Q: How about that win by Jamie Chadwick? She has been running much better this year and with Road America being the closest to the style of tracks she raced on working up the European ladder, I’m not surprised she ran well and won. Good for her. The crowd where we sat in Canada Corner for the NXT race was cheering her victory, too.
John Baestrieri
MP: It was electric to be there and watch her pull into victory lane. Massive cheers from an enthusiastic crowd. She was, and continues to be, the real deal.
Q: I’ve been thinking about what IndyCar can do to get better ratings. What can it do since it avoids the NFL and goes up against F1 and NASCAR? Then it dawned on me. If they want to move the needle, there is only one man that can do it. This person has a promotional background so he could really bring a lot to the table. He never worried about the NFL. He just went against them head to head. When his own company struggled against his main competition, he didn’t tuck tail and run. He didn’t stop going up against them when they beat him handily, either. He changed the whole presentation of his product, taking control of his whole industry.
Yes, Marshall, the man IndyCar needs to hire is none other than Vincent Kennedy McMahon. What do you think?
Kris, Kokomo, IN
MP: If you ignore all of the sexual misconduct stuff and being forced out of his own company, I’d spend $99.95 on a PPV to watch Mr. McMahon strut into a Penske Entertainment marketing meeting and tell Roger and Co. how to do things.
Q: Can you confirm or deny the rumor that there is a dart board in race control and that Max and Arie throw darts to determine penalties? There were several “avoidable contact” calls made recently and several different penalties assessed. Drive through, stop-and-go, give up three positions, give up seven positions, move to the back of the pack… Why the inconsistency? Come on, Race Control. Do better!
Brian, Mason, OH
MP: If they have darts and beer in race control, that’s my new line of work. See you later, suckers!
Q: Any idea what goes down Sunday evening or Monday at Ganassi? Does Chip bollock Armstrong, or Hull say ‘don’t do it again’? Do they take him out back with Linus and give them boxing gloves? Does Chip say nothing but not renew for 2025? Wondered if you have any idea how the team handle these situations internally.
Oliver Wells
MP: Chip’s the ultimate ‘what’s next’ guy. He’ll say his piece and turn the page. Hull will hit them with some Yoda-isms. And they’ll move on. Others might linger a bit longer. Marcus brings about half the budget for the car, I’m told, so it’s not the same as wanting to bark at a driver who’s 100-percent on your payroll. It was dumb, and unnecessary, and I doubt Armstrong will get that one wrong in the future. All depends on the personalities of the other teams and drivers in how they go about reconciliation.
Q: Is it wrong for me to root against Josef Newgarden? Have to admit, I have not gotten over the cheating scandal. For me, IndyCar, finally has the black hat guy.
So good to see Willy P. win again. He and Liz have had a tough go of it and his outlook and attitude is one of a supremely talented driver with the seasoned perspective of a 43-year-old. I think he said during his interview about how lucky he is and to complain he would need a good kick in the pants. Really refreshing.
On to Nashville. I was going to take six members of my family to Nashville this year. Disappointed the street race had to be moved, but we were still going to go. And then the Music City GP folks decided they are only going to sell paddock passes to club suite (out of my price range). Paddock passes are what has differentiated the IndyCar race weekend experience from all other series. Without them, sadly we are not going to Nashville now. I called Indianapolis about this, but have not heard anything back. I hope IndyCar reconsiders.
Jeff, State College, PA
MP: If you like great racecar drivers, Josef is about as good as it gets in IndyCar. But I understand the appeal of any given driver can go beyond what they do behind the steering wheel.
I saw the same Nashville email on tiered packages.
Q: Townsend Bell and James Hincliffe’s milquetoast explanation for Josef Newgarden punting Colton Herta off-course at Road America reminded me once again of how much I miss Paul Tracy’s presence on the TV broadcasts of the best series in racing. Secondly, the first lap on any racetrack, but especially a road circuit, should never play an outsized role in determining a race’s outcome. Given how often drivers seem to lose their mind on the first lap, can anything be done to reduce the probability of such incidents? Is passing another car prior to or in the first corner of a road race more important than a fair competition?
Mike Scott, Santa Fe, New Mexico
MP: There’s nothing that can be done by the series, barring threats and a willingness to carry out one-race bans for those who keep the Turn 1/lap 1 crash streak going — it’s three races in a row now — at Laguna Seca and beyond. It’s up to the drivers to either behave or not make mistakes. Short of fitting them with shock collars, I don’t know what else the series can do.
Q: Assuming that someone like Carlos Sainz takes Logan Sergeant’s seat at Williams, Is he on anyone’s radar for IndyCar?
I applaud IndyCar for moving the Road America race to a timeslot that did not conflict with the F1 Canadian GP (which ended almost exactly when the first crash at Road America occurred.)
However, in 2025 IndyCar has the ability to move run Road America onto a different day from F1 in Canada. Detroit should be on June 1, and Montreal is set for June 15. Will IndyCar be smart enough to schedule Road America on June 8?
Last year, when the races directly conflicted, the IndyCar Road America race got crushed. I am pretty sure it was the lowest-rated race all season. I assume this year will be significantly better since there was minimal overlap.
Sooner or later, IndyCar needs to see the handwriting on the wall – competing with F1 broadcasts is just as bad as competing with the NFL or NASCAR.
Snarky Moose, KC
MP: Logan’s been rumored to bring $30 million per year, so if he’s got big money to offer, I’m sure he’ll be considered. But I can’t think of a single team that would want to hire the last-place guy in F1, no matter who he is or where he comes from.