Robin Miller’s April 14th Mailbag presented by Honda Racing / HPD

Welcome to the Robin Miller Mailbag from Honda Racing / HPD. You can follow the Santa Clarita, California based company at hpd.honda.com and on social media at @HondaRacing_HPD and https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD.

Questions for Robin can be sent to [email protected]. Due to the large number of questions received, we cannot always guarantee that your letter will be printed, but Robin will reach as many as possible. Published questions have been edited for the sake of clarity. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of RACER or Honda / HPD.

Q: Thank you for the great look at the young challengers in IndyCar, the predictions, and your precise recommendation on streaming coverage of Peacock. I was amazed at what I saw by some Mailbag writers last week as invalid criticisms of IndyCar, Peacock, Penske, and NBC. When I was traveling in an extremely rural area last week, I enjoyed what I thought was very good coverage of the Indy tests. The official IndyCar iOS app was improved, and the Peacock streaming was excellent and uninterrupted, while only having cellular data available that was way out of reach of WiFi.

With a leaderboard and stats on my phone from the IndyCar app and a Peacock video on my tablet, I was able to really get pretty extensive coverage despite the complications that social distancing brings with news gathering. What a drastic improvement this is! I suggest that the naysayers and whiners tie up, hire a joint personal assistant, and have the PA come up with a compilation of coverage for each event, served with a tray of Harvey Wallbanger cocktails and snacks. Am i in the minority?

Thank you for your efforts. If after changing the protective piece you receive a Trifecta from a) at least 10 named winners; b) 14 or more winners in the season; and c) the championship in the Laguna Seca round or Herta or O’Ward crowned the champion. I think we Mailbag readers owe you a goddamned payoff.

Rick, CA.

RM: Nice to hear that you have had a good experience with Peacock. I’ve heard everything from no rerun from Thursday to the video blowing up on fans not sure what Peacock will be offering during the week. Right now I think they are just trying to fit IndyCar into their programming format and I think there will be some good content going on as the season progresses.

Q: At least to me, it seems obvious that practicing at Indy in April makes no sense when RP could extend the month of May by a few days, sell tickets, and improve the show. This would also help the Indianapolis economy. I would buy a seat. I know we can’t go back to the “good old days”, but we can improve the greatest spectacle in racing. Thoughts?

Bill Turley

RM: IndyCar wanted to try some changes to the Dallara in May and get feedback from the drivers, so it’s the perfect time. And no one shows up to practice if it’s only a few days in May, so adding days doesn’t generate additional interest or money. Those days are long gone, but we still have the best race in the world.

Q: Castroneves need to take an Indy 500 refresher course again. Will he teach or be a student? Robin, can you please explain what’s going on in a refresher course?

T. Swearingen

RM: He could be both, but IndyCar just likes it when the driver drives a few laps despite Helio’s experience and gets to know his car and his team. The test requires a set number of laps at progressive speeds.

“Shit, I completely ignored which direction Turn 3 was going.” Michael Levitt / Lumen Digital Agency

Q: Very nice how you dealt with Don C (in last week’s mailbag), especially after he beat up our sport. You must have been in a good mood when you answered. Some of the things he mentioned were outdated rules ending races under yellow and lined up restarts. He must not understand that an IndyCar is an open-wheeled rocket, not an inflated bumper car that other series use. A stressed restart is therefore less important as the cars have to catch up so quickly in the race.

And yes, RP works on all aspects of the race. IndyCar should still finish the race under yellow – if the miles are complete it will be over. In my opinion, the IndyCar series doesn’t need any gimmicks, hand-holding or participation trophies in the form of a green / white / checker to make a good race. If he’s a fan like I said, he should watch the races and be happy with them all. Not all football games are good, but most of us see and support our team. Well, that’s a racing fan’s opinion. What are you saying?

Jack, Ft. Myers, FL

RM: I agree with Scott Dixon: Indy is not supposed to be easy and there is no need to push – my god, look at the results over the past decade. And calling the race the planned distance doesn’t bother me in the least, but I think we’re in the minority of fans today. It’s the Indy 500 and don’t tell me how much better the TV ratings would be with green / white / checker because that’s a lot of crap.

Q: OK, you saw it! First minutes, first lap, tires in the grass and a fall. Remove the idiotic grass, (VeeKay) drops a tire under the white line and ends its turn. But of course we want to keep grass so we have nowhere to go in the turns. Another pointless crash that could have been much worse. When will someone be paying attention and doing it to ensure driver safety and improve racing on the speedway? Perhaps the drivers could try to run the race again instead of running in second place to win the race. I’m tired of hearing about all the leadership changes on the front and back.

Greg Lupo

RM: Couldn’t agree anymore, Greg. Put the old apron on and let the drivers save their bums or run side by side like Rick and Michael. Grass is absolutely ridiculous with an oval. Every oval.

Q: I have a deep love, respect, and obsession for IndyCar and the Indy 500. In fact, it’s better than Christmas and should be a national day. All that is said, here is my complaint. It’s all about advertising. Anyone who advertises IndyCar sucks. I get them to countdown the 500 on social media with vintage pictures and videos. But why not take the time to promote other races of the year to create a buzz? Everyone knows the 500, and here they count down 100 days to the 105th run. That’s fine, but other races also need to be encouraged.

I also understand that ovals get very little support from fans, but it may take more than two to three years on an oval track to see a turnaround. Word of mouth can be a great thing if used properly. Just give the ovals a better chance. I miss Kansas Kentucky, Milwaukee, etc. Oh, and while I’m on the train, fans who believe Roger Penske can turn IndyCar around during a pandemic have to shut up. Thanks for everything you do.

Troy M.

RM: I would love to see a national TV commercial (similar to the one on FOX and NASCAR with that great Kyle Busch ending) to try and introduce America to IndyCar drivers. The newest video from a marketing firm in Chicago is on the right track, but it doesn’t identify any of the drivers and that’s the problem. Scott Dixon poses with six rings and there are a lot of drivers but absolutely no names to write on their faces. If no one knows Dixon, then how the hell do we expect Colton, Pato and Rinus to bond with the public? NBC sponsors other races during the season, but I still think it’s up to IndyCar to take the lead. And I think we all know that without The Captain there would be no IndyCar.