Q: Do auto racing fans buy tickets or tune in to races to watch fuel economy contests? Do they yearn to learn whether one tire compound is superior to another? Or do they want to see daring and skilled drivers in fast cars dual on track for position, victory, and prestige?
As a long-time IndyCar fan, my patience with all things fuel-savings related (and to a certain extent tires) is wearing thin. Scott Dixon, whom I’ve admired since the CART days, won at Gateway fair and square, but the viewers in my circle of friends and family lost. It’s time for IndyCar to go back to the drawing board, lessen the scope of strategists, and put more power in the hands of the drivers. One way to do that would be to require a minimum number of pit stops at each venue (for example, five stops at Gateway for a minimum of five seconds each). Or something similar.
I’m confident there’s some way to take fuel economy out of play or nearly so. We have plenty of that kind of thing in our daily lives already.
Kevin C., Nashville, TN
MP: Sure, but do baseball fans buy tickets and leave happy when the score is 1-0 after sitting in the stands for four hours? Or are soccer fans stoked when they leave the stadium after a 0-0 match? I’d guess the answer is no, but in the context of a season of events, it’s not remarkable. I’ve been to a lot of 1-0 MLB games in my life, and I kept going back because I loved the sport enough that I hoped the next one would be better, and it usually was.
If IndyCar held one race per year and it ended up being a fuel economy/race strategy race, I’d get the anger. Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way, but they can’t all be classics. And we’ve seen WWTR produce some thrillers, including last year. It was one non-thrilling race for those who aren’t intrigued by strategy, not the end of the universe. I hope.
Q: Are there any drivers who don’t drink? If so, do you keep a non-alcoholic beer in reserve in case they win? (Or did I just complicate your task?)
Tom Hinshaw, Santa Barbara, CA
MP: It’s never occurred to me. In my simple brain, being able to win an IndyCar race comes with a level of personality and daring that would involve the willful consumption of beer. I know most of these fools drink, so if I meet a winner who does not, I’m not sure how I’ll react to the beer rejection.
Q: Did we just see Takuma Sato’s last race in IndyCar, or will he race the 500 and other ovals next season?
Dave Maves
MP: I expect Marcus Armstrong to go full-time in the No. 11 Honda he shares with Taku, so it’s not as simple as just continuing with Ganassi, but Taku has at least two teams who want him for next year’s Indy 500, so I do not believe we’ve seen the last of him.
Q: I assume there is now really bad blood between Chip Ganassi and Zak Brown? Secondly, it wouldn’t be The Captain’s style to speak out publicly about the Palou situation, but I cannot believe he is very happy about it. Your thoughts?
I am tired of professional athletes believing they can renege on contracts they agreed to. We have that situation with Chris Jones and the Chiefs locally, as he has held out of camp because he wants a new contract and has one more season left on the existing one — at $20m!
I’d also like to know more about Helio moving into an ownership role at Meyer Shank.
James
MP: Oh, there’s been some serious ill will between these two for a while now, and it’s no joke. Penske does his handling of people away from the cameras, away from the spotlight. The way we’d know he put an end to it is if McLaren and Palou settle quickly. My 49ers are dealing with the same routine with our best defensive player, Nick Bosa. It’s standard fare in stick and ball sports, but not so in racing… until recently.
MSR saw great value in keeping Helio in the family and, more importantly, as a brand and sponsor ambassador, hunter, and so on, so the best way to show they meant business was to give him a small ownership stake. Now he profits from all the deals he’ll make happen for the team, and Helio’s always been all about the money, so this is a great fit for him in terms of having a long runway after driving that provides security for his family, and feeds his insatiable desire for $$$.
Q: Can you talk about what it’s like being a reporter during the height of IndyCar’s silly season? How many phone calls do you have each week? Do drivers and teams reach out to you for information too?
Stu
MP: It’s fun and a pain, but it’s more of a time sink than anything else. I looked and counted 29 phone calls either outgoing or inbound from Monday-Wednesday leading into WWTR, and there are days where three to six hours are spent on calls — sometimes multiple calls with the same driver/owner/whomever per day — so it’s a deep investment of effort when we have an insane year like the one we’re in.
It’s all some form of information exchange, and whether it’s me looking for info or a driver calling to see if I know something that would help them, or an owner checking in to see who’s on the move or who’s still available, it’s all fairly normal stuff. And a lot of it stays private, because trust is all that matters. Fun tidbit: You also never know where intel will come from. I learned about Lundqvist going to Ganassi from a driver on the junior open-wheel ladder who mentioned it as a throwaway line…