Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers might be despatched to mailbag@racer.com. We love listening to your feedback and opinions, however letters that embody a query usually tend to be printed. Questions obtained after 3pm ET every Monday shall be saved for the next week.
Q: Assist me perceive the unforgivable conduct of whomever makes the decision to throw the yellows. First, they resolve to not throw a yellow when VeeKay spun out as a result of they needed to go away the pits open, which I utterly disagree with. For those who did not pit earlier than the yellow, so be it! You reside with the results of racing incidents. So VeeKay loses two laps when he probably may have been began within the sand and begin going. Ridiculous.
After which worse, and never the primary race I’ve seen this, Ericsson spins out and is sitting in a really susceptible place, and no yellow is thrown for a lot of minutes. Somebody’s going to die one in all as of late, Marshall.
Who makes these selections? Why is the pit allowed to remain open whereas a yellow is delayed, leading to danger to the drivers? Why is a yellow not persistently thrown the second there may be an incident? Why?
Jean Okay
MARSHALL PRUETT: As a result of each state of affairs isn’t the identical. IndyCar goes full-course yellow (FCY) immediately on ovals because of the excessive sustained speeds and nature of crashed issues to slip down onto the racing line and get hit. It doesn’t all the time work as supposed, because the WWTR crash involving Foster and Newgarden confirmed, however usually, if contact is seen, it’s FCY with haste. Nice method. Make no adjustments to it.
Street racing is completely different, and it doesn’t have to be handled in a blind, copycat method the place no matter’s accomplished on ovals is utilized to a radically completely different model of racing, and vice versa. That’s why I admire a nuanced method to the officiating of multi-discipline racing.
For the sake of security and physics, the moment oval FCY makes full sense. In street racing, an absence of severity with no matter occurred, coupled with a particularly low security danger, is the place race management can learn the state of affairs and make judgement calls on when to go FCY. That’s what VeeKay’s deal warranted.
VeeKay’s engine didn’t want restarting within the gravel lure to resolve the issue. He wanted to be pulled out of it by the AMR Security Workforce as a result of he was caught and couldn’t transfer. He was dropping a lap regardless, resulting from how deep he was and the time/effort to carry out the restoration. Might the 2 laps have been minimize to at least one? After all. However the prolonged name to go FCY wasn’t the distinction between staying on the lead lap and going a lap down.
Rinus was distant from the racing line and there was no affordable risk posed by ready for the leaders to get into the pits. He was in no rapid hazard, and race management used its expertise to precisely choose the state of affairs. Vehicles get going rapidly in the direction of Flip 3, however aren’t outrageously quick, and he was removed from the observe.
The leaders have been within the window to pit, and they also weren’t penalized for the timing of a warning that wasn’t an pressing matter to resolve. If this was VeeKay spearing nose-first into the boundaries, that’s an on the spot FCY. However this was nothing like that, so there was no have to overreact. I wouldn’t change a factor about the way it was dealt with.
Can’t say the identical in regards to the Ericsson state of affairs. That one is a head-scratcher. Giving Marcus time to attempt to fireplace his engine and drive away is completely affordable. Ready so long as they did to see if it will occur, which I timed at 1m31s from the second the FOX broadcast minimize to his automobile sitting sideways on the observe to when the FCY went reside, is a very long time. Add a number of seconds from when the spin began to when he was discovered by the cameras, and it’s nearer to 1m35s. Palou was lapping between 1m11s-1m12s, so relying on the place they have been, some drivers handed Marcus twice earlier than the FCY appeared.
Granted, there have been native yellows waving with the SFR SCCA flaggers and the EM Marshaling System mild panels blinking yellow into Flip 6 on the backside of the hill and atop the hill, so there have been warnings to all drivers of an issue forward. That doesn’t clarify away the lengthy wait, however it’s not as if there was nothing being accomplished to alert the opposite drivers to a difficulty previous to the FCY.
The leaders pitted between laps 69-72 and Ericsson’s subject led to the FCY on lap 78, so it had nothing to do with leaving the pits open for the leaders. I’d ask race management to do the identical factor each time it has a VeeKay-like situation on its fingers.
I’d ask race management to take a extra aggressive method to a stalled automobile on the racing floor at one of many quickest factors on the race observe because it had with Ericsson sitting broadside to the sector. He wasn’t on the racing line, or all that near it, however he was on the pavement nonetheless, and that’s too shut for consolation.
Q: With Observe 2 at Laguna Seca needing to canceled due to the low stratus marine layer, it makes me marvel: Does anybody at IndyCar contemplate climate when placing the schedule collectively?
I’m a meteorologist who acquired his graduate college meteorology training in Monterey. Anybody dwelling or who has lived in that space is aware of that the marine layer stratus is a every day prevalence there in the summertime, which makes spring and fall the perfect occasions to schedule a race at Laguna Seca. The Observe 2 cancellation ought to shock no-one.
Was this date picked knowingly, however hoping it will someway work out? Or was this a spot within the due diligence course of?
Steve, Ann Arbor, MI
MP: Nice query for which I’ve no reply. However I can let you know that through the hour-plus of strolling up and down pit lane, I ended with each buddy, former rival, or teammate from my CART and Indy Lights days and both stated, or had stated to me, “So no one setting the schedule has been to Laguna Seca earlier than 2025?” or some variation of the theme. Having sat on the identical pit lane or underneath a tent numerous occasions within the Nineteen Nineties whereas ready for a similar marine layer to burn off, we simply shook their heads as the identical previous anticipate 10:30am to reach with clear skies befell.
Search for the everlasting shift to a late morning Saturday apply session adopted rapidly by qualifying and a late afternoon ‘morning’ warmup to change into the usual plan.
For those who’re accustomed to Monterey climate, you noticed this coming. Chris Owens/IMS
Q: I do know we’re all conscious of and in awe of the ever-evolving genius which is Alex Palou, and the truth that he isn’t solely amongst one of many best drivers of the fashionable period, but in addition on tempo to change into one of many best of all time. I’ve little question that in the future we shall be speaking about him in the identical regards as Foyt, Mario and Dixon. However the actual query, and I do know I communicate for all of us once I ask this, is how will he examine to all-time legend, Mark Plourde, when issues are all stated and accomplished?
Alan Bandi, Sarver, PA
MP: I’ve met most of my heroes – Mario Andretti, Al Holbert, Dan Gurney, and so forth – however I’ve by no means met the superb Mark Plourde. A life incomplete. However I do nonetheless have my ‘Plourde’ shirt I purchased years in the past as a tribute to the best Champ Automobile driver of all time.
Q: Final Sunday, over the last phases from Laguna Seca, the FOX crew talked about that Palou may equal and even surpass the report of most victories in a single season. On the published, they talked about that this report stands at 10 victories and it’s held by Foyt and Unser Sr. Nevertheless, as I recall, this report belongs to Ted Horn, who received 19 in 1946.
Did IndyCar stopped to acknowledge these victories – or the races – underneath the Massive Automobile guidelines, or it was merely a mistake from the published?
Pedro, Ouro Preto/MG, Brazil
MP: I requested my buddy Scott Richards, a tremendous statistician, to reply:
“That is one query I have been ready for somebody to convey up! There has lengthy been a debate over whether or not the 1946 AAA season consisted of six races or 77. From what I perceive, AAA for one 12 months selected to incorporate 71 ‘Massive Automobile’ races that have been underneath 100 miles in size resulting from issues over automobile counts. A few of these 71 races have been extremely quick, together with one race in Nice Barrington, Massachusetts that totaled 4 miles!
“There’s been a robust debate from each side of the argument on whether or not the 71 races must be counted since then, and technically the 1947 automobile numbers have been assigned primarily based on the 77-race factors outcomes. Nevertheless, when IndyCar launched its official report ebook again in 2011, it solely acknowledged the six races that have been over 100 miles lengthy (Indianapolis, Langhorne, Atlanta-Lakewood, Indiana State Fairgrounds, Milwaukee, and Goshen). It is actually an attention-grabbing quandary and one few individuals appear to learn about, but when FOX was going by what IndyCar now determines is the official report, then they weren’t fallacious”
Q: I’ve observed an inconsistency within the clamor to take away oval races from the schedule. In 2023 at Texas Speedway there have been round 20,000 followers in a speedway that holds 75,000+, and it was thought-about an alarming failure. But Toronto final week had round 18,500 followers within the stands, and it was almost ‘offered out’.
The group at Toronto seemed nice on TV, due to this fact notion is actuality. Road circuits have an inherent benefit – they’ll measurement their momentary grandstands to the anticipated ticket gross sales, everlasting speedways can’t.
At Iowa there have been 6,000 followers in attendance. Everybody noticed the 18,000 empty seats on TV, and that’s now a disaster. But what number of followers have been at Thermal Membership? About 5,000? We aren’t speaking about their low attendance, as a result of nobody noticed any empty grandstands on TV at Thermal Membership.
Hy-Vee, Massive Machine Music, and Bommarito have all persistently confirmed that with correct promotion followers will come out in robust numbers to see an oval race. So let’s examine apples to apples earlier than letting the detractors declare “ovals are useless”.
Kevin P., Los Angeles, CA
MP: Texas was fortunate to have 5,000 individuals for the final race. Iowa certain wasn’t 6,000 and Thermal was barely over 2,000. Ovals aren’t useless in IndyCar. However let’s additionally not ignore actuality by skewing comparisons. I’ve been to Iowa when Hy-Vee wasn’t concerned, and there have been no huge concert events, and it had wholesome crowds. Similar for Texas in its earliest editions. And WWTR/Gateway when it was loaded with followers.
For these of us who’ve been to those races for a few years, typically underneath completely different names just like the CART IndyCar Sequence or Champ Automobile of the Indy Racing League, the power exists to check and distinction to at the moment. Iowa was miserable. WWTR was fairly good, however inferior to it has been.
Milwaukee is the ‘ovals are useless’ canary within the coalmine. If it’s pretty much as good or higher than final 12 months on its return, everybody can exhale. And if it’s down, that may actually feed the notion that too many IndyCar ovals are attracting too few followers.
Q: Theo Pourchaire just lately indicated that he is working with Simon Pagenaud to attempt to open doorways for him within the U.S.
Have you ever heard about rumors about him in 2026, whether or not in IndyCar and even IMSA?
In 2026, for me the one likelihood for him shall be that Malukas goes to Penske to switch Energy, and he’ll create a very good alternative for Pourchaire within the Foyt crew.
Given his actions within the WEC this 12 months, one may also assume that he may proceed within the WEC in 2026, and doing a number of extra races in IMSA may open doorways for him in IndyCar in 2027.
I’d love for Pourchaire to essentially get his likelihood in IndyCar. Whenever you see that he dominated drivers like Lawson, Lundgaard, Armstrong and that he was nearly on par with Piastri, I believe that IndyCar can’t go away such a driver on the sidelines.
Yannick
MP: I haven’t heard from any groups which have him in P1 on their to-hire listing. He’s on some lists, however not as essentially the most coveted driver. An F2 champ is a tough factor to disregard, however his lack of oval expertise is the actual subject. Few groups are prepared to attend two or three years for street racers to change into threats on ovals, which makes a Linus Lundqvist or a Rinus VeeKay extra interesting candidates. I have to examine in with Simon to see if any IMSA alternatives are within the works. Hated dropping him, and hope he finds a method again.
Hopefully there are a number of still-to-be-written North American chapters within the Theo Pourchaire story. Joe Skibinski/IMS
Q: I used to be questioning what your opinion is on the Porsche Penske crew contemplating solely doing the Endurance Cup, or each dropping IMSA as a complete? Additionally with Ford coming in to the LMDh scene, may we see Penske transfer to being Ford’s manufacturing facility crew for IMSA and WEC, particularly since Penske runs Ford in NASCAR?
Jack
MP: I don’t have an opinion since Porsche has repeatedly acknowledged in latest weeks and months that it’s in for extra full-time motion in GTP. I do know different groups are angling to switch Penske at any time when the connection ends, and sure, Ford+Penske has been rumored for some time now in Hypercar.
Q: In Germany there are some rumors circling round that PREMA will go away IndyCar on the finish of the season due to prices, as Iron Lynx is just not eager on paying for this system any extra.
What’s your details about that?
Frank Lehmann
MP: There have been heavy rumors in Could that the crew bankrolled by Deborah Mayer was closing its doorways after the Indy 500. After which PREMA confirmed as much as Detroit, and WWTR, and so forth. From inside the paddock the place they compete, I’ve heard nothing to counsel the crew goes away.
Q: The group at Laguna Seca seemed larger than I’ve ever seen on TV. How was it in particular person?
Kyle
MP: First time since IndyCar returned the place I wasn’t involved for the race’s future. It wasn’t half of a CART-era explosion of humanity, however it was busy and energetic and youthful. The quantity of followers in Pato/McLaren gear was superb, and the amount of younger girls – typically repping Pato indirectly with a hat, shirt, bracelet, or comparable – was additionally arduous to overlook. It felt rattling good to be at one in all my native tracks for an IndyCar race and never really feel unhappy for the observe and sequence with a small turnout.
Q: As soon as once more, a Palou masterclass. He was as quick on blacks as everybody else was on reds. On reds, he was untouchable. I do know it’s a bit boring, however simply wow. I admire excessive excellence once I see it.
Now my remark/query on broadcast. I discovered it superb that the published utterly missed the on-track go Lungaard made on Herta. Possibly it was about 20 laps later once they caught it and confirmed it.
I wrote to the sales space crew and I do know they need to cowl for the manufacturing of us, however it looks like the manufacturing truck of us want somebody who actually is aware of racing and watching timing and scoring with them so that they know what to search for. I do know they’re taking a look at 50 screens and so they additionally resolve what we see and what the sales space sees, however it was a giant miss for my part. An IndyCar intern may assist them with this.
I noticed it on the app as a result of I used to be watching the hole Herta had come down, and it was for second place – not some midfield scrap.
I’ve seen others right here touch upon the FOX broadcast and I do know they’re rookies on this sphere, however it looks like some stuff not getting higher.
Jeff Smith, State Faculty, PA
MP: Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Q: Appears Mike Hull and CGR had the fitting technique at Laguna Seca. The race was scratchy sufficient to maintain our curiosity, despite the fact that the result appeared inevitable.
Palou is Tiger-esque proper now. Him or the sector? On TV it seemed like a very good crowd too – was it? (That is my requisite query.)
Congrats to Will Energy for ending first-in-team. As an ill-informed fan studying all the pieces between the strains, I’ve come to the conclusion that he will not be with Workforce Penske subsequent 12 months. Three causes.
First, there hasn’t been a considerable sufficient distinction in efficiency between him and Malukas.
Second, if he stays, subsequent 12 months would not be a contract 12 months. Slightly, it will be a 12 months of continuous hoopla with everybody at each occasion celebrating his successes with Penske. Hell, some observe proprietor may get confused and bestow a brand new Harley upon him. It might be awkward, it will get tiresome and I doubt he or the crew actually desires that.
And third, if he leaves after this season, he stands a greater likelihood of touchdown a very good multi-year deal someplace. I hope there’s extra poles and wins in his future, however my enduring recollections shall be his Indy and title wins, and the times when he and Cindric did nice issues collectively. Really the double-birds are proper up there too. That was an all-timer and it is unattainable to recollect it with out smiling. Good on ya, mate.
Chris in Colorado
MP: So the perfect transfer is to drop Penske’s most constant performer. Is sensible to me.
Q: Somebody had raised a query in final week’s Mailbag that talked about the Alex Palou-McLaren contract saga from a few seasons in the past. I think about it needed to be a contentious relationship between Alex Palou and Chip Ganassi throughout that point. With Palou being on a tear this season, what is the relationship between Ganassi and Palou been like since that debacle?
Brandon Karsten
MP: Sturdy. It was contentious; Alex sued Chip. On the time, Chip advised me he barely knew Palou, which struck me as odd since Palou had simply received a championship for the crew, however sure, in the event you look again at that 2021-2022 interval, you didn’t see the interpersonal relationship on show such as you do at the moment with the hugs and visual connection between the 2. Ganassi is thought to be backing Palou within the McLaren courtroom deal, which says loads about how far they’ve come.
Water underneath the bridge. Chris Owens/IMS
Q: Wow! I do know IndyCar followers need extra ovals, however hardly anybody confirmed up at Iowa, a observe we would lose. But Street America, Mid-Ohio, the Indy Street Course, Laguna Seca and Barber, everybody reveals up. I’m questioning if Watkins Glen, Mosport Park in Canada and New Jersey Motorsports Park shall be added to the schedule subsequent 12 months?
Alistair, Springfield, MO
MP: I like the primary two recommendations; NJMP is the final place to ship IndyCar.
Q: With all of the livery adjustments all through the season, does every crew have their very own devoted individuals that may wrap and re-wrap the vehicles? Or do they ship them to a third-party that does that? Looks as if it’s a relentless factor. I can’t think about each crew has simply tons of bodywork items standing by with new sponsor designs, however possibly they do?
Wealthy
MP: There’s 11 groups so no reply suits all. Larger groups have their very own graphics division and do their very own; others usher in distributors. Wrapping spare bodywork is an choice, however not the bathtub itself.
Q: I used to be watching the Toronto race and I observed Pato was trailing Kyffin Simpson. They have been going to Flip 1 on lap 45 and Simpson went across the curb. Pato minimize the curb and simply went on the within of Flip 1 and didn’t even go across the curb. I used to be questioning if that was authorized, as a result of it looks like everyone else ought to simply maintain chopping flip one and never go across the curb. Take a look at the video – there’s an overhead from a helicopter that reveals it.
Mark
MP: Sure, it is authorized.
Q: Is PREMA nonetheless actively exploring shopping for charters from current entries?
Jim
MP: Are they going again to the identical individuals who stated no the primary time? I don’t know, however no constitution groups are going to promote their charters with out promoting the crew, and none are on the market.
Q: OK Nice Guru of IndyCar, clarify CGR’s Technique at Toronto in a method us mere mortals can perceive.
Crimson
MP: Made no sense to me the second I noticed them choose primaries when it was clear the favored name could be to get the alternates off as rapidly as doable, which 5 out of the six drivers within the high six selected to do.
This was a case of getting a large factors lead and having the artistic freedom to strive a dangerous technique and know you may survive if it went sideways. If Palou’s lead was 50 factors as an alternative of 129, there’s no method an pointless danger will get taken.
Q: Going off my final Mailbag query suggesting that IndyCar permit for groups to area MotoGP-esque ‘wildcard’ entries at choose races… what if IndyCar stole one other concept, this time from NASCAR?
Particularly, I discuss with the ‘Helio rule’ from Daytona. If a crew desires to area a driver of worldwide renown with a confirmed racing report, they get an auto-entry, offered that driver has accomplished a very good check. This may be the place your concept of the Chris Griffis Memorial-style check for the IndyCar guys can are available in.
Sure, it’s a gimmick, and maybe it won’t have a huge effect most weekends, however it may work particularly for a weekend like Iowa. Let’s say DCR fields a World of Outlaws driver in automobile No.19 at Iowa Speedway and that driver does slightly run at Indianapolis beforehand on the check day, which helps publicize this for his or her fan base.
You may argue that Bryan Clauson operating Indy didn’t actually convey that many individuals in, however Iowa, in contrast to Indy, isn’t already an enormous worldwide occasion that many WoO followers are probably tuned into for his or her yearly dose of IndyCar racing.
If I’m an enormous Kody Swanson or David Gravel fan, I would already be watching Indy, however then I’d need to tune in to observe my driver at Iowa on TV. I would even come to the observe! As I say, it’s a gimmick, however I believe all of us agree that IndyCar has to strive one thing to save lots of this occasion.
This in all probability isn’t the golden ticket, however at the very least it’s one thing. All of this to say, I miss the NAPA livery in IndyCar and Brad Candy hopping in a DW12 is the perfect shot we’ve of seeing it once more.
Taylor Smith
MP: Again at first of Indy NXT, when it was generally known as the American Racing Sequence, the promoter used a ‘Home Automobile,’ which it crammed with a variety of cool or attention-grabbing drivers to showcase the sequence because it stepped in to fill a void between Tremendous Vee/Method Atlantic and IndyCar.
What you’re proposing is what this must be: A Penske Leisure Home Automobile. Since Penske is the promoter of Iowa, it’s on Penske to facilitate one thing like this by attempting to maneuver the needle with a driver who everybody agrees would convey an additional 5000 individuals to the occasion. And if a Coyne or whomever has an incredible one-off driver for an occasion that would transfer the needle, use the ‘Home Automobile’ entry with their very own additional automobile.
Q: Just a few recommendation for IndyCar. You could have daytime ovals in summer time warmth and marvel why no one reveals up? Why do you assume Dash Automobile racing is exploding in recognition? Ovals at night time!
Indy is the solely exception. Ovals ought to all be night time races, not on a Sunday, and I do not imply begin in sunshine finish at sunset. Use the 4th of July, it doesn’t matter what day of the week it’s. Make it an evening earlier than race with a large fireworks present after, and most of the people are off work the subsequent day and might take pleasure in one other native firework present. If an current oval on the schedule does not have lights, attempt to assist them with the improve.
Dave
MP: Downside solved.
Q: If NASCAR has any humorousness, they will use CART’s Cleveland circuit configuration for subsequent 12 months’s Coronado Island race.
Kyle
MP: Burke Lakefront Airport was SOOOOO good.
Racing’s Holy Grail. Come to consider it, if NASCAR has a humorousness it can transfer the whole San Diego occasion to Cleveland. Getty Photographs
Q: Name me loopy, however with NASCAR taking at the very least a 12 months off, IndyCar ought to attempt to swoop in and get the road race in Chicago for a decrease sanctioning price.
From what I can inform on the web, NASCAR does not have a contract for a future return. It might give IndyCar one other race in a significant market with an viewers that’s already constructed up. It labored fairly properly when F1 left Lengthy Seaside; why not strive it once more?
Josh in Flo-City, KY
MP: Undecided we are able to cite one thing that labored as soon as, 42 years in the past, as the rationale to roll the cube on a road race that wasn’t a convincing monetary success with followers from a sequence that’s three or 4 occasions extra common than IndyCar. I’d like to take over the Chicago race, however I didn’t see something to counsel it simply wanted a special sequence to explode. It had the nation’s hottest sequence and it was put down.
Q: The Captain has confirmed he’s a tremendous businessman. He is a superb operator and really environment friendly at deploying capital. What The Captain has but to point out is any innovation in enterprise. Did he see any worth in Willie T Ribbs within the 80s/90s? Did he see any worth in Danica, Sarah Fisher, and so forth? The world was altering slowly and he both did not see or did not care.
Penske is of the Previous Boys Membership and is phenomenal at taking current companies off huge companies fingers and making them capital-efficient. Can Penske create worth out of nothing? I’d say no.
He runs IndyCar in a really capital-efficient method, however he can’t develop it. IndyCar and Penske sponsored races will go nowhere and don’t have any followers. Their advertising is horrible. Their selections go away loads to be desired. The capital environment friendly company sorts Penske has operating IndyCar are ineffective for the duty at hand.
The long-term hope for IndyCar is Liberty Media. John Malone, who owns Liberty, is good at capital effectivity, however he’s much more good at creating one thing out of nothing. His successes within the media, cable, TV and now F1 companies present that.
Malone additionally hires the fitting individuals for the job. Penske hires the fitting individuals for getting effectivity out of the prevailing companies he buys. They’re far, far, removed from being anybody Malone would ever dream of hiring.
Penske simply does not get it. The perceived or actual favoritism his groups acquired from IndyCar did not matter to him even after St. Pete final 12 months. So what if Honda was upset? He did not care. If he did, Tim Cindric would have been gone final 12 months. It took Honda telling him they have been out of IndyCar. Solely then did he do ‘one thing’. He did not get the demographic or cultural change. (Miles Rowe possibly the exception).
My solely hope for IndyCar is that it’s costing Penske loads to maintain the sequence going and he decides to promote to Liberty. With out that, nothing will ever change.
SS
MP: Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Q: How a couple of new model of the previous IndyCar ‘Triple Crown’ which Al Unser completed in 1978?
Solely this time tune it to the distinctive attributes that make IndyCar so fascinating. I nominate a Lengthy Seaside / Indianapolis / Street America lineup. Toss in a couple of bucks to make it juicy.
Your ideas?
Wiscowerner
MP: I like all the pieces about this, and the selection of venues.
Q: A recurring reply you give for why identify the racetrack isn’t on the IndyCar schedule is claimed racetrack hasn’t reached out to IndyCar to come back and play. That is the kind of reactionary method that acquired us right here. Why not be proactive and attain out to them, put collectively a race and advertise?
Cash, you say? That is the place the capitol funding Zak Brown has talked about that IndyCar wants would slot in properly. IndyCar must get to twenty races beginning the night time earlier than the Tremendous Bowl. I had excessive hopes when Roger purchased the sequence, however that ship has sailed with each failed timeline for identify the challenge.
Any concept what the paddock thinks of Greg Penske’s future because the chief of IndyCar?
Vincent Martinez, South Pasadena, CA
MP: I’ve but to listen to a unfavorable phrase about Greg being the succession plan. Noticed him on Saturday and I think we’ll be seeing much more of him.
Q: Certainly it is a repeat query, however what does Honda/Chevy sometimes do with an engine as soon as it’s changed? Is a changed/broken engine scrapped, or do they change into organ donors?
AC
MP: Engines are modular, so it must be a catastrophic crash that broke the entire main parts – block, heads, and so forth. – for the whole factor to be scrapped. It’s a matter of reaching put on/mileage limits on the massive components, in order they’re retired, being melted down is the standard answer.
Q: Andretti must put Colton Herta again along with his dad, interval. Bryan Herta has accomplished nice issues with Kirkwood. Final season’s second place in factors was lengthy after the fats woman had sung!
Colton and Edwards doesn’t work! Can’t anybody see it? Save Colton’s profession when you nonetheless can. They all the time make silly errors. You create your personal luck. He’s the primary driver with Gainbridge! Simply put him along with his dad and let’s see what they’ll do. Let’s see what Edwards may do with Ericsson.
By the best way, Ericsson is nice at Indy and nowhere else!
Dan, Celina, OH
MP: The man who’s received three road races is just good on the Speedway. Copy. Kirkwood is the highest performer this season for Andretti, so naturally, the sensible play is to screw with that.
Q: Is there any public details about what goes into the IndyCar Pit Efficiency standings, or at the very least uncooked pit cease knowledge throughout races?
Atilla Veyssal, West Allis, WI
MP: I don’t know. I don’t search or use public details about pit stops.
Q: It did one’s soul good to see Robert Kubica win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Within the lean years between F1 and his rallying accident, have you learnt if Robert thought-about for or provided an IndyCar check?
Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA
MP: If he was or did, I’ve by no means identified about it. Superb man. Simply not somebody who had sufficient success in F1 to pique the curiosity of any crew proprietor after his harm.
Kubica has a Grand Prix win, an outright Le Mans win, WEC and ELMS LMP2 titles and a WRC2 championship – and remarkably, most of these got here AFTER he suffered what ought to have been a career-ending harm… Jakob Ebrey/Getty Photographs
Q: What was responsible for the delay in warning for the Ericsson spin?
Additionally, I’m loving RACER Community’s expanded protection of different sequence in Europe and past. Any likelihood of a weekend wrap-type present? This labored beforehand (clearly, assume Dave Despain and WindTunnel) and uncovered a man like me in Bristol, TN, to WRC, F1, Superbikes, and so forth. I believe there may be urge for food for this now, and would assist consciousness of motorsport racing.
Rainsmith2
MP: Giving him the chance to refire the automobile and drive away.
MARC MAZARIN (Head of promoting and artistic; RACER Community): You are not the one one asking. This idea could be very a lot on our radar. A weekend wrap-style present highlighting home and worldwide sequence we stock is one thing we’d like to convey to RACER Community and RACER+. Within the meantime, the RACER+ app now has a Information part contemporary from the crew at RACER.com. We will additionally advocate subscribing to our RACER Day by day Bulletin and RACER Community Hotlap newsletters for normal protection, storylines, and outcomes from throughout WRC, Superbikes, DTM, and extra. It’s an effective way to remain plugged in whereas we construct towards one thing larger.
Q: Relating to the Cadillac F1, is there a compulsory date for when the crew must have introduced its drivers by? Additionally, would having expertise with the Ferrari engine give a driver like Schumacher or Bottas a bonus over drivers like Perez or Doohan?
Will, Indy
CHRIS MEDLAND: There isn’t a deadline for finalizing a driver line-up, however the closest factor to an preliminary date is the beginning of FP1 in Australia subsequent 12 months – a crew must have knowledgeable the FIA of its entries for every race, so it has to call two drivers.
A crew can identify two completely completely different ones for the subsequent race if it likes, too, however past that it will probably’t maintain making adjustments. The principles state a crew can solely run a most of 4 completely different drivers in a season.
Ferrari energy unit expertise is perhaps a tiny benefit to a driver, however I’d say it’s barely going to register – don’t neglect these are new energy models for everybody subsequent season so it’s of restricted worth. And generally having completely different expertise helps to convey to the occasion.
Q: How does the info collected throughout a F1 Dash weekend examine to an everyday weekend? Is it extra or significantly much less? Nearly as good or possibly higher as a result of it’s collected throughout race situations?
Timothy Davis
CM: In some ways it’s an identical quantity, however of various worth. No FP2 means restricted future knowledge concurrently the race itself, however you do get a very good image of the automobile in race situations (visitors, combating and so forth) through the Dash, albeit on round a 3rd of the gasoline.
Dash qualifying additionally gives a very good image of observe evolution by means of a qualifying session and low gasoline operating in comparable situations to qualifying itself, in order that’s good and comparable, however you might be collaborating in Dash qualifying with a sub-optimal automobile set-up because of the truth there was just one apply session.
It relies upon what a crew is after. If it has a automobile it is aware of properly and no upgrades, then you may view it as a Dash weekend offering a number of extra alternatives to get knowledge in qualifying and race situations earlier than the primary qualifying and race periods. However if in case you have extra knowledge you need to collect when it comes to completely different automobile set-ups or configurations, then three free apply periods and a extra managed setting could be higher.
Q: I watched the Belgian GP. My feeling is, each nice driver from Fangio to Senna is rolling of their last resting place!
Certain it was raining, however as soon as the worst was previous, the stewards’ resolution towards a standing begin was B.S. The observe was drying.
Are these 20 guys not imagined to be the perfect on the earth? We have been robbed of watching Max go each McLarens and a Ferrari earlier than the tip of the primary lap!
Yanie Porlier
CM: I’ll admit I used to be a bit pissed off at how lengthy it took to get began as soon as there had been the preliminary delay.
I understood the moment response to nearly each driver complaining about visibility on the primary formation lap, as a result of for my part it will be a waste to flow into for a number of laps behind the Security Automobile, then undergo heavy rain that will in all probability result in you purple flagging it, or at the very least having to attend a quantity extra laps to clear sufficient standing water. And that’s simply robbing us of racing motion, as laps would tick down in that situation.
Nevertheless it was clear from the radar when the climate would clear by means of, and race management waited for it to completely cease earlier than then actioning the beginning process, which supplies the groups one other quarter-hour to prepare, and that was the spell with the solar out and no rain. For me, there ought to have been a name for the groups to be prepared round 20 minutes earlier, for the second the rain eased sufficient to get out behind the Security Automobile.
One of many causes there wasn’t a standing begin was as a result of race management deemed there to be extra water on one facet of the grid than the opposite, however then there’s extra grip on one facet, too. It’s a difficult debate, however it’s by no means going to be utterly equal.
Given the historical past of incidents although, stringing the vehicles out slightly to run by means of Eau Rouge and Raidillon on the primary lap (when visibility remains to be a difficulty) is an comprehensible resolution for me. I’d a lot moderately be sitting right here aggravated that race management have been maybe a bit too cautious than criticizing them after a critical accident. The drivers had additionally advised the FIA that it left it too late to intervene in heavy rain at Silverstone, and that these situations have been too unhealthy with the visibility, so to be extra cautious at Spa.
We did get nearly a full race on this method as properly – simply misplaced the 4 SC laps earlier than the rolling begin, which I do assume have been two too many – and I’d argue if there had been extra motion, no one could be complaining. However race management’s selections are primarily based on security, not leisure. They’ll’t management if Max makes it previous Charles on the primary lap and fights the McLarens, or the set-up that every crew has opted for.
Simply to provide an instance on that final level: Crimson Bull had Verstappen on a low-downforce set-up at Silverstone and we raced in heavy rain, so it stopped him being an element. That’s not race management’s fault – if Crimson Bull had the next downforce set-up then we would have gotten extra pleasure on the entrance, moderately than simply the 2 McLarens getting clear once more.
Or for an instance at Spa, Ferrari had Hamilton on a moist climate set-up and Leclerc on a dry one. That helped Lewis combat by means of early on however stopped him making additional progress as soon as he was behind Albon, and conversely helped Charles keep forward of Max because it dried out. If that was the opposite method spherical, they each have completely different races, with Hamilton caught on the again initially and Leclerc simply handed by Verstappen who may get to the McLarens early on, too. However none of that has something to do with race management.
Rain at Spa is sort of as predictable as a marine layer at Laguna Seca. Michael Potts/Getty Photographs
Q: Throughout the Spa broadcast on Sky, Anthony Davidson made remarks in regards to the hybrid system ‘studying’ about situations. It sounded to me as if every automobile has a self-contained digital system that adapts to completely different tracks and situations in actual time to optimize the charging logic.
How do these techniques really work? What are their inputs? Do they really adapt with out direct intervention from the pit wall or driver?
Jack
CM: The Power Restoration System (ERS) is aware of the place the automobile is on observe, and the way it can optimally harvest or deploy power. It understands to deploy the power in the beginning of a straight, after which cease deploying and begin harvesting on the finish of a straight (generally known as clipping, when the pace then begins to lower at full throttle since you’ve gone from having further energy from the ERS to help acceleration, to dropping that because it slows the automobile to reap).
What Davidson was explaining was that if a driver then adjustments the quantity they brake or full throttle they use – clearly one thing that occurs considerably in changeable situations – the system has to re-optimize to catch up.
It does be taught on the go, so if a driver is braking greater than regular and capable of harvest extra power on one lap, then the ERS will realize it had ended up with extra power to play with and can deploy extra on the subsequent lap – typically not clipping as a lot on the finish of a straight. Equally, if it didn’t generate sufficient power on one lap, it can begin clipping earlier on the subsequent lap to keep away from a repeat, however that’s why you hear race engineers speaking in regards to the degree of battery drivers are at and the time it make take for the ERS pack to come back again.
Q: F1 vehicles have all the time thrown a lot of rain spray. Some say these vehicles are throwing extra, however I disagree. Whenever you watch races from earlier generations of vehicles, you see them racing in more durable rain, which makes them throw the identical quantity of spray.
So, why not settle for issues are they’re and attempt to reside with it? Cope with this by means of tech. Create some HUD that reveals the vehicles forward, those behind or on the facet (arrows like racing video games do). Those forward might be drawn with a silhouette in order that in case of a crash the driving force will see an entire automobile and maintain distance. Make it present the nook distance marks, possibly the sting of the observe as properly.
The tech for this cannot be that costly these days.
This looks like when individuals attempt to cope with soiled air. It is not going to work. Floor impact vehicles don’t race higher. Make tires that may deal with the slides as an alternative, and that may cope with the issue. See how vehicles may keep glued to the vehicles forward for a very long time earlier than Pirelli. See how the McLaren duo can race nearer to different vehicles for a very long time. No matter they’re doing to manage tire temp must be carried out within the laws (however F1 already banned it for ’26 as an alternative…)
William Mazeo
CM: I’ve to disagree with you on the primary level, William, as a result of these are the quickest vehicles ever seen. Piastri’s pole lap in Dash qualifying was a lap report at Spa, so not solely does that enhance in efficiency influence spray ranges (with this era of automobile designed to throw soiled air upwards from the rear wing to attempt to scale back the influence on the automobile behind, however in flip which means extra spray going upwards) however it additionally means vehicles touring sooner within the moist, having much less response time in that decreased visibility.
Even when it was the identical quantity of spray, going sooner means you may have much less time to cope with the influence of that spray, so it’s extra harmful than prior to now.
On the present tires as properly, they’re much higher when it comes to overheating and coping with slides. It’s simply merely you can’t nook on the similar pace if you’re sliding, and sliding will all the time overheat a tire – even essentially the most sturdy one – which really tallies along with your level that it’s a must to settle for that half as it’s.
The principle factor to simply accept is that these are the very best efficiency single-seater racing vehicles on the earth, and they’re all prototypes – not spec – so there’ll all the time be an incapability to completely management soiled air (and the influence of it on a following automobile) and spray. If we would like F1 to stay the very best efficiency, that’s a part of the trade-off.
All that stated, I totally agree with you that completely different options want contemplating. I’m undecided if the expertise can deal with the speeds which might be required, or a complete lack of visibility (does an HUD work in thick fog in case your eyes can’t see the automobile forward?) however it’s a good suggestion to discover that kind of tech.
We may additionally take a look at the tires themselves. Wider tires enhance grip and assist with following in dry situations, but in addition disperse extra water and enhance spray within the moist. Might or not it’s doable to have completely different tire widths within the moist maybe? It might be headache for aerodynamic engineers and considerably widen the efficiency hole between a automobile within the moist and the dry, but when visibility stays the largest subject it may tackle that.
Regardless, subsequent 12 months shall be higher as a result of the vehicles shall be barely smaller (much less floor space disturbing water/air) and significantly slower, due to this fact lowering spray, growing visibility, and likewise growing response time potential. As incremental as every of these issues is perhaps on a person automobile, when it’s unfold throughout a pack of 20 vehicles then simply 5% enchancment from every has a big effect.
Q: I am stunned that the loophole permitting Haas to race annually in a white label Dallara with in depth bolted-on Ferrari package remains to be permitted. After they initially entered the championship, this association made sense. Nevertheless, with the heightened recognition and monetary success of F1 at the moment, it appears unfair to the opposite constructors for one crew to take pleasure in such a monetary benefit.
Do you foresee a time when the foundations would require Haas to change into an precise constructor? Whereas maybe not for brand new followers, for a lot of, the spirit of F1 is groups designing and constructing their very own vehicles. It actually is an astounding accomplishment for groups to construct their very own vehicles.
Matt Ganser
CM: I believe it’s barely unfair to name it a white label Dallara – it’s nonetheless a chassis designed by Haas. The manufacturing is outsourced, however numerous groups outsource sure parts for manufacture. There’s not a big monetary benefit both to the chassis method nor the Ferrari partnership, as a result of the fee cap laws put a premium on prices for such gadgets because of the distinction in comparison with in the event you constructed them your self.
I believe you’d be stunned what number of parts are outsourced by some groups. Outsourcing the chassis is uncommon, however Cadillac outsourced its chassis manufacturing to what it calls regular suppliers within the provide chain – however don’t underestimate the significance of the Toyota partnership that Haas has entered into as properly. That offers it the potential to fabricate extra parts itself (or by means of Toyota as its works accomplice if it evolves to that degree) whereas the crew can be taking a look at areas for a much bigger new manufacturing facility, that will additionally give it more room for equipment and amenities.
All of that’s to say it’s nonetheless seen as a bonus to make as a lot of your personal parts as doable in the event you can, due to high quality management and pace of manufacture, however it’s extraordinarily costly and takes time to maneuver in the direction of.
Q: With Bubba’s win at Indy, he turned the primary Black driver to win a crown jewel race in NASCAR. That is an enormous milestone for the game, however it wasn’t talked about on TNT’s protection, nor by many publications, together with RACER. You could possibly see on the published how individuals speaking to or about Bubba needed to notice the hardships he faces from the fan base and the way they have an effect on his psychological well being, however have been afraid to notice how a lot of his abuse comes from individuals crucial of his function within the Accomplice flag being banned from races, amongst extra distasteful viewpoints.
I needed to know what led to your resolution to not contact on the racial progress this victory symbolizes for each Bubba and NASCAR as a complete in your reporting on Sunday?
Jayke, MI
KELLY CRANDALL: It was not a ‘resolution’. It was not talked about on the tv broadcast, nor within the media middle when Wallace held his post-race press convention, as a result of everybody was centered on the race and I am undecided that many individuals registered within the second what he he had achieved. It wasn’t till a lot in a while Sunday night time that I noticed it even talked about on social media for the primary time. Nevertheless it actually wasn’t an intentional omission on my half. It is a deserved achievement for Wallace, and it is nice that he’ll ceaselessly personal part of the Speedway’s historical past.
Q: I am certain they already figured it out earlier than the San Diego announcement, however many U.S. navy bases both utterly deny entry to international nationals (non-U.S. residents) or have vetting necessities for each international nationals and non-military personnel earlier than permitting them onto the bottom. Any indication of how NASCAR plans to deal with this? We’re speaking hundreds of varied racing personnel, in addition to followers.
Scott C., Greenwood, IN
KC: In a media availability final week following the announcement, Ben Kennedy was requested if this was an occasion that was going to be open to the general public as a result of, to your level, it’s on an energetic navy base. Kennedy stated, “It is going to be open to the general public. … Anybody who wish to purchase a ticket is greater than welcome to come back and be part of us that weekend.”
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 29 July, 2025
Q: Can’t consider it’s been 30 years since Wealthy Vogler handed away. How a couple of Fast Wealthy story to wrap up the Mailbag?
Jeff B., Joliet, Il.
ROBIN MILLER: A USAC midget present at Whitewater Speedway in 1981 and I’m beginning on the skin of Row 1 and Vogie strains up fifth. On the primary lap in Flip 3, he drills me and knocks me into the guardrail and tears off the right-front nook. After the race, which I believe he received, we’re on the pay window and he comes over and begins apologizing: “It wasn’t my fault, Engelhart shoved me into you.” I stated one thing like “Wealthy, it’s the primary lap and also you and I each know you’re going to go me fairly fast, however you didn’t need to take me out.” I had simply written a fairly glowing column about him in The Indianapolis Star so he felt extra regret than regular, and provided me $100 to assist repair my automobile. I declined and he slapped me on the again and stated: “No arduous emotions, simply arduous racing” and he was gone. I all the time appreciated Wealthy and I by no means noticed anybody with extra aggression, and he actually may very well be a ‘Mad Canine’ however he was among the finest.
