Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week.
Q: Good news about Hailie Deegan joining NXT for next season. She was pegged to be a future star of NASCAR and had backing of Ford. I know her stint with the truck series didn’t go well and it seemed support for her suddenly dropped. Glad she is challenging herself to start anew. With Jamie and Hailie both in NXT, this gives that series more attention. Do you have any background information on how this steal from NASCAR happened? No experience in open wheel, so is this a push to get another woman in series or is there real potential in her adapting to this type of racing?
Dave
MARSHALL PRUETT: Jamie isn’t a guarantee to return to NXT. It wasn’t a steal as I see it; Hailie’s opportunities in stock car racing went away, and by summer, she and her backers were looking for a new arena to try. My favorite part is how committed she is to this switch to open-wheel racing. She spent four days at the HMD shop last week and is moving to Indianapolis. It’s also a multi-year deal, which is huge for her.
Her career to date reminds me a lot of what Austin Cindric had in his formative years — a lot of bouncing around from one series to another, trying a lot of different cars – and while it was all helpful in certain ways, it wasn’t until he locked in on NASCAR and did multiple seasons until he truly developed his skills.
Hailie’s been in that same cycle, so breaking out of it and dedicating the next few seasons to NXT is a great decision. Like Cindric, we know she’s talented, but won’t know how talented — not until she can focus on one series — until she’s able to fully invest herself in NXT. By the end of 2026, the full measure of her capabilities will be on display. Will that lead Deegan to IndyCar? Who knows, but I’m rooting for her.
Q: To Donald in Estero, FL from the last Mailbag – NASCAR seems to be the winner for swearing on live TV. At Atlanta 1992, Richard Petty’s in car video had him saying “Bring the f****g fire extinguisher” to the corner worker. Never heard it on any replays. In an after race interview on being asked about winning Talladega for the fifth or sixth time, Dale Jr. said, ” That don’t mean s**t, Daddy won 10 times.” I believe he was fined for that. As for IndyCar, Arie Luyendyck had the international move over sign on full display from his on-car camera.
Walt, Dolan Springs
MP: Shut the front door! Whisky Tango Foxtrot! See you next Tuesday!
Q: What do you think are the chances of Renault coming to IndyCar? Seems odd that they are leaving F1 at the end of 2025, and that Honda demanded IndyCar get a third manufacturer. The timing seems perfect. Come on Roger work some magic, we do not want an-all Chevy IndyCar Series.
AE, Danville
MP: Renault’s performance brand Alpine has been searching for potential partners in the U.S. for an IMSA GTP program. As the brand is all about sports cars, and Alpine has a global open-wheel presence in F1, I’d think using its FIA WEC Hypercars in IMSA would be the most relevant route to go as they look to introduce Alpine to the U.S. in a few years. I’d put the chances of Renault or Alpine in IndyCar at zero percent.
Q: While I was at Petit Le Mans down in the paddock, I noticed that when the cars were going from their garages to the track, all of the cars were driven all the way out except for the Ferrari 296 GT3. The Ferrari was either towed all the way to the track or a couple were towed to the gate right before the pits when the engine was then fired. Is there any particular reason for this, or just a coincidence?
Ian
MP: Great observation, Ian. I’m told by a 296 team that the cars have a really aggressive clutch release which makes low-speed maneuvering in the paddock around fans a real challenge, so teams just do the towing or pushing routine.
Q: I have a few questions about next year’s 500. Do you know if Dreyer and Reinbold is entering two cars? And is Rahal entering a fourth car? If these all happen, then it looks like 34 entries. Do you know of any other possibilities?
Jim, Ontario, Canada.
MP: Yes on DRR. I’d expect most of the teams who have paying drivers or sponsorship seeking to do the 500 to enter extra cars. With operating costs for the season having shot up between 30-40 percent, running an extra car at the Speedway is a solid money-maker.
We’ll have 27 full-time cars, plus known or expected extras from Andretti with Marco, Arrow McLaren with Kyle Larson, ECR for Carpenter, and MSR for Castroneves. Bill Abel plans to enter. I’d bet Ganassi will have an extra car, and likely with Coyne and RLL. Maybe a Foyt and Juncos as well. And then there’s the DRR cars. Lots of options to go well past 33.
Q: Any word on where Seabass will be racing next season? Any chance for him to join another IMSA team, or maybe an IndyCar ride?
Steve, Chicago
MP: He’ll be busy racing in Europe. Hope to have him for select IMSA rounds, though. Stay tuned.
Q: Did the proposed updated speedway wings die on the vine?
Billy
MP: Not dead, but not happening in 2025. Look to 2026 at the earliest.
Q: Aside from cost, what is the barrier to IndyCar having a new chassis? The DW12 is too old. Also, has there been any discussion on having additional manufacturers? Back in the day it was appealing to me to see different chassis manufacturer such as Lola, Reynard, Penske, and March.
Steve
MP: Penske Entertainment keeps saying a new car will be here in 2027 or 2028, so there’s no apparent barriers at this time. There’s no discussions to be held; Dallara is IndyCar’s official chassis provider and the series isn’t searching for a second.