Q: I have a 16-year-old son that loves racing, primarily F1, IndyCar and IMSA. When talking about college, he has decided that he would like to pursue a degree in motorsports engineering. Being a mom that doesn’t know much about this field, I’m not sure where to start. It appears to be a not so popular degree in the U.S., with only a few schools that offer it. While his dream would be to go overseas to Oxford-Brooks, I’m not sure that’s remotely possible. Do you have any suggestions of schools that offer good programs in this area?
We’ve also tried to look into him shadowing a race team but that too is challenging if you don’t know anyone on a team. Do you have any suggestions or know of programs for high school students?
Erin Higgins
MP: Great to hear, Erin. Indiana’s Purdue University is the best I know of at home and has a lot of graduates and ties with IndyCar teams.
Q: Does JHR have regrets about letting Callum Ilott leave and retaining Augustin Canapino now with the success Ilott had at the Indy 500, threats continuing to come from Canapino fans, Arrow McLaren terminating its commercial partnership, and now JHR parking Canapino at Road America? With all the social media threats and the backlash, should/is IndyCar reconsidering the Argentina exhibition race? Things appear to be escalating, and per your June 4 article, Canapino does not seem to be helping the situation. A sad state of affairs, but it cannot be ignored or minimized.
Rick, Miami, FL
MP: I do not believe so on Ilott. The relationship ended badly.
Q: I noticed in Practice 2 at Road America that teams were taping over the air intakes on the aeroscreen. Wouldn’t this allow for an aero advantage and greater speed? If so, was this mandated for all cars? I assume it was done to keep moisture out of the cockpit, but it’s worth asking!
Pongo, SoCal
MP: It would, and it’s allowed by IndyCar to keep from dousing the drivers in the rain.
Q: Nolan Siegel, pretty much on last minute notice, raced for a team he has never raced with before. How quickly can he get a race suit ready? Who makes them and how short notice do they need to get one ready?
Jon, Cleveland
MP: The suit I saw him wearing was his Indy NXT suit. HRX, OMP, Sparco, and others make suits. Plain suits can be bought or acquired immediately. He wouldn’t have had a new custom suit in JHR’s colors and branding in time for Saturday or Sunday.
Q: At the very tip of an IndyCar nose cones there appears to be a dent or divot. During Road America practice, some closeups seemed to show what looks like a sensor of some type in the some of the dents. Anything special about this dent? Something aero-related? Product of the manufacturing process? Just a dent?
Darrin, Brentwood
MP: It’s the location for the nose cameras, which were once used quite frequently but are now a rarity on the broadcasts.
Q: How are engines supplied to teams? Do the teams order a certain number each season and keep backup engines on hand in their trailers, or are they brought in by Chevy and Honda when the need arises due to malfunction or damage caused in an accident?
Tom Anderson
MP: Teams do not buy engines in IndyCar; they are provided on annual leases that cost $1.45 million per entry and that lease comes with four motors that are meant to deliver 10,000 miles of service, which is the equivalent to a full season of racing, plus testing.
The assignment of engines is done randomly by IndyCar, which instructs Chevy and Honda on which motor from the pool of available motors to provide to each entry. Chevy, through Ilmor Engineering, has a bunch of crated-and-ready engines to wheel to whomever, and Honda Racing Corporation US does the same for its teams.
Q: With Graham Rahal having issues getting a decent qualifying speed at the Indy 500, could there be a mental issue on his part that is preventing him from getting the speed from his car that is needed? His teammates seem to have the speed, so I am guessing that it is not a setup issue. I do understand that different driving styles may not translate across setups between team cars. Is it something in Graham’s mind or just his driving style and setup that does not get him a good speed at Indianapolis?
Ben Loosli, Knoxville, TN
MP: Possible? Yes. Likely? No. Last year, Graham dealt with the team’s worst case of ‘slow car syndrome.’ This year, he was working with a new race engineer in his first Indy 500. They chased setup problems, data configuration errors that gave incorrect ride height info, and he even dealt with a loose rear wheel on qualifying weekend. If he lacked confidence, he’d have bailed on the car after all of those issues, but he kept climbing in and going for it.
I might be on an island, but I swear he’d be a rocket in an Arrow McLaren or Andretti Global car at Indy.
Q: Why does Josef keep his qualifying position in a backup car?
Axel Gormsen
MP: Because the rues were changed a while ago so using a backup car doesn’t come with a grid penalty.
Q: Is it a penalty if a team doesn’t spritz the gas cap at the end of a pit stop?
Sweatin’ with the oldies, Janis, Tampa
MP: I do not know if it comes with a penalty, but teams are expected to ‘spritz’ (great word) the refueling buckeye with water to dilute any fuel that’s left over.
Q: What made the overcut for Power and Newgarden so effective?
Jim Blue
MP: It looked like DJ Willy P had a clearer track and a killer in-lap compared to his teammates, and that made the difference.