Bourdais is one of IndyCar’s leading proponents for improved safety. Image by Abbott/LAT

Q: I think Robert would likely not have survived the crash had the catch fence post not given way. At Indy, the post would not have budged because of the way they are fortified in concrete. Have you heard any thoughts of that sort from any of the people in IndyCar? It seems that Sebastien Bourdais could become the modern day Jackie Stewart when it comes to pushing for advances in safety. I thought it took a lot for him to say what I’m sure many of the other drivers were thinking with regard to the fence repair. I would not have been surprised if he wouldn’t have gotten back in the car when the race restarted. Do you think NASCAR has to take a look at the capability of the fence to retain a 4,500-pound stock car before they race at Pocono again? No way that fence keeps a tin-top in the ballpark.

Andy Rolfe, Brighton, MI

RM: I don’t know how to answer that first question, because that post helped keep Robbie in the ballpark, but it also inflicted a lot of damage to his body. IndyCar officials said they thought the fence and car did their jobs. If you had been through what Seb did in 2017, I think you’d be pretty sensitive to anything and everything about safety. Bobby Allison almost made it into the crowd at Talladega back in 1987 when he tore out an entire section of the catch fence, but that was prior to roof flaps being introduced, and Kyle Larson’s engine damn-near did the same thing at Daytona in 2013 in the Xfinity race, so it’s also in NASCAR’s best interests to have the best fences possible. But flying cars are more of an open-wheel issue.

Q: I really enjoyed your article on the catch fence. I agree that yes something does need to be done, but it can’t be a knee-jerk reaction. It has taken some time, but look where we are at with the windscreen compared to the Halo. In my opinion it is a much better solution for keeping the cockpit open. Could it have happened faster maybe? We just need to make sure the talks keep going and progress gets made.

Tony, Providence, Utah

RM: IndyCar keeps safety sacred, and is doing its research and testing on the windscreen to make certain it’s got the right application before it pulls the trigger, and I think the same thing will happen with catch fences.

Q: In your previous Mailbag, readers suggested raising the SAFER Barriers in non-viewing areas. You seemed to dismiss this idea by saying cars get higher than a six-foot barrier. Sure, cars get higher, but a solution doesn’t have to solve 100 percent of a problem. It can solve 50 percent and save lives. There is a saying: “The perfect is the enemy of the good.” Raising the wall is not a perfect solution, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good solution.

Mike Greene, South Bending, IN

RM: The non-spectator areas in the corners are where a lot of the accidents take place, and higher walls might be a nice failsafe. My response to one of the letters was that no wall was going to be high enough to keep Scott Dixon in the ballpark, and we all got lucky he crashed where he did with that result.

Q: Just finished reading your article about the catch fence being the best we’ve got so far. No doubt, if some other device was available it would’ve have been up there already, and until someone is willing to foot the bill for what would probably be millions of dollars worth of R&D alone, which will realistically take years to develop, let alone install, we are stuck with this catch fence. However, the issue raised by Sam Schmidt to make the SAFER Barrier higher should not be ignored, as it is (costs aside) the fastest fix available.

Yes, Dixie got way higher than that, but that was on the short chute. Had the contact happened in a turn, he would not have had time to get that high as he would have already hit the wall. Also, Wickens rode along the barrier before he made contact with the fence. Same for Aleshin, and Kimball at Pocono. Had the SAFER Barrier been at least two feet higher, I believe the cars would have simply slid along the wall like Vitor Meira did at Indy. I’m sure there are a lot of experts sending you emails, and I’m not claiming to be an one – the SAFER Barrier is already researched, proven and available as at least a short-term fix. Other than that, I fully agree with you about the front stretch at Indy. Seeing the cars approach Turn 1 at 240 mph with that scoring pylon on the inside is gnarly, and a catch fence – at least – is needed there. I urge you to convince them to install it.

Victor, Romania

RM: Nobody can ever predict where or how high an open-wheel car is going to go after it climbs a wheel, but if raising the SAFER Barrier at ovals in certain places helps, then I imagine IndyCar will give it a serious look. I’ve heard from every “expert” on the planet, and that’s why I interviewed Tony Cotman because he knows what he’s talking about. But the fans are concerned about the drivers, and that’s good. I just want everyone protected as much as possible if feasible.

Q: Replays clearly show one of Wickens’ wheels flying through the fence at a potentially lethal velocity toward the building and parking area outside the Turn 2 wall at Pocono, but I can find absolutely no media coverage about where that wheel landed and what it may or may not have hit. I completely understand that IndyCar and Pocono Raceway officials would rather not publicize such a potentially catastrophic failure of the catch fence, but why are motorsports journalists unwilling and/or unable to shed any light on it?

Mike Ribeiro, Williamsburg, VA

RM: I don’t think anyone is unwilling to shed any light on it. The simple fact is that Pocono announced nobody was injured by debris from the accident, so that was that.