Q: Hello Mr. Miller, and thank you so much for all you do! I am very disappointed that I will not be attending my 54th Indy 500. I was also a little surprised to just read that the indoor major movie chains in Indianapolis will begin opening August 21. Does that make sense? We are not allowed to spread out outside over the spacious Indianapolis Motor Speedway grounds, but we are allowed to be indoors in a cinema? And I agree with your comment in the previous Mailbag – I certainly believe that Mr. Penske deserves a lot of praise for trying to make this work. Thanks again!
Miles Barker
RM: I saw that, and all I can say is that R.P. had a workable plan to spread out 60,000 people in 200,000 seats and 300 acres. I asked him if he took a bullet for the team and he said he took one for a lot of people, so draw your own conclusions, but he was gung-ho about having fans, and something abruptly changed his mind.
Q: I’m wondering if the politicians, IU Health and the Indianapolis Star would have been so hard on the Speedway for wanting the hold the race with spectators if the Hulman/George family still owned the track? Or would they have supported the 2020 race with limited spectators under Hulman/George ownership?
Mike J.
RM: I think so, Mike. Gannett has no love or connection or empathy for Indianapolis or the race, and the people who wrote all those stories have no ties to the community, so they just blathered opinions without facts. And they still keep saying 90,000 people were coming to IMS when, of course, it was only 60,000-70,000 max if they bothered asking anyone from the Speedway. In the heyday of the Pulliams there was almost a partnership between The Star and IMS.
Q: My thoughts on the Indy 500. Yes – it’s not the same with no fans. No celebration, no pomp that truly makes the race complete. The fan piece of the race is undeniably at least as entertaining as the race – and some years, better. That said, kudos to R.P. for doing the right thing. There was really no doubt in my mind there wouldn’t be an option for him but to go with no fans. It was correct and courageous. In the face of all the lost fan revenue for the facility and the state, a truly exceptional man had no choice. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and these are those. Even though I was heartbroken it was postponed, as my Memorial Day holiday is the race, it was understandable and a correct move in hopes of having fans.
Bottom line: racers get to race, sponsors get their exposure, fans get to watch and Roger’s company gets TV revenue. I’m thankful we’re going to get a race. This year that’s a blessing. Keep up the great work. Stay snarky.
Tim, Apex, NC
RM: All I’ll say is that I think there was a good plan to spread out 60,000 people and it would have worked, but R.P. had his mind changed. And the NBC TV money isn’t a fraction of what he lost at the gate. But the race will be run and that’s a positive in this crazy time.
No fans is weird, but no race would be weirder. Barry Cantrell/Motorsport Images
Q: For all the folks that have taken exception to Indy without in-person spectators this year, what did they believe the future would hold without a 2020 Indy 500 on TV? I suspect that a large majority of every team’s budget is funded by business to business sponsors who believe the 500 TV audience and business entertainment at and around the race is worth the expense, No TV audience, would have been an economic disaster that I don’t believe most teams would have been able to recover from. Mr. Penske stepping in and taking the reins as he did has saved the sport for now, giving IndyCar racing a chance to live to fight another day.
CD, Beer Hill, PA
RM: As Bobby Rahal said last week in my column, not having Indy would have been disastrous for car owners because they would have had to return a lot of money. At least there’s a chance to get a good audience on Sunday.
Q: As much as it pains me to say this, I truly hope the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” is omitted from the pre-race routine this year. Far too many fans are not able to be “back home again.” It’s one of the most magical moments of the year for all of us, but right now it just doesn’t feel right to hear the tune. Hearing it next year will be an extraordinarily emotional moment, and it can’t come soon enough. Wishing you the best of health and a wonderful May-gust!
David Mitchell, New Castle, IN
RM: Here’s a response from IMS president Doug Boles: “We did discuss whether or not we should have Indiana performed this year, for the reason that David suggests. But, ultimately, we have decided to have it performed. It is an integral and longtime part of pre-race. David is right though–- heading it in 2021, will be even more emotional and powerful.”
Q: How come IndyCar doesn’t try to get David Letterman to do any IndyCar driver interviews? He used to interview the Indy 500 winners on his late show, yet doesn’t do anything like that for his Netflix specials. It would be fun to watch him interview Will Power, Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, or even one ‘Fred’ Alonso.
Speaking of TV, are you going to do anything special for the Indy 500? While NBC has done a pretty good job with the TV coverage, it is just not the same without your on-air words of wisdom, especially for the 500. You could try to do a Zoom chat with A.J. Foyt (Note the sarcasm.) FYI, great column on how everyone needs the Indy 500 more than ever. What do these whiners who complained on your Mailbag want instead? No Indy 500 because it is not in May this year? I’ll give credit where credit is due to Roger Penske and IMS staff for trying to run the Indy 500 during these abnormal times.
Raymond, Toledo, Ohio
RM: Dave is interested in a cross-section of celebrities and interesting folks, and Fred or A.J. would be good, but I’m pretty sure he’s got a long list of potential guests and doesn’t need IndyCar’s advice. I interviewed A.J. on Tuesday about his 65th straight Indy 500, so hopefully it will play Sunday in the pre-race show on NBC. I think everyone agrees that R.P. has done everything possible to keep some normalcy and run Indy.
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