Q: In response to last week’s Mailbag, I too have been hoping for a new points system for IndyCar. I will throw out my thoughts and see what you think.
1st place = 15 points
2nd place = 10 points
3rd place = 5 points
Pole position = 3 points
Fastest race lap = 2 points
Each race lap completed = 1 point, provided you are within one lap of the lead car. IndyCar allows cars one lap down to pass the pace car and go to the end of the line before a restart.
So, at Indianapolis for example, the race winner could earn 220 points. This system rewards aggression, success and consistency.
What are your thoughts about a system like this?
Bob Linn
MP: So…I love the effort put into this, but…
Marcus Ericsson won the race and led four laps, so that would give him 19 points.
Pato O’Ward didn’t win, but did finish second, and led 23 laps, so he’d have 33 points.
And Scott McLaughlin, who finished 13th, but led 37 laps, would be our championship leader after Round 1.
So, no.
Q: Back in the day IndyCar races were promoted by advertising “The Stars and Cars of the Indy 500.” Lets go back to that – does two things: promotes the Indy 500, which most have heard of and ties it all in to the rest of the IndyCar season.
Big Possum,
Michigan
MP: That’s a great idea.
Q: I am wondering if you can enlighten me as to the finishing positions of Sting Ray Robb and Josef Newgarden at St. Petersburg. Last I saw on the broadcast, No. 2 was on fire and heading to pit lane. He is credited with 17th, yet “running.” Meanwhile, No. 51 was trundling along seemingly without issue, albeit a few laps down. However, the official results credit the car as “off track,” in 16th.
Did something happen to Robb, while Newgarden put out a fire, or did the official results perhaps contain a mistake, where Robb should be “running” and Newgarden “off track” on pit lane at the time the checkered flew?
Kristopher S.
MP: Sting Ray pulled off in Turn 10 with three laps to go with what’s believed to be a brake issue, hence the “off course” note. Unlike Robb, Newgarden’s inability to continue wasn’t immediately known to the series when the checkered flag waved, so he was listed as running.
Q: I have so many questions regarding what Meyer Shank Racing did during the Daytona 24 and accompanying penalty. If Michelin was supplying tires and presumably the TPMS sensors, checking pressures, and setting recommended minimum pressures, wouldn’t they have picked up on something MSR was doing either with the chip readers at the end of pit lane or checking tire pressures? If IMSA has taken wins away for BoP violations before, why didn’t they take this one away since it is in a way a BoP violation and manipulating a single supplier source? In your opinion, does the punishment fit the crime?
Brandon Karsten
MP: Big difference between what Michelin’s tire scanners at the end of pit lane, which records which sets are being used as cars roll through on cold rubber, and faked hot temperatures which are fed to IMSA through its scrutineering telemetry feed. As I’m told, Michelin’s scanners aren’t designed to police the matter MSR exploited.
If the police caught a thief as they were walking out of a jewelry store with their pockets stuffed with cash and diamonds, watches on their wrists, gold chains around their neck, and fingers filled with rings, would you expect the police to take all the stolen loot off of them and send the person to jail, or take back most the cash and diamonds, most of the chains and rings, but let the thief keep the watches, and instead of being thrown in a cell, yell at them and set them free?
That’s what this feels like.
Q: Recently you mentioned that you felt that The Thermal Club could host an IndyCar event. As much as I would like that to happen as I live towards the west side of the Coachella Valley, I think it would be very difficult. Using the Google Maps image, if you used the current main paddock, it would seem to be difficult to have stands directly in front of the pits as just about every other facility does. If you did build stands north of the pits, at least one and possibly two bridges would be needed. I assume that the newer track section due north of the original track would be used. There is a paddock area up there to the west side, but would it be big enough for 27 haulers plus Firestone, IndyCar, Chevrolet, Honda and whatever space is needed for other suppliers? It also seems to difficult to place stands around the track due to space allotted for condos and ones that are already built. There would also be more demand for utilities. How do you see all this working out?
Don Hopings
Cathedral City, CA
MP: Yes, I said that with a ton of investment, it could host an IndyCar event. And that was said in the same way that any private of club racing track could host an IndyCar race after a huge sum of money was spent to complete sweeping upgrades to the facility. However, in this case, “could” and “will” are miles apart.
I don’t foresee the Thermal Club doing more than acting as the site for IndyCar Spring Training. The costs to become a facility that’s ready to hold pro races are significant, and then there’s the question of whether the homeowners there truly want their little panacea to do such things. It wouldn’t make much sense to spend all of that money just to welcome IndyCar once a year.
The energy going into Spring Training was one of wide-open possibilities. Leaving the event, it seems like expectations have been lowered to an annual pre-season visit for testing, at most.