Q IndyCar needs to dress down its drivers and officials after the Detroit race. The amount of contact was embarrassing and the general driving standards were nowhere near worthy of a top-level professional racing series. Also, why are race officials taking any opportunity to throw the caution? If it’s a multiple pile-up, fair enough, but when Rinus VeeKay spun at Turn 1 they could have thrown a local yellow and see if they could get him fired up before the field came round again. If they couldn’t, then throw the full course yellow. We’re not NASCAR!
Jordan, UK
MP: Imagine a world where slow zones exist and local yellows can be used more often.
Q: I find it interesting that the black hat that Robin always wanted turned out to be Josef. Also, can we please go back to Belle Isle?
Jake Murray
MP: Seriously, please!
Q: The announcers always say it’s hard to get into reverse in a race car. Since it’s mostly electronics, why not make it “on demand?” Why isn’t there a reverse switch or button? It could be located in an out of the way location if they’re worried about tripping it accidentally.
Tim Davis, Detroit, MI
MP: Some race cars have exactly what you mention.
Q: I’m just starting to get back into IndyCar following a long absence. We did our first Indy 500 and the show put on at Indy was just awesome. I was surprised to see the Detroit Grand Prix not being televised on a major network. As I’m catching the race the announcers would mention the points championship periodically, which peaked my curiosity on that.
I went to the IndyCar website to educate myself and could not find any information on the points system anywhere. I did click on the rulebook link under Fan Info but got a “Page Cannot Be Displayed” screen. It seems as though the series championship is not being seriously promoted toward fan interest, but perhaps is just followed by those in the paddock. I know that trophy called the PPG Cup was quite a sought-after item years ago. The series may wish to look into that more, am I wrong?
John Masters, St. Peters, MO
MP: Hi, John, welcome back! I went to Google.com, typed in “IndyCar points system” and this was the first link returned.
And you are correct. On the IndyCar.com standings page, it lists the latest championship rankings, but offers no insight or link to how the points are awarded. Seems like an easy fix for them to make.
Q: I can’t imagine who could have had a more eventful day at Detroit than Will Power, yet he still ended up with a positive result.
He had four penalties. A self-inflicted spin on the first lap that resulted in taking emergency service in a closed pit and a “restart at the back of the field” penalty on lap three. A lap 39 penalty for failure to pack up under yellow (I’ve never heard of that one), forcing him to yield three positions. A lap 44 penalty for “avoidable contact” forcing him to restart at the back of the field. Then finally a drive-through penalty for full service in a closed pit on lap 60.
Yet after all that mayhem he ended up in sixth place. Wow! And I never got to see any of it because my TV package didn’t carry the race.
Doug Mayer, Revelstoke, BC
MP: Wish I knew why Canadian IndyCar fans are being done so dirty with TV in recent years.
Q: While my hat’s off for Scott Dixon, the Detroit race reminded me of the first Nashville street race. There were way too many yellow flag laps and the drivers seemed to be surviving as if tiptoeing through a minefield instead of all-out racing. The track appeared way too narrow in some sections.
Speaking of street races, I caught a YouTube video of the inaugural Baltimore race many years ago. The crowd was amazing and the course itself appeared awesome. I’m curious to know whatever happened to that event? Other than Long Beach, it doesn’t appear any races other than Indy are as well-supported.
Dennis Jones
MP: Baltimore was an absolute blast. It was barely tenable on the financial side to start and only got worse. Then it went away. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
Barber has a strong turnout. Same with Mid-Ohio. Toronto. Iowa has potential. WWTR has been good, but has slipped a bit. Hopeful for Milwaukee.
Q: I remember rookie Townsend Bell being on probation and then double probation from CART chief steward Wally Dallenbach Sr. (RIP) for running into everything but the pace car during his 2002 CART season. At what point is Ferrucci at risk of getting his competition license suspended? The dude is having on-track incidents weekly now. And the series seems fine with it?
Kevin Schram, Albuquerque, NM
MP: You know how some sports leagues are super strict and hand out fines/penalties/yellow or red cards/etc., in a flash to keep their players under constant control? That ain’t IndyCar.
Q: The race at Detroit reaffirmed something I’ve known for a while: No major race series in the world is as prone to trip over its own collective feet than the IndyCar Series.
Last week, IndyCar overcame a multi-hour weather delay to put on one of the best Indy 500s in years. With the added attention brought to the race by Kyle Larson and a good showing in the TV ratings, it seemed like IndyCar finally had some real momentum for the first time in a while.
And how did they follow it up? By putting on a total clown show of a race in Detroit.
To be honest, this is one of the reasons IndyCar struggles to get the respect it deserves, especially compared to F1. Too many races turn into debacles.
What can be done to avoid situations like this? Is it the tracks, cars, driving standards, race regulations, or something else?
Garrick, Alabama
MP: It’s not like IndyCar tried to put on a ****show, to be fair, but that doesn’t change the reality of both downtown GPs being crashy stinkers. The tiny and narrow track, with only one significant place to pass each lap (I’m not saying passes at other corners didn’t happen, but Turn 3 was the main site of passing and crashing), is problematic. Reconfigure the layout or move the race. Or, even better, move Milwaukee to the post-Indy calendar slot like it was for so long, and give fans two great ovals in a row before rolling the dice on another Detroit dumpster fire.