Q: Winter in Nazareth. Here you go. And his Feb. 18, 2021 thread on the motor is good reading as well.
The first test of chassis 004 took place fitted with engine 002 at Nazareth PA, 20th Feb 1994 with @alunserjr at the wheel. Early tests took place in harsh conditions with a big logistical effort, borrowing snow clearing kit from the local airport. @MarioAndretti lives next door. pic.twitter.com/4hjrVnsMVw
— Dawn Treader (@DawnTreaderEng) February 19, 2021
Ron in 3 degree Akron
MP: Thanks, Ron.
Q: I’ve been a race fan since I could walk, over 60 years, and a Mailbag reader since day one. Tom from Detroit wrote in last week with “race teams that start in NASCAR very rarely race in other series.” You guys responded with examples from NASCAR and IndyCar, but no mention of NHRA drag racing. Let me share some added tidbits. In years past Richard Petty, the Andretti family, Jack Roush and others have all participated in one way or another in drag racing.
Most recently and continuing into 2024, Rick Hendrick is a major sponsor of Greg Anderson’s Pro Stock team; Rick Ware purchased the Clay Millican’s Top Fuel team, and most recently Tony Stewart (Smoke) dove head-first after meeting Leah Pruett and marrying her, to purchasing the Leah Pruett Top Fuel and Matt Hagan Funny car teams from Don Schumacher racing. Not only did Smoke purchase the teams, he decided to try out driving a Top Alcohol dragster and won his second race out. Now, he is going to take over the driving duties of his wife Leah’s Top Fuel car in 2024.
Needless to say, Smoke has bought many other racing fans to drag racing. RACER has periodic big stories about the NHRA and should watch NHRA in 2024 as it looks like all pro class fields will have more than full fields of 16 cars at every race. If you’ve never been to an NHRA event, there is nothing like having an 11,000 horsepower car fire up (nitro methane in the morning) to it sucking the life out of your body as it flies down the quarter mile at over 300mph.
LA in Oregon
MP: Yeah, I’m kinda’ linear like that. If someone writes in asking about NASCAR-to-IndyCar, I tend not to think of answers involving the NHRA. Thanks for writing in and sharing. I haven’t been to dozens of drag races, but the ones I attended or worked at while running a team in the former NHRA Sports Compact series are prized memories.
Q: Following up on the 1/17 Mailbag thoughts from Formulafox about the similarities between the Super Formula and F2 chassis, if you put an IndyCar, F2 car, and a Super Formula car on a standard road course, how close would the lap times be?
F1 doesn’t bring along F2 or F3 when F1 races in North America. Vegas and Miami might be tricky, but COTA, Canada, and Mexico all have room to have support series. Has IndyCar ever looked as running during an F1 weekend like how IndyCar and NASCAR did last year at IMS?
Will, Indy
MP: Since we’ve never had those three models on the same track, it’s one of those questions that can’t be answered unless someone wanted to give it a try in an iRacing environment, or similar, right?
I feel confident in saying IndyCar has never inquired about being a warmup act for F1 during its three U.S. races.
Q: In 1977, I took my 70-year-old mother to her first Indy 500, and I’m now 71 (having attended Indy races since 1968). With my age, I have some suggestions that I would not have made when I was younger.
I’m still in pretty good shape for my age, so I park one-plus miles from my seat, and sit in the sun in the top row in Turn 3. That’s 40 rows up. It does make for a strenuous day. It is not for everyone at age 70.
You never know about race day weather, but it can be in the low 90s with high humidity. Having worked a full decade in the track hospital on race day, I can say from experience that heat in the upper 80s and higher, plus humidity, can take their toll on people, and particularly older people.
So, here are my top tips:
1) If you can, pick seats that will be shaded. They are more expensive, particularly if you are buying them in the aftermarket. But they are still cheaper than a trip to the hospital.
2) Reserve parking that is a short walk to where your seats are located. They can be expensive, but again, they’re cheaper than a trip to the hospital.
3) Keep the same thing in mind when going to the track for Carb Day, qualifications and practice. I love every time I’m at the track. But heat and walking can always make it strenuous.
4) Take a scanner with two headphones to the track, or at minimum, a radio with headphones. On race day, you simply can’t hear the track PA over the cars.
5) Get to the track early and take in the entire day.
6). Use plenty of sun screen, wear a hat, and hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. It’s always important, but the older you are, the more important it is. Oh, and minimize alcohol.
7) Have lunch at least once at Dawson’s on Main Street in Speedway. And if you have the money, get reservations for dinner at St. Elmo’s Steakhouse — and make sure to order the shrimp cocktail.
Stephen Terrell
MP: Great insights, Stephen.
Q: Just listened to The Week in IndyCar podcast, and you mentioned five potential new teams. You relate the health of the series to the health of the paddock. Well, if the paddock is so healthy, why can’t we get a new chassis begin development? Does the need for a new chassis coincide with the need for a new OEM? Can you ask RP if a State of the Series every year at Indy is too much to ask for?
Vincent Martinez, South Pasadena, CA
MP: Health has levels, doesn’t it? Some are healthier than others, but overall, the level is good. And good’s different than great, if we’re taking every team into account; at one end we have the super-healthy Arrow McLaren and at the other, we have the Foyt team which is rebuilding its financial foundation. So, if all teams were sitting on McLaren-level funding, we’d have new cars in 2024.