Q: I’m sure you’re tired of Honda questions, but I have one more for you that might be a little different than the others. I know you probably don’t know, but what will happen to the races currently sponsored by them? Currently the Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Toronto races’ sponsor is within the Honda family. If Honda leaves, will that sponsorship go with them?
I can’t imagine the market for replacing race sponsors is that great right now (cough Iowa cough) and having to replace three sponsors at once doesn’t seem ideal. Please talk me off the ledge – should we be concerned about these races, or will things work out regardless of Honda’s decision?
Ben, Columbus, OH
MP: Can’t say I can think of any examples where an auto company that wasn’t involved in a racing series went ahead and sponsored a race. I’m sure it’s happened before, but the idea of a manufacturer leaving a series but continuing to spent money to sponsor events it no longer attends or takes part in is wild. No, if Honda leaves, you can look for its entire IndyCar budget to be rerouted to another series, or simply not spent.
Event sponsors come and go. And some are never found. This is one of many reasons for Penske to try and keep Honda.
Q: A number of questions in the March 12 Mailbag referenced Push-to-Pass. My opinion is, there is way too much of it. We see drivers using it on consecutive laps, trying to overtake, trying to defend, with the result that it doesn’t really change things. When both the leading and trailing driver are “on the button” – it’s just a slightly faster stalemate.
My solution would be to make it good for one single use per race. One 10-second blast, use it early, use it late, use to pass, use it to defend, driver’s choice. I think that this would be more effective and more interesting.
Fritz
MP: I like that idea. It’s a single “Get out of jail free” card, so don’t pull it out and waste the one shot you have.
Q: I was born on the day of the 1964 Indy 500. My late father many times recalled listening to the race on the radio in the waiting room. That was an era when expectant fathers were kept far away from the delivery room. He remembered all the “Black Noon” talk about the death of Eddie Sachs and Dave MacDonald. That was the day A.J. Foyt won his second Indy 500.
I am planning on attending the 2026 Indy 500 with a friend. This will fulfill a lifelong ambition and due to my age and other factors, will likely be my only trip to the famed Speedway.
What is the earliest date I can expect to purchase tickets for the 2026 Indianapolis 500? This is important because we want to be able to purchase the best available tickets for first-timers. I’ve studied the IMS website at length over the years and while there is a lot of info about the 2025 race, I cannot find anything that indicates, even generally, when tickets for the following year’s race go on sale.
Gary, Glendora, CA
MP: I asked IMS President Doug Boles, and here’s what he sent back:
“Technically we go on sale for renewals the Monday after the checkered. That is also the time renewal customers can request upgrades. I would suggest – if the writer is not a current customer – that a call to the ticket office to explain what he is trying to do is a good next step so we can get him on the application list. The sooner he is on that list, the better.”
Q: With the green tires being good for only 14 laps or less (at St. Pete anyway), do teams short fill for that stint to gain a wait advantage for speed and less load on the soft tires?
Tom Hinshaw, Santa Barbara, CA
MP: Depends on the simulated lap time advantage, and depends on the track. St. Pete is all about track position, so if you’re starting in the midfield, the idea of being truly empty and having to fill the entire tank while others are likely saving fuel on primaries and having shorter refueling periods is where the lap time gain might be negated.
Q: So say, Michael Andretti and the Andretti name were supposed to be Towriss and the Walter Group’s ticket to F1, and then it turned out that GM was needed instead. So Michael was shown the door and the Caddy team was allowed to join. What is the incentive for TWG to keep a team in IndyCar beyond 2025? I figure this is Colton Herta’s last chance to earn Super License points in the series, so if he fails they could drop him and the team.
Bruce Kerr
MP: It’s an interesting question, but they also own teams in NASCAR and IMSA, so it’s not a case of everything being focused on F1. Their drivers have contracts through at least 2026, so that’s a thing, and they likely have a supply contract with Honda through 2026 as well.
I’m less fixated on all the F1 angles and more interested in seeing how the IndyCar team is funded this year. If it’s all via the companies owned by Walter and Towriss, it will be a concern. I have no doubt they could fund the team for a hundred years, but there comes a point where wealthy owners tend to grow tired of doing all the spending.