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: Conspiracy Theory: Would Colton Herta be in F2 now if Will Power wasn’t available? It felt like Dan Towlis took the opportunity to move Herta from an IndyCar seat to a guaranteed F1 or F2 seat at the end of his contract. We don’t know what the future holds for Brian Herta and TWG, but did Torris take this opportunity to completely cleanse Andretti’s organization?
Mark, Milford, Ohio
Marshall Pruett: I don’t want to get into conspiracy theories, so let me suggest another one.
TWG Motorsport started paying Colton like an F1 driver a few years ago, when they were confident they would buy an existing team and go straight into the world championship. His annual salary was rumored to be between $6.5 million and $7 million, double what other IndyCar drivers were/are receiving. Herta was neither an IndyCar champion nor an Indy 500 winner when this event occurred, so there is no doubt that that is why the huge pay increase was given, as it was not a raise following a major accomplishment in IndyCar. It’s all about F1 and a few years later, after a lot of heartache and spending hundreds of millions of dollars, TWG has put the team on the path to F1, the drivers are paid at F1 level and they are ready to take on the role they were expected to play a few years ago, albeit with a detour to F2 to gain the necessary license points.
I hit myself in the head a few times trying to figure out what that last question meant, but to no avail. Colton Herta is highly paid as a driver for TWG, and Brian Herta is widely recognized for his contribution to Kyle Kirkwood’s success, so no, there will be no cleansing. In fact, the opposite is true.
Q: You said last week that it’s ridiculous that some quarterbacks in the NFL are paid to do their jobs. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. This affects all top forms of motorsport, but we’ll focus on IndyCar here.
If you look back at the history of other American sports leagues, you’ll see that it’s littered with stories of players not getting paid (you mentioned drivers having to deal with this issue) and teams that competed for a year or two and then folded due to lack of funds (Carlin, maybe Prema). The difference is that other stories are from decades ago, when the league had little regulation. Those leagues grew and matured into what they are today. IndyCar isn’t like that. That’s the main reason I support the charter system. It’s not perfect, but if it’s applied similar to how other leagues use franchises, I support the attempt to avoid the unprofessionalism of a team that adds nothing to the series and runs at the back of the pack for several years before retreating.
That being said, in my opinion, one of IndyCar’s key goals as a series is to try to eliminate the need for paid drivers completely. Obviously it needs to grow in popularity and recognition, but if that happens, I think the Leader’s Circle payout should be enough to cover the team’s annual costs, or as close to it as possible. This gives every team a chance to win and allows IndyCar to promote itself as the only series that is truly professional from top to bottom. I don’t think this is a solution to the current problem, but rather the end goal of the series.
And finally my question. Other than increasing viewership, what do you think is a worthwhile goal for this series to pursue?If IndyCar were to experience significant growth, say an average of 4-5 million views per race, how do you think the new revenue should be reinvested into the series?
max
MP: Roger Penske was originally a businessman, and he bought the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the series as a business, not a charity. But it became closer to reality, as the annual financial losses on the IndyCar side (which existed long before he bought everything) not only continued, but became entrenched and accepted. This is what he was trying to change, and I’ve always been told that IndyCar needs to be treated as a proper business in its own right, not just a passion play to be funded from the annual profits the speedway generates.
So, to get to your answer, the question here is whether Penske wants to take increased profits from places where the IndyCar audience is theoretically as large as you suggest and put it into the business to make a profit. First, do I want to use the remaining profits to increase the Leader’s Circle of 22 entries, ignoring the other 3-5 entries that did not reach the top 22 in entrant points?
Does Penske think the greater good belongs to his company or to his company and the participants in the series? We don’t see this happening on a large scale, so I don’t have an answer. Fox Corporation acquired Penske Entertainment and, as I wrote recently, Leaders Circle is expected to increase by about $500,000 per contract to about $1.7 million per contract. But will that mean Fox will buy 33 percent of the series and split the revenue from Speedway? probably. But for how long?
Let’s also say Fox’s viewership spiked significantly in IndyCar. As a co-owner of the series, would Fox pay a large amount of money to the series it co-owns to broadcast the race? Or was the buyout price a one-time deal in exchange for not having to negotiate with itself in the future? All of our beloved stick-and-ball sports use television deals to enrich themselves and their teams. Billions of dollars will flow in, and a good chunk of it will be funneled to the likes of the Packers, Blue Jays, and Knicks. That’s because all teams are franchises with direct business ties to their respective leagues.
But that’s not the case with IndyCar. All teams except Team Penske are 100% independent from the league. Coyne, Shank, Carpenter and others are all trying to raise their own funds to compete by paying drivers and employees directly. With the exception of PREMA, all teams have charters as of a year ago, but those charters do not provide any benefit to the 10 teams on an annual basis in the form of profit sharing, television revenue, ticket sales, etc.
There’s also 22 in the Leader’s Circle, which is great, but the main takeaway is that when the NBA recently signed multibillion-dollar deals with NBC, Amazon Prime, and ESPN, the teams contractually stood to receive a portion of that money. No matter who Penske Entertainment signs a new deal with, there’s nothing that I’m aware of that would obligate Penske to distribute wealth to IndyCar teams, since IndyCar doesn’t have the same business structure as the NBA, NFL, MLB, etc.
One wonders if the franchise that has been used for so many years in the CART IndyCar Series and brought constant groans is supposed to solidify the connection between the people who run the races and the private operators who attend them with their teams, players, staff and equipment.
And so begins a winter filled with letters about whether IndyCar needs a franchise system. James Black/Penske Entertainment
Q: What’s the latest on Hailey Deegan’s plans for 2026? She had big plans to try out for NXT in 2025 and move to IndyCar. That plan appears to have fallen through – she finished 14th in NXT points, tied with a guy named Tommie Smith – and the guys below them in points didn’t run all the races. I watched most of the races and I think she finished last in every race. The only cars she passed were either wrecked or had mechanical problems. She is clearly out of her class in this type of car and I can’t imagine her coming back in 2026.
Ken Smith, Fremont, Ohio
MP: The latest is everything you described. Just one and you’re done. Graham Rahal made it clear in a phone call last week. You can teach a road racer to excel in oval racing, but training an oval racer to become a great road racer is nearly impossible. She took her off-road and oval knowledge and tried to add road racing to it. There’s no doubt that he could grow year after year if he wanted that to be his future, but that never happened all at once in one season of NXT. I don’t know where she’ll go next, but it won’t be NXT.
Q: I have no connection to Austin Riley, but I deeply respect his courage and drive. He is the first professional racing driver with autism and has won numerous championships at a high level. He has recently competed in the Radical Cup.
For Austin, racing is his life, and we’ve seen in interviews that he’s having a hard time getting the funds to continue his journey next year in 2026. As a fan and knowing the importance of his mission, especially to the autism community, I wanted to write to let people know about him. here is the link his website and YouTube link Join us for an interview about his career and travels.
david colquitt
MP: Thanks for sharing, David.
Q: A few months ago, Zac Brown gave an interview in which he offered insights and suggestions for making the IndyCar Series more appealing and authentic to longtime, current and future IndyCar fans. One suggestion Zack offered that intrigued me was to enhance the formula of the new generation 2028 engine to make it sound harsher, bolder, and more spectacular.
Most of its engine concepts have been built and tested with onboard hybrid systems that we’re sure you’ve seen and heard on the track. If the 2.4L V6 twin-turbo engine remains, will it sound louder and bolder than the current engine?
If the regulations for the new engine method have not been fully approved and codified at this point, is it still possible from a technical point of view for engineers to tweak the power unit to deliver additional acoustic intensity, or has that train left the station?
Dale, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
MP: I think anyone who has seen or heard spectacular sounding race cars will tell you that IndyCar (and F1) needs to choose a more exciting engine scheme. So everything Zach said is accurate, and it’s also a long-standing refrain that many people have been saying for over a decade.
IndyCar’s 2.4L TTV6 sounds just like today’s 2.2L TTV6. It’s not that loud or bold.
The 2028 formula is effectively complete, and the only way I know to make a turbo V6 racing engine sound great is to stuff the motor with a ridiculous amount of boost, rev it up like a rolling explosion, or rev it above 12,000 RPM for the first time since 2012.
IndyCar could do both by mandating huge boost numbers and 15,000 revs, but there would be no engine supplier because supporting a high boost scheme would cost a huge amount of money and so would the revs. That certainly makes me happy. Our ears will be happy too. But no one wants to pay for one or both to become a reality.
The only other solution for the sound would be to move away from the small turbo V6 formula, which would put Honda in a bind. I’m sure Chevrolet would love the challenge of putting a smaller, naturally aspirated V8 engine in its next-generation car, but it would require a complete redesign of the chassis and push its debut back a year or two. If you like the sound of today’s IndyCar, it’s here to stay. Otherwise, it won’t go away unless the series makes some bold decisions.
Q: Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve winning the Formula Atlantic race in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. This race led to him winning a seat in McLaren F1 and making his way to Maranello. Enzo Ferrari even compared him to Tazio Nuvolari. Do you have any memories of racing there when you were a young mechanic?
Yanni Pollier
MP: Villeneuve passed away before I ever saw him in person, but ever since I learned about him in the mid-1980s and watched his races on VHS, he’s been in my top five drivers of all time. I didn’t travel much to the good old Three Rivers, but I loved the area and the racing.
I previously wrote some memories of Trois-Rivières in my mailbag. These include going through the McDonald’s drive-thru to buy lunch for the Genoa Racing crew, ordering in English, and when nice people really get thrown an unexpected curve ball by you, when you hear it in French and an almighty panic erupts. Eventually they found someone who spoke English to help me, but lord, the reaction was like someone from outer space shaking his body and trying to give me commands with his incomprehensible tongue.
A funny memory that came to mind recently was having dinner with Angelo Ferro, the Italian team’s owner, at a local Italian restaurant. He insisted on bringing a bottle of grappa to the table after the main course and it almost set my head on fire. Angelo and Tom Knapp and Michael Cannon had a good laugh at my expense. Precious time.
After winning the 1976 Trois-Rivières Grand Prix, Villeneuve aims to enter F1. Getty Images
Q: So, after renewing/applying, I went to order tickets for the Indy 500 on the first day it was open to the public, and I couldn’t believe how limited tickets were and how much seating was available compared to years ago.
I’m a turn 3 fan and usually when I buy tickets, tickets for rows M, N, P, R, S, and T are available until November. This year, there were no seats available above rows H or K on the first day of sales. So you can see that a lot of people renewed and applied for their tickets after last year’s race. This is great.
Are there any reports or numbers on the percentage of people renewing their tickets compared to previous years?From what I’ve seen looking for tickets, it’s inconceivable that the 2026 Indy 500 won’t be sold out again. If anything, we want Mailbag readers to get their tickets as soon as possible.
Ryan, Lake Villa, Illinois
MP: We are in a rich new era where auto racing is popular beyond traditional enthusiasts. It is seen by the large number of participants in famous events. I can’t say how long it will last, but it’s great so watch it.
Q: Has IndyCar retired the number 99?
Some background. I’m British but now call America home. I don’t remember seeing Nigel Mansell win the F1 title, but I heard he did, and I definitely remember watching the highlights of the 1993 IndyCar Series in exotic locations like Cleveland and Milwaukee for me.
Fast forward to 1996, Jacques Villeneuve moved to F1 and had an impressive rookie season. I decided to try following this sport in the US (which was difficult without cable, internet, and being 11 years old). Then I spotted another Canadian in a car with the same livery (I didn’t know at the time that sponsorship was driving the team). That’s how I found out about Greg Moore.
Greg is still my favorite IndyCar driver, he’s incredibly fast and there’s nothing I don’t like about him unlike some of the drivers in the field. As I write this, it’s been 26 years since I lost him, and it still hurts just as much now as it did then.
In June I spent a week in Vancouver. I saw the impressive display/tribute to him a second time at the BC Sports Hall of Fame (including the chassis he used for his first win in Milwaukee), but also paid homage in person at Robinson Memorial Park in Coquitlam at the same time. There is a monument to his life.
By chance, I met the cemetery administrator. We shared some stories and it turned out that he was born within a few weeks of Greg and had known him since childhood before the Moore family moved to Maple Ridge. He was also commissioned by the family to create a suitable memorial, which was installed in 2007 (where I learned that Greg was buried in stone). In my opinion, this is a great compliment. Although the number of visitors has decreased over time, people still visit. I got the impression that anyone who visited would be very happy. I think I almost fell on the floor when I told the director that my skydiving gloves were red for a reason and it wasn’t because I was Welsh…
I’m asking this question because a commemorative bench on the site reminds me that CART and their feeder series removed number 99 from circulation. But as far as I know, it hasn’t been discontinued in the current IndyCar Series. Greg’s death greatly diminished my interest in the sport (though the cancellation of the race in Texas in 2001 and the apparently one-way split completely killed my interest), and it took until 2012 before I started watching again. In all the years since 2012, I have never seen a car with a 99 on it. Now that Roger Penske owns this series, you would think he would have extended retirement numbers to the drivers he signed to race for him.
Ian Devlin currently lives in St. Louis, Missouri
MP: Sam Schmidt used No. 99 as a driver in the Indy Racing League (what is known today as the IndyCar Series), and it carried over into Sam’s early ownership of IndyCar teams. The SSM Dallara Oldsmobile Firestone of the team’s debut in 2001 used the number 99, but I can’t remember a time when that felt odd or disrespectful, as the IRL and the rival CART IndyCar Series that Greg raced were completely separate and unrelated. If Greg had raced IRL, he might have been sensitive to that number because he was so tied to it, but he didn’t. I think that’s why Sam’s old number stuck in his memory.
I remember Townsend Bell using No. 99 a few times with Dreyer & Reinbold, and then with Schmidt at the Indy 500 until 2012 after the merger. It makes me wonder if it’s not retired, and if there’s an entry using it since his, I’m sure someone will mention it in the comments. Miles Rowe uses a 99 in Indy NXT in a 100% Penske-funded car, so I would say no to retiring.
Bell also wore No. 99 in the 2008 Indy 500. Gavin Lawrence/Getty Images
Q: Marco’s announcement of his retirement from racing effectively ends the Andretti family’s involvement with the team and the sport. We know Marissa still works for the team, but how soon can we see the team being renamed TWG Motorsports? I noticed that the Formula E team already has the TWG branding. It seems like it’s just a matter of time.
Paul, Chicagoland, IL
MP: I don’t think Jarrett or Adam Andretti retired, so we have them, but in IndyCar, yes, Graham Rahal is the last active multi-generational driver from the famous IndyCar family.
I’m amazed at how much personality and soul has been lost since the departure of Michael Andretti and the subsequent diminution of Mario’s presence on the IndyCar side. There are still great people running things internally, but no one like Chip, Bobby, Dale, Ed, etc. really represents the Andretti team and the names that have been so popular for so long.
Q: There’s something in there. last week’s mailbag It caught my interest. Did I mention spying in IndyCar? I’m sure there are some stories! What kind of fraud is involved? I never thought about it!
Wally, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
MP: Well, I don’t think of them as the same thing, because spying is not cheating.
Here’s an example from May. I ran into someone from a team and we started talking about key items. “Their people” reportedly witnessed changes to rival teams’ cars. Although the contents will not be stated, specific body parts from all three cars were also said to have been taken from the team’s transporter to the gasoline array. They believed it was an immediate response to Team Penske’s attenuator misconduct. The person was referring to “their people” in a way that made it clear that they were always keeping an eye on the garage.
The official provided information that suggested the sudden removal of certain bodywork and replacement of different panels on all three cars was either for compliance reasons and to avoid being caught if IndyCar inspected the cars more closely, or that IndyCar had instructed them to go back and remove the modified bodywork. Attenuator Gate was maybe an hour old, and the overall atmosphere was one of fear and avoiding the embarrassment of bouncing back from IndyCar technology like the series owners had just endured.
It was the latest example of how many (though not all) teams (and to a lesser extent other teams) are spying on each other in pit lanes, garages, etc. at this year’s biggest race. Indy tends to have groups of “fans” that rally around the more popular or successful teams. No matter which line you walk down, you’ll often see a cluster of them and see which one might actually be a fake fan on a mission to take a photo with a cell phone or drop a note into a group chat.
There may even be “their people” doing basic things like reporting when rival teams are conducting technical inspections or simply packing up and moving from the garage to the pit lane before moving to the pit lane to run a practice or qualifying simulation.
I’m waiting for the first team to install hidden cameras around the Gasoline Alley garage and deploy facial recognition software to try to identify fake fans. Identify fake fans, see who stays the longest and keep coming back, and either kick them off the premises or have people stand in front of them and disrupt them. That being said, this may already be happening.
Q: Since Colton Herta doesn’t seem to be considering Andretti’s fourth seat, are you curious about where Ryan Hunter-Reay ends up at the Indianapolis 500?
Doug
MP: Andretti would have been wise to secure RHR’s Indy 500 services years ago and appears to have a great seat to offer in 2026, but Captain America is expected to don papaya orange for his fourth entry next May.
Q: There has been no news about Parow’s trial in the past two weeks. What is happening now?
Peter, PHX
MP: I think the case was adjourned for a few weeks, which would explain why things were quiet.
Q: For the love of all good and decent things in the world, when can we start calling it Indy Lights again? Or is it really anything other than Indy NXT? Honestly, Mike’s Hard Lemonade IndyCar SmackDown Series, while stupid, would be a significant improvement.
Chris, Portland, Maine
MP: I hear you. I grew up working in Indy Lights and that’s my brain default. Just as some people still refer to today’s IndyCar Series as IRL. But hearing the IRL mentions makes me sad. Because you can see that the person is stuck in the past through ignorance or intent, and they don’t look good.
I call it Indy NXT, which is pronounced like the WWE-owned developmental series the NXT name was copied from. IndyCar stopped trying to correct me after a year of calling it NXT.
Q: When Christian Lundgaard joined RLL years ago, it was reported that Alpine helped pave the way for this deal and even provided funding to RLL to make it happen. Is this same thing happening to Mick? Mick is also involved in the alpine program and seems interested in driving in RLL. Is it possible that Alpine will give RLL the same contract they gave Lundgaard?
Ukyo Tachibana
MP: I forgot about Alpine’s funding (allegedly $3 million) and how it eased Lundgaard’s path to the RLL seat. But that was before the advent of hypercars for Alpine, from the Renault/Alpine F1 Driver Academy side, which had added the Dane to its open-wheel development roster.
Mick is not part of Alpine’s F1 driver development department and Alpine had a contract with Lundgaard and had no place for him when the RLL deal was finalized. As such, there is no position for the brand to pay a former F1 driver to race in IndyCar. I predict that RLL will be doing whatever it takes to make money to pay Mick and to pay Mick if they move forward.
If Schumacher’s IndyCar deal goes through, it will not include any funding from Alpine. Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
Q: I don’t think Apple’s F1 coverage deal is a disaster for the reasons Chris Medland stated in his answer last week, but one thing he mentioned that made my skin crawl was that the coverage was “totally tailored” to Americans. As much as I adore Hobbs, Machete and Vasya, I’ve been following Sky’s coverage head and shoulders more than usual. It’s really great to have commentators as experienced and knowledgeable as Brundle, Davidson, and their ilk. To step back from that and make fun of it for Americans is a travesty in my opinion. If you want to see that kind of thing, there’s monster trucks and NASCAR.
Here’s my question: As much as the FIA is concerned about the least important rules (no bikes on track?), why on earth isn’t it also thinking seriously about F1 team management numbers and driver management? Isn’t that a huge conflict of interest?
Dave Larwill, Indiana
Chris Meland: I think that’s a very fair point about Sky’s coverage and they have some good broadcasters there. My original intention was to say that there are some good broadcasters out there that can do that, without being constrained by being a British broadcaster, and focus more on the US in terms of storytelling and speaking to their audience.
For example, what would happen if Sky stopped broadcasting to the UK and only broadcast to the US?The quality of people and experience is the same, but the focus is different. (I should add that that’s not in the plan at all, but it’s just making the point that the US deserves to get its output from the best possible option IMO, not what I’d call stupid).
Regarding driver managers, I’m not aware of any enforcement from the FIA in that regard, but to be honest, I don’t know how much of a conflict of interest there would be in all cases. Perhaps it would be true for the team in question if they felt their TP was making decisions for their own betterment rather than the team’s benefit, but the drivers are so important to the team’s results and they are so invested in them in so many other aspects that I don’t think a direct link to the team boss is actually that far off.
I think there is a bit of a misunderstanding there. In the case of George Russell, like the Red Bull driver, he is managed by Mercedes and that is how he got to F1. If they want to leave, they will need the agreement of the ownership structure, but teams are investing heavily with the aim of bringing young drivers into F1 and putting them in their cars. And while drivers agree to it in order to have a chance of reaching F1, ultimately these contracts still have an end point.
If you look at Lando Norris, he was helped by Zac Brown from an early age to build his career and work his way towards F1. Zack then became CEO of McLaren Racing, which opened up many more doors, but all still required board approval based on talent. We’re talking about multiple race winners and potential future world champions who have had their talent recognized and supported.
Russell and Norris still have interests beyond the national team, as they each also have separate managers in charge of financial matters and negotiations. But in reality, if you are successful in driver management, you are likely to have very strong connections, which could well come from other roles within motorsport.
Having said that, it is unclear whether the FIA can ban team managers from also being involved in driver management. It’s already part of the team members’ remit in some way, so there’s a lot of crossover, and it could be seen as an income restriction if the team that employs the manager is happy with the contract.
While the overlap between team management and driver management can seem like a conflict of interest, there are usually more layers to the arrangement than meets the eye. Steven Tee/Getty Images
Q: A few weeks ago, you responded to my comment about bringing in Almirola to win the owners championship. I didn’t think it was gamesmanship, despite the fact that the same scenario doesn’t play out in the Cup Series.
Okay, mission accomplished. Gibbs got what he wanted by playing like this, but I wonder what people would say if the Chevrolet team brought in Kyle Busch or Larson or some other name to do the same thing. Can you imagine the whining! So let’s hope this championship is only remembered for the way it was won and for the players who appear to have retired.
CH
Kelly Crandall: The confusion over this topic is understandable, as this is not the first time a Cup Series team owner has won an Xfinity Series owner’s title in a car driven by multiple drivers. This is not the first time a champion driver/car has not won the owner’s title. So, let’s look back on the past few years.
2024: Wins driver and owner championship with JRM Motorsports’ No. 7 car
2023: Stewart-Haas Racing driver and owner wins championship in No. 00 car
2022: Joe Gibbs Racing driver and owner wins championship in No. 54 car
2021: Daniel Hemric wins driver’s championship in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 car. Team Penske wins owner championship with car No. 22
2020: Team Penske driver and owner wins championship in No. 22 car
2019: Driver and owner of Richard Childress Racing, champion with No. 2 car
2018: Tyler Reddick won the driver’s championship in JR Motorsports’ No. 9 car. Stewart-Haas Racing becomes owner champion with car No. 00
2017: William Byron won the driver’s championship in JR Motorsports’ No. 9 car. Team Penske wins owner championship with car No. 22
2016: Joe Gibbs Racing driver and owner wins championship in No. 19 car
And if you keep going back, you’ll see more of that over the years. In fact, it felt like it happened every year for Cup Series owners throughout the 2010s. But, I’m sorry, I’m not interested in passing on all those years.
Q: Viewers can debate whether the NASCAR finals were a farce or a fiasco, but this multi-year turmoil raises several important questions. Deciding an auto racing champion in a single event like a football game is distasteful, and even NASCAR recognizes that this situation needs to be corrected. With so many empty seats in the championship game, the silent commentary emphasizes the point.
Sunday’s repeated tire failures were unrelated to the structure of the playoffs, but they cannot be separated from them. Goodyear brought in softer tires that were supposed to drop sharply, but the tires went flat after about a tenth of the race distance. Despite the commentators once again pretending to be Goodyear’s law firm, it was total incompetence. Did the Dillion brothers and JJ Yeley (!) intentionally run low pressure on their march to the front? In this case, I decided to trust my “lying eyes”. The winner, the series, and Goodyear should all be running to buy paper bags.
PS: I admire Mr. Crandall’s analysis and writing, especially his characterization.
Richard, Vancouver
KC: NASCAR is changing the format of the playoffs. In other words, we will soon be discussing what format we will use in the future. A committee was established earlier this year in recognition of the dissatisfaction of many people with the need to review and change the system.
The tire was not broken. they were exhausted. There was a difference and the drivers and teams wanted it. In fact, none of them complained about it after that and even spoke in support of Goodyear, saying it wasn’t their fault. The team had set the tire pressures much lower than the recommended limit, but doing so caused problems with the tires. There’s nothing wrong with having soft tires, and the industry wants it that way.
And thank you for your compliments. Those pieces are my absolute favorites to write about. There are so many great people in racing. It’s fun for me to focus on more than what’s happening on the racetrack or who the person really is.
last word
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, November 6, 2013
Q: I was a fan of Raul Bosel. Can you remember when this was? There was an Indy 500 back in the CART days, and if I remember correctly, Bozell (I think he was driving for Dick Simon) basically had the race in his hands until he was robbed with a penny-ante penalty. What year was it? I would like to look into that race. What did you think of Boesel as a driver? Where do you think he ranks compared to his contemporaries? And what is Raul doing now?
Dean Abramson, Raymond, Maine
Robin Miller: It was 1993 and Boesel was in the lead when he qualified third and received a questionable penalty for Simon pitting and working on his car (USAC claimed the pits were closed, but I remember him already on pit road). As a result, he lost the victory and finished in 4th place. I liked “Stay Cool Raul” and he was a good solid racer. Last we heard, he was chasing a woman in Brazil. It was his favorite sport.
