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The RACER Mailbag, August 13

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week.

Q: I see folks asking how could Penske let Will Power go when he’s their de facto leader at the moment. They should ask JPM or Helio that question.

Shawn, MD

MARSHALL PRUETT: And if they did, they’d learn that Helio was third-best for Penske in his final IndyCar season and JPM, one year after tying Dixon for the 2015 championship and losing out by who had the top secondary finishes, was fourth-best in his last year for Penske when Simon Pagenaud won the 2016 title for Roger and Power was second. After running second in 2019, Pagenaud went eighth in 2020 and eighth once more in 2021 and was out.

The Power situation is nothing like what his three former teammates went through.

Power is the only Penske driver to win a championship this decade (2022), was the best Penske driver throughout 2024 and was sitting second in the standings entering the final race when debris in his belt buckle mechanism caused it to come undone and forced him to pit right as the race was about to start.

And once more, in 2025, he’s been Penske’s best driver, and the only one to win, and has consistently been its top performer in the championship.

And this is the guy who needs to go? Now?

He currently sits sixth in a season that will go down as one of the worst for the team; his closest teammate in the championship is McLaughlin in 11th, who is said to have recently received a nice new contract extension. And Power is the one being traded in for a newer model?

The guy with 45 wins and 71 poles is about to be parked for a kid with great promise, and is destined to drive for Team Penske, but who, as of today, has zero poles and zero wins. This is the right time to make a change?

Is this real life?

And let’s be clear: A change is going to happen. It’s a matter of when. And the urgency to do it at the end of the month is the part that’s mystifying.

Other than Mario Andretti, who raced Indy cars until he was 54, no 44-year-old driver like Power is a long-term solution, but isn’t readiness an important component in something like this? Malukas has the look of a future badass; has tremendous ‘upside’ as you hear about young players, but when you’re talking about replacing an all-time great, shouldn’t something stronger than hope be involved?

Penske took a risk on McLaughlin in one regard: open-wheel racing would be a new challenge. But he also won multiple championships for Penske and was fully known and understood to be a generational talent. Not based on promise and potential and upside, but on race-winning results. Penske brought a three-time champion to IndyCar, and have been rewarded for holding themselves to such a high standard in the decision-making process.

Penske watched Josef Newgarden develop for five years at the smaller Sarah Fisher/Ed Carpenter Racing teams, observed as he won his first pole, then got his first win, then added two more wins, and ran to fourth in the 2016 championship before signing him.

There was no rush along the way, and Penske was steadfast in their refusal to bring in a young talent who needed more schooling before being drafted into IndyCar’s upper echelon.

Newgarden went to ECR University, showed he was ready to graduate, became a champion on debut with Penske in 2017 and backed it up with a second title in 2019. Timing and readiness. Newgarden ticked both boxes. Perfect approach. Two championships in three years. Rewarded for refusing to rush the process.

So why, then, does this scenario with Power and Malukas feel rushed? I have no doubt Malukas will win poles and win races for Penske. I’m sure of it. But when did Team Penske become a finishing school? That’s the part that doesn’t reconcile if we use history as a guide.

Helio, JPM, and Pagenaud were all on downhill slides ranging from small to glaring when they were taken out of Penske’s Indy cars. Power is Penske’s No. 1 driver, and not based on opinion, but statistical fact while showing shown no signs of being on a decline.

Let’s put this in simpler terms. You have a 44-year-old car salesman who is facing retirement in the coming years, but sells more cars than the rest of your staff on an annual basis. You also have a new and much younger salesman that’s been hired and has immense potential to sell cars, but alas, they’ve yet to move a single car off the lot.

Would you fire the older salesman while he’s continuing to make meaningful sales and lead the entire group and replace him with the 23-year-old who’s yet to sell a car? Or would you wait until the kid actually completed a few transactions before making a seismic change on the dealership floor?

No business I can think of would drop the top earner for someone who’s yet to earn a thing, but again, this is actually being considered as the right move to make. Timing and readiness?

It’s pretty clear that Power can still get the job done. James Black/IMS

Q: I’ve heard tell that Fox is considering adding playoffs to IndyCar. Let me say, as a Southerner, NASCAR was my first love in racing, yet I am now not even in cursory danger of catching a telecast from the National Association for Sadly Contrived Auto Racing.

I say ‘sadly contrived’ because NASCAR racing is actually rather entertaining stuff, though it’d of course be better without the stage breaks which break up strategy. And no, this isn’t about to be another cranky Facebook man philippic about how NASCAR died when Dale did; I wasn’t even alive when Dale died. That’s right, I’m in that fabled Target Demographic (TM). And let me say as a representative of that Target Demographic (TM) that I in no way want a NASCAR-esque playoff format in the IndyCar Series.

It’s not just me, though. NASCAR has had a playoff format for 20 years now and in that time, I have not known a single solitary fan to want a playoff format in IndycCr. Why? Why would I prefer to see that blasted Spaniard and his perfect 10 team run away with the title than have an exciting title finish? Simple. It’s real.

In a season-long championship, the best team over the season should be rewarded with the title. In 2024, Joey Logano was NASCAR champion, but he wasn’t even close to the best driver of the year. Instead, he was the best system-player. He snookered a lucky win early and coasted through 30/36 weekends. Then, he and the 22 crew turned up the jets. I don’t want the champion of IndyCar to be the one who played the system well and did the bare minimum most of the season, I want these racers to… well… race for it! 

Although, if a playoff format were to be in Formula E, Norman Nato would be a multi-time champion, because he really starts doing well with three races to go and is just alright most other times. I like Norman, so maybe try it there first. 

Taylor, KY

MP: I agree. What would be interesting to learn is if and how the change to the NASCAR Cup Chase/playoff format has had a meaningful impact on viewership or attendance. I figure it would have been killed by now if the answer was no, so assuming it has been a boon to ratings and ticket sales, that would be the argument for IndyCar to consider such a thing.

I know IndyCar President Doug Boles told me they weren’t going to a playoff format shortly before the Fox sale took place, so there’s that piece to acknowledge, but if they’re going to make IndyCar more popular, holding firm to how things are today, while the series is many laps down to NASCAR and watching F1 draw level or eke ahead among fans in North America, isn’t going to help.

I can’t imagine adopting a playoff format would magically double IndyCar’s fan base, but refusing to get creative and experiment will guarantee nothing changes for the better.

Also, and I feel like this is going to be one of those things we frequently mention in the Mailbag: Fox bought a minority stake in IndyCar at 33 percent, so while changes could happen, Fox does not have the unilateral authority to make those calls. Roger and his Penske Entertainment executives are just as in charge of the series as they were before Penske willingly chose to sell a third to Fox.

But, as we wrote right after the sale, Fox’s influence is what they’re welcoming into the fold to try and make IndyCar more popular and wealthier for all involved. So if that means entertaining a playoff format for a season to see if it moves the viewing and attendance needle, I’m open to it being trialed.

It’s not what I want from a standpoint of pure competition, but I care more about the health of IndyCar than I do for keeping everything the same and seeing no major growth.   

Q: I gladly paid for Peacock, and really miss having a streaming option for IndyCar now. But I am one of the crowd who will not pay money to Fox.  I have been an IndyCar fan for 45+ years, and can’t imagine not following them anywhere, but my conscience will not allow me to hand money to Fox, nor any other Murdoch venture.  I hope they’re wise enough to use a third-party streaming option.

When I heard that Fox bought a share of IndyCar, my first thought was that Penske wanted their marketing team to improve the value of the series, for a later sale of the whole thing.  Penske doesn’t do many joint ventures, and this one seems to have come out of the blue. Could this be a short term plan to jump-start the value of the series, as part of a succession plan that involves selling it?  I realize that nobody can answer that question at this point, and I hope that my theory is wrong. 

Tom Pate

MP: Heard a hard and consistent answer of no with selling the series and the Speedway since 2020, so if this is a first step in selling it off, it’s counter to the unwavering responses we’ve been given. 

Not for sale. At least, not as far as we know. Joe Skibinski/IMS

Q: I don’t know if something like this has been mentioned before, but what about IndyCar having a second race on the oval at IMS as the season finale?

It could be held mid-September, and on a Saturday so as not to clash with the NFL. To make it unique from the 500, have it as maybe a 300-miler, and with no qualifying. Instead, have the starting grid in reverse order of the points standings, and only the cars that ran the full schedule.

I think it would be well-attended, and maybe provide some half-decent prize money for the teams heading into the off-season. What do you think?

Jim, Ontario, Canada

MP: I know it has been suggested and shot down. I know NASCAR races at Daytona after its 500 and it has never felt right, just as a 12 Hours of Le Mans or Indy 300 doesn’t sit right with me. Sometimes keeping things that are truly special in a position to be truly special is OK.

Q: Regardless of discipline, I’ll hear much talk of ‘grooves’ during an oval race. What dictates a track having one, two or X grooves?

Bernard, TX

MP: In IndyCar, grooves are lanes where rubber is ground into the track surface and acts like an adhesive for the tires when they’re in contact and provide ample grip. If drivers are consistently running in two lanes, you’ll get two rubber-related grooves, and so on.

Q: The drumbeat about David Malukas replacing Will Power gets louder and louder. This started even before the season; I suspect this change was in place as soon as Lil’ Dave signed the Foyt contract. I don’t think team owners and sponsors wait this long to make major contract decisions, especially with someone of Will’s stature in the sport. You’ve reported that Verizon loves Will. Does Will take Verizon elsewhere? Where does this leave Myles Rowe, who I thought would take Will’s place?

During an interview after Friday practice, Malukas had his left hand wrapped up. Is this new, or residual effects from prior injuries?

Ed, Jersey

MP: Written here a dozen times that the contract was signed with Penske, so no doubt, a change has been on the clock the entire time, just as the right timing has also been a topic of great interest. Verizon isn’t Will’s to take. If the company wants to follow him, I’m sure they will. Myles’ future has yet to be decided; I asked CEO Mark Miles about this a week ago and it’s still TBD.

David told us in an interview this year that his wrist injuries are permanent.

Q: I’m sure inside a fire suit it has to feel like 150 degrees. But drivers in all forms and classes, instead of unzipping and stripping, are keen to keep their suits up and even the neck flap secured. Other than to make sure not to cover a sponsor, is there a different reason? 

Lazarus, Jefferson MO

MP: If I understand the question, it’s the same reason firefighters don’t unzip and strip their fireproof clothing down while fighting fires.

Q: I was surprised that there were no comments about the two commercials featuring Rossi and Rasmussen during the Laguna Seca race. They were great and instantly reminded me of  the Zanardi/Vasser commercials from the ‘Good Old Days’. Bravo to whomever got those on the air. 

Also, thanks to the editors for the photo of Jarno Trulli developing the prototype of the HANS device! 

Ed Kelly, Los Angeles

MP: Definite Target vibe. I believe those got on air through the spending of money, which networks welcome, so everything’s working as intended. I keep waiting for someone to send in a question asking Mailbag editor Mark Glendenning to explain his Trulli obsession.

Q: No real question today but I wanted to share and bring wider attention to this devastating news.

This weekend a fire destroyed the base of the Power Max Racing (PMR) team (and associated business) in the British Touring Car Championship. PMR are one of the smallest teams on the grid but have some of the best engineers in the series, and even managed to grab a win (in cars that were built in 2017) this season. This is shocking and sad news.

I wanted to share with the wider racing community to aid in their recovery . I’ll miss those old Vauxhall Astras tearing it about our British race tracks, they were iconic.  

If there is anything people, the U.S. race teams etc, could do, I’m sure they’d be more than grateful. 

Dan Mayhew, UK

MP: Thanks, Dan. [ED: An associate of team owner Adam Weaver has since started a gofundme campaign to help the team rebuild.]

Fire completely destroyed BTCC privateer team PMR’s headquarters, but the team will compete at this weekend’s round at Knockhill with two borrowed cars. Image via Adam Weaver/Facebook

Q: With the advent of the charter and ‘closed’ model in IndyCar, it feels like more teams and talented drivers are being left on the outside looking in.

At the same time, there’s arguably a missing rung on the ladder between Indy NXT – which is essentially an F3-level series – and the full IndyCar grid.

The solution: Let the DW12 live on after 2027 in a new series called ‘Indy Lights’ that slots between NXT and the big cars.

This could serve multiple purposes:

It would add another quality support series to IndyCar weekends, delivering more value for fans. With a robust chassis and aeroscreen, we could also see a rebirth of the Freedom 100 with an increased talent level and safety. 

It would provide a high-level single-seater category for drivers who are too advanced for Indy NXT, but either not quite ready for IndyCar or lack the budget to compete there – essentially IndyCar’s answer to NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.

With so many DW12 chassis already in existence, and their tooling and development costs long since covered, Dallara could likely supply and support them at a relative discount once the next-gen IndyCar car debuts.

Pair those with detuned engines that have longer rebuild intervals to keep costs down, and secure a TV package (maybe with Fox), and you could have a sustainable, commercially viable series that benefits drivers, teams, and fans alike.

The notion of seeing a Devlin De Francesco, Sting Ray Robb , Jacob Abel (drivers with more budget than talent) vs Linus Lundqvist , Lochie Hughes , Michael D’Orlando (talented drivers without  or limited budget ) Myles Rowe, Josh Pierson (drivers with talent that need more seasoning) and maybe some old veterans who have lost a step but are still good (Marco Andretti, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Hinch, Conor Daly) could be a really fun series. 

Jah in the ATL

MP: I pitched the same thing to former IndyCar president Jay Frye. An IndyCar B Series which races on Saturdays at select events. No changes – same cars – so teams can run their extra DW12s and make a profit while giving the B-level drivers a place to continue their open-wheel dreams without being wholly spat out by the main series.

If a kid, or a veteran trying to find their way back, happens to stand out, just as you see in some secondary stick-and-ball leagues where a star gets an invite to try out in the NFL/NBA/etc., even better.    

Q: Fox’s first broadcast as a [part] owner of IndyCar and the race is pushed back 15 minutes and 45 minutes for coverage on the main channel… to continue showing golf.

Why make this decision/not shift golf coverage? I feel it implies the series is bush league.

Atilla Veyssal, West Allis, WI

MP: Why continue featuring a sport with a match in play that’s way more popular than IndyCar? Nothing implied. Just facts. Bump the less popular thing, not the other way around. It’s frustrating. But pissing off the bigger audience who’s been there watching the big draw to favor the smaller audience while the end of the match is nearing would be a bad call by any network.

Q: My Dad dabbled lightly (very lightly!) in buying stock. Since he was a loyal GM employee, that’s where most of his investment went. My parents passed on in the late 1990s, and I inherited their stock. Unfortunately, most of it turned to dust with GM’s bankruptcy in 2009. I was kind of glad that Dad wasn’t around to see that debacle.

Anyway, one of his stocks was some sort of hybrid: part GM and part Hughes (as in Howard Hughes) Corporation. This became known as Hughes Electronics. I don’t follow the market at all, but I don’t think that stock was affected by the bankruptcy. It began to split and merge with, or buy, other companies. I couldn’t even begin to follow the ins and outs of these various sales, buyouts, and mergers.   

Whenever I received a notice that a different company had been formed or purchased, they always wanted to know if I would rather sell my stock or receive stock in the new company. Since I had no money of my own involved in it (it was inherited), I always chose to get shares of the new company. By doing so, I now own stock in several different companies. We even have a few shares of the Walt Disney Company! 

What I’m getting at is that one of the stocks I wound up owning was News Corporation, which, I think, became, or now owns, Fox. The same company that recently bought one-third of Penske Entertainment, right? So, I think, that in some convoluted way, I actually own a very tiny part of IMS! Am I wrong? 

On a related subject: After Mr. Penske purchased IMS, I wish that he had set aside a small percentage (maybe 10 or 15%) of IMS stock for fans to buy. Maybe limit sales to five shares to one person or something similar, to keep the big companies out.

In this way, a fan could have an IMS Stock Certificate to frame and hang on their wall. Something tangible to give as a gift or pass down to the next generation. I’ll bet the track could make a bundle selling these stock certificates! Who wouldn’t want to own part of the track, as a shareholder? 

Jack, Avon

MP: You are indeed an owner of IndyCar. That’s a lovely idea about shares for fans.

A teeny tiny piece of this could be yours if Jack’s idea gets traction. Paul Hurley/IMS

Q: As I sit and watch this year’s race in Portland, I hope it can stay on the schedule.

You’ve indicated in the past that the team owners would not be heartbroken to see Portland fall off the calendar. I see Portland as a race worth saving. Portland gives IndyCar a market in the PNW that other series do not have. Having last attended the race in ’22, the track does need to invest in some upgrades, but I think it needs a date change more than anything.

I would love to see it align with the Rose Festival again but, I don’t know about that June date ever becoming a reality. Do you think Portland is worth saving, and what needs to happen?

Steve, Chico, CA

MP: From a sentimental perspective, oh yes, I want Portland to stay. But if we’re basing its place on the calendar using attendance, those helicopter and drone shots showed too many empty grandstand seats on Sunday. Thankful for the great fans who showed up, just as we are for the good folks who turned up for Iowa, but there’s no credible argument to make that IndyCar is truly thriving in the PNW. It’s existing, but not rising.

Always open to a date change, but I can’t think of any major local conflicts last weekend that would have drawn people away.  

Q: There was no coverage of the Portland race in the Chicagoland area, including northwest Indiana on any Fox channel.

Fox showed the Bear’s first pre-season game, post-game then TMZ followed by some travel show. Nothing on FS1 or FS2.

We can chirp all we want about Fox being so great for IndyCar, but let’s get real. If the nation’s third-largest market in unimportant, than we have proof IndyCar is unimportant.

I am not going to chase anything around if I am led to believe I am unimportant. Many better things to do. I was a great Cubs fan until they started their own streaming network, and I haven’t seen a game since except for highlights on the evening news. I don’t miss them, either.

Treat your fans as unimportant, and you become irrelevant also. I’ll read in RACER who won later. By the way local news (Chicago) never shows IndyCar highlights either. 

Mark Schoonaert. Michigan City, IN

MP: Thanks for the report, Mark. Sounds like this was among the first boondoggles for IndyCar on FOX. 

Q: It was great to see Will Power continue to show he deserves a top ride in IndyCar. However, his post-race interview really sounded like Penske has made up his mind and is pushing Power out.

There are organizations across different sports that tend to push out performers before they decline. I can see that happening here, despite Will being the top performer the last two years. I guess I don’t see it as if I was working to turn my organization around, I’d want to keep my top-performing veteran. Any updates you can add, because we need Will and his loose fingers in the series.

P.S.: There is plenty of time for repairs to be made to the track before the Milwaukee Mile race. Just an insane amount of rain overnight.

John Balestrieri, Waukesha, WI

MP: Yeah, you could see the reality was setting in that it might have been the last win for Penske and possibly the last of his career. The step from a top team to a second-tier program hasn’t been kind for IndyCar drivers of late; Rosenqvist got a win at Ganassi, left for Arrow McLaren, and hasn’t won since. Rossi left Andretti, is on his second post-Andretti team and is winless as well. Same for Ericsson after leaving Ganassi.

Our silly season piece from last week made it clear that RLL is waiting and hoping Power becomes available, but who knows if Power would want to take that step where so few elite drivers maintain their front-running existence. If that were to happen, maybe he’d be the first in a while – since Helio at Shank? – to hit victory lane after exiting a bigger program.

Q: During his post-win interview with Jack Harvey, Will Power had the nostalgic attitude of someone who won’t be with Penske in 2026.

Any updates from the weekend?

Kyle

MP: No news. But those Gallagher Insurance colors normally found on McLaughlin’s car that were worn on the Foyt/Penske Malukas car sure were pretty… 

Malukas was doing his best Scott McLaughlin impersonation in Portland. Chris Owens/IMS

Q: So happy to see Will Power get the victory this weekend.  If this is indeed his swansong with Team Penske, what a nice way to go out… lead driver on the team.  Palou is champion again, but for me the day belong to Will

Two questions for your comment:

Did you hear anything on the non-call against Rasmussen? My view is that he started it all, but Daly leaned into it.  And ultimately, while Daly was slightly ahead in the turn that ended his race, I did not think he had a prayer of making the corner anyway because of the speed he was carrying and his line. Is that why there was a non-call? I was OK with, but I am concerned about letting the drivers have at it at those speeds.

Second, Andretti. The only team that tested in Portland, but was nowhere when it counted. They were fast when the track was green (like when they probably tested) and nowhere when it rubbered up. Michael has been pushed out  Is this Dan Towriss’ year of evaluation with a major overhaul in engineering, strategy, and operations for next year? I do have some insider information that has indicated to me that the difference between talent and discipline between Andretti and CGR is night and day. 

Jeff Smith, State College, PA

MP: The Andretti team had speed Saturday morning after rubber had been applied on Friday, as Herta demonstrated, then lost it in qualifying and couldn’t rediscover it in the race. I’d put that down to not learning what they needed on alternates on Friday, it rearing its head in qualifying, and the race turning into an alternate-fest only exacerbated the problems.

Look at what Ganassi’s engineers achieve with the three main cars and the two at MSR, and it’s just high-level achievement across the board. Luke Goldenstein, new to the modern CGR program as Simpson’s engineer, has been super-impressive as well.

Andretti’s engineering group is equally stacked with stars, so no, this isn’t a case where raw talent is the differentiator. We can say the same for Penske, etc. So it comes down to management, organization, budget, and creativity. You need excellence in every area, and even a hyper-wealthy team like Andretti can fall short if it’s missed in any of those categories.

Ganassi could take a step back next year if it misses any of the above, so I wouldn’t count anyone out.

On the Daly-Rasmussen affair, IndyCar’s race control team has refused to play the role of parents setting expectations for conduct among its drivers. There is no established bar that has been implemented to curb bad behavior and send messages. It’s strictly ruling on matters as they happen using the rule book or opinion, and creating a culture of letting drivers handle things among themselves on track.

Where this needs a big rethink is in the lack of messages it sends to not only the IndyCar field, but junior drivers in all the training categories. Run a rival off into the dirt? No penalty and no problem. The angry driver who got run off retaliates by hitting the offending driver from behind? No penalty and no problem. The angry driver and the original offender play chicken at the fastest corner, make contact for the third time in 90 seconds, and one slams into the barriers at a huge rate of speed? No penalty and no problem.

It’s thinking micro when big-picture thinking and actions are required.

If a driver punched another driver on pit lane, I’m sure there would be a big penalty and fine for conduct unbecoming, sullying the series’ reputation, etc. Do the same thing, but in a race car going 50, 100, or 170mph, and it’s no penalty and no problem. Wish I could see what I’m missing.

Q: Congratulations to Alex Palou on winning his fourth IndyCar Series title. He only needs to win three more titles to tie AJ Foyt’s record, which he’ll do under the age of 40.
After watching Christian Rasmussen knock Conor Daly off the track, I’m wondering when will there be a change in the IndyCar officiating, because if that was very dangerous. If that was me that he did that to, I would be swinging fists at him after the race.

Alistair, Springfield, MO 

MP: Could be as early as next year. 

Q: I’m having a real hard time jumping onto the ‘yay Fox’ bandwagon. The start of the Laguna race was delayed for most of an hour due to another broadcast running long, and that cut off the last six laps of the race. No pre-race or post-race coverage.

For the Portland race, men’s golf OT burned most of the first hour, the coverage started on lap seven, and ended with 10 laps to go!

If this is the new partner for coverage, it’s not going to help draw new fans!

Pretty disappointed Seattle fan

MP: Looks like this wasn’t the first and wasn’t limited to Illinois. 

Q: Can you explain how getting a tow from an IndyCar works as an advantage when so many times we hear about the problems of being behind a car in ‘dirty air’?

It seems like on one hand being behind a car can pull the trailing car while at the same time it creates problems. 

On a lighter note, a perhaps Biblical comparison. I’ve been a Colton Herta fan since he joined the series and have a theory about some of his problems. Just like when Delilah cut Samson’s hair and he lost his strength, I wonder if Colton started slipping when he cut his long flowing locks so much shorter. Might have been a jealous competitor sneaking into his RV at night with a sharp pair of snips

Tom Aust, Reno

MP: Herta needs to go full JR Hildebrand and start rocking the Pit Lane Jesus locks.

Tows: If you’re close enough it acts like a slingshot, which is good. If you’re not, you sit in the most turbulent air as it comes off the leading car and it destabilizes the front of your car and makes for inconsistent front downforce, which makes passing very hard and can ruin your front tires. 

There’s a fine line between getting a helpful tow and a mess of turbulence. Karl Zemlin/IMS

Q: As a man with exceptional access within the paddock, can you please suggest to Mike Hull and Palou’s  management that Alex has a go at the Chili Bowl like Santino Ferrucci and Katherine Legge? Or Pikes Peak like Justin Wilson and Honda were planning, and Katherine has done? Hopefully he might try both!

Here’s to an exceptional talent. We are lucky to have him in IndyCar, so thanks, Piastri, for signing with McLaren.

Oliver Wells

MP: I love that idea. Been trying to find the in-car Justin sent me from testing the ARX-04a at Pikes Peak International Raceway when the motor grenaded… he was amused. 

Q: Boo to FOX for gushing all over Palou and leaving Power in Victory Lane. Everyone knew Palou would be champion at this race. No news there. The bigger story was Power’s win and lack of a contract going into next year. So we get a recorded short interview from Jack Harvey, and then back to more of Palou.

Jeff, Colorado

MP: I was on pit lane to interview Barry Wanser and then went to victory lane and didn’t get to see the broadcast and its handling of the winner vs. champ treatment.

Q: Actions really do speak louder than words, and Rasmussen/Daly was IndyCar’s ‘Boys, have at it moment. But do you think FOX Sports and the series were in on it from early in their deal, implicitly or explicitly? 

Either side could have broached the subject, it doesn’t really matter, and the attitude of ‘wreckin’ is ratings’ need be no more than a nudge and a wink. My first whiff of the smell came when Will Power drilled Kyle Kirkwood during practice and Race Control sat silent. Now we’ve seen a could-have-been-deadly incident that an official at a club race would have called (overtaking car was ahead of other car’s front axle, etc.).

‘Causing a collision’ and ‘forcing another car off the track’ are foundational to rules-based racing in which the safety of everyone involved is paramount. Leeway for interpretation is also important, which is why the police don’t spend every minute of their shift handing out tickets to idiot motorists. Now that the on-track lawlessness has gone too far it’s time for non-ratings-based thinking.

PS: Other drivers doing a Grosjean on Rasmussen is not the answer because this problem is more about officiating.

Richard, Vancouver

MP: No, I don’t think FOX and IndyCar were complicit in these two running into each other. 

Q: What happened on Ericsson’s first pit stop? He fell out of the top 10 and never recovered. On the IndyCar app I saw his stop take a long time, but I couldn’t get to his radio or video in time.

Atilla Veyssal

MP: The team says it had an ‘equipment issue’ on the stop. Wheel gun, air hose, refueling probe, or airjacks. 

Q: I am sure this is one of many letters regarding the incident between Daly and Rasmussen. While the overhead replay of the crash seemed conclusive that Rasmussen took too much curb and pushed wide into Daly, I can be talked into not having a conclusive look to generate a penalty. 

However, two laps before that when Daly was fully alongside on the outside and both went off, I don’t understand why that isn’t a penalty?  Daly did not initiate any contact from the outside and Rasmuessen forced Daly off track (along with himself, but that’s irrelevant).

I would love to have a better understanding of what went on with those decisions, because I am absolutely baffled.

Ryan, West Michigan

MP: We share the same desire in having a better understanding. Soon after this incident took place, I expressed my desire to speak with someone from race control once the race was over and was told it would not be happening. 

Q: Will Power is my favorite driver in IndyCar. He is as determined and skilled as any driver that’s ever raced in the series. He’s personable and respected by the drivers, and always gives straight answers when asked by the tv people. He even stopped his scooter to talk to me while I was roaming the Mid-Ohio paddock a few years back.

So how is it that Sunday’s race winner, two-time series champion, Indy 500 winner, and all time pole winner hasn’t been offered a new contract by Penske?

They have had an extremely off year, yet Power just got their only win and leads Newgarden and McLaughlin in points.

My second question is about Verizon. Do they have any say in Will Power’s contract, or are they only tied to the team and not who drives the car? If Will is gone and can’t get a ride for next year, it will be a mistake by Penske and a loss of one of the greatest drivers in series history. 

Rick Schneider, Charlotte

MP: Something doesn’t make sense, that’s for sure. Verizon can certainly express its preference, but I doubt Penske would concede complete control to a sponsor on driver selection.

Q: I’ve heard plenty about how the oval-spec front wing on the 2018-spec aerokit is inefficient and therefore making the racing worse. This wouldn’t be a problem if the manufacturer aerokits were still around, so why did they do away? Was it a safety issue? A cost issue? It feels like a great solution to make the cars all look a little bit different from each other and get crazy looking and high performing cars.

I’ve heard some old rumors that the engine formula for 2028 will be spec and the ‘manufacturers’ will just throw their name on the side of the engine. If that were to happen, bringing back aerokits would allow the manufacturers to still differentiate themselves, just at a lower cost. I wasn’t a diehard follower of IndyCar at that time (I’m only 24) but I think about the aerokit era often.

Blake

MP: And bless your heart for having an interest in the oft-forgotten aero kit era. I have an ambition to write a book about that era because it was just an amazing thing to experience from development through its conclusion.

Costs were indeed the cause of the era’s end, along with the failure to attract other manufacturers, which was another goal. It cost a ton each year for Chevy and Honda while doing nothing that improved the quality of racing or brought prosperity for the series. From a technical side, those of us who live for such things loved it, but too few people showed an interest to warrant its survival.

The next engine formula won’t be spec. The aero kit budgets rivaled the annual engine development costs; there was nothing about them that involved lower costs! 

The manufacturer areo kit era was wild. Brian Cleary/Getty Images

Q: I guess if you give a concentration camp a cute name like ‘Speedway Slammer’, people won’t think it’s a concentration camp. It’s a concentration camp. Unless Penske and Fox are pro-concentration camp they need to do more than just “distance” themselves. A cease and desist letter followed by a lawsuit would be appropriate. If not it’s just a signal that they condone the name and then they are complicit.

Also, What’s wrong with NJMP? Is there a specific reason you don’t like the track? When the IndyCar support series ran there I thought it was pretty good racing.

Dave

MP: I do my best to be a realist, Dave. Penske is well known for his support of President Trump. He received the Medal of Freedom from President Trump in 2019, and had his team honored four months ago by President Trump at the White House. I wouldn’t pretend to know his thoughts or feelings on the DHS post, but Penske is a supporter of the Republican party as his political donations suggest, supports President Trump, and everything represented in the DHS post is a keystone initiative by President Trump.

And that’s who Penske should challenge through his lawyers over a social media post that fully supports President Trump’s policies and wishes?

This was a move made by DHS with full intent, executed to a high level with the exact imagery and message it wanted to send, and when asked for comment, it effectively said to **** off and it wouldn’t be changing a thing.

I know there are lots of things Penske could do beyond the soft response it presented, but when I filter those possibilities through reality, I think anything other than what was done with the official statement is unrealistic. I’m not talking about right and wrong or anything else. Just being honest in what’s in front of our eyes with the parties you’ve mentioned.

Never said I didn’t like the NJMP track. I don’t care for its anonymity. When I was there covering Grand-Am Rolex Series races, it was a ghost town. I realize Grand-Am wasn’t the most popular series, but it was good racing, tickets were cheap, and pro racing was taking place in New Jersey. All good things. Except nobody seemed to care. And IndyCar doesn’t need to go to another track that can barely draw a crowd (I’m writing this while sitting inside Portland where the problem currently exists).

Q: I’ve seen numerous videos about the care that is taken (pumping hot oil and water into the block) in starting a Formula 1 engine for the first time. Is the same care taken in starting an IndyCar engine for the first time? If not, why not?

Also, we’ve seen cooling fans being stuffed into vents when Formula 1/IndyCars come into the pits to prevent overheating. When one of these cars has an issue on track that prevents it from being driven back to the pits, what harm is being done to the engine from the unavailability of cooling fans?

Mark, Bay St. Louis.

MP: Yes, each team has a warming device for the engines in IndyCar. And before it was a high-tech unit that was commercially available, we did things in simpler ways like pointing kerosene-fueled bullet heaters at the oil and water radiators, often with fabricated ducting to focus the heat onto the rads which in turned heated the fluids. I also worked for a team that used a heating element that was built into a threaded cap/plug for the oil tank in the bellhousing with the element’s electrical cord poking out of the top. We’d remove the standard cap, drop the element in, which went deep into the oil reservoir, thread it into place, plug in the cord, and let electricity to the job on the oil while using a bullet heater on the oil.

No harm. Just spiked temperatures, depending on the situation and duration of being uncooled, that could make returning to action a question mark. You get the cooling fans to bring temperatures down and ready the machine to go make more speed and heat. Sitting uncooled brings heatsoak, so it’s a question of what kind of temps are seen while sitting and what kind of cooling is needed to get the car back into a happy operating window. 

Q: We flew out to Milwaukee last year and had a fantastic time. We did not want to miss an opportunity to see IndyCars return to such an historic setting, but I came anticipating a dull show on and off-track. I could not have been happier to be wrong. Fan turnout, the unique and delightful atmosphere of the fairground midway, and the quality show put on by the IndyCar Series left us feeling enthused and looking forward to a return.

This being said, the lack of continual on-track activity left something to be desired, and there is a lot of room (figuratively as well as literally it seems) for growth of the event. Key word being ‘event’.

What do you know about the takeaways for the Milwaukee Mile and Penske Entertainment after the races last year? What are they hoping to build upon? What can we expect in 2025 and moving forward? Is there room for an article on these topics?

Kristopher Strebe, Seattle, WA

MP: It’s a great idea for an article. I spoke with Penske Corp. president Bud Denker a few hours after the race and he was elated with the outcome. I’ll see if I can get him for a few minutes to expound upon your points and answer some of the questions. Great track, city, and state. Need it to stay in our lives.

What did IndyCar learn from the 2024 Milwaukee event? Guess we’ll find out next week… Chris Jones/IMS

Q: The solution to the ludicrously long IMSA yellow flag periods seems simple to me. Yellow comes out – pits are closed. You can only pit under green. There you go, I solved the problem, right?

Steve, South Jersey

MP: Boom goes the dynamite.  

Q: I understand that only the 25 charter cars can compete for the 22 Leaders Circle payouts each year, but I’m interested in how the charter system might create motivations and opportunities for a team outside the charter system – for 2025, of course, that’s PREMA.

Let’s imagine a hypothetical scenario in which one or more of the PREMA cars finish at seasons end in position 22 or better. They won’t be eligible for a Leaders Circle payout but does that strong finish entitle them somehow to acquire a charter from a chartered team that finished outside the top 25?

Stated differently, is there some mechanism by which the charters will migrate to the stronger teams?

In this hypothetical scenario, could a Leaders Circle payout go to a team that finished 23rd or lower because a non-chartered team bumped them out of the Leaders Circle?  Stated differently, will there be 22 Leaders Circle payouts no matter what?  

Tom, Elgin, IL

MP: As I’ve understood it, no, there’s no mechanism for a non-charter team to take a charter from of a team that misses the top-22 Leaders Circle cutoff. But, I do recall something like this being discussed as the charter was being developed. I wonder if it could make an appearance whenever the next version of the charter is written.

Yes, the Leaders Circle pays out to the top 22 finishers in the Entrants’ championship who possess charters. If a PREMA entry finishes 22nd in the Entrants’ standings, for example, the next-best entry with a charter would get the 22nd and last Leaders Circle contract. 

Q: Back in the day, Lola submitted a competing design to the Dallara DW12. The Lola design still  looks current (F1-style front wings and the way air is channeled to the floor and diffuser). Minus the swan neck for the rear wing and halo/aeroscreen, it has all the boxes checked. IndyCar couldn’t go wrong by dusting off some of the Lola’s styling cues for the next chassis.

Jonathan and Cleide Morris, Ventura, CA

MP: Preach! 

Q: There seems to be overwhelming support for the Fox ownership stake. Am I missing something or is being part owned by a linear TV network a problem?

Linear TV is not what it once was and isn’t coming back. The major streamers are increasingly dipping their toes into big sports properties like NFL, English Premier League soccer, NASCAR etc with great success… presumably IndyCar can’t be on said platforms? It feels inevitable that F1 will end up on Apple or Prime in the next few years.

Is this a case of Roger wanting to recoup his losses post-COVID and secure a broadcast partner long-term in light of some very flat viewing figures? I’m struggling to see this as a great deal. It looks great for today, but not necessarily for tomorrow. As always, I’m here to be corrected by those more informed than me. 

Please tell me Will Power has a ride for 2026? It’s August and the silence worries me. 

John 

MP: It’s a great deal because IndyCar has a new co-owner that wants to use its considerable might to make the series far bigger than what it is today. IndyCar has spent decades hoping someone or something would take a big interest in it and try to make it more popular. That’s what Fox has done with the buy-in, and now needs to implement with actions to deliver.

I wrote about my concerns on the streaming side in last week’s Mailbag, so there’s no need to rehash all of it, but yes, as long as the upcoming Fox One streaming subscription service is the main way to get IndyCar via streaming, its growth outside of linear will be limited.

That is, of course, unless Fox One blows up into something with subscriber numbers that rival an Amazon Prime or Neflix or Hulu.  

Q: I am OK with Fox buying one-third ownership in the IndyCar Series and what they are doing to promote the series further. However, I am a bit taken back by their one-third ownership of the IMS. Do you see any good or bad with respect to Fox owning one-third of the Speedway? I could never see the France family selling one-third of Daytona to CBS or NBC.

Jerry, Houston

MP: I have no feeling for what the IMS side of the sale will look like. Use the infield to host a NCAA football game? Turn Turn 1 into a MLB stadium? Let’s get wild.  

Let’s go all the way and use the IMS infield for a USAC/MLB twin bill. Walt Kuhn/IMS

Q: I recently read about IndyCar rejecting the idea of NASCAR-style playoffs. I agree that IndyCar shouldn’t try to copy. With Fox buying a stake in IndyCar, now seems like a great time for IndyCar to do something really different.

My idea is for IndyCar to split into two leagues. Obviously not like the CART/IRL split, but like baseball’s National League and American League, etc. To avoid confusion with CART/IRL, let’s call them Divisions.

With the current 27 cars, that would be 13/14 cars per Division. That’s obviously not enough. But, I don’t think you need anywhere near 27 cars per field. Nobody cares about 25th or 26th place. I think 18 to 20 cars per field is all that’s needed.

You would have two parallel Division seasons, along with a few ‘interdivision’ races, including the Indy 500. At the end of the regular season, you would crown two Division Champions, and then have a handful of playoff races to determine an overall IndyCar Series Champion.

With two schedules, each Division could have fewer races per year, but IndyCar could still have overall just as many races. For example, a season could have each Division run six single Division races, three interdivision races, two playoff races for the top finishers, and one playoff race for bottom finishers. A team that ran all the possible races would run 11 races. Back marker teams that miss out on the 500 and full playoffs run 9 races. But, overall, IndyCar would run 18 races for the year.

Obviously, the interdivision races won’t run 36+ cars at once, but I think this presents opportunities to do something fun. For example, all cars could qualify on Friday with the top 10 cars from each Division going through to the main race on Sunday. The other cars could run a sprint race on Saturday. Points could be awarded so that the winner of the Saturday sprint race (or even podium) would earn as many points or more than the last place finisher(s) of the main race. Another possibility would be to have qualifying Friday and each Division run a sprint race on Saturday. The top 10 finishers from each of the Division sprint races would qualify for a main race on Sunday.

At the end of the ‘regular season’, two Division champs would be crowned. The top 10 teams from each Division would have a playoff for the overall IndyCar Series Champion. The bottom teams could run at least one playoff race to determine their final places in the standings. The points would be reset for the playoffs so that the two Division champs will start with equal points. Same for second, third, etc.

The points would be weighted so that the two champs would be given a clear points advantage, but especially the second and third place finishers aren’t so far off in points that if both Division Champs falter, there is the opportunity for them to claim the overall title.

Wouldn’t that be cool?

Wil Holtz, STL MO

MP: I love all of the thought you’ve put into this, Wil.

And I have perfect names for the two divisions:

The one where Pato races that gets all the fans turning up and the best TV audience numbers

And:

The other one where Pato doesn’t race that has no fans in person or watching the broadcasts

I say this having watched Pato come back from being weighed after the first session to be greeted by throngs of fans chanting his name like he was a rock star, and the crowd only grew larger as he posed for photos and signed autographs in front of the Arrow McLaren tent.

I also noticed his nice young teammate Nolan Siegel was 10 steps to the side of the Pato lovefest, in plain sight, and had two people talking to him compared to the 50-plus who were there for Pato. And this was on a Friday when few people were in attendance.

THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 14 August, 2019

Q: Could give us an explanation on dampers? I am 74 years of age, have followed IndyCar for at least as long as you have and I understand about springs and shocks, but what the heck are dampers? Thanks, always enjoy or videos, live Sports Gold appearances and your columns. Great job. Longtime fan.

Steve Smyser, Frendsville, TN

ROBIN MILLER: No Steve, I’m not nearly smart enough, but thankfully I’m friends with Craig Hampson, the respected engineer for Sebastien Bourdais, and he graciously responded to your request:

“A damper is a device which dissipates the energy of a vibration, specifically in our case the movement of the spring in the suspension. The damper slows the movement of the spring by converting the energy to heat – which is a by-product of squeezing oil through controlled holes or ports or gaps. ‘Shock absorber’ is more slang and the shock absorber is the damper, but more correctly the energy of the shock of going over the bump is “absorbed” and controlled by a combined unit of a coil spring plus the damper.

“Inerters are also a device to store and release suspension energy. In IndyCar, the inerter, if utilized, must be built inside of the shock absorber unit. A damper reacts to the velocity or the spring movement, while the inerter reacts to the acceleration of the spring, meaning its change in velocity.”

As usual, he took the words right out of my mouth. Thanks Craig.