Q: I’ve always assumed that practice and testing is controlled and limited by IndyCar, for the purposes of parity and safety. Assuming that is so, if a team wants to practice entering the pit box, stopping, engaging first gear, and exiting the pit box, is that something that can be done without limitation, either at team headquarters or elsewhere? Or is that exercise only allowed at official tests and on race weekends?
K. Campbell
MP: Other than setting limits on time with how long the sessions last, and how many sets of tires they can use for the event, IndyCar has no involvement in controlling any aspect of how teams conduct their sessions. For the sake of safety, IndyCar asks teams to hold off on doing hot pit stops on a random basis; at Iowa, for example, the 90-minute session on Friday was segmented where the end of the run was reserved for hot stops and teams were required to put on helmets for the sake of safety. Most teams have a pit-stop practice car they use at their shops. Most of the cars are highly regulated, but the rest of the series is fairly open. Parity is not a thing the series regulates.
Q: Big Possum has heard that Siegel’s dad paid Zak $16 million for the McLaren seat — could this be true?
Even Zak has a price — sad day for IndyCar, but it’s been coming for a long time. The haves are being pushed out by the have-mores. All of racing has become a dumping ground for rich kids — once Dixon, Power, Newgarden and Scottie Mac are gone, who will be left? There are no heroes anymore. Oh for the days of Foyt, Andretti, Rutherford, Uncle Bobby, Uncle Al, Little Al, Lloyd Ruby, Jigger Siros… I’m afraid that Dirt Sprint and Silver Crown is the only option for poor folks. Trey Osborne, for example. Big Possum weeps for the state of racing today.
Big Possum
MP: That’s one of the numbers being floated. I’ve heard a smaller number. As I wrote a moment ago, the “Everything was better back in the day” routine seems like an inevitable thing that comes with age. Most people fall in love with whatever it might be — a band, a sports team, or a driver — in their youth and carry that forward as the best-thing-ever. Racing will be fine, just as it was after the last generational shift, and the one before that, and the one before…
Q: It is clear that with the lack of new cars, new 2.4L engines, and a few other things, that IndyCar revenue is barely covering costs for the teams and that is why new equipment has not come forward despite plans and prior announcements.
The new TV contract is worth a reported $25 million per year for just 17 races. The last contract was for a reported $20 million per year. This 25% increase really does not cover even the cost of inflation. It’s probably a regression, not an increase. How much longer can this financial situation continue without relief before the series begins to become insolvent? Are sanction fees the only way to raise more revenue? How long can the series last in its current state?
C. Kenneth Whitted, Avon, IN
MP: It’s all relative here. Profits from the Indianapolis 500 have fueled the IndyCar Series since it was devised as the Indy Racing League in 1996. The vast proceeds are what fueled the operations, prize money, etc.
As I’ve been told many times, since the track and series were purchased by Penske, a different approach to the accounting for IndyCar, no longer treating it as a business that it freely allowed to run at a loss and live off of Indy 500 profits, has been applied. It’s a great ambition to have, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to make IndyCar stand on its own financially to maximize the profits from IMS. But it’s also a choice.
A growth in TV revenue is important for Penske. That’s a rumored $5 million more towards being in the black each year. But that money doesn’t go to the teams. So I’m less concerned about the solvency of the track and series and more worried about the midfield teams and lower, who are struggling — more now than ever — to raise upwards of $8 million per season to put each car on track.
Q: Just a thank you for the weekly Final Word from Robin Miller. Never gets old, and brings a smile to my face every time.
Vincent Martinez, South Pasadena, CA
MP: That idea sprang from Mailbag editor/RACER.com editor Mark Glendenning, who also selects the great photos and writes the captions.
Q: For more than 10 years, IndyCar has provided a spotter’s guide with mostly accurate radio frequency information for each driver. To my knowledge, there has not ever been the same info provided for Indy Lights or now Indy NXT. Why?
David, Waxhaw, NC
MP: Not enough staff or budget.
Q: As much as we like to complain about everything IndyCar, what I want most is more IndyCar! That being said, here are a couple possible solutions to IndyCar’s “problems” (because, like I said, we like to complain):
To alleviate the stacking that happens when drivers are trying to get a clear lap in practice or qualifying, why not institute a minimum lap time that is slow enough to be safe on cold tires, but not slow enough to allow the crawl before the alt start/finish?
Second, when a full course caution is needed, throw the flag immediately. Give the drivers three seconds (or whatever is reasonable) to engage the pit lane speed limiter, and close the pits only until the leader arrives, giving the leader first chance to pit. Once the leader has entered, or passed the pit entry, the pits would be open for everyone. his keeps the relative gaps until the pit cycle. The pace car would pick up the leader, and the rest of the field, at pit-out, whether or not they pitted.
These solutions seem obvious, but have never been utilized to my knowledge. Which means I’m probably missing something. What am I missing?
Tim Hubbel, Gypsy, OK
MP: Drivers stack up to get a clear full lap to give their teams a read on the tires. Adding more regulations and requiring minimum lap speeds defeats the need to find space. The current yellow procedure, minus the stupidly long pause like we had at Laguna Seca with Marcus Armstrong, tends to work. But if IndyCar wanted to try something for the sake of it, this might be one to consider.