Q: Six ovals in the final eight races of 2024. Boy, Josef Newgarden must be licking his chops at that.
Vincent Michael, Richmond, VA
MP: Yep, and if his rivals want to have a chance, they’ll need to kick ass prior to those six, rack up a lot of points, and find something new or better to parry Newgarden’s expected awesomeness on those ovals.
Q: Guaranteed starting spots for the 500 is a non-starter for me and my family. This year will be my 30th 500. I am 54 years old and have spent more than half of my Memorial Day weekends at the track. If they make the repugnant decision to guarantee spots, it will be my last. I can save the thousands of dollars each year on just go fishing. IndyCar has been my life. I even named my son after a two-time 500 winner. Just stab your fans in the eye with a soldering iron and just end it now if you are going to manufacture a fake event.
Devin, Indianapolis. Potential lost fan forever.
MP: I’m with you, Devin. As I’ve written before, my first Indy 500 was in 1997 with a new team that wasn’t part of the 25 guaranteed entries, and we fought like hell, along with the other unprotected entries, to claim one of the eight available starting spots.
Our little Indy Lights team was really good, and we had a supremely brave driver in Greg Ray, so we got in the show, but it was a crappy feeling until we qualified.
If Roger Penske cares about his legacy at the Speedway, he might give his guaranteed-spot fixation some serious thought unless he wants to be remembered as Tony George 2.0.
Q: It’s good to know there are multiple big parties genuinely interested in IndyCar’s broadcast rights — it’s yet another sign of the small but very real growth that still too few old-schoolers want to admit is real. I admit I’ve gotten a chuckle out of the attempts to cast Fox’s interest as a bad thing.
But I have an actual question for you: In the lead-up to, and even more so in the mere hour it’s been since the story went up on RACER (at time of writing), there have been rumors going around that Fox is also interested in USAC Silver Crown to pad out its motorsports lineup even more. I can see it happening, as it makes sense for the same reasons they’d be interested in IndyCar, plus it hedges their bets on retaining oval fans.
But have you heard anything about this? Should we be putting any stock in the rumors at all, or did someone just get the new about Fox’s interest in IndyCar a little early and start throwing around some wishful thinking?
FormulaNotSponsoredByTheNetworkFox
MP: I haven’t heard the Silver Crown rumor, but that’s not in my circle of coverage, so that’s not a surprise. If we’re looking at networks that would be a perfect fit for a meat-and-potato form of racing like American short track, it’s FOX.
Q: I have some mixed emotions about our hometown Nashville race moving to the superspeedway, but I don’t think there could be a quality event downtown this year with the new and longer punch list. The biggest concern I have with the oval is, I believe they are using PJ1 or another resin product for the NASCAR events. Last year the track looked to have more than rubber on it for them. Do you know if they are using it here for NASCAR? If so, would Nashville’s concrete turn out better than the Texas pavement for IndyCar? IndyCar ran well here 15+ years ago and made me a fan.
Ricky, Springfield, TN
MP: I’ll have to ask on the traction compound. If it’s applied uniformly from top to bottom, it shouldn’t be an issue to interact with. The issue at Texas was its use only on the bottom lane, which left a worrying difference in in grip between the first and second lanes.
Q: Since this is a forum for asking questions, I will present my thoughts on the question of guaranteed spots in the Indianapolis 500 as a question.
How about eliminating the limit of 33 starters? Other series have run races on the oval with more than 33 starters. How about, instead, only awarding championship points to full-season entries?
Also, how about only awarding championship points to full season regulars who are among the fastest 33 starters?
And, how about going back to first day qualifiers start in front of second day qualifiers?
This retains the need to be among the 33 fastest, rewarding full-time entrants who are among the fastest 33, but still guarantees any entrant can compete and even win the race, and provide sponsors with full value for their support.
Mark Wick
MP: I’ll throw one in: How about we hold a weekend of qualifying where the fastest 33 drivers get to compete in the Indy 500? And there are no guarantees going into qualifying for any of the entrants? I know, I’m crazy.
Q: The legacy of IMS and the Indy 500 would be eroded by a guaranteed field. You and others speak of increasing entries, but this makes it insignificant. No hybrid, museum closed to fans, and now a guaranteed field. Sounds like a NASCAR move. Double points or single points for Indy 500…more gimmicks.
Go back to the risk and the chance a Bobby Rahal, a Graham Rahal, or a Penske team can miss the show. Make bumping mean something again. Penske disappoints time and again. He doesn’t know how to run and promote and grow the series. And he certainly doesn’t respect what traditions made it the greatest race. Facebook has many loyal Indy 500 groups and fans who constantly post photos and memories of great cars, drivers, and special past years technology. Watering down the race is not what Tony Hulman or Eddie Rickenbacher would’ve done.
Craig B, Leland, NC
MP: Agreed on all fronts.