Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers may be despatched to mailbag@racer.com. We love listening to your feedback and opinions, however letters that embrace a query usually tend to be printed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday shall be saved for the next week.
Q: Why is it doable for the Trans Am sequence to placed on a race at Watkins Glen and at COTA and IndyCar can’t?
Additionally, I seen on the Milwaukee Mile this 12 months that the drivers are usually not driving across the paddock on these little Honda motorbikes anymore. As an alternative, they’re driving round on stand-up scooters. Pato got here round a blind nook and simply missed working me down. My guess is the percentages are in the end gravity will take over and a type of drivers will ultimately go down laborious leading to harm. What occurred to the bikes?
Steve Sporer, Chicago
MARSHALL PRUETT: It’s doable as a result of Trans Am chooses to race at WGI and COTA, and WGI and COTA select to take their cash to allow them to race at their services. If IndyCar selected to race at each, and each wished to pay IndyCar to race at their services, or to take rental charges from IndyCar to placed on Penske-promoted occasions, I’m certain IndyCar could be again at WGI and COTA.
Scooters are nonetheless utilized by some groups, however most now favor the smaller and lighter e-bikes.
Q: Just lately noticed that RLL have taken supply of the McLaren vehicles for IMSA. I’m curious, although, what the logistical processes are of going from the GTP to GTD? Does the workforce simply pack up every thing and ship it again to BMW? Does BMW retain all of the race information during the last couple seasons?
Not that Stefan Johansson
MP: RLL ran the BMW M Hybrid V8s final week at IMSA’s annual pre-season Steadiness of Efficiency check at Daytona and handed off the vehicles and car-specific assist gear to WRT, the brand new BMW Motorsport service supplier for GTP (which already runs the M Hybrid V8s for BMW in WEC Hypercar), as soon as the check was full.
RLL introduced all of it all the way down to Florida, did the check, and farewelled every thing on the observe. BMW would have the entire information in its possession from the primary day of working with RLL. If and what occurs to the information on RLL’s aspect is dependent upon no matter they agreed to of their contract, however most often, groups don’t shred information and drill holes in laborious drives and scrub all data held on inner/distant/cloud-based servers. There tends to be language that forestalls the sharing of the information, in fact, however most producers are good sufficient to know that groups don’t overlook what they know.
Q: I believe the 2025 WWT Raceway oval was the proper IndyCar race! I vote a month-to-month Saturday evening occasion there for the summer season months yearly!
David Monnett
MP: I second your vote, David.
Q: Nice information for Ryan Hunter-Reay being named as fourth McLaren driver for Indy. A a lot wiser alternative than Larson final 12 months. Ryan is a winner, he is aware of the automotive and there’s no battle with scheduling. Larson was nice PR however not a great share to win. The query is, what different drivers do you count on to be nominated as Indy 500-only drivers? A whole lot of expertise is ready within the wings to show their price.
Dave
MP: I don’t assume we’ll see any main surprises. If Conor Daly isn’t capable of take the full-time seat at Coyne, he’s on pole place for the most effective 500 seat accessible. Stefan Wilson continues to search for a brand new alternative. Charlie Kimball often tells me I overlook to say him as a 500 candidate. Like Daly, if Jacob Abel’s not in for the season someplace, I do know he’ll need to make it into his first 500 if a great seat is accessible. Indy NXT veteran James Roe is on my radar for one thing at Indy. Sebastian Saavedra needs to get again for an additional month of Could. Katherine Legge continues to be . After that, I’ve run out of names.
Oh, and Valentino Rossi was alleged to be the massive shock Arrow McLaren had within the works for Could. By a colleague on the WEC season finale, I requested him about it. His reply? “I do know nothing about this.”
Q: I simply completed studying John Oreovicz’s ‘Class of ‘99.’ It was an important learn centered round my favourite period of IndyCar racing. Whereas describing the difficult years for Penske round that point, Oreovicz talked about Staff Penske swapped right into a Lola chassis after points being aggressive within the Penske chassis throughout the 1999 season. I don’t recall that occuring, however being solely 12 on the time, I used to be probably unaware.
What settlement did groups have with engine/tire/chassis producers throughout this period? May any workforce drop a producer mid-season from their ‘bundle’, or was Penske capable of run a unique chassis since they had been swapping from their very own?
Chris, Olney, MD
MP: Penske’s PC27 regarded superb however wasn’t aggressive, so sure, they went to the Lola B99/00 across the one-third level of the season. I labored on one on the Hogan Racing workforce; fairly preferred that automotive.
Arduous to reply the final query since groups had particular person agreements, and there have been 15 or 16 groups. Basically, tire and engine provide contracts weren’t issues to monkey with, and if it was a prime workforce, cash was probably paid to the tune of tens of millions coming in from the producer. On the chassis aspect, these had been commodities to be purchased, so Lola would fortunately promote vehicles at $500,000 or extra apiece to Penske. If Penske wished to run a Reynard and a Swift, I’m certain each would have bought them vehicles as effectively, however since Reynard was the dominant mannequin, and had massive growth offers with its prime groups, I’d wager there was some pushback by its main groups to arm Penske whereas Penske was irrelevant in 1999.
Throughout the offseason, we all know that modified and Penske not solely purchased Reynards, however modified them considerably – to the purpose that they had been known as ‘Renskes’ – and romped away to win the 2000 and 2001 CART titles.
In 2000/2001, there have been Reynards – after which there have been *these* Reynards. Jon Ferrey/Getty Photos
Q: Our grandfather and grandmother lived subsequent door to the Hulmans in Terre Haute after which moved to Indianapolis. With their six youngsters and the Hulmans subsequent door there was an on the spot baseball workforce. Grandfather constructed the primary scoring pylon in his storage and transported it by way of horses and wagons to the Speedway. Is there something left of the unique scoring pylon?
Phil Barrett Jr
MP: If we’re working from assumed timelines, the primary massive pylon went up in 1959, and in a name with the great people on the IMS Museum, they don’t have any items of that construction in stock. If it exists partially or in entire some other place, you’ve received a enjoyable international search to embark upon.
Q: I want that latest IndyCar check at Pheonix had been for the entire discipline as preparation for a January opener in Orlando or Homestead, similar to the previous days.
Talking of which, are you able to recall Dr Helmut Marko’s transient flirtation with the Indy Racing League? Was it solely two races with the late Dave Steele earlier than his F3000 squad went again to Europe with their tails between their legs? The IRL protection in Autosport journal was dreadful then, so I’m attempting to dig this out of deepest reminiscence. Did his automotive the truth is have a BMW engine within the again, or am I actually imagining issues? However I’m certain that BMW had been being touted as a doable third provider alongside Oldsmobile and Nissan. Does RACER actually have a image of the Marko automotive?
Makes you marvel, if the RSM Marko workforce had been profitable within the authentic IRL of the late ‘90s then what would the IndyCar panorama appear like now? I imply, this was a great few years earlier than Eddie Cheever acquired his Pink Bull sponsorship deal. I’m certain IndyCar would love that model concerned once more.
Peter Kerr, Hamilton, Scotland
MP: I used to be there on the workforce aspect on the time with our TKM/Genoa Racing outfit and noticed it happen with RSM and Steele. There was no BMW involvement. Enormous fan of Steele, which is why I used to be so eager to see this happen, and with the added angle of a prime F3000 workforce making the try, albeit with IndyCar veterans behind this system. Mike Colliver, who was with Dale Coyne Racing final season, just lately jogged my memory of his participation within the effort.
It will have been nice for RSM to succeed, however I’ve by no means considered that being one thing which might have reworked the IRL. In comparison with CART on the time, the IRL was loads like Indy Lights/F3000, which made it straightforward for Lights groups like ours to go straight from Lights in 1996 into the IRL in 1997 with the identical employees and be aggressive immediately. That may not have been doable in CART.
I wished to do a characteristic on Marko’s transient and oft-forgotten dalliance in American open-wheel, however then Steele died in 2017, which was horrible, and I misplaced curiosity. Just a few years later, I did ultimately attain out to Marko to see if he’d be up for a chat in early 2021 and that is what I received again:
Pricey Marshall,
Sadly our look at Phoenix was very long time in the past so I haven´t any reminiscences left.
Greatest regards
Helmut Marko
Q: Whereas a damper program might not be the most important deal, the IndyCar grid is tight sufficient for it to be an element when it is about who’s first and who’s second. So, I suppose, a possible OEM trying on the groups they will must associate with would have some issues about with the ability to win a championship (I do not imagine Penske and Ganassi promote the identical dampers that go of their vehicles). Going with spec dampers might assist that time. I assumed Penske would provide the dampers, although.
After which, within the check they had been additionally utilizing a torque sensor. I do not assume IndyCar can get new OEMs with out utilizing these these days.
Are these two issues an indication that folks managing IndyCar lastly achieved widespread sense and new OEMs are becoming a member of (and Honda is staying)? Or am I studying an excessive amount of from this?
William Mazeo
MP: If there’s a single auto producer that’s on the fence about committing $50 million or extra to a multi-year IndyCar engine provide program who would look to spec dampers because the factor to make them say sure, please preserve that lame-ass producer away from the sequence.
Going to spec shocks has nothing to do with widespread sense. No matter is left open for growth shall be the place groups spend essentially the most cash. Shocks had been left open, in order that’s the high-price R&D expenditure. Take shocks away and groups will spend the cash on the next-best space. And if the entire open objects are eliminated, groups will spend much more as a result of the differentiators are all however gone and practically not possible to seek out. Whole sport of whac-a-mole being performed yere.
Producers routinely use torque sensors in assessments and even throughout choose follow classes; I seen Marco Andretti had them on his automotive sooner or later in Could at Indy. However I do count on to see them change into customary fare with the subsequent automotive.
Q: F1 is certainly on a serious in upward path in North America. Not too a few years in the past it was IndyCar, then NASCAR, after which F1 within the U.S. IndyCar has discovered its technique to No.3, and I am undecided it stops there. What’s the long-term impression on the Indy 500? The information media and the youth (people who care about motorsports) are actually enamored with F1, which ought to scare the hell out of the IndyCar powers-that-be.
Jim Riddle, Highlands, NC
MP: On the Indy 500, it’s had two of the most important turnouts in 2024-2025 that I’ve seen in many years, and the TV viewers has sharply risen the final two years, so if I’m going off of numbers and developments, I’m feeling good in regards to the 500 and its future.
The opposite factor that offers me confidence is similar youth who’ve discovered about F1 within the final 5 years and assist it wholeheartedly are additionally studying about IndyCar and supporting it in the same manner. The ‘youthification’ of IndyCar (not a phrase, however I prefer it, so I exploit it) is among the greatest and most essential beneficial properties made by the sequence since 2024. That’s the way it sustains itself for the long run.
IndyCar is reaching younger followers – and hopefully turning them into life-long ones. Joe Skibinski/Penske Leisure
Q: Simply Googled Burke Lakefront Airport and IndyCar only for giggles, and found that Cleveland Metropolis officers are exploring bringing the race again and probably are in talks with IndyCar already. Although it might in all probability be a road race as an alternative of on airport property. I believe with a tie-in to the Rock Corridor of Fame like possibly a pair concert events, ticket offers, assist races, this could possibly be big. This has the potential to be a Lengthy Seashore on Lake Erie spectacle.
Additionally think about the latest collaborations with Meyer Shank/Sirius XM – Bon Jovi, Creed, Ozzie Osbourne and Metallica. Looks like an apparent marriage that ought to be aggressively pursued. And… Willie P performs the drums. What else do you want?
Any rumblings that you just can expose? Are they speaking?
Jeff, Colorado
MP: I’ve solely heard of it as a road race. Nolan Siegel performs the guitar. Josef Newgarden performs the jazz flute similar to Ron Burgundy (he doesn’t, however I like the concept).
As a lot as I like the Corridor of Fame, it’s a bit too old-timey for what’s wanted right here. If Penske Leisure/Fox goes to create a sequence of latest road racing festivals throughout the nation, it must be skewed in the direction of a youthful viewers. IndyCar already has its elder fan base, which makes utilizing the museum a case of taking part in to its base. Many of the bands on the MSR/SiriusXM automotive had been cool, but additionally enchantment nearly solely to older followers. I occur to like a few of these bands, BTW, but additionally know that I’m now not the goal demographic IndyCar must appease.
The motivation for the road festivals is to enchantment to new audiences whereas understanding the bottom would probably have an interest as effectively.
Q: Given how good Ferrari’s 2024 tempo was, how a lot of an impression did the change from push rod to drag rod suspension have on the 2025 automotive? Round preseason testing time, I appear to recollect dialogue about this being a big change in idea and design.
Tifosi Bo, Edmonton
CHRIS MEDLAND: Truthfully, a giant one, however I might assess it extra as a knock-on impression. Ferrari went from push rod to drag rod on the entrance suspension, following McLaren and Pink Bull in that idea. It was designed to enhance the automotive in excessive velocity corners, cleansing up the airflow and permitting the automotive to be run nearer to the bottom to extract extra efficiency from the ground.
In actuality, that hasn’t labored out. As evidenced very early on, there have been related results that meant the automotive truly could not be run as little as Ferrari wished, as a result of it risked an excessive amount of plank put on (a part of the explanation it received a double-DSQ in China earlier this 12 months). We have seen different occasions the place a big quantity of carry and coast has been wanted late in a race, with the speculation that because the nook speeds enhance on decrease gasoline, the ground once more might change into a legality difficulty.
In some methods, Ferrari was doing the proper factor in altering method to chase an even bigger step in efficiency, understanding McLaren wouldn’t be standing nonetheless. However the related issues which have include the change haven’t been addressed effectively in any respect, and that led to Ferrari slipping additional off the tempo.
The slight silver lining is that it was one 12 months of ache with the change, earlier than the whole overhaul of rules subsequent 12 months.
Q: I am a giant Brad Keselowski fan and noticed the article the place he stated he was enthusiastic about fielding an IMSA workforce. Any likelihood he might doubtlessly enter a race on behalf of the workforce, or goes to strictly run it as an wwner? Personally, I might wish to see Brad race in no less than one occasion!
Additionally, is it doable Brad brings RFK again into the Xfinity or Truck Collection, and will probably enter as a driver in just a few races?
Zach
RJ O’CONNELL: I’ll defer to Kelly concerning RFK’s future plans beneath the Cup Collection. As Keselowski stated although, he’s not trying to IMSA as an off-ramp from NASCAR, he’s by no means been eager on the Cup Collection including extra street and road course races, and he by no means actually stood out as one of many elite street course racers even throughout his prime at Staff Penske. You’ll be able to by no means say by no means relating to a Rolex 24 drive, although. Brad even stated on Twitter (at present X) in 2012 that he’d wish to run the race sooner or later, however that the timing was by no means proper. Maybe a GTD PRO or GTD drive in a Ford Mustang GT3 could be possible, I simply can’t see him having a really excessive aptitude in the direction of driving the present era of GTP vehicles… although I’m all the time open to be flawed.
KELLY CRANDALL: Something is feasible, however there was no indication of curiosity from Brad Keselowski or these at RFK Racing about increasing into Xfinity or Vans. The addition of a 3rd Cup Collection automotive was a giant deal and the principle precedence for the previous few years, and the main focus does look like on the Cup Collection aspect of issues.
The group has positively improved since Keselowski arrived just a few seasons in the past, however everybody would inform you there’s nonetheless a lot to do and extra issues they need to accomplish, particularly given the historical past of that place. So, once more, by no means say by no means, however there hasn’t been any motion towards that. The final time I can keep in mind Keselowski mentioning the Xfinity Collection specifically was in 2023, when he was enthusiastic about how the CW deal would work for the sequence.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 20 November, 2013
Q: I had many alternatives to talk with Dario Franchitti, in all probability like many followers. Dario and I talked about what it was wish to drive Jim Clark’s Indy 500 Lotus and most just lately the good racing at Baltimore. Each time we talked, he handled me as if I had been his neighbor in Scotland. However greater than that, I liked how he took time with the children who wished a photograph or autograph. Dario will retire as one of many all time finest Indy automotive drivers. And profitable the Indy 500 thrice makes him immortal. So I do know first-hand how participating he’s and I had the great fortune to see all his 500 victories, however I am conscious that you’re nearer to him and know rather more about what went into his success as a driver. What’s going to you keep in mind about Dario?
Gerry Courtney, San Francisco
ROBIN MILLER: How shortly he tailored to 900 horsepower and the CART tracks, however principally how immediately aggressive he was towards an important discipline of drivers. He wasn’t intimidated or awed by his new environment, he walked in like he belonged as a result of he did. And I like to argue with him about vehicles, tracks, TGBB and all issues racing. However his persona, humorousness, intelligence and sense of historical past made him pretty much as good off the observe as he was on it.
