Q: I’m sure I speak for many in saying I’m delighted racing has returned. We can forgive the snoozefest that was St. Pete, as the series doesn’t offer up many.
However, the real takeaway for me was the discontent among team owners, Michael Andretti being the most outspoken.
I have long wondered if the major stakeholders (teams, specifically) were happy with The Captain’s leadership; we now have an answer. Chip was more diplomatic but he’s clearly not satisfied, and I loved Michael’s blunt remarks. He’s on the money in so many of the things he said.
Sadly, some of these revelations about teams paying $1m to enter the charter, the multiple cock-ups regarding the hybrid transition and subsequent cost to the teams and more meek PR speak from Mark Miles about a new car and engine maybe in ’27 really does highlight that there has been no forward planning from Penske, and the organization is spooked and running around directionless.
I struggle to understand why someone so successful in life (and racing) thought he could keep the same tired formula going for the foreseeable without any kickback, and why someone of his stature is clearly so sensitive to any form of criticism?
Were the comments from certain owners blown out of proportion, or is there genuinely growing discontent?
John
MP: I’m not insensitive to Penske’s position in life. He’s amassed incredible wealth, which brings the privilege of not having to bow to others. He’s developed a number of immensely successful businesses, and from those repeated business wins, you hear tales of believing that all he touches turns to gold.
So if you allow yourself to believe such things, it’s damn near impossible to process and accept the fact that in this one instance, with running a racing series, the Midas Touch routine isn’t working. And if you believe the hype about being perfect, there’s also no way you’re going to let anyone — from owners to drivers to idiot reporters like yours truly — say otherwise without going on the attack.
I can’t share what’s been said to me on background, but I can say Michael’s thoughts and words weren’t a major revelation because I’ve heard the same or harsher from other owners long before St. Pete. He took their collective inside voice and brought it outside. And to be fair, some owners idolize Penske and want to shield him a bit, which leads to some quotes being shared that, while nice or supportive, don’t align with what’s said in private. That’s among the saddest and weirdest developments in recent years.
Owners and drivers once spoke freely if they had issues to share about IndyCar. There was no fear of retribution. Those times are gone. Since Penske bought the series, there’s a big new filter folks use up front where they consider whether their answer will get an angry outreach from the execs. When your first thought is based on fears of repercussions, something’s broken.
More than ever, folks in the paddock are asking to speak off-the-record, even on fairly benign items that they would have freely answered before, all due to the wrath they’ve received from Penske.
That’s what made Andretti’s comments so noticeable. In another era, they still would have been a big deal, but less so at a previous point in time when the series’ owner wasn’t trying to police thoughts and words.
It’s depressing, but it’s where we’ve been at for a while now and it’s only getting worse.
Q: Do you think IndyCar is missing out on an opportunity to create some new fans by having its first race at St. Pete, which is usually not very exciting? NASCAR opens with the Daytona 500, which is usually crazy and probably gets some casual fans interested in watching some more, but I just don’t see St. Pete being exciting enough to attract further interest in IndyCar from casual fans. There is a lot of buildup during a long offseason for the first race to be a dud.
Mitch, Carmel, IN
MP: If St. Pete was almost always like the race we just had, I’d say yes, no doubt, let’s go somewhere else for the sake of improved entertainment. But I don’t recall recent runs at St. Pete being remotely close to the 2024 race, so I wouldn’t take it out of its pole position slot just yet.
Q: Long-time SCCA flagger, racer and fan here. First, I want to point out that the IndyCar TV format has the most helpful display of the running order of any series I’ve watched. For each position, we can see the driver name, car number but these are shown with a color scheme that helps the viewer – Newgarden’s No. 2 is shown in a light blue/white square, O’Ward’s is orange No. 5, Dixon is orange/blue No. 9… really helps you to spot the cars. Better than F1 and all the European coverage I’ve seen, like WEC.
Second, when it became apparent to all the teams that the race was going to be a mileage/coast test, why did everybody just follow along? My thought: somebody back in 15th or further realizes: “Hey, everybody’s going to lift and coast and this is going to be boring – and we can’t improve either. How about if we tell Hero Driver: Just turn it up and go for it! You can pass five or six cars and get lots of TV time for our sponsors. When you need fuel, come in, lose a few places and do it again! TV will be watching, you’ll get to drive like you want, and if a caution comes, it might work out — who knows? But let’s not follow along like sheep and ruin the show. Getting noticed is better.”
Seems to me that many years ago Fernando Alonso did this in an F1 street race, and man, was he fun to watch.
Joel McGinley
MP: The answer is tied to the last question about where St. Pete lives on the calendar. For the opening race, every team is playing the long game and trying to bank as many points as possible. If we’re at one of the final races and some of those drivers in the back half of the field are either championship contenders and need a Hail Mary to keep their chances alive, that’s when the “Eff it” approach might be considered. Same for an entry that’s had a terrible season, sits at the bottom of the points, and can’t be hurt by trying something crazy.
But nobody is going to roll the dice like that and risk putting themselves into a big hole to start the year.