Q: I sense a major change in your attitude about IndyCar. Are we in for a negative year? Things you can’t comment on yet?
Jeff from Road America
MP: I don’t believe so, Jeff. Assuming hybridization happens in July at Mid-Ohio and comes online without any major hiccups, the rest of the season should be good. I’m most excited about the change of venue to farewell the year at Nashville Speedway; if the championship isn’t settled by then, and the series nails the aero configuration, we should have a whale of a race to settle the title.
On a wider scale, I wake up every day wanting to write positive and happy things about the series, but it’s been a rough patch for IndyCar over the last while, and since we’re here to tell you what’s happening — good or bad — there’s been more nonsense to chronicle than I’d prefer.
The unrelenting failures by Penske Entertainment amid the less frequent victories make me sad. I wish they lit fewer fires with their decisions, but that’s what we’ve had for those who want to follow the “inside baseball” aspects of the sport. For those who just want to watch and enjoy the cars on track, there’s nothing to get in the way; the racing’s still great and the dramas behind the scenes shouldn’t affect one’s love for the series.
It’s a bit like a band, in my mind, where the music is great, but the band members are constantly fighting and causing mayhem. All that really matters is if the songs kill and the concerts are amazing, but it would be even better if the people making the thing we care for made better choices and dialed the drama down to zero.
I often think of my guy Robin Miller who spent years topping up his flamethrower when stupidity reigned at 16th & Georgetown, and among some team owners, and then spent many years with the flamethrower tucked away in the rafters when things were mostly good and happy. The love for IndyCar never changed. I wish IndyCar could get back to a place where it stacks wins upon wins and the paddock returns to a happier state of being.
That’s why I’ve loved my weekends covering IMSA for the last few years. It’s by no means perfect, and teams and drivers will always moan about Balance of Performance changes, but as a whole, it’s just a warm and positive paddock to navigate where the people running IMSA aren’t habitually shooting themselves in the foot.
I had one IMSA GT team owner tell me earlier this month at the Laguna Seca race that he had a meeting scheduled with series president John Doonan. I asked what he planned to address with him and was told, “I don’t really have anything to discuss. We’re happy and pretty content. I just wanted to meet with him to have some face time to maintain the relationship.”
Hearing that from an IndyCar team owner would be impossible today, but I hope that will change ASAP.
Q: In reference to Dan Schwartz’s remarks in the May 15 Mailbag, I also propose an IndyCar race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… but linking part of the oval with an infield road course, similar to Daytona or the Roval at Charlotte. Call it the Dan Wheldon 400k in memory of the late great IndyCar icon.
Las Vegas has the hotels, weather, restaurants, casinos, glitz and glamor to host this event, in addition to the downtown “downforce sucking fans’ dollars” F1 street race weekend. If these same F1 race-goers could experience just one IndyCar race at LVMS, they would experience real open-wheel racing where more than two or three teams have a legitimate chance to win or podium.
While the outcome of F1 races is almost predetermined, IndyCar is a dogfight with racecraft and varying strategies coming into play.
The IndyCar Series, its broadcast, radio and print partners must continuously pound this message home, describing how competitive the series is, the closeness in drivers’ lap times, etc.
David, Pittsburgh
MP: Thanks for writing in, David.
Q: My suggestions for Mr. Penske for YouTube and streaming:
1. Show all practice and qualifying for free on IndyCar’s YouTube channel. GT World Challenge is the model I would follow. All GT racing appears for free on its channel.
2. Put all open-wheel ladder series free on YouTube. Have regulars like Graham Rahal, Conor Daly on those broadcasts.
3. Bring back Jon Beekhuis
4. Any race that appears on a paid steaming service should be shown live on IndyCar’s YouTube channel.
In my opinion it’s time to think outside the box, get creative. Who knows maybe you can get attention of companies who never thought of being a part of racing.
David Tucker
MP: Thanks for writing in, David 2.0.
Q: I’m not a fan of charters as I hate what it did for NASCAR. You will never see another Alan Kulwicki head to Charlotte and win the championship. It also made it profitable to suck. I’m still of the old school mindset of the fastest teams should be in the race. But I realize it is going to happen. So on to my question:
IndyCar seems set on limiting the field to 27 cars with guaranteed spots for 25 charters. I don’t understand the 27-car limit outside of the 500. I can understand in regards to engine supply limits, but I don’t understand the track limit that has been talked about. I understand Toronto has limits due to all the construction limiting the pit area, but so many other tracks with pit areas that can handle 35-40 stock cars or other series. So why can’t IndyCar field 30 cars? That sounds like a nice round number and allows for a couple of more teams to enter the series (ignoring the engine supply issue).
John
MP: It’s more than just Toronto, as we’ve written a few times of late. Most road and street courses don’t have as much space to fit 35-40 cars as ovals do.