a rather mundane and unspectacular incident, as he told me. But he still went over the handlebars and his left hand/wrist bore the brunt of the crash.

The problem he’s dealing with today and has been dealing with since the mid-February surgery, is there’s been a limited amount of healing taking place. For reasons unknown, the affected area isn’t responding on any kind of timeline that was predicted, and as such, there’s no timeline to offer on when he might drive again.

For David’s sake, I truly hope he’s is in the car for the 500. He’s excellent on ovals, and it would be the perfect place to debut for the team and show them he’s a talent worth holding onto. But based on the slow healing/no timeline realities, I’d put my money on Callum Ilott, who really came to life on ovals in 2023, and put in a starring drive at Indy, as the most likely driver in the No. 6.

As Kanaan told me in a Friday interview at Long Beach, the thing an injured driver worries about and needs to defend is a replacement driver doing big things while they’re sidelined and piquing the interest of the team. Pourchaire has no oval experience, so that’s not a role they’d ask him to fill right now.

But again, if the young Frenchman impresses this weekend and becomes a frequent road/street solution between his Japanese Super Formula commitments, and the team has Ilott as a road/street/oval solution, I’d think Malukas could be in trouble.

Nobody at the team has said that to me, but having worked on IndyCar teams where multiple drivers were used to stand in for an injured driver, I can tell you that each new driver is usually viewed as a potential full-time driver if they deliver a breakout performance.

Malukas signed a one-year deal, with a second year as an option the team can execute. If the team feels like they’ve found someone who could be better, it would be silly to park them. But David’s also quite popular, and the team probably wouldn’t want to invite a wave of criticism if Malukas wasn’t given a chance to defend his seat. It’s a brutal situation for all involved.

If David’s on the free agent market later this year, I’m sure he’ll draw some interest from a few teams because he’s quite good and will only get better. Pourchaire’s run this Sunday and all of the potential ramifications will be an important one to follow.

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The RACER Mailbag, March 6

Q: Looking at the Indy NXT lineup. I count 12 rookies out of 20 drivers. And to be honest, over half of these rookies have very little success in the lower ranks. Are there any past performance requirements needed to move up to NXT? I guess if you’ve got the backing, you qualify. Turn 1 at St. Pete should be interesting.

Markpenske, Buffalo, NY

MARSHALL PRUETT: I think of the junior open-wheel ladder series as levels of universities, and as we know, some students get accepted at the top schools because they have 4.0 GPAs, and some get in because their parents built a new library or football stadium to get their kid enrolled.

The cool thing about the USF Championships and Indy NXT is there’s no hiding the lack of talent, and IndyCar won’t license a joker who can’t get out of their own way. But why would we stop someone from going to school to try and find out if they have the goods to do big things in life?

Q: As I look forward to the 2024 IndyCar season getting underway, I wonder about the men and women who travel with the teams from race to race. How many team personnel are full-time and how many are seasonal? What do the seasonal folks do during the winter?

David Kincaid, Vancouver, Canada

MP: Some IndyCar teams bring in “weekend warriors” as they’re called, who help with crew duties, or dive over the wall to do pit stops, but that’s about it. The days of teams holding onto a small group of full-timers and hiring new (or former) staff to fill the secondary roles for the season and then get dropped afterwards are long gone. Qualified and experienced IndyCar personnel is the most valuable asset teams have, and that’s because the large numbers of ready-to-go crew that you could call and hire a few weeks before the start of the season no longer exist.

So many veterans have retired or moved onto other series, all without an influx of racing-educated replacements, that teams are having to find candidates from places they’d never considered like auto dealerships, kart teams, and so on — and train them in order to do the jobs they need done.

To that end, teams are paying more than ever to keep their crew. When I retired from working on IndyCar teams, I was making good money as an engineer. The entry-level position on most cars/crews is the front-end mechanic, and from what a few teams have told me, it’s way more than I made 20-plus years ago, and I’d make more money if I quit this media role and went to work at the bottom of the mechanic’s pecking order. All because there’s no longer a sizable group of vets looking for seasonal work.

As for what they do, there’s usually plenty of off-season testing, car and equipment refurbishment, new projects, and the chance to take a week off here or there to catch up on. Keep in mind that from the time crews come back after the New Year through the final race — sometime in mid-September — there are no vacations, and very few days off. For folks who work normal jobs, like their 40 hours a week, and get regular days off/vacations, the relentless schedule and constant travel would be a nightmare.

Experienced crews are a valuable asset in the IndyCar paddock. Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment

Q: On Friday received an email from the Thermal Club. I was receiving a refund of $1500 of the $2,000 ticket; no explanation. I emailed them and they responded quite quickly. Said nothing has changed, still three days, etc. They also stated they issued the partial refund because the county gave the Club permission to increase attendance.

I didn’t get a number for how many more it was increased to, but that’s a huge partial refund. And my refund hit my credit card account Saturday, the day after I received the email. What makes me a bit curious is that I didn’t see this on any IndyCar site I read, or on any forums. You would think if you reduced the price by 75% you’d be telling the world. And it being only a few weeks from the event seemed a bit strange to me.

Yes, I’m very happy about the partial refund. Obviously makes the three-day event more palatable at $500. Just thought I’d let you to know to inform your readers that the price has been drastically lowered. I checked the sales site; tickets are for sale at $500.

Gary P., Los Angeles, CA

MP: I know IndyCar was being hammered by its team owners for the silly prices — they, too, were having to spend $2000 a pop to bring guests, so this is great news for everyone.

Q: What is IndyCar? Is it a small Midwestern all-spec series, or is it a global series with innovation and a mix of street, oval and road courses? Would someone in 1995 use an engine and chassis from 1980, because that is what is occurring. I can get close racing at my local RC track for those worried about “close racing” but it doesn’t seem to matter for F1’s popularity.

Steve Mattiko

MP: According to IndyCar engine and chassis expert Mark Miles (that’s meant to be humorous, since Mark readily admits both are outside of his expertise), who spoke with me and the small group of dedicated reporters who still cover the series, the series is looking to introduce a new chassis in 2027. Or parts of a new chassis. Or maybe just new parts for the old chassis. If IndyCar does a new engine formula in 2027. The “if” is the important item to digest here.

But there’s no guarantee a new engine formula will be introduced in 2027, so there’s no guarantee of a new chassis. Or parts of a new chassis. Or new parts for the old chassis.

And based on a call I had with Miles a few days before the group call, the desire is there to marry an engine update with a chassis update at some point.

If that comes across as anything but firm, that’s an accurate take on the situation. Ifs and maybes, with no guarantees or fixed dates on anything.

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The RACER Mailbag, October 25

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 have a question for you that Google searching could not provide me an answer for. I was in the brainstorming part of coming up with vacation plans and learned that the Unser Museum in New Mexico is now closed. I had no idea it closed and have no idea how long it has been closed. The only answer I could find is that the cars are now in a different museum in Kansas or Nebraska — I can’t remember — but I’m very disappointed to learn that this is an experience I will never be able to enjoy.

Could you tell me if the Unser Museum is closed forever and what became of it? Not sure how I missed this, but must say I’m bummed. I guess to lift my spirits I will allow myself the next 10 minutes to imagine how great it would be if the Grand Prix came back to Cleveland.

Steve, Lorain, Ohio

MARSHALL PRUETT: Here’s an answer from Susan Unser, wife of Al Unser, 1970, ’71, 78, & ’87 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1970, ’83, ’85 USAC/CART National Champion:

“Big Al created the Unser Racing Museum in 2003 and he was the driving force of operation in Albuquerque for 19 years.

“With Al gone, the Museum Board began looking for a new home for the Unser Racing Museum, which closed to the public at the end of May 2023.

“On June 30, the Unser Collection was merged with the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska that had just added a 20,000 square foot addition. The exhibit in Lincoln is scheduled to open in the spring of 2024. This was a very difficult decision to leave Albuquerque, but we know all the cars, memorabilia and artifacts will have a wonderful new home.”

Q: I see Thermal tickets are priced at $2,000 each (plus $80 service fee). Any thoughts on this?

I understand lunch will be included in the price…

Lou

MP: Thoughts…of all the $2,000 IndyCar tickets for sale, these are my favorites.

On a more serious note, the main thing that came to mind when I was alerted to the price was the few times I’ve had extremely wealthy folks tell me about when someone wanted to buy something from them — in these stories, it’s usually a race car — and they don’t want to sell it, so they gave the person an eff-you price to make them go away.

There’s no argument to offer that an effort to pack the limited number of grandstands with fans is being made. Because nobody, in the 112-year existence of IndyCar racing, has tried to sell a $2,000 general admission ticket. Not for the Indy 500. Not for the Long Beach Grand Prix. Not even for the ill-fated Hawaiian SuperPrix.

And because I’m a smartass, I also thought to myself, “I bet NOBODY, and I do mean NOBODY, will ever complain about the HyVee Iowa Doubleheader ticket prices after seeing what the Thermal Club is doing.” And then I had a mild panic attack when I realized Iowa probably read the news and is preparing a “Hold my beer, Thermal” pricing structure that will set a new record…

Standing room only in the GA areas. Just kidding. Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment

Q: RLL and Pietro Fittipaldi: I didn’t see that matchup coming and I didn’t see it in the chat boards. Is this out of left field, or were both RLL and Fittipaldi that good at keeping quiet? He can drive, so I see no issue with the pairing.

Next up, any word on Ilott? I, along with a lot of fans, were expecting something with the Juncos announcement. But nothing but silence. Is there something going on the background, like Ilott driving elsewhere next year? Details to work through? Or is Ilott going to get the flick due to how his contract is structured?

John

MP: Left field for me, John. Maybe others knew about it, but I didn’t. As much as I try to stay on top of everything, this isn’t one I had on my radar. Other than some very light rumblings about Pietro looking around a few months ago, I just wasn’t hearing much from throughout the paddock. RLL did a good job of keeping this one under wraps; I knew something wasn’t likely to happen with Juri Vips after two conversations with RLL folks at Petit Le Mans, but I didn’t know Fittipaldi would be the one to get the seat.

The Callum Ilott scenario is an interesting one. He isn’t talking, nor is Ricardo Juncos. People usually aren’t silent when everything is decent and in order, so I’m taking the tight-lipped routine on face value and receiving it as an indicator that things could be much better…

I can say that there’s no shortage of drivers who would love to liberate the No. 77 Chevy from Ilott’s grasp, so if things do fall apart between him and Juncos, Grosjean could still be in play, along with everyone else who is trying to get hired there at the moment.

If JHR splits with Ilott sometime soon, he’ll have decent options at other midfield teams. If it happens a month or two from now, that won’t be the case. And if he stays, all of this will eventually be forgotten.

That’s the satisfied smile of a guy who just picked up his phone to find a voicemail from Bobby Rahal. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

Q: A month or so ago, I emailed the Thermal Club to say I’d like to be on the list to buy tickets for the IndyCar event in March. A few days ago, I received an email to purchase tickets for the event from the Club. Went to the site immediately, and I admit when I saw the price I inhaled deeply, and said a few dirty words. But, yes I bought a ticket for the event. I live in Los Angeles, where the only other event is Long Beach, which I’ve attended every year since its inception. My personal feeling is, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, open access to all areas, easier access to drivers, and the track, and obviously limited fans attending.

And yes, at this point in my life I can afford the ticket; however, I can understand a large number of fans being more than a little upset at the price. It threw me, too.

To clarify for those who do buy tickets, you are issued a ticket with just the Sunday date on it, with a barcode; the single ticket is good for the three days. I’m quite a long time fan going back to living in Bethlehem, Pa., and my dad taking me to Nazareth as a young man to watch Mario and Aldo on the dirt track there. Been to every Long Beach, Fontana, and Ontario race as well, plus seven Indy 500s when I lived in Pennsylvania, and a couple of the first Pocono races before moving to LA.

I personally don’t agree with your article comparing it to the Formula 1 race in Vegas. I would have attended it, but not for $3k a ticket. I don’t consider that a value for that particular race.

If and when the Thermal Club is placed on the regular schedule, I don’t envision the same amount of fans going as they do to Long Beach. This track is 150 miles from Los Angeles in the middle of nowhere. It’s not a great distance from Palm Springs area, but when you factor in hotels, food, other expenses, it’s going to be expensive for the average fan to attend for three days. After the event, I’ll, write again and give a fan’s opinion of the event.

Gary, Los Angeles

MP: Thanks for writing in, Gary.

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The RACER Mailbag, October 18

Q: I have watched with interest these previews regarding the introduction of hybrid powertrains to IndyCar. What is your best guess as to the reliability issues of these cars? Will we see a higher percentages of breakdowns compared to years past, which may make some of the races more interesting? Also, is there a possibility of Ford getting back into IndyCar with a hybrid setup? Ford has such a history at Indy; I would love for that to happen.

Denny Jones, Garnett, KS

MARSHALL PRUETT: We’re six months out from the first race with new technology, so it’s tough to make predictions while the ERS units are still being tested. Will we have more breakdowns than usual? It would be strange if that wasn’t the case, but we lack the data to offer an answer at this point in time.

Ford has been consistent for more than a decade in expressing its lack of interest in returning to IndyCar.

Q: I’m not sure how to feel about the crash at Turn 1 of Petit Le Mans. The No. 10 was ahead of the No. 31 at some point before the apex, but I’m not sure what he expected to happen going around the outside of the No. 31 at Turn 1. At the same time, the No. 31 did not leave any room.

What were the most common opinions in the IMSA paddock about the crash? What are your thoughts?

Kyle

MP: There’s so much to process here, Kyle.

If it was Jack Aitken or Alexander Sims in the No. 31 Cadillac instead of Pipo Derani, the No. 10 Acura isn’t destroyed against the Turn 1 barriers. But it was Derani — who has forged an extended reputation as someone who will run you to the edge of the road and beyond, and has never been subjected to penalty that I can think of — so as far as he’s concerned, it’s sanctioned. If it wasn’t, he’d leave enough room for Albuquerque to make it around Turn 1.

And if Derani hadn’t used Albuquerque up and done what he did, we’d all be shocked and surprised. What played out is exactly what was expected between these drivers and teams. There’s the other side of this complicated affair, and it’s in knowing the combination of Derani and the No. 31 car is a dog that will bite if you try and engage, so if Albuquerque knew it was Derani behind the wheel, there was a well-known repercussion awaiting him by going for a pass on the outside of Road Atlanta’s fastest and scariest corner.

But how do you blame a driver for trying to pass another driver in a professional motor race where this is what they’re paid to do? And when that attempted pass — done cleanly on the outside — is the difference between winning and losing a championship, how do you blame Albuquerque?

Albuquerque should be able to attempt a pass without fear of being wrecked. Derani should be able to defend as hard as possible without making contact — but there was contact made — and without taking all of the room away on corner exit, but that room was taken away.

This is something IMSA will need to ponder before we go racing again in January. The No. 10 will have a new sister entry in 2024, and you’d hate to see retribution paid to the No. 31 next season. We all love rivalries, but this has the potential to turn ugly if it’s allowed to fester.

This rivalry might be getting a little too spicy. Richard Dole/Motorsport Images

Q: This year we saw several caution periods extended due to race control needing to reorder the field. Do we have a reason given for that? Did it just take that long for race control to review footage to see if passes happened before the yellow, or are teams refusing to give up positions while they appeal?

Mike, California

MP: Here’s an answer from IndyCar:

With the competition as tight as it is in IndyCar, order accuracy becomes a high priority during full-course yellow periods. Communication to teams, specific to a reorder, comes in a combination of ways including by team radios and instant messaging. Last green timelines are used for the order until the last 15-20 laps (depending on the circuit) when actual position on the track will determine the running order. Occasionally, a reorder is needed prior to and after a round of pitstops. IndyCar monitors the time it takes for competitors to correct an order and is prepared to react accordingly.

Q: Thank you for your excellent set of Porsche Rennsport Reunion videos. I especially enjoyed the Gunnar Jeannette tour of AO Racing. The only disappointment from an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable event was not having the 1998 Le Mans-winning GT-1. Was the reason for its non-appearance due to the damage sustained going up the Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed this year?

Larry Haskett, Indianapolis, IN

MP: Yes, I heard the reason was because of the crash.

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The RACER Mailbag, July 19

Q: Have you heard of any teams that would be interested in Romain Grosjean if he does not sign an extension with Andretti Autosport?

Josh, Havertown, PA

MARSHALL PRUETT: I haven’t. Romain’s a fan favorite, no doubt, but that fandom doesn’t necessarily extend throughout every corner of the paddock. The question to ask is, what would be of interest for Andretti to hold onto or for other teams to pursue? And I don’t say that be mean — I’m just looking at the scenario objectively.

If he was winning races, it’s a different conversation altogether. But being 2.5 years and 40 races into his IndyCar career — following 10-plus years in F1 — and having zero wins to market is an issue. Especially since he’s one of the highest-profile drivers in the series and is said to command a healthy salary. Due to that profile and salary, much is expected, and instead of things getting better, they’re getting worse with the last six races featuring six finishes outside the top 10 and a lot of wrecked machinery.

He’s been at Andretti for 1.5 years and has seen all his teammates, barring Devlin DeFrancesco, score a win over that period. This certainly makes it more challenging to market his services. Going deeper, just as teams do when they’re evaluating free agents, he placed third among Andretti’s four drivers in last year’s championship and he’s third again in 2023.

Granted, he could easily win this weekend in Iowa or at Nashville, or the Indy road course, etc., and turn things around, but the weight of his name and big expectations and cost are the things through all Grosjean’s output is filtered by potential employers. Beating only DeFrancesco, so far, isn’t driving value upward, and with the routine crashing and tantrums seen and heard by other teams, he’s become a hard product to sell.

Hopefully, his results and fortunes improve because he’s important to a lot of IndyCar fans.

Q: My wife saw Zach Veach in Arrow McLaren team kit, walking with Arrow McLaren team personnel, at the Toronto race. What’s Zach’s status with the team?

Peter Brevett, New York, NY

MP: He’s been heavily utilized as a simulator driver for Arrow McLaren when there’s time available on the Chevy driver-in-the-loop sim in North Carolina, and spotting for Felix Rosenqvist on the road courses.

Grosjean remains a big hit with fans, but he needs to keep his stock high in the paddock, too. Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment

Q: I read the Pratt Miller article about a possible IndyCar entry with great interest. This is huge. Would they develop their own engine, or run presumably a Chevy?

Oliver Wells

MP: Only way to run their own engine is if they were paid to do so by an auto manufacturer who signed a major deal with the series, and since Pratt Miller doesn’t create engines, I’d lean towards a no on this one. They’ve been a factory client/partner for GM since the 1990s, so Chevy is where I’d place my expectations.

Q: Can IndyCar teams see real-time tire temperatures?

Craig

MP: They can, and real-time pressures. And so can Firestone, who will pay a visit to a team if they see a tire or tires are being run below the minimum recommended pressure for the event. Here’s a video I did on the topic last year.

Q: This isn’t really a question. It is a hope, or maybe a plea. My unapologetic, selfish hope is that Simon Pagenaud is either made to sit out the remainder of the season, or is hopefully reading this and decides to take care of himself.

I am someone who experienced a traumatic brain injury as a child, and seemingly went on to recover to 100% through my early childhood to the point where everyone, even myself, totally forgot about the whole ordeal. Fast-forward 50 years to 2019, when the gift that keeps on giving — COVID — attacked something in my brain that basically spiraled me down into the state my head was in 50 years earlier.

Obviously, the medical protocols for a TBI in the late 1960s and early ’70s were not what they are today, and Simon and all of our athletes are in a much better place than I was in terms of treatment and medical knowledge. But even today when dealing with my new team of neurologists, it’s clear we don’t have anywhere near a total understanding of what happens to our melons during the healing process.

My personal opinion is Simon should sit the rest of the season and play it safe, and come back 100% next season. By the way, it bothers me to hear the first question out of everyone’s mouth when a driver crashes badly is if they can get right back in the car. How about putting no pressure on the driver after a crash like that and giving them the space they need to recover properly?

Bob Fay, Seymour, CT

MP: I hear you, Bob, and in a perfect world, or at least a world where he was under contract with MSR through 2024, he’d be able to do as you suggest. But on the heels of his worst IndyCar season ever, and that was prior to the brake failure and crash, sitting out isn’t an option if he’s able to drive because he needs to defend his seat. Missing his third and fourth races coming up in Iowa is just brutal for Simon, and the team, which wants him back in the car immediately, would rather have him in the seat than on the sidelines.

The truth is, this is a business built on hard competition, and since he’s paid to drive, there’s a race-by-race judgment going on for him and every other driver, by which his team forms an opinion as to whether drivers should remain employed beyond their current contract. Simon was 24^th in the championship going into Mid-Ohio, and what sucks most is he and the team felt like they’d turned a page the race before at Road America and were on the cusp of giving everyone hell at Mid-Ohio and beyond. The timing of the crash and concussion could not have been worse.

So, with non-compelling results prior to Mid-Ohio to use in contract negotiations, he does need to go out and drive and put up the kind of qualifying and race performances that will keep him in the No. 60 MSR Honda. I’m one of many who are rooting for the Pagenaud of old to make a comeback ASAP.

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The RACER Mailbag, July 12

Q: Have the IndyCar rules changed regarding grid drops for unapproved engine changes? Seems there have been quite a few failures (especially Hondas) but no grid penalties that I have noticed.

Ed Joras

MARSHALL PRUETT: Not to my knowledge, Ed. Once an entry goes beyond its fourth engine provided in the four-engine lease, the grid penalties begin. Since we’re only nine races in, it would be too early for fifth or sixth engines to be needed, but it isn’t far away.

Q: I realize it’s a very, very big “if”; however, if Alex Palou stays with Ganassi, are we witnessing a changing of guard where Scott Dixon no longer the main championship threat on the team?

Matt, Dallas, TX

MP: Palou’s gone from Ganassi after he drives out of the Laguna Seca paddock on Sunday evening, September 10, so that’s happening. But in the absence of Palou, no, I don’t think Dixon would be unable to deliver another title before he retires. Where Palou’s had the same race engineer and crew chief since he arrived at Ganassi in 2021, Dixon’s on his third race engineer and second crew chief over the same period, and that can’t be ignored. By 2023, the combination of Palou, Julian Robertson, and Ricky Davis is finely tuned and devastating.

Dixon and crew chief Tyler Rees — new in 2022 — have formed a powerful duo, and after they torched Team Penske in the Indy 500 Pit Stop Competition, we can say that side of the driver/drew relationship is super strong. With new race engineer Ross Bunnell, there’s tons of potential that’s been shown, but they’re still searching for their first win together. They have the potential to reach title-winning heights and they’re on the clock to get that maiden win and then keep building on it.

Q: I was sitting in Turn 4 at Mid-Ohio and noticed that when USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 came into Turn 4 on the parade lap they slowed way up, coming very close to running into the back of the car in front of them. Why did they slow up so much? I was curious to know if they were testing brakes, or what the reason was.

Lisa Klitz

MP: Since I didn’t see it, it’s hard to say if there was an issue that caused a knock-on effect with one driver slowing unexpectedly and the rest reacted in a panic. If that wasn’t the reason, it’s common for drivers to go hard towards the end of a long straight during the parade lap(s) and brake hard to generate heat from the brakes that radiates into the wheels and tires to build tire pressures and temperature.

Q: An incredible drive by Shane van Gisbergen in Chicago in an unfamiliar car and track he’s never seen before. It was reminiscent of Rob Wickens at St. Pete in his debut. Do you think Chip and “The Captain” took notice?

Dave Surgent

MP: I’m sure NASCAR team-owning Roger Penske did, and Chip loves all forms of racing and likely watched the race as well. But I doubt either of them came away with a plan to hire Shane. The next IndyCar vacancy Roger will have is when Power retires, and unless Andretti covers him off with a long and lucrative extension, I’d bet Kyle Kirkwood will be at the top of his shopping list. Chip’s looking to hire race-ready drivers or sign those who can completely fund the car. The patience to sign and develop SVG into an IndyCar driver, which existed when McLaughlin came over, doesn’t seem to be there these days.

Every team owner in the country took notice when Shane van Gisbergen claimed a shock NASCAR win in Chicago, but whether any of them see him as a Scott McLaughlin-style project is another question. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

Q: How did the TV broadcast not bring up Michael Andretti’s nearly identical crash into China Beach back in 1998? I was there, sitting in the Esses, and it was horrifying.

Brian in Ohio

MP: The broadcast did show Michael’s 1998 crash.

Q: Regarding RLL, is this real progress or a false dawn? They have made a step, but will it continue?

Don Hopings, Cathedral City, CA

MP: Well, IndyCar races on five unique types of circuits, so we’d need to go back to Texas or Indy to know if RLL’s terrible speedway showings have improved. They were good at the first two street circuits, but dreadful at the most recent one in Detroit. They were good at Barber and the Indy road course, decent at Road America, and really good at Mid-Ohio, so they have a strong road course package. They haven’t been on a short oval (Iowa) or an intermediate oval (WWTR), so there’s more data required before we can make any claims about where RLL stands across all disciplines.

But, and this is important, Bobby Rahal has been taken a bigger role in fixing RLL’s issues, and there’s a direct connection between Bob lighting fires beneath people and the gradual rise in competitiveness.

Q: First, my condolences to the family of the driver who was killed at Spa, but before we go into making knee-jerk changes to the track, we should look at the circumstances. The race should never have been restarted as the visibility was so poor that following drivers could not see his stopped car. I have also noticed from this incident and from watching other racing videos on YouTube that a lot of drivers are not slowing for yellows. When I raced SCCA club racing, a waved yellow meant slow down; now, drivers are barely lifting as they enter the crash scene.

Maybe we need better training of the drivers and a new flag like a red/yellow on a diagonal that indicates a crash with cars or debris blocking the track and drivers need to be able to stop quickly. Racing is dangerous, but accidents can be prevented. What are your thoughts about this?

Mark B., Floral City, FL

MP: Some corners have a much higher potential — and history — of calamity than others, and the Eau Rouge complex (including Raidillon, where this latest accident occurred) has been on that list for decades and decades. All four turns at Indy are on that list. About half of the 156-turn ’Ring would qualify. The potential is there for about half of the 8.5-mile Le Mans circuit. Sections of Road America and Laguna Seca are terrifying to ponder in the event of a stuck throttle or brake failure. Finding a stopped car sitting broadside while flying over a crest at VIR or Road Atlanta is the stuff of nightmares.

Obvious statement — we should always search for improvements in safety, and at the most dangerous corners, a higher level of vigilance is required. But if we start to neuter the Eau Rouges, I’m not sure the sport holds the same appeal. We do this for many reasons, and one of them involves the thrill of danger. Golf exists. Soccer exists. They’re both extremely popular, and yet, motor racing is also hugely popular because it’s so radically different in ways that are exhilarating and slightly scary. We choose to do this, despite the grave risks that tennis and basketball players never need to contemplate, and I hope we don’t give in to the calls — which have also been around for decades and decades — to alter what makes us who we are.

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The RACER Mailbag, April 5

Q: The 2023 IndyCar season has begun, and the countdown to the Indy 500 has also started. My last Indy 500 was 1995, and I will be returning this year with my adult son (his idea). It will be his first Indy 500!

We’ll be in Indy from Wednesday to Tuesday. Wondering if you’d be kind enough to assist with our itinerary to maximize our Indy experience? We already have our Bronze badges, and tickets to the museum, Kiss the Bricks Tour, Carb Day, Legends Day, and race day. But what about places to eat, to run into retired drivers/legends, team factory tours, and anything else you might think of?

Rich & Vance in Missoula, MO

MARSHALL PRUETT: Charlie Brown’s in Speedway is a perfect place to catch a few legends having breakfast. The Foyt Wine Bar, on the same Main St stretch, is worth a visit. Across the street is the Dallara factory, so I’d pop by there as well. Get a burger at the legendary Workingman’s Friend, get in line for breakfast — and bring cash — at Long’s Donuts. There’s sure to be some racing going on at Indianapolis Raceway Park. There will be a racing memorabilia show somewhere — details to follow — but wait until I get there first to get the good stuff, and downtown, there are some staples like St. Elmos’s and Prime 47 that should satisfy any carnivorous needs.

Q: As I age my memory isn’t what it used to be. Am I wrong that Texas Motor Speedway was supposed to undergo a rebuild?

Shawn, MD

MP: I had a similar thought last year, asked, and was told no.

Q: Please clarify the rule for lanes on pit road.

Luke Spencer

MP: Give this a read, Luke.

Q: Is there any rule for entering your pit box from the outer pit lane, or is it just a guideline that you should be in the close lane if you are entering your box, and outside lane if you are done? Rossi, Hinch, Townsend Bell, the RACER comment section and myself all feel that Rossi’s crew did nothing wrong in releasing him as there were no cars in the close lane.

Beyond that, what a banger of a race! Attendance looked up, too.

Tyler in Milwaukee

MP: I’m guilty of being led down the same incorrect path on the yeas and nays of pit lane procedures, which was dumb on my part. Breaking the situation down, the three drivers pitted directly behind Kirkwood’s pit box — Alex Palou was closest, then Scott Dixon, then Rossi — stopped in line and left in line, which made for a tough situation for Kirkwood who needed to start turning to make it into his box.

He didn’t know those three stopped at the same time and were leaving at the same time, and with no opportunity to start his turn-in process early due to cars being in their boxes, he had to go father down the lane before cranking the steering wheel to the left. On the path he was on, he would have slotted in directly behind Dixon as Dixon charged away, but he couldn’t see Rossi and didn’t know Rossi was charging away as well. But, as I wrote in the story that’s linked above with Luke’s question, IndyCar’s rules give the driver in the fast lane — Kirkwood in this example — all of the importance and priority.

In other words, if the outside tire changer or car controller knows a driver is due to turn in momentarily from the fast lane, that person must, by rule, give way to that driver and wait to send their own on their way. The rules stipulate nothing about teams being free to send their drivers if the closest lane — the transition lane — is clear, so on that basis, IndyCar penalized Rossi.

Now that we’ve had the pit box entry rules clarified, the real surprise is that collisions doesn’t happen every race weekend. Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment

Q: I’m sure you’ll receive a lot of comments on the Rossi incident and resulting penalty, but Kirkwood was 100% at fault. If I’m Rossi’s right-front tire changer and I look up pit road and see a car in the outside lane, I would assume they are leaving, not entering the pits. That was not an unsafe release. Why was Kirkwood in the outside lane so close to his pits?

The fact that Rossi’s race was ruined and Kirkwood got away with no penalty is just not right.

That said, it was one hell of an exciting race and finishing the last lap under yellow did not distract from the show.

Jim Doyle, Hoboken, NJ

MP: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, but as I wrote in the last response, the rules — even if they could use some improvement — made it easy for IndyCar to find Rossi at fault. I’d have been happier to see the referee’s whistle go unused.

Q: I have seen NASCAR’s “Lucky Dog” rule get a lot of criticism from racing purists over the years, but rarely see anything about IndyCar’s wave-around rules which are much more egregious. If the drivers a lap down want to get the wave-around, they should not be able to pit during that caution. In the case this week, the wave-around drivers were in a better fuel situation than the leader. Pato and Josef would have been better off waiting until the last caution lap to pit.

Brandon, St. Peters, MO

MP: Agreed.

Q: I hope this question is taken as just curiosity and not as a knock against Graham Rahal. I was wondering if Graham’s record over the past few years will hurt his chance of being a successful owner? I grew up about 15 miles from Mid-Ohio, so I have always been a Rahal fan, starting with Bobby, and then Graham when he started driving. I got the chance to meet and have my picture taken with Graham a few years ago at spring training at COTA, and my wife can’t seem to understand why that picture is the wallpaper on my laptop and PC. But anyway, my question has more to do with how his declining record affects getting sponsors, drivers etc. Is it time for Graham to retire from driving and start taking on an owner-type role?

John F

MP: Graham’s among the only current IndyCar drivers who stand out as ready to lead a team. Make no mistake, he’s going to continue his father’s legacy by moving from the car to an executive role within RLL, and with his well-known business acumen in mind, Graham will continue to be one of the financial engines that power the team. It’s been five years since he won a race, and yet, his car and all of the sister cars are overflowing with sponsors. He’s not the only one responsible for that, but if winning was the only value he and the team offered to sponsors, they’d be in a hard place, along with most teams in the series that aren’t named Penske or Ganassi.

So, no, I don’t foresee Graham’s years-long pursuit of another win as a limitation that would keep sponsors or quality drivers from wanting to be part of RLL. Every team goes through a lean patch; although I didn’t think last year’s would continue into 2023, they’ll soon find the target. And while I don’t think we’ll see Graham going full-time for more than a couple of years, I wouldn’t want to see him stop without getting another win. It’s there. He’s more than capable. And as the son of a guy with a big legacy, he also knows that hanging up his helmet while frustrated is not something you want to have following you for the rest of your life.

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