Q: Will IndyCar adopt a blue flag rule similar to what’s used in F1?
Rob, Rochester, NY
JF: No, but we have some ideas that we will discuss with the teams and drivers prior to the 2024 season.
Q: Why not bring back the Triple Crown? This time, instead of three 500-milers, use Long Beach, the 500 and Road America. Street course, oval and natural road course. Perhaps buy an insurance policy through Lloyds and offer a prize of $25 million to the driver who wins all three races in the same year. I would think the promotional value would be huge.
Rick Smith, San Diego, CA
JF: Rick, we have a similar program in the “PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge,” which Josef Newgarden won in 2022. The first driver to win a race on each discipline (oval, road course, street course) wins $1 million, to be split between the winning driver/team and the driver’s chosen charity.
Q: Why is the IndyCar Series rulebook no longer available on the IndyCar website for the fans?
Rick Johnson, Lynnwood, WA
JF: The NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone rulebooks are available to anyone at https://paddock.indycar.com/rulebooks, but as to why they are not linked on the websites, we will investigate and get that fixed.
Q: Has IndyCar considered not counting caution laps for oval races? USAC uses this practice to ensure fans see green-flag finishes. Even if instituted for the final 10 laps, the show would improve in my opinion.
Carl Anderson, Port St. John, FL
JF: No — we have pre-determined broadcast windows.
Q: What are your short- and long-term objectives in terms of evolving the IndyCar event schedule?
Gregory Scott, West Roxbury, MA
JF: To continue to have a very diverse mix of events.
Q: I understand that the current technical focus of the sport is the successful deployment of the ERS hybrids in ’24. However, what is the series vision as far as the DW12 chassis is concerned? Continued evolution, or is there a longer-range plan for an eventual replacement?
Also, we are now four years past the last running of the ABC 500 at Pocono. Nazareth Speedway is long gone. Is there any initiative to add a race somewhere in northeast?
Harrison Langley, Hershey, PA (former Nazareth Speedway rat)
JF: Although it’s still called the DW12, our current chassis is very different than the original — here’s a side-by-side image:
Q: As a longtime IndyCar fan here in Toronto, I’ve had to deal with one Canadian cable company after another which get the broadcast rights and then treats the IndyCar series and fans with contempt. The current rights holder TSN has five national cable channels available and always has a viable slot for a live race broadcast or timely re-air available, but they put all the practice, qualifying and races on a streaming platform and only once have broadcast live. They have promised to put the Toronto race on the network as an exception, but that would be the only benefit, since it’s not one of the races that are on NBC which are easily obtained by nearly everyone.
TSN also advertise that they’ll begin charging more for their streaming service sometime soon and I can state emphatically that given how limited value I get from TSN with it being the most expensive cable channel already, I won’t give a moment’s thought to the possibility of being charged more and having my IndyCar viewing limited to streaming. It’s easy to find an alternative source, though not an approved one, but I’ll do what I have to.
Having practice, qualifying and races themselves all on a cable channel would automatically access a much broader audience along with the associated commercial benefits, and allow time-shifting to capture more of an audience as well. At a minimum, a broadcast rights holder should commit to putting the races that are not on NBC onto a national cable channel, and it’s something I hope you consider demanding when you next negotiate a Canadian broadcast rights holder so they actually become more of partner instead.
Rick Moris
JF: Rick, we are always looking to improve the customer experience. However, having just come out of the Honda Indy Toronto, it was great to see TSN’s intense coverage of the entire race weekend including full reports and live interviews on SportsCenter.
Q: Does IndyCar have any plans to develop a fuel cell propulsion formula? Or a full EV formula? Perhaps working with the ACO’s fuel cell programs for Le Mans? Honda and GM are working jointly on fuel cell and EV plans, as are several other automakers who also race. Seems IndyCar should be part of this move forward!
Ed Joras
JF: We race 100% renewable race fuel from Shell. It will enable a 60% life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction compared to fossil-based gasoline.
Q: The one surprise since Roger Penske took over IndyCar is that a third engine supplier has not come on board (yet!). Sounds like there have been several close calls, and I was sure hoping the Toyota speculation was real. I would appreciate hearing you address what the roadblocks may be, based on what they hear from prospective suppliers. IMSA has several engine suppliers, and the word “relevant” is always mentioned. If a 2.2-liter turbo V6 with hybridization running on 100% renewable fuel, at the largest spectator sporting event in the world (not to mention the most competitive series in the U.S.) isn’t relevant then what is? Chevy and Honda are fantastic, but IndyCar is very vulnerable if either of them get restless!
On that same topic, I believe an IndyCar engine has to be badged by an automobile manufacturer? If that is the case, then could McLaren (a commercial car company) become an engine supplier if it wanted to, or would IndyCar not allow a competitor to build engines?
Forrester Morgan, Myrtle Beach, SC
JF: We work on that every day. Building engines is a big, long-term commitment. The industry is also rapidly changing.