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: I’m really worried about IndyCar’s happiness. The paths that provide important results are not on track. Obviously, Palou doesn’t seem to stop and wants to see another driver as the champion this year, but that’s probably not happening. Did the hybrid system create the inability to pass through streets and road courses? I’m looking for friends. I know that it’s pretty bad when Fox’s “Momentary Race” was a little looser and then Ferucci’s save!
And Arizona
Marshall Pruett: There are a few factors, going to hybrid is a big part of the problem, but not all of it. There are four contributing factors.
First, what has negative effects is the weight of going to hybrids. The energy recovery system itself is not evil that kills the effects between the wheels. It’s weight. This may not be important to some people, but IndyCar can pull the ERS unit from the car and replace it with a 100 pound rock to suit your weight, allowing you to have the same conversation.
Tires are another major contributor to the problem. Stupid soft street courses will basically melt if you push too hard. So the drivers had to treat them like huge debts and drive them to a certain pace, in order to prevent a complete meltdown and loss of performance. These tires sluggished the driver’s ability to attack, which slowed the action between the wheels.
The road course responds in the Thermal in a similar way, but on the track surface rather than the tire itself, causing a major drop-off in performance. So the driver had to stick again to a certain slightly reduced pace to ensure that the tires didn’t boil and give up.
Barber was the first race of the year where both tire compounds could be subjected to all the abuse they were given without giving up. However, there was not much separation of performance between primary and alternatives, so there was no major gambling in racial strategy. Everyone was constant and unattentional, so the leaders were running at similar speeds – aside from Paloo – and that wasn’t when big passes were made in advance.
Many passes have happened behind the leader, but it doesn’t create a memorable race. Everyone watches NFL games and raves about the big blocking on the trench the next day. It’s a big touchdown, long runs, game-changing hits, interceptions that we won’t forget. And it’s missing.
There are new flawed recipes, as well as how the car did before the 100-pound hybrid, as before the weight of the weight, and how it was, and how it couldn’t stand the same kind of offensive pass attempts, as well as how it was, and how the car didn’t lose control.
In addition to weight, the compounds in the tires, as well as similar pace, the chances of success that their reboots bring, and some or all of those factors, are combined from race to race to create the product that can be seen in the four opening races.
Q: It’s a heavy heart and a lot of guilt that Big Posum is holding his hand and taking a pen to write this, but the truth comes out, as someone once said.
Big Possum is a stubborn IndyCar fan who confirmed to be present in 1956 with his first 500 fans, and has since been a lot, many, many, many. On his way to his Purdue Mechanical Engineering degree, Possum interned with several IndyCar teams at the Speedway, passing tires to the wall during pit stops for McLaren and Felix Rosenquist.
The very large possum was tailored to the Barber race on Sunday – there’s no more need to be told about it – and after Barber he became a NASCAR race in Texas.
Big Possum is not a stubborn NASCAR fan and although I don’t usually see it, I follow it. The car was driving close by, cooler, with more pit stops, most fields came in at the same time, with pits, crashes, yellow flags, nice display boards of who beats from the reboot, the winner was not decided until the last four or five laps, which was pretty close. Larson was running away until he was gone, a few comers and seducers, a green white checkered finish… Overall, damn funny. Television broadcasts showed call and national anthem, unlike other channels he could name.
Big possums can see the value of charm, excitement and entertainment, which is why the stands were packed. They have their own SiriusXM 24-hour radio show.
The blessing of IndyCar at this time is the Indianapolis 500.
It is a deep sadness that a big possum reports these facts, and that he has no solution.
I look forward to seeing you at the speedway. Meatloaf dinner at Speedway American Legion Hall on Fast Friday. I’m glad to join me as my guest
Big Possum
MP: Thank you for inviting me, my man.
Really A tough moment for Penske Entertainment. How do they respond?
It focuses on the huge new TV partner, driver personality and the fastest races on the planet (after *track speed races, air races, drag races) and the relationship between the season and Fox, which can be said to have been playing the best races over the years.
I use this description several times a year, but Penske should consider IndyCar as a shelf product. Does it look like you’re sitting next to a similar product on the same shelf? Does that product offer something that stands out in the best way to others? Until 2024, I think most will agree that the product will be strong and attractive. And I don’t think it’s better to see that people who have bought and enjoyed the product in recent years have seen a huge change in the year 2025.
It’s not as attractive as last year, and for those of us who love this product, seeing it buried behind the F1 shelf kills us.
And it’s not critical of Pensuke or IndyCar. It’s just telling the truth.
The good thing is that Penske has the only authority to make all the changes to improve the product. Of course, there are contracts with obligations to the automaker and other official partners, and they cannot be ignored without the risk of being sued. But if the products that help them make aren’t sold as they used to, I hope they all come together and work on finding a quick fix.