Welcome to the RACER mailbag. Questions for RACER’s writers can be sent to: mailbag@racer.com. We welcome your comments and opinions, but letters with questions are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3:00 PM EST each Monday will be saved for the following week.
Q: Are JHR’s VeeKay seats an upgrade from the coin everyone said HR was headed for before the dominoes started falling?
oh steve
Marshall Pruett: Not really. That’s why the JHR team went after VeeKay and tried to use his talents to turn the team into a better version. He has been very impressive at Dale Coyne Racing, which apparently caught the attention of JHR co-owner and financier Brad Hollinger and Ricardo Juncos, who was integral to VeKay’s development on the open-wheel ladder before Hollinger arrived in 2021.
It will be interesting to see how VeKay fares at JHR without Savant Race Engineer and Technical Director Michael Cannon, who was the other half of the equation at Coin. By the way, Michael, congratulations on your induction into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame.
Q: Thank you for answering Jerry from Houston’s question last week regarding driver pay. Specifically, how will drivers who pay to sit in their seats be compensated?
A few years ago, I helped fund an up-and-coming driver who was Pro 2000 at the time. I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes happenings detailed in your well-explained answer. I’m not really asking a question here, but I’m repeating your answer and pointing out the ignorance or naivety of a lot of negative online chatter stating that some drivers are just there for the “dad” or family’s money (I’m not insulting anyone, just pointing out a general lack of understanding).
While this money part applies to some people (and these drivers are actually talented), others have to endure all the scenarios you describe. For families that aren’t super wealthy, if the kids are good enough, it’s common for them to climb the ladder to the point where they’ve already mortgaged their home. If parents and children manage to come up with the funds needed to continue, and one or all of the situations you describe happen to them, the outcome usually has a major impact on the season, with teams being forced to make cuts or scrambling to find new funds to keep their seats. Add to this that drivers who do not belong to the very wealthy family category are usually in smaller teams that are more in need of resources than larger teams.
The bottom line is that it will be very difficult to be competitive in a highly competitive series where 0.010 seconds is important and the goal is to be above mid-pack and above 15th place (above the paid driver group). The reality is that it comes down to money/resources, and in the long run that’s what builds a top-notch team. Smaller, younger teams fight harder to maintain and build their programs, not just on race day, but every year. Needless to say, every other team, big or small, is doing the exact same thing. The more I learn, the more I appreciate it.
Finally, RACER, thank you Robin for your final words. We all need a “slap in the face” from time to time (or two).
zenith
MP: I was working my way up the racing ladder as a mechanic, so I mainly worked with paid drivers, which is normal. We love the kids who get pumped up through the USF Championship and Indy NXT, but 99 percent of them ride cars that are paid for by friends and family with personal funds, proceeds from businesses run by parents or friends of family, or other methods designed to pay teams from the hundreds of thousands of dollars required at the USF2000 level to the more than $1 million per season required for NXT.
Only in the rarest of scenarios can you find a child sitting in a team-funded pre-IndyCar seat. This means that the “Daddy’s Money” tag is worn or was worn at some point by nearly every driver known today in IndyCar, NASCAR, F1, etc. But the difference here is that in the IndyCar example, some of the paying drivers graduate by buying seats, running at the back of the field, and no longer being seen as anything more than a walking paycheck.
They have value in an economic sense, and thanks to them, teams that are unaccustomed to finding full sponsors to finance all their cars can rely on part or all of their budgets brought in by paying drivers. Those teams can employ 12 to 20 people related to that driver’s entry, and it is often the most significant contribution made by the majority of paying drivers.
The income from these drivers helps dozens of people support their families and send their children to school. I was in that situation once when I was on an IndyCar crew, and it’s soul-sapping, but it also hopefully inspires you to do better, aim higher, or look outside the sport for something more fulfilling.
But there’s no denying how strange and inappropriate it is to look at the 27 IndyCar entries (we call them teams) individually and think that at least two or three of those 27 drivers are only in the series because they were bought into their ability to be in the game. That means if the funding runs out, they’re immediately taken out of the series.
Can you imagine two or three of the NFL’s 32 teams having quarterbacks on the field just because they’re paying millions of dollars to play the game? That’s a ridiculous concept in a stick-and-ball sport, but not in professional racing. This is nothing new, of course, but when the three drivers who finished last in the championship were paid drivers, like in IndyCar in 2025, it’s understandable why some people don’t like the look of it.
This could be you! (for the price). Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Q: It says Will Power is under contract with Penske through January. What are his limitations and limitations when it comes to any kind of involvement or interaction with the Andretti organization?
Will he have any interaction with his new team?
Steve, Chapel Hill, NC
MP: Will has not sent me the Penske contract for review, so I can only depart from generalities. He has a non-compete clause, meaning he cannot sign with a new employer until the agreed-upon expiration of his exclusive rights to Penske. There are no plans with Andretti. No simulator time or Andretti/Honda testing required. No data or setup reviews by Andretti. Hanging out at Andretti’s store or interacting with the crew is prohibited. All of these things are prohibited by contract until the non-compete period ends.
But they’re all followed based on the honor system, right? When I read the history of past bans, I always wonder how teams that have drivers, engineers, and managers during the ban can monitor the communications of those who are supposed to be stuck during the blackout period.
In a world of VPNs and burner phones, how can you stop Team At the very least, they hire people to take photos and videos of each other’s cars and compare and contrast their chassis setup choices with their own cars.
Is it really that strange to suggest that, while teams are investing in monitoring each other on the course, some teams may also invest in measures to hide and protect their communications off the course? Here’s what you might be wondering during the off-season…
Q: Will there be anything read into the car livery during testing? For example, will Marcus test the No. 12 car with an unsponsored Penske wrap or Palou test the all-black No. 10 car? You could say that Palou was wearing a traditional DHL race suit. Can you tell us anything from the coloring used in the test?
joey florida
MP: Nothing. This is the time when each team looks for sponsors, makes plans with the sponsors they have, and considers which sponsors will ride their cars at specific events in 2026. Most of the 27 entries do not have a single annual sponsor, so it is rare to see a car during end-of-season testing with the same livery and logos that were on display to close out the championship.
Q: Why do you think Conor Daly has struggled to maintain consistency throughout his career? He obviously has a lot of talent and always looks like a threat at Indy, but here he is again – a proven driver at 33 years old without a ride.
In your opinion, what is the reason?
Looking back, what opportunities (if any) in the past could have or could have provided that would have improved the stability of his career?
Tom, Lake Forest
MP: He didn’t have a great reputation early in his career, being better known for having fun late into the night rather than living like crazy in the gym or shop like many of his contemporaries. It doesn’t matter if it’s completely accurate or natural. That’s Daly’s perception, stuck with too many team owners, and it definitely influenced his choice to drive for the best team.
On the track, he primarily drives in midfield outfits, which leads to midfield results except on ovals. He is considered an oval specialist, although this is inaccurate in that it is a complete complement of his skills, but that is also the reputation he receives, as the oval is where his best results are produced. The same goes for JR Hildebrand.
Connor and JR made a name for themselves with their outstanding performances in road racing prior to IndyCar, but it was on the ovals that both reached IndyCar where they stood out, and saw their chances dwindle as they were officially demoted to the status of ‘oval specialists’.
The JHR team was bad enough last season on 11 roads and streets, but with Connor he turned heads on six ovals. I’ve seen Daley do well on roads and streets in IndyCar in the past, and his JHR predecessor Romain Grosjean did well on many roads and streets in 2024. So I wasn’t surprised to see JHR take a step back in that category as the team went through two driver changes and a major change in the engineering group. It would be foolish to blame the team’s underwhelming road/street performance on Connor.
VeeKay will be working with the same group, who are currently in their second season, but they should come out stronger overall after applying what they learned from their hits and misses in 2025.
The Snake Pit is a lot of fun, but Daly tells us the real party happens inside the race car. Aaron Skillman/Penske Entertainment
Q: With more and more IndyCar teams officially joining Indy NXT next season, and with the recent news that AJ Foyt and Ed Carpenter Racing have announced program/team affiliations for 2026, in addition to the existing series participation of Andretti, Ganassi, and (possibly) Juncos Hollinger, how likely is this to increase the likelihood of a return on Freedom’s May schedule? 100 races?
This race has always been a fan favorite and produced some of the most exciting finishes in IMS history. It’s great to have this flagship race back.
Giuseppe, London, UK
MP: Zero percent. Roger Penske dropped the Freedom 100 due to concerns about driver injuries and the risk that such injuries would overshadow the Indy 500. Unless his future successor changes Penske Entertainment’s stance on this issue, the Freedom 100 is gone forever.
Q: Did I miss anything? It seems like only his manager is saying Sting Ray Robb will be a JHR driver next year, but people are talking about that seat as if it’s definitely going to be filled. Was there confirmation from anyone else or is he the only one trying to make it exist for his client?
glen of houston
MP: His manager Peter Rossi said in a text in September that SRR is “firm” until 2026 and that his contract “has always been a two-year deal.” And I don’t doubt it.
In a subsequent phone call, Rossi said there were no performance clauses in his contract and that he was up to date on payments to the team. With these two things in mind, there is no breach or other mechanism that JHR can use to part ways, he said.
But what I’m wondering, and what I’ve been wondering for months (which is what prompted Rossi’s lobbying), was whether the team wanted to continue with SRR or seek some form of amicable split. The SRR team has worked offensively (or defensively, depending on how you look at it) to make sure everyone knows he’s under contract for 2026. And what did JHR say? He has always remained silent on this matter.
JHR changed its business model for 2025, hiring paid drivers for the first time in IndyCar, but we’ve heard there is a desire to return to the previous model of hiring two elite professionals, so there are questions about making the change.
Unless I missed it, the social media comment from SRR about being excited for their second year at JHR did not receive any likes, comments, or shares from the team. Typically, when a driver says or does something related to a team on social media, the team interacts and co-signs on social media. Otherwise, it’s weird.
Also, there was no mention of SRR in the release as Rinus VeeKay was recently confirmed to be JHR’s “lead driver” (their word). If you’re a two-car team and your SRR is “fixed,” there are good reasons to say so in your release, such as to note that the team’s lineup is complete, to get new drivers to say they’re excited to work with existing drivers, and to get existing drivers to say they welcome new drivers. Standard stuff. It would be weird if it wasn’t.
Similarly, if SRR is in a second vehicle, there is no need to specifically state that VeeKay is the “lead driver.” That’s painfully obvious, right? In SRR’s three seasons in IndyCar, he finished 23rd, 20th and 25th in the championship. In those three seasons, he was six spots behind David Markus in coins, 11 spots behind Santino Ferrucci in Foyt, and seven spots behind Conor Daly in JHR. VK, held at Coin in 2025, was 11 spots above SRR. That’s the fact.
So why would JHR list Linus as its lead driver when even SRR isn’t confused about where he ranks in the pecking order? Just one more weird thing to deal with.
And the Rinus release featured a quote from a team principal at JHR that seemed to hint that more changes were on the way. “Linus will play a key role in our revamped driver line-up, which reflects our ambitions and long-term vision. We are working hard to assemble the right mix of talent to improve our competitiveness and I am confident Lynas will play a central role in that progress.”
If something is simple and straightforward, you would expect it to be simple and straightforward. That’s easy to say if Linas and SRR are driving together. When there’s no mention of SRR and VeeKay is positioned as a “key part of the revamped driver lineup” and listed as the “lead driver,” my brain tries to unravel the message behind what’s not being said.
Next, IndyCar held a Zoom press conference with VeKy shortly after the announcement, in which the series controlled the messaging (as opposed to teams controlling the messaging as in press releases), during which he was asked about SRR as a teammate.
“Q. You will obviously be joining a new team with a new teammate named Sting Ray Rob. Can you talk about your relationships with your teammates and how important that is to you coming to your new team?
Linus VeeKay: “Yeah, I’ve known Sting Ray for a while. He’s a great guy. I’ve never heard a bad thing about him. I don’t think I’ve ever raced a car with him, but no, he’s a great guy. Yeah, it’s always been fun to watch him.”
I read it three times and here’s what I learned: He knows his stuff. he’s a wonderful man. I didn’t hear anything bad. I’ve never raced with him. he’s a wonderful man. It’s always fun to watch him.
If you find something close to “I can’t wait to start with him in 2026,” “I’m going to lean on him to learn about the team,” or any of the other 10 answers that suggest “he’ll be my teammate,” please point it out among the unanswered answers.
And when we finally learn that there has been a marital change between JHR and SRR, we will remember the most recent example of it happening between a contracted driver and his team.
Zach Veach, who brought Gainbridge to Andretti Global, had a valid multi-year contract, but the team wanted to move on in late 2020, ending their time together by bringing James Hinchcliffe into the car before his contract expired. Veach accepted the buyout terms and said goodbye to IndyCar.
Jack Harvey had a two-year contract with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing until 2023, but after a disastrous 2022 season and a lackluster 2023, the team canceled his contract after 14 of 17 races. He agreed to the terms, signed a contract for the Indy 500, and joined FOX Sports as a broadcaster.
If a team wants to stop working with you despite having an ironclad contract, you can fight it and probably win in court. But at what cost to your future? I’m not going to know what happened between Benjamin Pedersen and the Foyt team, but his arrival in 2023 was welcomed by the team as a multi-year deal, but his eligibility at the end of the season meant Rob could replace him in 2024. Pedersen sued Foyt and has not been seen in IndyCar since.
SRR went to and left Coin. He has been to and left Foyt. If JHR wants to make a change, do they delay the inevitable and force a second year of the contract, go legal and risk closing the door on IndyCar all together, or turn the page on LMP2 in search of early exit money?
So maybe SRR will actually come back and race next to Linus. Until the team says otherwise, I’m going to ignore the weirdness and follow Rossi’s “locked in” report.
I’m sure I’ll see Rob next year. Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Q: I know it’s the off-season, but isn’t it a little strange that Andretti Global hasn’t updated their IndyCar driver section to include Will Power? It’s hard to sell new Will Power merchandise when Will Power hasn’t been added to the website yet.
Mike, Avon, Indiana
MP: Brother, this is the richest team in the series. Its owner has done things like buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $10 billion and add them to its portfolio of other major sports teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cadillac F1. They say absolutely nothing about the pennies that Will Power’s goods deliver. He’s also signed to start working for the team in a few months and is now part of Penske, so there’s no need to rush into anything official with the Power until the divorce is finalized.
Q: For me, F1 is often more fun between races than during the actual event. I love a good telenovela (meaning soap opera in Spanish). Christian Horner, Flavio, Toto and Zac Brown all make this season interesting, but nothing intrigues me more than watching McLaren race without a designated number one driver.
Since I’m a good accountant, I compiled my points into a spreadsheet by race. After Canada, Piastri held a 22-point lead. In the next four races, McLaren won 1 and lost 2, with Norris winning 3 of the 4 races, but the difference between 1st and 2nd place was very small, with both maintaining a significant lead over 3rd place.
I believe that if Piastri had been assigned the number one position by then, he would have scored an additional 21 points and by this point he would have been world champion, or at least Max would have had a much larger lead to overcome.
If Max wins, including the sprint race and fastest lap, he will become world champion.
So what the heck is going on at McLaren? How angry is Oscar and how stupid does Zack feel? It’s simple math, Zack, and it’s something no one needed to tell Enzo.
Tom Patrick, Baja California
Chris Meland: I appreciate that this question was asked before the Mexico City Grand Prix and Lando Norris’ resounding victory, but in the global context it still seems relevant as that race weekend saw Max Verstappen go from 40 points off the championship lead to 36 points ahead.
I’m firmly in the camp of praising McLaren and Zac Brown’s approach. That’s because McLaren has two drivers who are very compatible, so I think it would be very unfair to either of them to prevent them from aiming for the title when it’s been such a close race all season.
If someone was running away with room to spare at this point and it was a one-on-one battle with Max, then yes, I would agree that the lead driver should be supported. But what we are receiving is a brave call to keep fighting to prove they are worthy of champions, even under the threat of Verstappen.
For me, it’s pure racing, giving the drivers a car and telling them to go win it. The latest development gives Norris a slight advantage, but I think Piastri proved earlier this season how good he is and clearly has the ability to fight back in Brazil.
As a side note, there are no more points for fastest laps, so even if Max wins all four grands prix and two sprints, it still won’t be enough to close the gap to the McLaren driver if the same driver finishes second (or even third) each time.
I spoke with Piastri’s team and they say they know they have a long way to go in this title fight and are not angry. Both McLaren drivers know that if they win this season’s championship, they will truly deserve it.
Q: Is it true that I have to pay a subscription fee to watch F1 races starting in 2026?
Chris Fiegler, Latham, New York
CM: Yes, but that’s always the case when you look at the cable cost as a subscription to receive ESPN channels.
Either way, there will be winners and losers for subscribers depending on how they have viewed F1 in the past. If you were only watching on ESPN, you’ll need to pay for the new service and subscribe to Apple TV. If you’re an F1 TV subscriber, you’ll be in a similar position as before.
F1 TV is only available via Apple TV, but the premium package is fully included in your standard Apple TV subscription. If you’ve been paying for F1 TV Premium in the past, you can actually save money next year by watching via Apple TV instead. However, if you had F1 TV Pro, it would cost a little more.
I’d like to see Apple produce its own shoulder programming and eventually, ideally, its own news programming, offering something bespoke and completely customized to viewers here in the US. Because I think that helps justify the cost. However, as of now, plans for the 2026 scope have not yet been confirmed.
Q: Why does Sky Sports F1 hire Danica Patrick? Couldn’t they find a former F1 driver with more experience as an F1 pundit than Danica? Or does he have more insider information about F1 than her?
Jerry, Houston
CM: This is a difficult question for me to answer, Jerry, because I work during race weekends so I can’t watch Sky’s coverage (and sometimes rivals during race weekends!). But while there are plenty of former F1 driver pundits besides Danica, including Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg, there aren’t that many top-level single-seater female drivers who can offer a broader opinion.
Whether you’re a fan of Danica’s critics or not, it’s hard to argue with her record as one of the most successful women at the highest levels of racing in the United States in recent years, and she certainly brings an American perspective to the coverage.
One reader ended up interacting with Danica. Kim Ilman/Getty Images
Q: What happens to the winner’s signed champagne bottle after the race?
LBK Tom
CM: Winners can keep the Jeroboam for themselves, but will be asked if they would like to dedicate it to someone when signing. For example, Oscar Piastri dedicated one to his sister and another to his grandfather earlier this year, so it would make a very nice gift for a friend’s family.
Q: Can you predict the top 3 in the Drivers’ Championship and the top 2-4 in the Constructors’?
Will, Indy
CM: You can, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. I stick with my preseason predictions and predict that Max Verstappen will take the title from Lando Norris, with Oscar Piastri coming in third. Ferrari beats Mercedes to take second place in the constructors’ race, with Red Bull favored to take fourth place.
The fact that Red Bull is in that battle with Max alone is noteworthy to be honest, but I think the lack of second car goodness comes at a cost.
Q: In answer to David’s question from last week about the sprint format, wouldn’t it be better for the sprints to be in a condensed format on Friday, 30 minutes of practice, one lap qualifying, and then a sprint race all in the afternoon?
This will ensure competitive action every day and potentially the stigma of “who gets up to speed the quickest.” We value guys like Max and Alonso who do it right away, rather than drivers who need data to dial themselves in.
Speaking of sprints, is there any discussion about shelving partially reversed grid sprints in F2 and F3? We’ve had them in F2/GP2 for 20 years and they’ve only added random, unremarkable winners. Could the sprint race grid be set by the first flying lap of qualifying, like my F1 proposal?
paul, glasgow, scotland
CM: That’s a pretty cool solution, Paul, but if you leave each car in charge of the track, one lap of qualifying actually takes a long time. It’s going to be a long day for the teams and mechanics, but it might be fun to do a short practice session early, then sprint qualifying and sprint in one day, and practice for a full hour on the Saturday before qualifying (like FP3 and qualifying on a normal Saturday).
As for changing the reverse grid format at junior level, I don’t think I’ve heard any discussion on that front. It must be remembered that the priority of these championships is to develop future talent, and the argument for reverse grid is that it is seen as a way to improve racing technique by allowing qualified drivers to start one race within the pack.
Q: I’ve heard from time to time that Honda is sniffing around NASCAR, and I’m interested in the conversation about what kind of engine they could theoretically put in it.
I’ve heard suggestions of running a turbo V6, but that seems like a terrible idea. NASCAR is one of the last bastions of the rowdy straight-tube atmospheric combustion engine. It seems unlikely that it will drop.
Supercars have shown that finding equivalence between similar engines like DOHC and pushrod V8s is a nightmarish political can of worms. I can’t imagine balancing V6 and V8 results in anything other than lose or lose for NASCAR.
At heart, Honda is a company that loves making rowdy straight-pipe Atmo racing engines. I would love to entertain the idea that they could build a brand new pushrod v8 for this task. Isn’t that essentially what Toyota did?
Maybe I’m dreaming.
B. New Zealand
Mark Glendening: I spent time with some senior Honda employees this past weekend and asked them about this. They obviously weren’t going to give a clear answer, but the vibe I got was: Honda has equipped IMSA with a well-developed 2.4L twin-turbo V6 engine that could shorten schedules and reduce costs if it decides to compete in NASCAR. So if I was forced to bet on it, I’d lean towards that.
And while they’re right to love as much about racing as we do, when asking yourself whether to commit to a certain path in racing, you also need to consider less appealing factors such as cost, ROI, relevance, synergy with other programs, and many other things. With that in mind, it’s hard to imagine a hunk of iron V8 being a priority for them.
Finding parity between different engines could certainly be a headache for NASCAR, but perhaps less so if other manufacturers see Honda as a springboard to go in a similar direction…
When asked about whether Honda will be in NASCAR or its future in IndyCar, their answer is the same as it has been in recent months: “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t consider all of our motorsports options in North America. That process is ongoing and we’ll let you know when we’re ready to announce something. We haven’t made a decision yet.”
last word
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, October 30, 2013
Q: It always amazes me when I hear people say that Sébastien Bourdais and Paul Tracy didn’t accomplish anything worthy of praise when they dominated Champ Car. It’s always interesting to hear stories of people who won because the competition wasn’t good enough. But the same people will say Junqueira, Wilson, Servia and others are great drivers who deserve a better ride. Please correct me if I’m wrong. But weren’t they the ones that Boday and Tracy were controlling?
doug meyer
Robin Miller: The race was good at the front, although Newman/Haas and Forsyth were clearly in the class of the field. But beyond the 5-6 drivers you mentioned, it wasn’t very deep. Plus a rookie named AJ Allmendinger and Will Power. Certainly not like CART today or in the 90s.
