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 embody a query usually tend to be revealed. Questions acquired after 3pm ET every Monday will likely be saved for the next week.
ED’s be aware: Submissions for this week’s Mailbag closed earlier than information broke of Jay Frye’s departure from IndyCar, however hold sending your letters in and Marshall will reply them subsequent week.
Q: It appears IndyCar is in its most precarious state of affairs because the darkish days of The Cut up.
In mild of latest information and public feedback, what are the percentages that Zak Brown companions with just a few different staff house owners (Andretti, MSR, Juncos?) and Liberty to create a rival collection that permits for a extra open growth idea/IMSA-style BOP? Race as a assist collection for all of F1’s Western Hemisphere stops and develop a standalone calendar for the remainder of the 12 months. If the collection elects to be dedicated to street and avenue programs, it might take a Superformula tub, permit for restricted growth with an engine BOP and create a very compelling and quick system.
They might take off the month of Could to nonetheless run Indy in RP’s collection, however a breakaway collection in a three way partnership with Liberty Media influenced by the CART/Champ Automobile ethos might be a breath of contemporary air.
What do you assume?
Jah from the ATL
MARSHALL PRUETT: By way of 2024, I had a single staff proprietor inform me they had been retaining a agency eye on Penske Leisure’s selections and actions within the subsequent 12 months or two as a result of if issues didn’t enhance in a wide range of areas, they’re ready to depart IndyCar on the finish of the present chassis/engine system. That proprietor was an outlier on the time.
I’ve had a second proprietor say the identical factor in the previous few weeks — fearing they may want to drag out of IndyCar and discover a extra purposeful group to race inside — which implies it’s not only one proprietor considering this, however two.
Or, extra precisely, two who’re snug sufficient with their very actual issues to share these ideas with me on background. My worry is there’s greater than two. I’ve had a 3rd say successfully the identical issues as the opposite two, however I didn’t consider them. They sounded extra like they had been saber rattling greater than suggesting a critical factor they might do.
What you get from Penske Leisure is identical “The whole lot Is Superior” routine, however I simply don’t know in the event that they notice how the ice is thinning.
As for groups and Liberty beginning a breakaway collection, I can’t see it.
Penske owns or controls nearly the entire marquee tracks, and most groups can barely afford to compete at the moment with previous vehicles and an array of popular-ish tracks. Shedding most of these venues and needing to pay for brand spanking new vehicles and engines can be a again breaker until an fool with a spare $100,000,000 in hand was discovered who needed to fund it.
Leaving IndyCar isn’t going to assist the collection in any approach, clearly, but it surely’s Penske’s job to strike the proper stability between budgetary wants and return on funding as a way to fulfill and hold the opposite 10 groups. Penske has a product to promote and it’s actually costly and, relying on choose take by some groups or producers, is getting near being unworthy of shopping for within the coming years.
Deliver again The Cut up! Maria Grady/Motorsport Photos
Q: Whereas there are many issues IndyCar wish to do to make the collection extra fashionable and flashy, we’ve mentioned advert nauseum why a lot of these are tough or rattling close to unimaginable. It actually irks me, although, when there are easy issues that wouldn’t value the collection a lot, however would make large strides in direction of making it appear like it belongs in 2025.
I might listing a number of, however right here’s one which not solely irritates the crap out of me, however one which might be mounted proper now: the shortage of a cellular model of its web site. Once I go to IndyCar’s web site on my telephone (Android right here, so I can’t communicate to Apple customers), I get the total web-based web site. There are elements of the location I can’t even entry as a result of the location is designed for a monitor, not a small display. This expertise is sufficient to make me go away the location after about 5 seconds, and I’d guess my backside Dallara that I’m not the one one.
Cellular-based looking has been round for just a few many years now, and after I see a web site that doesn’t work on my telephone, my first thought is, “Who’re these rinky-dink people who find themselves residing at the hours of darkness ages?” Often it’s native companies or websites which have been dormant since Danica Patrick was shilling for GoDaddy, not a top-tier racing collection. Frankly, it’s embarrassing, and it doesn’t make the collection appear skilled or technically superior.
So, within the immortal phrases of Scotty Mac, get amongst it women and gents! We would have to attend just a few years for different expertise to get an replace, however this isn’t a brand new system. It’s a web site. The house owners needn’t log off on it, it shouldn’t value an enormous sum of money, however the dividends it will pay are properly definitely worth the effort.
Dave, North Carolina
MP: I’m advised a brand-new IndyCar.com web site is about to go stay. I’ll exit on a ledge and recommend IndyCar’s web site will likely be optimized for cellular looking, as a result of if it’s not, why hassle?
Q: Seeing the Josef Newgarden Indy industrial proper earlier than the halftime celebrations on the Tremendous Bowl was superior. I hope IndyCar was capable of get loads of publicity contemplating FOX spent a fairly penny. Will we count on to see different drivers featured in a industrial sooner or later? Or is FOX staying with the Josef, Pato and Alex commercials?
Good-looking Jo
MP: Sooner or later, sure. Within the close to future, no. These are the three fundamental driver options for the season, as I’m advised by FOX Sports activities. I don’t know what they’re, however I’m additionally advised that different, non-driver promos are within the works, and we are able to assume the Indy 500 will likely be an enormous a part of these efforts, together with launching the season at St. Pete and settling the championship late within the 12 months.
