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 embrace a query usually tend to be printed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday might be saved for the next week.
Q: Linus Lundqvist’s probability of a full-time IndyCar seat in 2025 appears slim, however can an Indy 500 one-off be on the playing cards? Apart from that, are you conscious of him having had discussions with groups in different classes? I’m pondering IMSA could be a very good choice to get some observe time, in let’s say an LMP2 staff.
Fabian Blåder
MARSHALL PRUETT: As I perceive the place open seats stand immediately, Linus has Dale Coyne left as the one place to go. I’ve pointed him to various IMSA LMP2 groups, and likewise advised pursuing choices as one of many larger IndyCar staff’s official check and reserve driver, as we see with groups in F1, to make sure a title contender has a rocket on standby who can even assist with simulator work, engine check days, straightline testing, and a number of the different much less desired duties that veterans typically need to skip. I haven’t checked in since our final story went up and don’t know what he’s received. There was an IMSA GTD risk I heard of a short while in the past, however can’t say if that was only for the Rolex 24 or extra.
Q: In gentle of Oliver Bearman’s feedback concerning the present Tremendous Components automobile (additionally constructed by Dallara), may the 2027 IndyCar place to begin be higher ranging from the SF23s?
Gordon, Dallas
MP: It’s an fascinating name that I’ve heard others within the IndyCar paddock point out as nicely. Solely word so as to add is Dallara’s spec SF chassis is constructed purely for street racing and lacks the entire added – and important – design options to maintain drivers protected within the occasion of an oval crash. With Graham Rahal within the collection — and any future drivers who’re both tall or huge (or tall and huge) — Dallara’s IndyCar tubs must be bigger than something they’d make for different open-wheel championships.
It makes doing one thing authentic for IndyCar a pure place to begin as a substitute of attempting to adapt a design from one other shopper.
Q: Could I recommend that the design of the following IndyCar chassis be the same footprint and fundamental look because the 1979 F1 Ferrari 312, which might be up to date with carbon fiber wings, physique and so on., of every staff’s distinctive design? I feel IndyCar ought to try to be totally different from FIA, F1, F2 designs of immediately’s lengthy snouts, and trick DRS wings. IndyCar must be a singular product, to try to be higher than F1.
Together with this I recommend that work be executed with race engine suppliers comparable to Ilmor to breed the sound of the V12 engines of 1979 F1 to go with the brand new chassis.
Generally you could look backwards to maneuver ahead.
Mark Stadelmann
MP: It will be the best-looking/sounding retro-modern open-wheel collection on the planet, which might be an improve to easily being the world’s one and solely retro-moderns open-wheel collection like it’s immediately. A query, although: Does copying one thing that already exists, and was retired almost 50 years in the past, qualify as distinctive?
Now attempt to think about it with an aeroscreen. Rainer Schlegelmilch/Motorsport Photos
Q: After 25 years, SoCal’s iconic Irwindale Speedway has succumbed to the ever hungry actual property market. On Sunday December 8, the drag strip boasted 250 automobiles, the place racers and followers alike stayed for emotional Closing Move at sundown. As a crew member of this A/FX historical past run, I’m proud to say because of the Speedway together with the numerous racers who made it need it was.
Denny Valdez
MP: A tragic improvement. The primary racetrack I keep in mind visiting — Baylands drag strip and figure-8 facility — presently lives below the parking heaps and big-box shops on the subsequent exit south from the place we dwell. Too many tales like yours and mine and others who liked going to Observe X and are left with nothing greater than recollections after it was offered and was one thing else.
Q: I haven’t seen or heard something about this however, what’s going to occur to an IndyCar constitution if a staff who owns a constitution can’t give you sufficient sponsorship {dollars} or discover a driver with sufficient cash to run a full or partial season? IndyCar has mentioned that they don’t desire a revolving door of drivers, so let’s suppose Dale Coyne or Juncos can’t give you the cash to run their two automobiles – have they got to promote their charters? Can they lease them to a different staff? How will it work?
John
MP: I might be fallacious, however I imagine there’s the equal of a ‘Should you don’t use it, you lose it’ clause within the constitution. Just like the Leaders Circle contracts, the place groups decide to getting into a LC-possessing entry for the total season to get the $1 million payout, I’m assured in saying charters have the identical full-season requirement.
Understand that no staff truly owns its charters; these belong to Penske Leisure, so if a staff is unable to subject a chartered entry, I’d assume Penske would turn out to be centrally concerned to reclaim the charters if a sale of the charters to an authorised purchaser couldn’t be accomplished. No gross sales are executed with out Penske’s approval, so in each state of affairs, the mothership could be concerned.
An space of curiosity for me in such a state of affairs, or if somebody merely needs to promote and get out of IndyCar, is how that might play out on the customer aspect. We frequently consider an proprietor with two automobiles and two charters promoting each to a newcomer, however what concerning the different two-car groups who would possibly need to broaden to 3 constitution entries? If Workforce X is trying to get out, would a Foyt or a Shank — current two-car groups — get the primary shot at shopping for one of many two charters earlier than a brand new entity was thought of?
Q: The article on the styling of the proposed 2027 IndyCar was fascinating. Is a decrease weight chassis nonetheless a precedence for the design staff as nicely?
Bob
MP: It’s. There are a number of choices on the desk that would deliver down the general weight, however a brand new and heavier power restoration system is coming, so it gained’t be simple to take a bunch of weight away from the factor.
