Q: They’ve ruined a good practice day with the extra boost for qualifying deal. I want to watch 20 or 25 cars out there running together and mixing it up.

Dave E, Speedway, IN

RM: Regardless of extra boost they would still be searching for openings to try and simulate qualifying runs, so the best time to watch was Sunday after the Fast Nine. It looked like race day.

Q: Why doesn’t IndyCar just settle on a boost pressure for the entire month of May… er… I mean August? I really don’t get why they just don’t run full boost the entire month. If it’s for safety reasons, then they shouldn’t run it even for a single lap. And if it’s to protect the engines, then just run the lower boost. I think in general, there needs to be a rethink on all these silly little rules. Just unload and run ’em. Second, can you talk to Mr. Penske about running a race at MIS to make up the 14 if they need to? It is close for all the teams, and would be a great race. Third, I signed up for NBC Gold on Wednesday before practice started… This is a very good value for your dollar. I have practice streaming all day in the background while sitting in my home office doing my work. Love it!

Andy R., Brighton, MI

RM: IndyCar and IMS still feel like 230 mph is a way to attract viewers and create excitement, so that’s why the extra boost is added. I think The Captain already has some options in mind to make it to 14, but MIS isn’t going to be one of them. Glad you like NBC Gold.

Q: Enjoyed watching the qualifying show. I have a suggestion for a small change to the qualifying format. We want to see a driver going for it at the end as the gun goes off on Saturday, not running out the clock so someone else doesn’t get a chance. So here is my suggestion. In the last 30 minutes of Saturday qualifying, if you are in the first 9, you must withdraw your time regardless of which lane you are in if you want to do another attempt to improve your time.

Russell, Zionsville, IN

RM: It’s probably worth considering, as most people are confused by two lanes anyway.

Q: I’m not expecting this to be in the Mailbag, but I was so offended by something Marty Snider said on Saturday I thought I would ask your opinion. He was talking about Conor Daly and said that since they have Cole Pearn as engineer and that he is so awesome, that makes everyone on the team step up to do their best. They also interviewed Pearn and no other engineer. It was like he is the best ever and all the IndyCar engineers are second-rate. I can’t stand that NASCAR crap. Should I have been offended?

Paul Fitzgerald, Indianapolis

RM: I didn’t see it, but I imagine Marty was playing off Pearn’s NASCAR title and maybe making a point about making everyone step up their game. Sorry you were offended, but I doubt he meant to do that because Marty is pretty politically savvy.

Based on reader feedback, Daly’s presumably wondering if he’s going to catch NASCAR germs if Pearn leans any closer. Image by IMS

Q: Robin, thanks for your great Marco article. You are always insightful, to the point, and slightly gritty. Another shout out to the NBC team for the Indy qualifying show. Diffey/Bell/Tracy have become a personable and informative team that is entertaining without causing us long time IndyCar fans to feel like we’re being schooled by teachers who know much less than their students. I was a little worried about Paul when he first started, but he’s become the confident, no-BS P.T. we all knew when he was racing. Townsend is always positive and well spoken, and is still kicking ass on the racetrack. Leigh is incredibly knowledgeable (and/or has great researchers) and keeps the pace up with his Aussie enthusiasm. Great job from all three.

Robert Keith

RM: They have good chemistry and don’t miss much, so that’s about as good as you can hope for on any sports telecast. And P.T. still has that raw edge, which is what we love about him.

Q: Oval-track racing for IndyCar has lost so much appeal to fans in the last several years, I think mostly around safety concerns. My opinion is that drivers don’t have the oval skills they used to because of the way they enter the series. Midgets, sprints and championship dirt cars taught drivers better about how to manage their open-wheel cars in traffic. I know money and sponsorship from drivers is a huge issue, but do you know why IndyCar and team owners don’t do more to promote development at those levels? They work on track and car safety, but don’t seem to focus much effort on developing better driver skill from a safety standpoint. Indy Lights was a good step, but seems like there could be more. Maybe these are just old school thoughts, but I wonder if some of the mistakes made by drivers in recent years would have been made by drivers who did hone their skills coming up through the ranks. Thanks again for all the good reporting!

Lynn Gulch

RM: The Split did more damage to oval-track racing than anything, because Indy was compromised, Milwaukee shared the bill with both series and failed, Phoenix became a loser, Fontana had no continuity, MIS lost its crowd and only Texas seemed to hang in there because you had to buy a season ticket in order to watch NASCAR. Road racers can learn how to run ovals quicker/easier/better than the other way around, and dirt racing is a great way to learn how to race but doesn’t prepare anyone for an IndyCar. So Kody Swanson, Bobby Santos, C.J. Leary, Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant, Chris Windom and Tanner Thorson will be content to make a living in USAC, because they know the drill and the odds.