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 revealed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday might be saved for the next week.
Q: I used to be listening to Marshall’s Week in IndyCar podcast and had a light-weight bulb go on. For the reason that homeowners didn’t pay for his or her charters, why not have a chance for different groups to enter by booting the automobile that finishes twenty seventh within the standing and permitting a brand new entry? The brand new staff pays a one-time entry price to enter the sequence. At the least this creates a chance for brand spanking new blood.
Vincent Martinez, South Pasadena, CA
MARSHALL PRUETT: There was an analogous idea floated by Penske Leisure, whereby the final constitution entry or two within the entrants’ championship may very well be taken — bought at a set value — if these worst-performing constitution entries had been crushed within the entrants’ standings by non-charter groups, however that concept was shot down some time in the past. Sadly, IndyCar’s constitution has completely nothing to do with fostering new entries; it’s all about defending and rewarding those that are already right here and competing as full-timers.
Q: I’ve at all times been a fan of American open-wheel racing since I can recall, it has at all times been my favourite sport and I’m in my 60s. I want the sequence was nonetheless open to any and all engine manufactures, however that’s a day lengthy gone. I used to be an enormous fan of Teo Fabi and his transfer from F1 to IndyCar, primarily with Porsche. Do you may have any Teo tales of curiosity?
Mark McKinley, Floyds Knobs, IN
MP: I want I did, however I used to be simply coming into IndyCar as a crew member from Formulation Atlantic and Indy Lights when his profession was winding down. Obtained to see loads of his drives and at all times appreciated how such a small particular person might wield such massive vehicles with nice pace. His helmet livery, a tribute to the late Peter Revson’s helmet design, was amongst my favorites from again within the day.
Solely remorse whereas placing collectively this quick documentary on Porsche’s first and solely IndyCar win was being unable to attach with Fabi.
Q: Have you ever seen the Honda business “Unstoppable Desires,” that includes numerous blips of racing crashes the place Honda is concerned, particularly F1, off-road and grime bikes? Noticeably absent is any IndyCar footage. Is that this a delicate trace of it being absent from IndyCar completely within the close to future?
Jeff, Colorado
MP: I’ve; pleasant advert. But it surely’s additionally not the primary time Honda has chosen F1 over IndyCar in its nationwide campaigns.
Purely a guess, however Honda has two open-wheel sequence to think about to make use of in its massive advertisements to try to promote vehicles, and contemplating the booming U.S. reputation of F1 in recent times, I can’t think about a state of affairs the place Honda’s advertising executives would approve the much less standard sequence for the advertisements.
Additionally, why would Honda use an advert to trace at something? It informed IndyCar round this time final 12 months, right here on RACER.com, that the sequence wanted to up its sport and enhance the worth it receives or danger shedding Honda as an engine provider, occasion sponsor, and benefactor to the sequence.
Q: A number of discuss IndyCar and a race in Mexico. I attended the Champ Automotive race in 2007. Each Mario Dominguez and David Martinez had been flying the flag for Mexican followers. The circuit was packed, and from that have I imagine a race organizer would have the ability to get greater than 60,000 spectators if Pato O’Ward is on the grid. No person anticipated both Mario or David to win. With Pato, the proposition could be very completely different. I really feel all of the components are there for a profitable IndyCar race in 2026. Right here is hoping others agree.
PS: Convey again the Peraltada!
Oliver Wells
MP: Utterly agree on the previous ultimate flip at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez; the Peraltada was scary-fast.
Nelson Piquet’s Williams FW11 regarded fairly effectively planted by the Peraltada in 1986 – which was simply as effectively when you think about how little runoff was accessible if one thing went incorrect… Motorsport Photos
Q: I’ve been listening to rumors concerning the Iron Dames switching to Porsche for WEC and IMSA subsequent 12 months, and with Michelle Gatting and Celia Martin sampling a Mathey Porsche within the Bahrain rookie take a look at, it looks like these rumors are fairly sturdy. Nonetheless, with their affiliation with Iron Lynx and due to this fact Lamborghini (because the staff that runs the Lambo GTP), would there be any pushback there from Lamborghini towards them switching? Is the Iron Dames undertaking affiliated/funded/supported by extra than simply Iron Lynx?
They’ve much more success with the Porsche in ELMS, and as an Iron Dames fan, I’d like to see them swap.
Lucas, Cincinnati OH
MP: Iron Dames is a privately funded effort by Deborah Mayer, and to that finish, they use no matter marque and mannequin they like. I’ve heard the identical factor a few full-time swap to Porsche.
The Iron Lynx web site is in a manufacturing facility association with Lamborghini, with PREMA Racing serving because the operational layer, and if they continue to be below contract, I’d count on to see GT3 and GTP vehicles from the Italian model below their tent. However I’ve been listening to for a number of months that, no less than on the GTP aspect, there are questions as as to whether that relationship will proceed.
Q: You’ve talked about this one in a current Mailbag, however is the Nashville avenue race ever going to come back again on the IndyCar schedule? In that case, would the superspeedway race be at risk? May IndyCar hold each and possibly make it a twin occasion on back-to-back weekends? By the best way, how profitable was the latter, by way of attendance? Do you assume it has a future past 2025? And if that’s the case, wouldn’t it be doable to take away or attempt to scrape off the bump between Turns 3 and 4 that prompted Nolan Siegel to crash?
Additionally in a current Mailbag, you wrote that Laguna Seca, Portland and Detroit have “abysmal attendances” and WWTR “has been in a gradual decline.” I used to be stunned by this, since these are all comparatively new additions to the schedule. However most of all, this jogs my memory of the TMS state of affairs, particularly WWTR. So, right here once more, do you assume these venues have a future with IndyCar? Which do you assume may very well be ditched and at what level?
Lastly, shortly after the F1 Mexican Grand Prix, the information broke that IndyCar and Mexico have re-engaged discussions for a potential 2026 race. Will these discussions be particularly concerning the Mexico Metropolis monitor? May there be different candidates, comparable to Puebla or Monterrey? Possibly I’m the one one who thinks like that, however I simply hate what Hermann Tilke did to the previous, which is why I hope for the 2 latter. My decide could be Puebla as a result of it’s an oval; however Monterrey is Pato’s hometown, in order that one could be an immediate sellout. Which one could be your decide and which do you assume is the almost definitely to occur?
Xavier
MP: The promoter and Nashville Speedway signed a multi-year deal, so IndyCar’s season finale might be held on the oval, not the streets of Nashville, for the foreseeable future. If the return to the speedway in 2025 is simply nearly as good or higher than what we had in September, I believe the talks of returning to the streets might be forgotten. Plus, the entire groups and drivers I spoke with in Nashville liked ending the season on an oval, and that isn’t more likely to change.
On the second level, understand that at virtually each occasion on the IndyCar calendar (excluding those owned/promoted by Penske Leisure, or the place Penske co-promotes, or rents the ability to placed on a race), the sequence’ proprietor will get paid $1 million or extra to look on the Laguna Secas and Portlands, which is a major revenue generator.
Which means Penske is commonly in a quagmire over whether or not to prioritize revenue over look whereas trying weak at poorly attended occasions like Laguna and Portland, or to jettison among the weak occasions and attempt to improve viewers dimension and revenue by going to Texas in 2026 for the Arlington Grand Prix.
The most important canine on the calendar by way of viewers dimension is both Laguna or the Indy GP, and all I hear from the paddock every year is how a lot they hate Portland, so my guess is without doubt one of the West Coast stops could be trimmed if a sacrifice was required. WWTR’s shrinking viewers isn’t nice, however IndyCar isn’t seeking to shed any ovals.
On the final level, the talks have been with the Mexico Metropolis GP promoter, so I’d assume it will be concerning the GP circuit. However I’d reasonably see IndyCar go to someplace that’s distinctive to IndyCar. How a few Mexico Metropolis avenue race?
