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: Do you have any information about when Dan Gurney’s book will be released? I heard it’s two volumes and Dan’s widow Evie finished it many years ago. The holidays are approaching. Looks like a good time.
Ray Schmudde
Marshall Pruett: My hope is until the All American Racers Reunion at Road America next July. It’s held on the same day as the IndyCar event in Nashville, but I don’t think I need to tell you where to find me that weekend.
Q: So 23XII wants to have Roger Penske and Rick Hendrick sworn in on their favorite topics in the NASCAR case. (ED: And that’s seems to do so. ) What questions would you like to ask Penske and have him answer under oath?For me, I’d start with the Indy 500 finishes in 2002 and 2023, and then I’d thoroughly blame Tom Cruise for all of the P2P scandals.
Mark, Milford, Ohio
MP: First of all, my mind went straight to Chappelle Show where Roger goes completely Tron Carter. Petition to “FiF”.
So I don’t think we’ll get a lot of answers because the Fifth Amendment is an option, but I’d like to know the sale price of IndyCar and IMS, why the relationship with Will Power ended in such an unfortunate way, and why the relationship with Jay Fry ended in such an unfortunate way.
I’m not really interested in the 2002 and 2023 Indy 500s.
That doesn’t mean I agree with the 2002 ruling. That victory always belonged to Barry Green and Paul Tracy, but I don’t begrudge Penske for doing everything in his power to get the results he wanted for his team and drivers. The big races are driven by partisan strategies by giant corporations and the wealthy team owners with whom they have ties to win at all costs. Decisions like the one in 2002 go against my sense of fair play, but I’m not the kid to be shocked by such things anymore.
In 2023, I couldn’t believe it was a Penske-related contract.
Q: What happened to Beth Paletta’s plans to start a team, or at least partner with someone?Simona de Silvestro was one of the most popular drivers in the series, but never seemed to find the right situation. Do you think she will resume her racing career, perhaps in Europe, after her Olympic adventure is over?
Patrick, Brownsburg, Indiana
MP: Simona did well with HVM Racing until 2012 when the team couldn’t get a Chevrolet or Honda lease and had to use Lotus engines which killed the season. The team led by Keith Wiggins and Shane Seneviratne punched well above their weight until 2011 and died after 2012, but in 2013 she did a great job finishing 13th for KV Racing.th Teammate and 2013 Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan finished 11th.th.
As for her future, no, I don’t know, unless a team or manufacturer wants to revive her professional career. A veteran like Simona’s career requires consistency and momentum, but her switch to bobsledding has made her a lesser-known name as a four-wheeler in recent years.
In Beth’s case, her last joint entry was with Ed Carpenter Racing in 2022, and she doesn’t remember why plans to return with ECR or another team in 2023 fell through. When I spoke to her during the season finale, she was bullish about returning on another part-time contract. With a few exceptions, she was treated badly by too many while trying to get a foothold in the series. (ED: Paletta’s day job as vice president of sport for Formula E may not leave him much free time to build a team at the moment).
The last time Paletta Autosport fielded Simona de Silvestro in six races was in 2022. James Black/Penske Entertainment
Q: I enjoyed watching the HSR Classic 24 at Daytona this weekend, and I couldn’t help but notice that some of the cars had some pretty strong hitters as second drivers.
Are Le Mans winners and former IMSA champions just in it for the fun, or can they earn a decent paycheck at events like this?
brad
MP: Old pros definitely get paid. Driving vintage cars on test days, helping teams with chassis setup, coaching non-pro users and car owners, and racing in HSR events are ways to support the people you refer themselves.
Q: Another reason why Kyle Kirkwood signed a contract extension with Andretti could be that he would be the first choice when Cadillac F1 is ready to have two American drivers. What do you think?
Lei Shuming
MP: Kirkwood is all about IndyCar. As I wrote a few months ago, based on Andretti Global’s 2025 IndyCar results, if TWG Motorsports wanted to bring the best American to F1, they should have done so with Kirkwood. In 2024, Colton would clearly be the No. 1 American on the team. The decision to choose Colton says a lot. So if this is what Kyle wants, and what they want too, then it would have already happened by getting an F2 seat and chasing super license points.
I also want to believe that the people at TWG are too smart to continually strip IndyCar teams and recruit their brightest talent into the F1 program.
Q: Why not consider a good old American V8 for IndyCar? NASCAR players have a lot of motors. Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, and now Dodge. Those engines sound great. It should be much cheaper than the turbo V6s currently in use, and we know it can easily deliver 750 horsepower over 600 miles.
Yes, I know it will require a chassis redesign, but in the long run it will be much cheaper to have four engine manufacturers. Plus, a big nod to the Ford vs. Chevrolet vs. Dodge vs. Toyota war. You don’t have to worry about performance balance because the motor already has the same performance. The more engines Roush, Hendrick, Childress, TRD, and Penske make, the cheaper it costs everyone.
NASCAR seems to be doing well without the expense of a hybrid system. Honestly, do any race fans really care about hybrid systems in race cars? The added weight of a V8 is offset by the removal of the hybrid system. NASCAR uses Sunoco gas/ethanol and IndyCar uses Shell renewables, but I don’t see that being a technical hurdle. Can you imagine 33 cars with non-turbo V8s from four different manufacturers roaring down Indy’s front stretch?
Gary, Anza, California
MP: There were two or three instead of four, but yes, from 1997 (actually 35 that year) to 2011, Indy had 33 naturally aspirated V8 engines. And at least in the days of the Indy Racing League V8, when cars were as deafening as the Cup V8, no one cared, and almost no one outside of Indy showed up. When we switched to a flat plane crankshaft in 2001 (I think it was 2001), the pitch went up and the sound became less throaty and certainly more traditional circle truck.
History has shown that before this change, the romanticism that made Indy cars sound like Cup cars was a commercial failure and a loser in the popularity game. (The flatplane change also didn’t draw crowds, but its timing coincided with most of the CART IndyCar Series’ best teams jumping to the IRL starting in 2001.)
Fast forward to today, and even though NASCAR continues to be much more popular than IndyCar, why would these manufacturers spend money to race the same engines in a series that has a smaller fan base and television audience?They are already at the top with the cars and engines they use in the Cup.
I’d like IndyCar to develop and use their own cool V8 instead of just copying and borrowing NASCAR’s signature items.
Q: When is IndyCar scheduled to enter Sebring for testing before St. Petersburg?
rob
MP: February, specific date TBA.
Q: Caio Colletto has been announced as AJ Foyt Racing’s second driver, what do you think about Collette as a driver and what does his addition mean for the team? Is he more like Marcus or Kirkwood, or more like Pedersen or Sting Ray Robb?
Tom Knisley, Blaine, Minnesota
MP: He is a unicorn and a rocket in the sense that he is able to find significant sponsors to pay for his seat. It remains to be seen if Hauger would have made the jump to the championship had Collette been in the Andretti NXT machine last season. Without a doubt, this is a fast and refined driver to come out of NXT. He has a great tutor in Ferrucci and should hold his own well elsewhere. He’ll do stupid things like any other rookie, but expect him to stand out more often than many would expect from someone with no profile.
fast money. James Black/Penske Entertainment
Q: I’m glad to see RLL staying with IMSA. Who do you think will be the driver? Will we get a chance to see Graham get in the car for Daytona? Do you think this partnership will help bring RLL back to the top in the future?
For fun, how about a second car at Daytona with Paul Tracy, Robbie Gordon, Max Papis and Elio? We’re sure they’ll win.
david
MP: I don’t know if Graham is a good fit. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and the roof of his car is up to his waist. I understand that the one GTD Pro effort in 2026 could become two in 2027, so that would be great. If McLaren were to add IMSA GTP to their program, they would hope RLL would be given a chance, but Zach Brown is the owner of United Autosports, which runs the WEC hypercar effort, and one wonders if someone other than Zach’s UA USA team would get it. American agreement.
I would love to see the old timers you mentioned, but they will be destroyed. The 24-hour maximum attack achieved by Daytona in the Pro class is something else.
Q: Collett’s announcement to Foyt did not mention whether the partnership with Penske would continue. Was it a one-year collaboration typical of Marcus? Or will it continue?
Fred, originally from Indiana, lives in Missouri.
MP: I tried to contact Team Penske president Jonathan Diouguid last week, but he was heading to the final WEC race in Bahrain. I’ll try again when he returns to North Carolina.
Q: It seems like IndyCar and NASCAR are getting closer and closer with both appearing on FOX, but how long do you think it will be before a NASCAR race is held in Long Beach?
mike latino
MP: I don’t see it. They’ve shared stations many times in the past…like last year when they were both on NBC. Roger Penske and Penske Entertainment own the Long Beach Grand Prix, with Roger’s IndyCar Series being the featured race and co-headlined by IMSA, which has significantly reduced the grid to fit into a second paddock.
NASCAR needs to move IndyCar out of the main paddock to accommodate 36 to 40 cars, but that hasn’t happened. The only way NASCAR will compete in the LBC is if Roger and the city decide to hold a second event just for NASCAR, but I don’t see why Roger would do that unless he wants to dilute the specialness of IndyCar racing and make it less profitable.
Q: The first few corners of the Mexico City F1 race were a bit stinky. Fingers were pointed everywhere. Max Verstappen knew his actions would not be reversed. Good for him.
But… there is a price to pay for drivers who take such crazy chances. If bollards are placed in these run-off areas, an on-the-spot penalty will be imposed. No steward intervention. Why not?
Boxster Bob, Monterey, California
Chris Medland: Bob, I don’t think bollards are bad at all, but I also don’t think they necessarily solve the problem. I’ve seen this corner used in a run-off area in many places, but sometimes drivers are not able to go around the corner or are not particularly penalized (I think Sochi was a similar corner in the past, and now Barcelona too).
I think it’s clear that we have to do something in Turn 1 in Mexico. Because it’s a frequent problem. But I don’t see why a gravel trap wouldn’t be a good idea there. Cars travel much slower than on grass. And I think that meets your criteria for imposing an on-the-spot penalty.
Verstappen was one of the few drivers in Mexico who was able to bypass the first corner. Mark Thompson/Getty Images
Q: In Brazil, Max Verstappen made three improvements between qualifying and the race: a set-up change, a new PU and a lot of new, unused tires. What percentage improvement do you think there was in each?
Ken
CM: Considering how poorly the car was before the race, the set-up was obviously a huge improvement, but so was the power unit. On a track with a high altitude (second highest after Mexico City) and where you really need strong performance on the run to Turn 1, it helps if you can run the power unit aggressively, so you’ll run 90% on these two aspects (probably 60% setup, 30% PU).
The only new tires he used in the race that he may not have had were the soft tires for the final stint, and I think if he hadn’t had an early puncture on the hard, he might not have used them anyway. In theory, he could have finished in the same position if not for that last pit stop (although I think he was pushing hard the whole race, so the drop-off would have been really big). So I might be being generous when I say 10% is because of the tires.
last word
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, November 13, 2013
Q: You confuse me sometimes. It seems like almost every week, fans write in their mailbags asking for more innovation, more speed, new aero kits, new engine manufacturers. And yet you keep saying, “I don’t think these changes will change TV viewership.” Well, I completely disagree. IndyCar needs to listen and embrace what fans want to see in their sport.
I know, I know, “If you listen to what your fans have to say, you’ll end up becoming a fan,” right? Sorry, but in this case, I think it’s time for the IMS board to listen to the fans, not the marketing companies that suggest road courses in early May. We desperately need innovation. I love when Chipster asked Ben Bowlby to design the Delta Wing. And kudos to Ben, he was innovative but forgot that in an open wheel racing series the car has to be an open wheel car. Oops!
Regarding speed. I saw Sneva reach 200mph and that was a big deal. That was 36 years ago. When I was a kid, I thought I would definitely hit a 250 mph record by the time I was an old man. Well, I’m 48 years old and the most we can do is 237 in 1996? Why go backwards? poor!
Here’s the deal…we need a game changer ASAP. Speed, innovation, and technology are COOL! That’s what IndyCar should be like, 365 days a year! Heck, I’m more excited about FIA Formula E’s progress in development, which pisses me off. We want IndyCar to be at the forefront of racing! Why aren’t we the premiere series? I watched more F1 races this year…and I don’t like road/street courses. But those cars are awful and fun to look at.
So…what do you really think moves the needle? The only thing I’ve seen you write about is opening the rulebook. Can you and Marshall Pruett put your heads together and give us the top five ideas to improve IndyCar?
mike mammoser
Robin Miller: On TV and even on the track, people can’t tell the difference between a 200 and a 220. I’m just trying to look at this as a non-fan position. What makes me drive to the track? The speed may be different, but you want to see overtaking and hard driving, and IndyCar has that, but it makes no difference.
People will continue to assume track records and suddenly there will be six different cars flocking to races and TV, and my point is, the only people who seem to care about these things are already watching IndyCar. Certainly, there will be more marketing and more interest as the rules open up and Fords, Audis, and Dodges come to town. And if Indy 500 money paid $1 million to start and $10 million to win, maybe McLaren or Red Bull would build the car. I loved the old days and went to buy the last roadster to play a show with my hero Herc, but those days are long gone. No one wants to build a car unless there is guaranteed to be no competition. It’s sad and disgusting, but I think that’s the reality. At least for now.
