Q: I went to the Indy 500 and Detroit this year. Indy was epic. Detroit was embarrassing. It’s a great event, but a terrible race. To fix the race, I think a couple things will help: 1. Hybrid cars that have starters will help a lot, for obvious reasons. 2. The cars are too tough. I don’t have a solution to this other than making them a little less tough without compromising safety. I’d settle for sidepods that shred tires of the other cars that touch them. 3. The pit lane is a neat solution to their limited track space but it’s a waste if the track sucks. So, swap the pits to the current front straight, delete Turn 8 as it stands, and use the pit lane area for a very high speed chicane that rewards big balls and punishes mistakes. 4. Maybe add a jump. I’m not an engineer, but something tells me this could possibly help. It certainly wouldn’t hurt the racing.
David Volk, Oregon, OH
MP: My eyes perked up with item No. 4. You’re hired as the new Detroit GP track designer!
Q: Can you think of a modern era street race that has as many flaws as the Detroit GP? From track condition and layout to race officiating and driver behavior, I really can’t think of one. This race was a total cluster. IndyCar needs to explain why they run so many laps under yellow after the track is cleared, this is ridiculous. Keep the pits open unless the hazard has a direct effect on pitlane.
P.S. As for future races in Michigan, give me Michigan Speedway or nothing.
Michigan Matt
MP: Michigan International Speedway hosted some amazing IndyCar races, didn’t it?
Q: According to Mark Miles there may not be any schedule changes for 2025 in regards to more events, but what about rumblings of existing races moving dates for next season?
Nathan, Indianapolis
MP: Well, we aren’t likely to be doing Miles’ beloved-but-unrequited post-season trip to race in Argentina, so there’s that. I hope to have more insights to offer in the coming weeks. With all of the awesomeness in and around the Indy 500 and the turn to the dark side at Detroit taking up my questionable mental bandwidth, I need to do a better job of getting some of the main items like this moving.
Q: I’m bummed to see that the tea leaves are pointing to FOX Sports getting the rights to televise IndyCar. I know IndyCar fans would have nothing to do if they weren’t complaining, but I’ve thought NBC’s coverage has been the best it’s ever been. I absolutely love the access we get to every single practice session, qualifying, etc. on Peacock. I love the whole broadcasting team and the consistency with Diff, Hinch and Townsend, along with all the pit lane reporters. Here’s one IndyCar fan hoping we don’t make the switch to FOX. (I’m guessing they’d use their whole NASCAR team of broadcasters, which would drive me even more nuts).
Also, it’s interesting to me that the two brightest young stars in the paddock, Colton and Pato, have such a hard time finishing races cleanly and have so few wins thus far in their careers. It’s been two races in a row (Indy and Detroit) now where Colton has had a super-fast car, only to crack them up because of his own mistakes. Is it just my bad memory, or did young guns like Montoya, Zanardi, Dixon, Franchitti, Power, etc, rack up many more wins than these young guys (except, of course, Alex Palou)? I’d love to see them win more; it just seems like they can’t get out of their own way and focus enough to consistently win. Thoughts?
Randy, Milwaukee
MP: Zanardi was an older veteran by the time he arrived here late in 1995. Dario tore up some equipment, but was more complete than many when he arrived, thanks to the amazing Paul Stewart Racing ladder and time spent as a young Mercedes factory sports car driver. Montoya was a unicorn; he blew everybody away in an instant, but also had a lot of mileage and high achievement to build upon.
You’re right. Pato and Colton should have more wins at this stage, but they’re also driving for teams that are one tier below Ganassi and Penske based on their overall results. Place either in Palou’s car or Newgarden’s car, and those wins take off.
Q: We have some sport channels in Canada: five for TSN, and two or three for Sportsnet, depending on what part of the country you are in. TSN is the channel for racing.
Aside from F1 and NASCAR, which is seen on these cable channels, TSN has started an additional streaming service called TSN+. It costs about 12 bucks a month, and shows sports of all kinds, including racing. So think of TSN as you would ESPN, and TSN+ as you would when you think of Peacock.
The IndyCar series is on TSN+. Not on your basic cable channel, but there is the additional cost of the streaming. I can see IndyCar practice, qualifying and races on this channel. Same with Formula 3, Formula 2, Formula E, and some NASCAR racing. So if you like racing, it’s not a bad deal. If you like only IndyCar, not a good deal.
The problem with steaming services is, I don’t know how to record the events for later viewing, so you have about a week to see it before the event is taken down. I have this streaming service, and I also have REV-TV, so I can watch IMSA, Indy NCT, and I watch WEC on YouTube a week after the race. This all costs money, so I cut down on buying racing tickets, in order to see it all on TV.
Quick word about Pato O’Ward. A couple of years ago in Toronto, I had a moment with him in the paddock, and requested a selfie with him. I had a brand-new camera and was trying to figure it all out. He, of course, complied. As it was a new camera, I got it all wrong, and the picture was garbage. He probably looked at me and thought, ‘here is an old guy not up on the technology,’ (I am 70). I figured it out after a minute or two, and Mr. O’Ward waited all the time for me to get it right, and then posed for the selfie. So impressed. What a class act he is.
Paul Sturmey, Kingston, Ontario
MP: Thanks for the story and intel, Paul. Pato’s parents are amazing and raised a kind and generous kid.
Q: David Malsher-Lopez wrote a wonderful obituary of Parnelli Jones last week; but he left out one significant milestone of his: He was the first — and one of only four — to drive a turbine at Indy, in 1967. If you want to see the innovation that Indy used to inspire — and did indeed gain him a briefcase with $100,000 in cash from Andy Granatelli — the Paramount newsreel titled ‘The Silent Screamer’ from the period goes into delightful details of the story of the No.40 Paxton/STP Turbine ‘whooshmobile.’ I cheered on as a 6-year-old at my first 500, and it broke my heart with two and a half laps to go.
Also speaking of Rufus, the blue & white No.93 Ol’ Calhoun roadster in the Speedway Museum is actually a replica: The original is in his car collection, per a mechanic on the car.
Dan Schwartz
MP: Thank you, Dan.