Q: Three cheers for rain and the little intangibles of racing. It was great to see Lundgaard and RLL in taking the checkered flag on Sunday. That’s a great boost for that team. Lost in that was Graham climbing from 27th to ninth. We will never know what would have happened without the chaos of rain at the end of Q1. Man, I love rain in road racing.
Chat boards and such love to dog on drivers and teams that are down. It’s a spec series, so it has to be the driver, right? I’m a firm believer in it being the little things, the intangibles. Scott Dixon hasn’t forgotten how to drive. But it takes time for a pairing of driver and engineer to synch up, and it sometimes never does. Graham hasn’t forgotten how to drive. We saw that at Mid-Ohio, and again on Sunday. It’s the little things that have helped RLL out.
You would know better than me, but it’s getting the right people in place and trusting them to do their job. After the 500 debacle, it sounds like some changes were made and certain people were allowed to do their job to the best of their abilities and it’s showing.
Why is Palou so dominant? The little intangibles that together get you that extra 0.2s over the competition.
John
MP: I find myself frequently preaching exactly what you’ve said, John. Have too many “lifers” on the team who are good but not great at their job and do just enough to keep a steady paycheck coming in, or stack too many stars on a team — could be drivers or crew — without thinking first about chemistry and how they’ll all play together, or put people in the wrong positions, and you get inconsistent performances that lead to mediocre results.
RLL’s done a stellar job so far — and there’s still a long way to go — in prioritizing chemistry and culture over throwing wads of cash at big names in the hope they’ll be an instant savior.
Palou’s found things within himself that he was lacking such as elite single-lap qualifying speed and has quieted any of the doubts in his head that often distract young drivers. He’s fully matured after going through a ton of turbulence in 2022, knows his future is secure in the sport, and he’s discovered a new gear — along with his race engineer Julian Robertson — that makes him the strongest driver in the series.
His mental fortitude is off the charts, and with killer pit stops from his crew and race strategist Barry Wanser on the top of his game, we’re seeing a breakthrough that hasn’t been witnessed since Scott Dixon’s title rise in 2003 with Ganassi and Josef Newgarden’s mollywhopping of the field on debut at Penske in 2017.
Q: In last week’s Mailbag in response to a question as to where you see Malukas landing, you said: “He isn’t the first or second choice on the free agent market.”
It would be interesting if you were to let us know your thoughts as to the pecking order (due to budget or talent).
Oliver Wells
MP: You bet: Marcus Ericsson is the one being chased first and foremost, with every team that has a paying seat pursuing his signature on a contract. Felix Rosenqvist is the big mover in that regard in recent months; he’s a solid second on that list thanks to being a solid and known performer. Callum Ilott’s still generating interest, but not as much as he was after the first few rounds.
Malukas, who would like to be paid, but also has the ability to bring some funding if necessary, is said to be in the running for many of the same seats, but not before the two Swedes who present zero questions about what they can deliver. There’s a solid belief that Malukas can win races and whatnot, but the bigger teams — the ones with realistic chances of winning a championship next year — tend to lean towards proven commodities when they have multiple options to choose from. For those who want to win now and score big points when they can’t, veterans tend to get the nod. For those who have veterans and are able to give Malukas some room to grow, he’d be a great choice.
Q: Every word the Bobster wrote about the Glen in October is correct. The weather could be chancy, but the crowds were there. Problem was, Bernie had other ideas about what crowd he wanted to cater to.
I attended all four IndyCar races at the Glen and I hate to say it, but they did not draw flies for a lot of reasons on both sides. As CART boomed, the powers that be at the Glen studiously avoided hosting another event. They were all about NASCAR.
I reasoned with them by mail. Frustrated, I questioned their fandom and maybe their parentage as the years went on. I pestered them by email for years. Zip! I have given up. I understand the crowd track record is poor and a bad bet. I welcome the Bobster to take up my quest. Or anyone!
The Glen and IndyCar missed their moment in the ’80 and ’90s, and the absence of IndyCar in the Northeast for so long does not help. The success of the GP was a fragile thing. Bernie threatened the race for a couple of years, and fans could not count on the weekend.
If I had a suggestion — which I have pestered Pocono about — it would be for Pocono to rebuild a qualified infield track in place of the Mickey Mouse thing there, and run an IndyCar event there. With NASCAR’s new road racing push, I think it would fly. Open the infield to campers and spectators. It would give Pocono two different NASCAR events, and open it to maybe IMSA, too.
Good luck to Bobster or IndyCar.
David Fahey
MP: Thanks for writing in, David.