Q: Last week a reader wondered why only NASCAR drivers do the double, and that IndyCar drivers don’t try it. A little history shows that of the five drivers who have done the double, three started their careers in IndyCar — John Andretti, Robby Gordon (five times) and Tony Stewart. Only Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson had not regularly driven IndyCars before they made their run at the double.
Stephen Terrell
MP: Yep.
Q: Why has the racing world media been so quiet on the P2P infringement? What other sporting entity would be OK with the said owner of the entire entity deciding his teams level of punishment for a blatant rules violation? I am amazed this incident is already swept under the carpet. However the top officials of the entity had their hands tied because they get paid by the entity’s owner. Huge black sky hanging over IndyCar, IMHO. Josef Newgarden mentioning his suspended team members at the victory celebration says it all for me. They are cheaters who are probably laughing under their breath.
Susan Bournoville
MP: Can I encourage you to read the 10,000-plus words I penned in April and early May about this, and more in mid-May? Or is there an expectation that we in the media write weekly outrage columns to satisfy those who can’t accept the fact that this scandal broke, was thoroughly explored by many outlets, extreme criticism was levied towards the guilty party, the series, and the series’ owner, peaked, then peaked again when suspensions were handed down, then had a cold and unflinching Q&A session with the owner of the entity that owns the series and the team that cheated? What more is needed?
Penske, who wields all of the power, has decided this is over and done with, which I’ve criticized, and there’s no recourse or mechanism in place to change that. So, you have two choices: Live in a perpetual state of anger over something you can’t change, which is a sad way to go through life, or accept the situation for what it is and go on with your life, which is what I’ve done.
I hate every way this was handled, as I’ve said and written extensively, but I also have other things in life that are far more important to me than a billionaire taking every shortcut imaginable to put this affair to bed. A friend from the series forwarded a quote from Penske today where he tried to play the role of a victim when asked about the ordeal. He just doesn’t get it, but that’s his right.
Q: I am curious about your answer to David from New Albany in last week’s Mailbag when you mentioned not getting into the weeds about Ackerman steering. As a stooge during the late ’70s for some sprint and midget teams, many followed the book Sprint Car Technology by Steve Smith, which said there should be zero Ackerman in the steering geometry. The mantra back then (to change and butcher Tom Hanks’ classic line from a movie that came later) was “There’s no Ackerman in racing!”
Did technology change? Please, get into the weeds.
Mark Beer, lost in the Colorado mountains
MP: I couldn’t tell you a thing about 1970s sprint car setups, but yes, it’s a thing — and a good thing in our world. Here’s an article you might enjoy.
Q: Pato could bring half a million people if there was a race in Mexico. Just saying.
Chris Fields, Indy
MP: He does have a lot of friends.
Q: So after the rain delay we thought we were going to enjoy a dry race like everyone else. Except a pipe started leaking at about lap 100 over Paddock Section 3, Row LL. At least three rows were affected. People were wearing their ponchos. It made the entire experience miserable.
No IMS official came to check on us ticket holders. Maybe move us to some dry seats. Heck, offer a towel. One maintenance guy with a Milwaukee tool belt came looked up, left and never came back, and the water never stopped for 100 laps.
This was my 32nd 500. I re-ordered our tickets, hopefully moving out of this section and away from this leaking pipe. We really don’t want another race ruined.
Patrick, soggy in Milwaukee
MP: Yikes. Please tell me it wasn’t a pipe coming out of a bathroom.
Q: I’m in no way criticizing the race that we had for the 500, but I keep feeling like bringing back the apron could help with the racing and generally add another element of excitement to the race. I saw lots of clips of races from the 1980s and ’90s in the days leading up to the race, and seeing people dive down onto the apron to complete a pass just looked amazing. I know the cars are very different now, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t still be able to run down there if the grass was mowed? Why did they take the apron away, and do you think it could be brought back? And if it was, do you think it would add anything to the race?
Max Camposano, Philadelphia, PA
MP: Bringing back the apron is better described as “completely changing the layout of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.” Yes, the racing was better with the apron thanks to the wider track in the corners that allowed for more daring and creative arcs for drivers to take. It was changed for the sake of safety, namely so drivers didn’t exit the pits and go straight onto the track.
Also keep in mind that when we had the apron, we had no pit speed limits, so drivers fired onto the low line in Turn 1 at a higher rate of speed. Doing that today, with the pit speeds in mind, would be the most dangerous scenario imaginable.
Q: I may be on my own island, but I am tired of the anti-Penske snark. In a 100 Days to Indy episode, Will Power said what happened with P2P was an accident, and I believe him. I believe him because I feel that Team Penske had highly competitive cars for St. Pete, without any advantages, and probably had the field covered anyway (as exhibited by Power). So why would they risk the penalties that have been applied? They were outside the rules and deserved what they got, but everyone should get over it already.
Bruce, Philadelphia, PA
MP: Sure, but Josef used P2P illegally to run away from Pato on that last restart, so using Power as the example for St. Pete isn’t the one that best fits the situation. In fact, Josef’s blazing domination and eight-second margin of victory over Pato is the perfect scenario to demonstrate how that extra P2P time helped to create that monster victory.
All of that aside, I hear you. Getting caught comes with a lot of downsides that go beyond the penalties handed out by the series. I wish it never happened.