Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers will be despatched to mailbag@racer.com. We love listening to your feedback and opinions, however letters that embrace a query usually tend to be revealed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday will seem the next week.
Q: I’m hoping that is probably the most esoteric IndyCar hybrid query you’ll get. If the clutch paddle is now used for regen above roughly 50 mph, is there a option to override that in case a driver actually does wish to clutch in?
After all that is very uncommon, however the state of affairs that involves thoughts is Rossi’s ‘clutch and coast’ on the final lap of the 2016 500.
I additionally keep in mind an F1 state of affairs about 15 years in the past when the seamless shift broke on Alonso’s Ferrari, and he needed to clutch in to shift gears.
Brendan
MARSHALL PRUETT: Sure, drivers are capable of override the system and use the clutch paddles as clutch paddles, moderately than regen paddles, whereas on observe.
Q: Can something be executed to make the racing at Iowa higher? In case you had been IndyCar czar, what would you do, if something, to vary the racing?
Kyle
MP: Sure. Extra exhaustive testing of tire compounds and constructions to regain the suitable stability of degradation on the brand new high-grip observe floor. That ratio was off final weekend, with the tires barely having any drop-off, and because of this, of us ran round single-file for many all the laps after the primary three or 4 laps on the beginning and restarts.
Q: There have been a number of stories of individuals seeing Hailie Deegan at Iowa hanging across the Andretti NXT workforce. Was she simply there as a fan, or is there curiosity in her becoming a member of the collection? Hailie was touted as the subsequent rising star in NASCAR however issues didn’t work out. If IndyCar may steal her from NASCAR, it might assist validate the attraction of NXT. What have you ever heard, or have you ever talked to Hailie or anybody at Andretti World?
Dave W.
MP: Having Deegan in NXT would certainly be a giant draw of consideration to the collection. The workforce instructed RACER, “We predict she’s an important expertise and stay up for seeing what alternatives could possibly be forward for her profession.”
Most of her profession has been oval-centric, which might place her at a giant drawback in NXT the place ovals are a minor a part of the calendar, however Andretti is among the many greatest within the nation in growing younger expertise, so in the event that they work one thing out, she’d be within the excellent farm system if NXT, in comparison with doing one thing in Andretti’s burgeoning presence in NASCAR, is the place the connection heads.
Deegan has gained some highway course expertise throughout her time in NASCAR’s Truck and Xfinity Sequence, however would nonetheless face a studying curve if she switched to Indy NXT. Motorsport Photos
Q: Why Rossi was so off-speed that Robb ran over him? I didn’t hear something about an issue with Rossi, and if there was a problem ought to he have gotten to the inside and outside of the quick lane. Your take?
Jeff, Colorado
MP: From Rossi: “I’m undecided what precisely occurred with the gas load, however we had to enter a reasonably loopy save mode there on the finish. I believe we had been going to get there, however sadly there was an incident after I was starting to lose gas out of Flip 2 and it ended our day. It was very unlucky, and I really feel like we let two actually good outcomes get away from us. The automobiles had been good, and I’m simply hoping Sting Ray is okay at this level.”
Race 2 winner Will Energy’s final 4 laps on Sunday had been 19.5s, 19.5s, 19.3s, and 19.5s
Rossi’s final 5, in large fuel-saving mode, had been 20.0s, 21.0s, 20.5, 22.1s, and 22.4s.
So, Rossi was undoubtedly working slower, particularly for the final two laps, however he was three seconds off of the chief, not crazy-slow at 5 or 10 seconds off the tempo the place different drivers had been tripping over him.
What he was doing on the final lap was no completely different than what he’d executed on the earlier 4, so if I put myself in his place, a change of habits in exiting Flip 2 on the final lap wouldn’t have stood out as an pressing want.
As I perceive it, and as he alluded, he ran out of gas, which precipitated the sudden slowing, and with Sting Ray following at full velocity instantly behind, the slowing plus the shut proximity of Robb created a very dangerous end result earlier than he may begin steering to the left to get out of the best way when his motor sputtered.
Q: Many years in the past, Richard Childress, having had no actual success behind the wheel, stopped racing and centered on possession, leading to main successes. Roger Penske was profitable as driver, stopped racing and conquered the racing world. I believe Ed Carpenter must do the identical – his race outcomes are disastrous, and business-wise his workforce is missing sponsorship. What say you?
Jim Davis
MP: Ed instructed me final week that he’ll proceed racing on the ovals subsequent yr, so it received’t occur in 2025. Having seen and loved him as a menace for a few years at each oval, it has been exhausting to look at the most recent string of years the place we regularly neglect he’s within the race.
But when he’s discovering pleasure or achievement from the outings, or if there’s a enterprise want for some sponsors for him to be within the automobile, he wouldn’t be the primary driver to proceed in IndyCar past their prime. I watched it with Foyt, Rutherford, and others, and whereas they had been in a special league, it was their prerogative to maintain racing after they misplaced the power to win. Ed spends many of the season not racing, so I don’t see how retiring would make a significant change to the workforce’s funds.
Q: The left-turning nature of oval racing within the U.S. is usually referenced in popular culture, social media, jokes, and so on… Have there been any important oval races run with proper turns (clockwise)? Is there a historic cause why oval racing within the U.S. makes left turns (runs counter-clockwise)?
Adam
MP: Unsure in the event that they’re as well-known as Indy or Daytona, however ovals Down Underneath run clockwise. That is what the first merchandise in a Google search tells us. [ED’s note: The information in the link is sort of correct, but a little out of date. The mighty Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne did indeed run clockwise back in the day, but has not hosted racing events in many years. Most of the track configurations at AIR (Adelaide International Raceway) run clockwise but as I understand it the half-mile ‘Speedway Super Bowl’ layout does not – MG.]
