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.
Note: Mailbag will be on vacation next week and will be doing what Mailbags do on vacation, but please continue to submit your questions. Questions will be run when it reopens on January 14th.
Q: I started reading John Oleovich’s book, Class of ’99, and so far it’s been a great read. What struck me throughout CART’s history, especially in the 90s, was the variety of choices teams had for chassis and engine manufacturers. As much as I would like to see another engine manufacturer enter IndyCar, it would be great to see a chassis manufacturer enter just to see the different body styles of the cars once the new IndyCar regulations start.
After reading our article about the 2028 IndyCar chassis, will we see other chassis manufacturers like ORECA, Duqueine, or Lola step into the ring to compete with Dallara?
Brandon Karsten
Marshall Pruett: I’m happy to see Oreo finding his new lane in the racing book. I also have the 1999 book and hope to read it soon. It’s been a year since I worked at CART, so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s documented.
When I worked in open-wheel racing in the 1980s and ’90s, chassis versatility was one of the things I loved most, but team owners’ desire for multiple car and tire manufacturers is long gone, as it was in those days. You don’t want to make the wrong choice and have Lola and Goodyear when Oreca and Firestone are the right combination, and vice versa.
Whenever this topic comes up, I think of Chip Ganassi and Carl Haas. Chip was in his first year of Reynard’s IndyCar program in 1994 and had a Ford/Cosworth engine and Goodyear tires. Haas used the same engine and tire solution as the Lola importer and won the CART IndyCar Series championship in 1993 with the Lola Ford/Cosworth Goodyear package.
By 1995 Reynard was strong and ready to take a big step forward by 1996, but if he had stayed at Ford/Cosworth or Goodyear, the Ganassi dynasty would never have taken off. He rolled the dice by switching to Honda, where he had one win, and Firestone, which had just returned from a decades-long hiatus.
It would have been a safe bet to stick with the Raynard-Ford/Cosworth-Goodyear solution he used in 1995, but he broke with conventional thinking and that series of choices led to three successive titles, while Lola, Ford/Cosworth and Goodyear fell back with the once all-powerful Newman/Haas team, losing their place at the top of the sport. Bold actions come with bold consequences.
That was the way it was back then. If you guessed wrong, didn’t have the budget to make up for your mistake, and had to race on an inferior chassis or tire (or engine) all year long, that was the worst. Those fears have been long gone, so the idea that team owners will ignore them and push the series forward with another chance to fail seems like a no-brainer.
In other words, the ring is not open to anyone other than Dallara. Dallara is the only official IndyCar chassis supplier. However, if you might be interested, the latest information I hear is that Lola is supplying the next Indy NXT chassis. Dallara also has that exclusive business on the spec IL15 chassis.
Q: Why isn’t the new IndyCar called DW28? To be more specific, shouldn’t Is it DW28?
Dan Wheldon literally embodied everything an IndyCar driver could aspire to or accomplish. Others and I would think the nickname Lionheart is an exaggeration. Not Dan. He literally charged headlong into a fight with little reward, knowing full well that it was extremely dangerous, and lost his life. My admiration was not afterthought either (I still have the Target No. 10 I ran at Indy in 2008, and it will be a treasure forever). I still remember sitting in Turn 2 during the race and seeing his line coming out of the corner was different than any other driver. His memory and finish at Indianapolis deserves to be forever recognized for the fearlessness and genius he showed us all.
dce
MP: Dan passed away in October 2011 after serving as head of development for the IR12 in the summer of 2011 and in test pilot roles with IndyCar and Dallara. So Dallara’s decision to rename IR12 to DW12 was a fitting tribute.
I loved Dan more than anyone and considered him a friend, but I don’t see a connection between IR28 and maintaining the DW naming convention. Nearly 20 years would pass between the development of his car and the next new car’s racing debut, and that’s where the thread of connection breaks for me.
In fact, I’ve heard more and more people naming their new cars after another late friend, Justin Wilson, in honor of the aeroscreen, but I don’t think the JW28 is more fitting or worthy than the DW28, as both men suffered helmet strikes.
Justin passed away in 2015, so if the new car came out in 2018 I’d probably have a different opinion about naming it JW18, but since it’s 2028 and the series that commissioned the IR28 is owned by a completely different person with no management or legacy ties to Dan or Justin, I’m happy with the name they chose.
Some believe that the 2028 IndyCar integrated windshield will be named after Justin Wilson. Jeff Zelebanski/Getty Images
Q: I’ve been reading Mailbag for many years, but this is my first time asking a question. I’m planning to go to my first Rolex 24 with my best friend in a month. I have never participated in an IMSA race before and have always wanted to participate. We plan to be there for all 4 days so I’m looking for suggestions on what to do. What do you think about places around the track to watch races and what events are going on? Do you have any thoughts on where to eat or travel?
Matt, Fort Wayne, Indiana
MP: Nice to meet you! The downside to racing professionally is that you’re racing for work, but endurance racing usually requires long days, so my experience in and around Daytona is very different from that of fans who come to Open Day to enjoy the adventure.
Across the street from the track is the entertainment district, which is adjacent to NASCAR/IMSA headquarters and has several good restaurants and movie theaters. Other things that come to mind are familiar places like chain stores that you’ve probably visited in Fort Wayne. On the rare games where I had some truly free time, I would scour thrift stores to see if I could find any cool or old Rolex 24 or Daytona 500 T-shirts and related ephemera.
Here’s what RACER’s Graham Goodwin shared on the course:
The great thing about the Rolex 24 is that there’s plenty of time to indulge in all kinds of experiences, whether it’s trackside, in the stands or around the garage area.
The Grid Walk and Driver Introductions are open to everyone, and although they can get crowded, they have an authentic feel.
Let’s go to the stand first. It’s by far the best view. Go high for the best views and go low for the best experience. Then watch the opening lap from the comfort of your seat.
You can then move to the infield and fence a bit, almost reaching the fence from the exit of Turn 1 along the bank of the backstretch. Even better, you can also check out the “vendor line” while you’re at it. The views are amazing and there are stands along the way where you can sit and chat with other fans and rest your tired feet.
Keep an eye on the progress. The garage area quickly wakes up as cars start falling to the side of the road. Give your team space to work and you’ll be ringside in any garage watching race crews be special and fix seemingly unfixable problems in deadlines that would make most road car shops blush.
Repeat everything again in the dark. Because that’s when the real magic of 24-hour racing happens.
Q: I’ve been reading the news about Honda and the new engine formula, and it seems like Honda is reluctant to spend any more money on IndyCar because they want it to be more electric, and they’ve been pushing hybridization as much as possible. As a result, I feel like I’m not getting any ROI.
It’s great to see manufacturers getting into this game and focusing on fuel economy. There must be a way to make the car faster and More fuel efficient. There are clear advantages to engines that can deliver the best performance and more MPG.
Let’s be honest: electric cars aren’t popular in the consumer market, and government regulations no longer support them. So there’s an incentive for manufacturers to refocus on internal combustion engines, and there’s no better place than IndyCar to demonstrate advances in performance and fuel economy. Just my two cents of wishful thinking.
Blaine, MN, Tom
MP: There are many different opinions about Honda. I don’t know what you’re thinking. All I heard from Honda was that they wanted to put more emphasis on hybridization, and I didn’t feel at all that they had used up everything they could get from racing hybrids.
automotive industry – At least in industries that interact with the US. – is reacting to the latest changes in emissions standards that prompted the industry to focus on electrification due to the need to meet strict emissions reduction mandates before the Trump administration’s reversal.
Major car companies were enthusiastic about electric vehicles not because they liked them, but because they wanted to comply with government regulations. Therefore, due to the relaxation of exhaust gas standards, Honda’s production, for example, has been focused on gasoline engines and hybrids.
Chevrolet and Honda have been fighting for years to win the IndyCar fuel economy war, and the arrival of hybrid IndyCar engines has only intensified the battle. So, it’s already happening, and engines that produce more power and more MPG tend to bring most of the wins in IndyCar.
But if you’re happy with reaching 4 MPG, it’s hard to improve your fuel economy.
Q: I am a Gen Z IndyCar fan and am very excited about the upcoming IndyCar video game. But I’ve been waiting for a while since the 2023 release was first announced. I was saying to myself that I would much rather the game makers put out some kind of expansion pack or DLC that would allow players to play the seasons they “missed.”
This game was supposed to be released in 2023, so it would be great to see the 2023-25 season in-game. I believe they still have truck and racer licenses. MotoGP did something similar with its 2022 game, making the 2009 season fully playable on all tracks and riders introduced that year.
Also, since this is iRacing, they could definitely add some legacy tracks that aren’t currently on the IndyCar schedule, but that used to be there and that iRacing had track scans for. Obviously, I’m referring to Kentucky and Pocono, as well as a few other stores. Again, MotoGP games often included things like: Laguna Seca hasn’t been in the sport since 2013, but my copy of MotoGP 24 has it and it’s playable on modern bikes. A pretty cool feature if you ask me.
Taylor, Kentucky
MP: After years of disappointment expressed by IndyCar fans, I can’t wait to see the reaction from people like you who have been forced to persevere and have held out hope that a great match will take place.
No shots of the new IndyCar game. Instead, I photograph Jarno Trulli at a ski resort. Clean/Getty Images
Q: Am I missing something about the new 2028 2.4 V6 engine proposal? IndyCar says it wants engine manufacturers to develop new engines that are less stressful, so they are cheaper to maintain, have a longer life between rebuilds, and perhaps encourage new automakers to enter the sport. However, although these engines have a larger displacement, they rev at 12K instead of 10K and have higher boost. How are all of these equivalent?
thomas carl
MP: Yes, there are some things missing. The 2.2 spun to 12K, and the 2.4, which is built, tested and ready for racing in 2023, spun to 12K. The 2028 engine will be built with more materials in areas that the manufacturer says will increase durability. This is what the professionals who build engines want and need, and that’s what they’ve been given.
Q: Given the nature of the IndyCar Series specifications, what are teams allowed to manufacture in-house? McLaren’s announcement about its new facility mentioned bringing this in-house. Damper? What else?
Doug Farrow, Plymouth, Minnesota
MP: Everything is in the rulebook. Here are the highlights I cut and pasted:
14.2. Development area/Recycled parts/Direct sales parts development area There is scope for development in the following areas: Mating parts must remain as supplied and other parts must comply with regulations.
- Oils and greases other than the engine,
- Dampers and Inerters (Rule 14.10);
- Treatments and coatings on the gearbox and/or inside the gearbox unless the intended shape is changed.
- Treatment and coating of all bearing surfaces.
- Bearings and bearing races (excluding upright and gearbox bearings) must be of the same size, type and design as originally supplied by an approved supplier. Hybrid and/or ceramic bearings are not approved for use.
- Fuel cell collector pot (the fuel cell collector pot must remain in the fuel cell, must have a -6 port plug drain on the bottom of the collector, and must be filled during the fuel cell capacity check performed by INDYCAR),
- The end of the refueling hose that connects to the tank, the internal brake duct, must fit completely within the brake duct.
- Brake bias cable (the concept of operation should be the same as the supplied bias cable) Bushings, piping,
- water pipe,
- Oil pipes (at least 6 inches of flexible section must be left at the radiator end of the pipe), fuel cell line piping, and all other piping are limited to changes in line type, size, fittings, and wiring.
- spacer,
- drive peg extension,
- push rod end,
- Anti-rotation devices are permitted as long as the pushrod and toe link are kept parallel to the mounting surface. Devices must be submitted to INDYCAR via IRIS for approval.
- Anti-roll bar adjusters must be submitted to INDYCAR via IRIS for approval of nuts and bolts including bolt head types.
- Heat shields other than fabric or sleeves must be submitted to INDYCAR via IRIS for approval.
- Pedal heads must be submitted to INDYCAR via IRIS for approval.
- Dead pedal (must have no sharp edges)
- Heel rest (must have no sharp edges) Speedway front wing adjuster knob.
- Brake master cylinder rod extension
- throttle damper extension
- brake pedal pivot bush
- Throttle pedal piston and return spring
- throttle pedal pivot bush
- Gearbox drain plug and filter cap
- gearbox oil filter
- throttle stop
- Rear wishbone heat shield (cannot increase thickness or width by more than 0.070 inch)
- CCW Mk2 and Mk3 steering wheel rotary knob (knob can be removed externally using set screw).
recycled parts The parts listed below can be reproduced or purchased directly from Dallara. Parts must match approved drawings, including materials. Changes from approved drawings must be submitted to INDYCAR via IRIS for approval. Specific details and drawings associated with each part are available on the INDYCAR ePaddock.
- Air Jack Receptacle (Air Jack Receptacle must remain in INDYCAR approved location) Pedal Stem;
- pedal bracket
- wheel nut socket conical guide,
- rear shock shear plate,
- rockers,
- anti roll bar drop link,
- anti-roll bar blade,
- And anti-roll bars.
Q: Thank you for the great series on IR28. We are listening to the opinions of Mr. Cibra, Penske and others. etc. say they are trying to satisfy manufacturers. But isn’t the question that Roger Penske (and his future successor) is the only one that really matters in the long-term path of the IR28 engine and its successor?
It seems to me that Roger Penske and his anointed successor, with their partial ownership of Ilmor, have no long-term interest (or very little interest) in fostering innovation in the powertrain sector and attracting more manufacturers.
I’d like to say this quiet part out loud, but the most powerful family in American open-wheel racing has a vested interest in one engine supply deal and the continuation of the status quo. Everything else is just corporate virtue signaling and temporary smoke and mirrors. I understand that Penske and IndyCar have a duty to listen to their corporate policies, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Honda and other manufacturers factored this type of financial conflict into their decisions about whether to participate in the series.
darling
MP: Thanks for the kind note about the 2028 story.
As for the rest, I love a good made-up story, but this one has no roots in reality that I can find.
If Mr. Penske had wanted single supply to benefit the engine company he co-founded and co-owns, he would have fought to the end to stop hybridization and lost Honda. But that didn’t happen. Hybridization was labor-intensive and expensive, and it cost Penske a lot of money to maintain multiple engine suppliers.
Honda is said to have been the most vocal in advocating for a divorce from Penske Entertainment from hosting events involving Team Penske, and although it was not immediately implemented, Penske ultimately acquiesced, and a new independent hosting committee is scheduled to be established in 2026.
If you were trying to force the manufacturer out and give the business to your engine company, you wouldn’t do it. And this is exaggerating the obvious, but given Penske’s huge success in business, what would pulling off this personal engine supply coup add to his personal fortune, perhaps 0.01%, while hurting the value and perception of the series he co-owns and loves? I can’t find anything that accomplishes this.
This shot of Jarno set us on a mission to see what interesting photos of Roger Penske we could find. And the answer is a photo of him with NART teammate Pedro Rodriguez at Le Mans in 1963. David Phipps/Getty Images
Q: As you can probably guess from what you’ve written, I’m older. How much will the expected IndyCar engine specs for 2028 and beyond leverage or use what Honda and Chevrolet were working on for their next-generation engines a few years ago? They were developing a new 2.4-liter hybrid TTV6, but then it sunk in, I think, over the next three or four years. Final specs are still in flux, but are the development investments made by Honda/Chevrolet expected to be applied to the new engine, or is it starting from scratch?
Forester L. Morgan, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
MP: Rather than repeat what has already been written, here are the next lines of the story.
- With only a few changes, the 2.4 blueprint replaces 2.2.
- We know that the original 2.4 Formula that was successful by track testing in 2022 will be the basis for the 2028 Formula, but this isn’t pulling those motors out of storage, nor is it a pure copy-paste of previously written specs.
- In fact, the 2.4 formula is not completely finished and is not ready for manufacturers to start cutting metal.
- Some minor tweaks to 2.4 are still on the drawing board, with the series expected to finalize the remaining details by 2026.
- Although similar in almost every way, the biggest difference between the 2.2 and 2.4 is the fact that the 2.4 is a modern engine, and that’s a good thing.
Q: Why didn’t IndyCars have the same displacement as F1 engines? The formula remained the same until 1951, encouraging European entries to join the 500. As the number of manufacturers increases, the number of fans will also increase.
Charlie Goddard, 79 500 races, Muncie, Ind.
MP: Just like F1 can make their engines the same displacement as IndyCar, IndyCar can also make their engines the same displacement as F1. There’s nothing stopping either series from doing that other than their choice to go their separate ways. I look forward to seeing you at age 80.th In May.
Q: What do you think? If 23XI and FRM receive a large settlement, will other NASCAR teams cry out that the charter deal hurt them too and want to pay up?
Bernardo, Texas
Kelly Crandall: Other NASCAR teams have already said that this charter deal hurt them or that they did not agree with it, but signed it for whatever reason they felt it was necessary. Because of what happened in the settlement and what 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports get, no payments will be made. That’s because as part of the settlement, NASCAR will have to rework its revenue-sharing charter agreements with teams. And the first thing they wanted was more money.
Q: I heard that NASCAR has created the Betty Jane French Humanitarian Award for those involved in philanthropic work for children.
Wouldn’t it make sense to award an additional Greg Biffle Memorial Humanitarian Award to someone who has done additional significant philanthropic work that looks beyond children?
Greg Biffle is remembered not only as a great driver, but also as a great humanitarian.
Wiscow Warner, Cedar Grove, WI
K.C.: That makes sense, and I don’t think anyone would argue that Greg Biffle should continue to be recognized. I don’t know if NASCAR is planning that. There is also a National Motorsports Writers Association that honors Biffle’s accomplishments, and will probably continue to do something about it. However, no one would object to this. Biffle will be remembered just as much, if not more, for what he did off the course as what he did on it.
Q: In a statement by a NASCAR executive during the NASCAR Trials, you hinted that another manufacturer is likely to enter the series soon. Do you think his statement is referring to Honda or Dodge/Chrysler? Or, put another way, do you think it’s more likely to be Honda than Dodge/Chrysler? Honda’s silence has been noticeable lately.
randy, north carolina
K.C.: I believe it’s the Steve O’Donnell you’re referring to who made that statement, but in this case it very likely means Dodge or Ram. They have announced that they intend to return to NASCAR next season and return to the Cup Series at some point. What we know about NASCAR’s timeline and application process suggests it will likely be the next manufacturer to join the Cup Series. However, Honda rumors have been around for years and still no action has been taken.
last word
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, December 31, 2013
Q: I’ve been making a habit lately of learning about all the old drivers and legends from the USAC era of the ’50s and ’60s. What do you know about Gene Force and Keith Rushwitz? There are plenty of drivers without wins, but who do you think are the top 10 drivers without a win in a race since before the 1996 split?
Similarly, in 1979 there was a split between CART and USAC. Do you think the drivers who won races after 1980 (George Snyder, Keith Kaufman, Bobby Olivero, etc.) are justified in winning races, or do you think those wins weren’t actually earned in “IndyCar” because Snyder and Olivero weren’t even good enough to finish in the top five, and Kaufman wasn’t even an IndyCar driver!
Thank you for the history lesson.
alex in florida
Robin Miller: Force qualified for Indy in 1951 (finishing 11th) and again in 1960, but Porky (Rachowitz’s nickname) attempted to compete in 1962 and 1963, but was unsuccessful due to several accidents. Snyder was a bad guy when he came to USAC (pole at the Hoosier Hundred in 1965, front row at Indianapolis in ’66), but he was always the better sprinter. Olivero was a very good midget and dirt car racer who qualified for Indy in 1977. Kaufman was strong in sprints.
I think Snyder, Johnny Parsons, Steve Krisiloff, Tom Bigelow, Mel Kenyon, and Rich Fogler were all good racers who never won in IndyCar, but Lee Kunzman was the best in my opinion. He recovered from a serious injury and was finally able to ride an Indy car, but was injured again and returned again, almost winning at Atlanta in 1979.
Kunzmann was better in midget cars and sprint cars than anyone I’ve ever seen race.
