Q: I am not going to complain about the Dallara chassis, the lack of a third engine supplier, etc. The racing is excellent, and the drivers are superb. I went to my first IndyCar race in October, 1968 at the first race at MIS. It was a great race and Ronnie Bucknum won when Bobby Unser’s turbo Offy exploded in spectacular fashion on the front straight. I have lost count of how many races I have seen since then, and I am still a devoted fan.
Hang on. Here come the complaints.
NASCAR now has a series on Netflix. Are you kidding me? I have been a lifelong Penske fan, and he and I come from the same area in suburban Cleveland — although I was born on the other side of the tracks. How can this brilliant man not see that his media/promotion people are inept? For crying out loud, the IndyCar website is weak beyond words.
The offseason is six months long. No other sport has a downtime that long. In six months, a lot of diehard fans in my age group (I’m 75) will have passed on.
I would hate to see IndyCar devolve into a once-a-year spectacle like Le Mans.
Wake up, Roger!
Bob Isabella, Mentor, OH
MP: I dream of a day where Netflix would want to do something with IndyCar, Bob. But that time isn’t now because IndyCar is, when positioned next to NASCAR or F1, too small of a series to care about. I’m not saying we believe it’s unworthy of Netflix-level love, but a giant streamer like that isn’t going to spend money on a super-niche series. If IndyCar becomes bigger, that would hopefully change.
The NFL has an offseason that spans February-September, but point taken. I don’t envy IndyCar’s owners and the tasks they face to make the series more popular. The racing is great. The fans are great. The field is large. Just not enough people know or care about its existence.
Q: Dear Mailbag: Please help me be a better IndyCar fan. I’ve been an IndyCar fan for several decades and have lived around Indy my whole life. Over the off-season there’s been chatter about non-points races at Thermal Club and maybe Argentina. As someone who enjoys seeing IndyCars on track, this gave me a smile. And apparently these non-points races are likely to come with a decent payday for the teams to make it worth their while. So, even better?
But according to the internet, as an IndyCar fan I should be angry about this because they would be non-points races. I guess if there are no points on offer, then get those IndyCars off my TV? Seems counter-intuitive, but I’m trying to learn to be a better IndyCar fan. Can you help? I’ll hang up and listen to your answer.
Brandon, Indy
MP: Zero reasons I can come up with to crap on non-points races as a concept, Brandon. I’ve pined for a modern version of the old Marlboro Challenge all-star races to return where the winners and polesitters from the season get to do a race among themselves for a significant prize money payout. IndyCar’s doing something close in concept at Thermal, but it’s weird in a few ways where few fans will be there and the price of admission is crazy. And it’s after the first race of the year, so there’s no way to make it a proper all-star deal because we’ll only have one winner/polesitter at that point.
But, it will be televised on NBC, so if we overlook the weird stuff, it could generate a strong viewing audience number, and that helps teams in their sponsorship valuations. Would I prefer to hear the non-points race is being moved to a different warm SoCal location like the parking lot of Disneyland where an epic backdrop and widespread fan access could be achieved? Most definitely. But, to quote Juan Pablo Montoya, it is what it is.
As for the non-points Argentina race, yeah, it does feel odd to consider we might go really far away to put on a race that counts for nothing. Doing it as a demonstration at home is less of a production to put on. Shipping everything to Argentina to hold a pretend race? That doesn’t sit well with any hardcore racer. But if it puts serious dollars in the paddocks’ pocket, there’s a value to consider.
Some of us bark at IndyCar on a regular basis to think big and/or try new things, and that’s precisely what they’re doing here. Are there flaws? Of course, but let’s see how things play out before shooting them down.
Q: Being from Washington state, I was curious about whether IndyCar is interested in the new road course being built in Bremerton. It appears to be a world-class facility on par with other major circuits in North America. I attend all of the West Coast IndyCar and IMSA events and I confess the Portland race is looking tired. The track itself is not modern by any standard, and the city of Portland itself is not a place that fans or sponsors warm up to. I miss the race in Vancouver, which was a major CART race for years. Any chance of IndyCar ever going back there? The Northwest needs an IndyCar presence here.
I bought the James Herbert Harrison book you folks advertised in your newsletter, which I enjoyed very much. As it was quite a plug for IndyCar generally, were the folks at IMS behind that? Also, he referenced quite a few media personalities like Leigh Diffey but paid you no mention. Just an observation.
Fred Barnham, Tacoma, WA
MP: I need to admit that anything I see or hear the name Bremerton mentioned, my mind plays Sir Mix-A-Lot’s song Bremelo, the only time I’ve heard the city referenced in music. Yes, the PNW is a region of interest and any new track that meets FIA Grade 2 standards is on the list.
No clue about the book or author, but mentioning me wasn’t going to increase sales, so that was a wise decision.
Q: Will IMSA rename LMP2 into GTP Lights or GTP Lites and abbreviate it on the broadcast ticker as GTP-L? The LMP2 nameplate is eyesore to rest of the classes as it makes it not cohesive. Plus, it goes with reviving the GTP names by bringing back Lights name. Thoughts?
MF DOOM
MP: First, big fan of your music and apparent reincarnation. Your Danger Doom album with Danger Mouse is a gem.
IMSA has no plans that I know of to rename LMP2.