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 embody a query usually tend to be printed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday will probably be saved for the next week.
Q: The tip of the season was actually thrilling and unpredictable. The weird conditions with Palou and Energy during the last two races had been one thing that not even a Hollywood script would provide you with. How did the environment go over with the followers with the switch from downtown to tge speedway? What had been the attendance figures for the race? It seemed like there have been a number of empty seats within the grandstand. Was Massive Machine Music Metropolis glad with the presentation?
I used to be embarrassed for the collection throughout the invocation. It got here throughout as nearly like a satire that you’d see on SNL. The chaplins that had been used throughout the yr had been respectful however this was an over-the-top, NASCAR-type presentation. I noticed some unusual expressions on contributors when it was being introduced.
Dave
MARSHALL PRUETT: It wasn’t official, however I used to be informed over 22,000 tickets had been bought for Sunday. On the grid, most individuals round me chuckled after the invocation.
Q: So, the No.8 automotive all of a sudden is open. Is it doable that both Valtteri Bottas or Logan Sargeant is within the operating? Or, am I simply dreaming?
Jim Doyle, Hoboken, NJ
MP: Hello, Jim, the seat was by no means open. As we’ve written just a few occasions in current months, Kyffin Simpson will probably be transferring to the third automotive. It stays unconfirmed by Ganassi however is a recognized factor inside the paddock.
Logan was at Nashville and taking conferences with groups. I spoke together with his buddy Kyle Kirkwood and we each agreed there have been slim pickings for him to discover. Logan needs to be paid, and that leaves the 45 at RLL, the 21 at ECR, and the 77 at JHR, and people three groups have loads of choices with extra skilled IndyCar drivers. The timing might be off for 2025, but when he’s affected person it seems to be like 2026 might be extra practical.
Q: Santino can rebuild the bridges from the dust to Indy. Change my thoughts?
Mike, West Coast, USA
MP: Certain, if Santino begins operating a bunch of midget/dash races. However since he doesn’t, that bridge goes to take ceaselessly to assemble.
Q: Have there been any rumors on whether or not any of NBC’s on air -alent will make the swap to Fox subsequent yr? It will be a disgrace to lose Hinch particularly.
Joe
MP: Everyone who isn’t a full-timer for NBC has spoken to FOX. No clue if any will probably be employed.
It’s not unreasonable for Sargeant to wish to be paid to drive in IndyCar, however it does restrict his choices for 2025. Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Pictures
Q: As one other IndyCar season has come to an finish, can I recommend an development that IndyCar may introduce to the collection in 2025? May they discover somebody to invent a greater ‘marble’ remover than the identical avenue sweeper that slowly cleans the gutters in entrance of my home?
A quicker and extra environment friendly machine may lead to higher and extra frequent cleansing of all the racing circuit and dramatically enhance the racing expertise. Whereas this might not be probably the most urgent subject going through IndyCar as we speak, it might be a pleasant enchancment as laps underneath yellow would lower and it might open up extra racing strains. Have you learnt if this has ever been mentioned earlier than by the collection? Who is aware of, they may even discover a sponsor for it like Dyson or Roomba. As all of us racing followers have skilled, the lengthy observe cleanups can actually make your thoughts wander.
Brad Ellinger, LaPorte, IN
MP: Nice thought, Brad.
Q: How has Zak Brown’s letter been acquired by IndyCar and different workforce homeowners? Hopefully they hear and act on a few of his factors, together with advertising and exhibition races. Do you suppose Roger Penske can be keen to promote IndyCar and hold IMS solely because it was in days with CART and the Hulman household? And would IndyCar with out the Speedway be engaging to a purchaser resembling Liberty Media? May or not it’s self-sustaining?
Lastly, I met Simon Pagenaud on the WEC race at COTA – a really type man. He spent greater than quarter-hour speaking with me in regards to the observe, IndyCar, F1, and his head harm He obtained a telephone name, requested me to attend after which we continued our dialog. It was a particular time, and he by no means made me really feel he didn’t have time for me.
Rick, Miami
MP: Roger is just not promoting the collection or the observe as a complete or individually. I didn’t hear a lot from homeowners about Zak’s State of IndyCar letter, however of those that did point out it, they had been largely in settlement with what was written. I want extra IndyCar workforce homeowners would do the identical. Far an excessive amount of with Penske Leisure entails hush-hush talks and an unwillingness to take these non-public opinions public.
Q: I do know that IndyCar nonetheless has a lot to do to revive itself to its former glory as actually one of many world’s preeminent racing collection, and though most initiatives contain spending some substantial money, there are just a few little issues the collection may do to assist themselves construct higher fan consciousness and curiosity.
The factors system and championship struggle usually is unknown to nearly anybody besides within the paddock and among the many cadre of diehard followers. Why not stir issues up with an intriguing new system totally different from some other motor racing collection? Consider a system the place first place will get one level, second will get two, tenth will get 10 and so forth. The bottom common rating wins the championship. Successful can be twice nearly as good as coming in second, 5 occasions higher than coming in fifth, and so on. A driver’s rating can be their common quantity, just like a baseball pitcher’s ERA, and that rating can be nicely marketed as a part of the weekly collection information.
Get again to a stable title sponsor like PPG, including one other aspect to the advertising of the championship. They used to offer an A. J. Foyt Award to the perfect oval racing driver and a Mario Andretti Award to the season’s high street/avenue racer. No matter occurred to that? Certainly the price of a pair trophies couldn’t be that a lot.
My final sensible 99 cent thought is for IndyCar to carry a second late-season occasion on the IMS and make it a particular hybrid race, i.e. run two heats, one on the street course and one on the oval, maybe a 250-miler. If Daytona can run two profitable races a yr, why can IndyCar not do it? I’d schedule it on Labor Day weekend, thus per week earlier than the NFL begins.
James Herbert Harrison, Overland Park, KS
MP: Thanks for writing in, James.
