Q: Yes, sorry, it’s time for another complaint about Peacock. Like Ed in last week’s Mailbag, we also pay for Peacock’s ad-free tier, and like you, Marshall, we make plenty of use of the streaming service. But when it comes to IndyCar and IMSA races, ad-free goes out the window and the broadcast is regularly interrupted. Sometimes we get served ads, sometimes just a splash screen saying the broadcast will be right back.
But here’s the thing, they know there’s a better alternative. Indy NXT races have no interruption, and in the past IMSA just left the video and background audio on. No more.
To make matters worse, NBC and Peacock insist on wasting further race minutes by showing us irrelevant b-roll segments that should have been shown during the pre-race broadcast. It’s a bad habit they brought to their F1 coverage back before it got taken away from them, wasting up to 25 percent of a green-flag race.
I doubt any level of complaining will result in NBC and Peacock changing their ways, and the rest of us will just continue to feel ripped off.
Jonathan Gitlin
MP: Thanks for writing in, Jonathan.
Q: Between the Mailbag last week and the article by Richard, it seems like the cat is out of the bag. When the second WTRAA IMSA entry was announced I wondered if that was the No. 60 car or a new car. Signs point towards it not being a new car.
My question is mostly related to drivers, and if Colin is a factory driver this year like, say, a Ryan Eversley and thus bound for WTRAA, or if he’s an MSR driver and then what Acura thinks of him? He’s spent a number of seasons as the pro on a Pro-Am team, and it was nice to see him finally get a chance to shine in an all pro lineup. So let’s use this as the start of the IMSA GTP silly season. What are you hearing about drivers for Lambo, and what might be next for Colin?
Ryan in West Michigan
MP: It’s been a well-known thing in the paddock for a while, but HPD gets really grumpy when you ask, and MSR doesn’t want to say too much. I keep hearing a Porsche 963 would be the most realistic avenue for the team to stay in GTP, but it would be in a privateer-ish capacity. If I had to guess, there’s a hope that if MSR can rally back and win the GTP title — even though it’s only a remote chance — Acura/HPD would want to hold onto them.
I think Lamborghini’s announced most of their drivers, and I do hope Colin gets work with one of the GTP factories. I’d heard he was under consideration for the second WTRAndretti Acura, but those seats went to Jordan Taylor and Jean Louis Deletraz.
Q: I recall years ago that along with the finishing race positions of drivers, prize money was also published. I know they publish the payouts for the 500, but why is this no longer published for the rest of the races?
Dennis
MP: That’s because real per-race prize money, outside the 500, went away almost 20 years ago when the Leaders Circle program was created and the season’s worth of prize money was pooled, divided, and given to 20-plus full-time teams who committed to do every race. There’s still something nominal paid to win and whatnot, but the vast majority of the prize money is paid by the series to each of the Leaders Circle entries in installments each season; in 2023, it was $915,000 given to 22 entries.
Q: It seems to me IndyCar cautions could be sped up. The truck always pulls up nose-first to the car, the guy runs to the back of the truck, runs to the front with the starter and plugs in, unplugs and runs to the back and finally they’re done. Couldn’t they hang a temporary basket on the front of the truck with the starter already plugged in? Seems like this would save some time.
Doyle Long
MP: I had the same thought on the opening lap. Constantly having to run to the back of the trucks to carry something to the front of the truck to make it work seems like an inefficiency that could be resolved on highly modified vehicles.
Q: Was there anything better than Scott Dixon singing Vanilla Ice during the segment with Hinch? I used to think he was boring, but after 20 years, he has had enough moments to let his personality shine through. Ericsson and Rossi feel boring, too. Which IndyCar driver has the best personality that we haven’t seen yet?
Jason, Green Bay, WI
MP: First time I got to know Dixon was at a function somewhere in the late 2000s and we were at the same table, and he was hilarious, had a sharp wit and sharper tongue, and it was clear that he’s far more interesting than most people understand. If I have an insightful answer that’s needed on something, on or off the record, he’s been one of my go-to sounding boards for the last 15 years, and if you look at his closest friends, they’re big personalities like Dario and Kanaan, which should tell you something about him. They don’t hang around the boring or tame.
Ericsson and Rossi are far from boring. They just aren’t extroverts or big, showy personalities — Dixon’s the same way — but I’ve never found them to be lacking in character or opinions. It’s the ones who just smile or say little to nothing who bore the heck out of me. Ericsson and Rossi aren’t in that category.
On the haven’t-seen-yet front, Kirkwood’s a blast. As all-American a kid as you’ll find, who loves fishing, golfing, and having fun. Lundqvist is a great kid with a lot of depth and charm, all found inside the spirit of a hunter-killer. Ilott’s a fascinating guy, and so is his teammate Canapino. Of the four, I think Kyle could be a fan favorite if more effort was made by his team and the series to place a spotlight on him.