Q: I remember how awesome it was when Nigel Mansell came over and the attention he brought. I might be in the minority, but it wasn’t his driving that interested me, it was his complaining. The guy moaned and groaned better then anyone I have ever seen, and it was funny to listen to. Have you ever seen a better complainer than the moody mustache?

Ryan McKeever

RM: He was certainly a drama queen when it came to pain, yet he was a helluva warrior when the helmet went on and I think a lot of that was part of his makeup. But he was a trooper at Long Beach when he drove with his back injury, and he played with pain all season. I listened to him crying about his car’s handling after a pit stop and then he was reminded it was full of fuel and would feel great again in 10 laps. It worked, and he won the race. My best memory is when he won Michigan and collapsed after getting out of the car, only to look over and see his teammate (Mario) with a little bead of sweat and standing by the car. Nige immediately recovered. But he was a great part of IndyCar racing history, and the crowds have never been bigger.

Q: I don’t think anyone can argue that the first Harvest GP was one of the best races we’ve seen in a long time, even if it got crap ratings due to a Friday afternoon time slot. My question is, have any of the high-IQ types sat down and tried to adjust the race lengths so that they have these big strategy windows at all of the events? I think it would really spice up the street courses where passing can be difficult.

Your humble servant, HB

RM: There are a lot of variables that go into a race distance (television first and foremost) but IndyCar has added or subtracted laps at certain tracks to try and make sure everyone has to make the same number of pit stops, and sometimes it works, and sometimes yellow dictate the show. I don’t recall if there was as much fuel strategy at that Harvest GP as it was just badass racing.

Q: Why did IndyCar drop the Iowa Speedway race? It was a great short track, the drivers loved it and the tickets were reasonable. Last year was not good because of the pandemic; that was no one’s fault.

Tom Gomes, Clutier, Iowa

RM: This will be the last Iowa Speedway question of the forseeable future (it will be retired like Cleveland, Milwaukee and MIS) but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, being a first-time contributor. IndyCar didn’t drop anything, Iowa Speedway and ISC opted to shut it down after Roger Penske decided not to buy the track. It is a shame because the racing was always good, but it’s just another oval track casualty.

It’s always a big week when Robin adds something new to the Mailbag blacklist. Welcome aboard, Iowa. Barry Cantrell/Motorsport Images

Q: As the pre-eminent motorsports scrivener of our time, you’ve had the opportunity to interview many hundreds of IndyCar drivers across the decades. Which drivers consistently gave you the best interviews, and which did you find to be at the other end of the spectrum?

Michael Smith, Cranston, RI

RM: Best: Uncle Bobby, A.J., Mario, J.R., Tom Sneva, Jim Crawford and Tony Kanaan. Toughest: Danny Ongais, Mike Mosley and A.J. if something broke.

Q: Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell won the first two NASCAR Cup races in 2021 and they had never won a Cup race before. Has anybody ever won the first two IndyCar Series races of the year that has never won an IndyCar race ever?

Chris Fiegler, Latham, NY

RM: Troy Ruttman and Mike Nazaruk in 1952, Kevin Cogan and Michael Andretti in 1986, Scott Sharp and Richie Hearn in 1996.

Q: I was glad to see that Paul Page was elected to the IMS Hall of Fame. In my opinion, his voice and the way he conducted a broadcast rivaled the great commentators of the past (i.e Sid Collins and Tom Carnegie). His commentary was always exciting, and he had a way of conveying information to the listeners in a dramatic fashion. His call of the finish of the 1982 Indy 500 was classic! (“You should see the celebration!”)

Joe Weiss, Spooner, WI

RM: Very much deserved, and Paul’s book will be out in May so I suggest picking it up because he’s got some cool stories.

Q: I don’t like starting a Mailbag question with ‘years ago…’ but I miss Jon Beekhuis breaking down mechanical and engine insight, or Jack Arute hooking a bowling ball to his helmet to show G-force in the corner. I still have as much interest in the car as I do with who is driving it. Honestly, I don’t even know how a hybrid engine even performs, nor does there seem to be much information (other than obvious specs) about it.

Watching an old 500-mile race had such an anticipation because there was no telling if the car would complete the race. There was always a mystery behind a cloud of smoke and a tow strap. Why are these “ask the professor” segments gone? Is it because reliability is no longer an issue? I would still enjoy hearing how we have gotten to this point, and perhaps they could mix in a fluff piece about aerodynamics. At the very least they could blow some smoke and talk about titanium connecting rods and the weight of the heads.

Steve, Lorain, Ohio

RM: A lot of IndyCar fans miss Jon, and not only was his reporting technically savvy, he kept track of race strategy like nobody else. But NBC cut back pit reporters and went to full-timers, and unfortunately, Beekhuis wasn’t retained. Arute was tied to ABC for years, so when it lost IndyCar, he lost that job. But I understand he’s got a weekly podcast, so you can still hear him.