Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week.
Q: Call me an old codger, but the current Pennzoil Dallara is not “The Yellow Submarine.” That title has always and will always belong to the Chaparral 2k. The late Al Unser Sr, Lone Star JR and the late Jim Hall are being dissed. The current Penske team members and NBC broadcast crew who continue to promote this falsehood are disrespecting the history of Indy. Probably many of them were not even alive when the original Yellow Submarine dominated Indy. Rant over.
Dale, Chesterfield, VA
MARSHALL PRUETT: You’re an old codger.
Q: With Josef Newgarden winning two championships and now two 500s (and counting on both), Where do you think he’ll end up when all is said and done with his career? Judging by his age and assuming he stays at Penske (or if he ever left you’d assume a powerful team would be his destination) he’s got another 10-12 years of high level driving still (maybe more based on Dixon and Power) Is he going down as the greatest American driver not named A.J. Foyt?
Steve
MP: We did have Rick Mears, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Louis Meyer, Johnny Rutherford, Wilbur Shaw and a few other Americans who Josef would need to first equal or exceed in the major accolades before he’s slotted into P2 at home.
But, if he keeps going for another 7-10 years, he could easily join the four-timers club at Indy, and stack 3-4 more championships onto his CV. He’s the best of his generation, without question for me, and that was before his first Indy 500 victory. Where he ends up beyond that is what we’ll be watching until he retires.
Josef, or Dixon, could beat all of his records and I don’t think a single person who saw A.J. at his peak would say anyone was better on pavement, dirt, open-wheel, stock cars, sports cars and so on. A.J. will always be in a category of his own.
Q: I feel that this has probably been asked: Is there or a perception of an asterisk next to Josef’s 500 win? There’s got to be some folks in a beer joint wondering if he somehow cheated again.
Shawn, MD
MP: I know his win/Penske’s win on Sunday rang hollow for some since it happened a little over a month after a major cheating scandal, but he and the No. 2 Chevy team were the best at the Speedway on Sunday at lap 200 so there’s no reason to apply an arbitrary asterisk.
Like it or not, the top car and team and driver combination at the checkered flag on May 26 was duly crowned and Penske/Newgarden/No. 2 crew deserve to receive all of the respect that’s given to Indy 500 winners.
Q: Big Possum is at the Speedway this weekend and shocked, saddened, disappointed and flopsy mopsy and cottontail to see F1 merch on sale in the fan zone at Indy. The fox in the hen house, for sure. What say you, Marshall?
Big Possum
MP: First, it was great to meet you. This is the fourth IndyCar race so far this year where I’ve heard or seen it happening, so I can only assume Penske Entertainment has both given in and is taking a cut of the proceeds. It shouldn’t matter, I guess, but it is strange.
Q: I find it difficult to understand why there is so little discussion of or disdain for Penske’s cheating at St. Petersburg. Newgarden didn’t know about their advantage? Oh, sure… “Who, me?! No, I didn’t recognize the max horsepower being available without pushing the button!!! Promise!” My gluteus max… At heart, the Penske teams are all capable of and willing to cheat as proven, period. Respect? Maybe somewhere down the line.
L. Curtis
MP: This is the first I’m hearing of this. I’m going to make some calls this week and try to get to the bottom of what’s going on.