Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers could 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: I used to be listening to Marshall’s Week in IndyCar podcast and had a lightweight bulb go on. For the reason that house owners 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 workforce will pay a one-time entry charge to enter the collection. Not less than 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 could possibly be taken — bought at a hard and fast value — if these worst-performing constitution entries have been overwhelmed 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 all the time been a fan of American open-wheel racing since I can recall, it has all the time been my favourite sport and I’m in my 60s. I want the collection 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’ve got 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 Method Atlantic and Indy Lights when his profession was winding down. Received to see loads of his drives and all the time appreciated how such a small particular person might wield such massive automobiles with nice velocity. 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 industrial “Unstoppable Goals,” that includes varied 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. However it’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 collection to contemplate to make use of in its massive adverts to try to promote automobiles, and contemplating the booming U.S. recognition of F1 lately, I can’t think about a situation the place Honda’s advertising executives would approve the much less standard collection for the adverts.
Additionally, why would Honda use an advert to trace at something? It informed IndyCar round this time final yr, right here on RACER.com, that the collection 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 collection.
Q: A lot of discuss IndyCar and a race in Mexico. I attended the Champ Automobile race in 2007. Each Mario Dominguez and David Martinez have been flying the flag for Mexican followers. The circuit was packed, and from that have I consider a race organizer would be capable of 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 can be very completely different. I really feel all of the substances are there for a profitable IndyCar race in 2026. Right here is hoping others agree.
PS: Deliver again the Peraltada!
Oliver Wells
MP: Fully agree on the previous last flip at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez; the Peraltada was scary-fast.
Nelson Piquet’s Williams FW11 regarded fairly properly planted via the Peraltada in 1986 – which was simply as properly when you think about how little runoff was out there if one thing went unsuitable… Motorsport Photographs
Q: I’ve been listening to rumors in regards to the Iron Dames switching to Porsche for WEC and IMSA subsequent yr, and with Michelle Gatting and Celia Martin sampling a Mathey Porsche within the Bahrain rookie check, it seems like these rumors are fairly robust. Nonetheless, with their affiliation with Iron Lynx and subsequently Lamborghini (because the workforce that runs the Lambo GTP), would there be any pushback there from Lamborghini in opposition to them switching? Is the Iron Dames undertaking affiliated/funded/supported by extra than simply Iron Lynx?
They’ve way more success with the Porsche in ELMS, and as an Iron Dames fan, I might like to see them change.
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 change to Porsche.
The Iron Lynx website is in a manufacturing unit association with Lamborghini, with PREMA Racing serving because the operational layer, and if they continue to be underneath contract, I’d anticipate to see GT3 and GTP automobiles from the Italian model underneath their tent. However I’ve been listening to for a couple of months that, at the very least on the GTP facet, 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 return again on the IndyCar schedule? If that’s the case, would the superspeedway race be at risk? Might 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 suppose it has a future past 2025? And if that’s the case, would it not be attainable to take away or attempt to scrape off the bump between Turns 3 and 4 that triggered 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 gentle decline.” I used to be shocked by this, since these are all comparatively new additions to the schedule. However most of all, this jogs my memory of the TMS scenario, particularly WWTR. So, right here once more, do you suppose these venues have a future with IndyCar? Which do you suppose could possibly 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 possible 2026 race. Will these discussions be particularly in regards to the Mexico Metropolis monitor? Might there be different candidates, corresponding 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 can be Puebla as a result of it’s an oval; however Monterrey is Pato’s hometown, in order that one can be an prompt sellout. Which one can be your decide and which do you suppose is the almost definitely to occur?
Xavier
MP: The promoter and Nashville Speedway signed a multi-year deal, so IndyCar’s season finale will probably be held on the oval, not the streets of Nashville, for the foreseeable future. If the return to the speedway in 2025 is simply pretty much as good or higher than what we had in September, I believe the talks of returning to the streets will probably be forgotten. Plus, all the groups and drivers I spoke with in Nashville beloved ending the season on an oval, and that isn’t more likely to change.
On the second level, needless to say at virtually each occasion on the IndyCar calendar (excluding those owned/promoted by Penske Leisure, or the place Penske co-promotes, or rents the power to placed on a race), the collection’ proprietor will get paid $1 million or extra to seem on the Laguna Secas and Portlands, which is a big earnings generator.
Which means Penske is usually in a quagmire over whether or not to prioritize earnings over look whereas wanting weak at poorly attended occasions like Laguna and Portland, or to jettison a number of the weak occasions and attempt to improve viewers dimension and earnings 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 likely one of the West Coast stops can be trimmed if a sacrifice was required. WWTR’s shrinking viewers isn’t nice, however IndyCar isn’t trying 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 in regards to the GP circuit. However I’d reasonably see IndyCar go to someplace that’s distinctive to IndyCar. How a few Mexico Metropolis avenue race?
