Welcome to the racer’s mail bag. Questions for racer writers can be sent to emailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters containing questions are likely to be published. Any questions received every Monday after 3pm will be saved the following week.
Q: Formula 1 is the final year of his contract with the Las Vegas Grand Prix. If they can’t come up with a new deal, can IndyCar replace F1 on the streets of Vegas in 2026?
Alistair, Springfield, MO
Marshall Pruett: Anything is possible, but it would be a shock to see it end in three years with all the major investments made to host the Formula 1 race. I’ve been to many Indy Car races in Las Vegas and based on the previous crowd, there will be plenty of empty grandstands. But the large promotions and ticket prices can probably produce decent voter turnout, rather than the lewdness of looking at F1 there.
Q: If you need to confirm that your Indycar moves to Fox, you don’t need to look for more than IMSA coverage. One minute of Sebring’s 12 hours (at least the second-largest American sports car race) was not on any television service (OTA, cable, dish, etc.). Pathetic. I’m sure IMSA people don’t need to hear this, but run and don’t leave NBC.
Kansas City, Travis
MP: It was strange to see Sebring being relegated to 12 hours of streaming only via Peacock. There’s a perfect solution for those who cut the cord (or didn’t have one), but perhaps not for fans who prefer to consume races via networks or cables.
Q: Is the recent decision from IMSA to make Road America races an example of a series hearing from six-hour fans? I love it and look forward to it.
Daniel Martins, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
MP: It’s certainly an overwhelming response to Indy Race. I don’t know if there is a big effort being made to promote the event, but while many automakers have supported adding Indy in 2023, most have not achieved field revitalization as seen in other IMSA races.
Chevrolet, the official IMS car/truck, is the only brand that brings cars and trucks along the way in last year’s race, and compared to what they do during May, it had a small footprint and a modest display. Perhaps the large Indianapolis market is not something that manufacturers have determined to be essential after only a handful of them appeared in the 2023 Midway and decided that their 2024 spending was not worth it.
That’s speculation, but when there’s a small crowd and the majority of IMSA’s nearly 20 makers opt out of being active at major endurance events, you’ll see why they lose enduros to everyone’s favorite events on the calendar. In my head, I see the 2H40M race at Indy in September as a last chance to show that IMS should continue with IMSA.
Q: What extra 3 hours and 20 minutes will be added to the IMSA team budget? I know nothing is cheap in racing, but I would have thought that the main cost was to prepare and reach the track. I am very excited for 26 years Road America, praying for a 6-hour stay and moving on Saturday 27 years with an evening finish!
Chad, West Salem, Wisconsin
MP: None. I lost a six-hour race and took Road America 2H40m race, so I didn’t incur any additional costs by taking Road America up to six hours. The team is already going to Road America, so there is no additional fuel cost. They’ve already gone to Indy and others.
Q: Is Oriol Servia still a pace car driver in the IndyCar series?
Yanie Porliel
MP: Yes, he is.
Q: In last week’s email bag response, Marshall said that half of the Honda-powered teams have free engines, meaning that other Honda teams are paying for engine leases. The same applies to the Chevy team, but which team/car sponsored by the engine manufacturer?
Is it possible that the 2027 chassis is cheaper than the current chassis?
Will, Indy
MP: Yes, apply to some Chevrolet teams (it’s not hard to guess as the best success, but not all entries in the best team get a motor deal, as some teams pay for the driver). No, there’s no public list of who will or won’t pay, but that’s a candidate for the title.
I haven’t heard of new cars being made in cheaper cases than the current ones.
Q: What about the robust turbocharged, hybrid, 2 liter, inline 4 cylinders for IndyCar’s next engine formula? There are many manufacturers who supply enough power and may be suitable for weight and packaging, and use similar power plants in their road cars. The old Turbo Offic also has a “return to the future” angle.
Rayskin
MP: V6 Turbo is the perfect solution these days. As each motor in the IndyCar is asked for a long lifespan, it’s easier to split that 750 into four and share the load creating 750 hp over six cylinders than to reach the minimum set of 2500 miles of the rule. I love a good turbo fore, but with complaints, some of the fans about the engine noise today get a fuss when the field of the Fati 4 cylinder passes by. With the exception of the insane high boost turbofo from F1 in the early to mid-’80s, it sounded like over 1000 HP volcanic explosions, followed by hundreds of miles and tops. There isn’t much audio magic there. Lowering the mileage limit to 500-1000 opens up the possibility.