Q: Were you being coy or serious about a future race in Milwaukee? Last week you started the rumor about Milwaukee coming back while you were at the Texas race. Then in the answer to another question you said you were following up on the rumor by asking people in the know. Which is it?
I quoted your first Milwaukee rumor comment from Mailbag two weeks ago in a post on the Facebook page Milwaukee Mile Race Fans. It blew up — got 58 shares and reached 12,350 people (more people than attended the last IndyCar race at Milwaukee). Fans from central Illinois and Indiana said they would come to a Milwaukee race. Phenomenal response to a rumor.
Menards is still listed among Team Penske sponsors for 2022. Maybe Roger Penske could gently twist his friend John Menard’s arm for the money to make a Milwaukee race a reality. Robin Miller thought this sponsor/partnership would make sense. Could it become reality for Milwaukee?
Bob Hunt, Lodi, WI
MP: I didn’t start the rumor, but I do hope there’s a groundswell of interest that catches IndyCar’s attention. Roping Menard in to support Milwaukee sounds like a perfect Year 2 scenario if and when it’s successful in Year 1. John doesn’t seem like the type to throw money away on an event that has yet to prove its value.
Q: Why is IndyCar stuck on 16-17 races and running doubleheaders to get to those numbers when there are plenty of other permanent road courses available, and now F1 has added races in Miami and Las Vegas? Seems like the powers-that-be are not looking hard enough for new venues. There is no way an F1 race is cheaper to run then a IndyCar race. Why not the Daytona road course? Penske and France pulled off the IndyCar/NASCAR event at Indy last August; why not an IndyCar/NASCAR event at the Daytona road course? NOLA invested a lot of money for a one-off IndyCar event that was a disaster, there’s Mexico City, and I have heard the rumbling about Milwaukee, but they should tread lightly – don’t want to piss off Road America. That was the deal that got IndyCar back. No Milwaukee, and of course, Fontana.
Arnold Edgar, Danville, IN
MP: IndyCar has just one doubleheader on its calendar this year — at Iowa where it’s trying to revive a lost event — so that makes sense. NASCAR will not be welcoming IndyCar into its home in Daytona, so that’s a non-starter. The uncomfortable truth is most IndyCar teams would storm 16th & Georgetown if the calendar was expanded beyond its current count while the upcoming costs for more expensive engines and a looming need to buy new cars is on the horizon. They just can’t afford to take on 20 events because too few have sponsors with deep pockets to pay for those races, and then you have the added costs to the annual engine and tire leases since mileages will go up and more rubber will be burned.
I love the idea of expanding the calendar, but it has to happen at the right time, and that time isn’t now.
Q: Politicians in Cleveland are talking about closing Burke Lakefront Airport. I hope Penske or Andretti save the place and bring the race back to Cleveland which saw some of the greatest racing from 1982-2007.
Alistair, Branson, MO
MP: The commission better be damn good if I can convince Michael or Roger to buy prime lakefront property in Cleveland.
All this could be yours! Except the buildings. And Dan Clarke. Motorsport Images
Q: A couple questions all relating to the new engines, hybridizations and a new chassis. Can you explain how the hybrid aspect of IndyCar will play out on ovals? Is it going to be used similar to the push to pass, or will it be full time available extra horsepower? When the batteries run empty will they have to touch the brakes to recharge the batteries?
It was great to hear Jay Frye say that the new 2.4s are literally ready to race after this week’s test. Why wait until 2024 assuming Honda and Chevy can get adequate inventory of the 2.4’s by late this year? Why not run them in 2023 without the electric package? Along those lines, it is clear the drivers are ready for a new chassis with the test results and comments about the DW12 and the simulated weight of the battery unit (combined with the weight added last year with the windscreens). Multiple drivers have indicated they find the added weight a detriment to handling and braking. Why not commission Dallara to get going on a DW24 to be ready for 2024 and the 2.4-liter engines get a year under their belt in 2023 before the electric aspect is put in? There will always be problems and bugs to work out so why not spread the implementation out rather than an all new car and engine and electric package at the same time?
Forrester
MP: We broke the story on IndyCar’s ERS unit and plans in the January issue of RACER Magazine and on RACER.com; I’d recommend reading it and learning about oval energy harvesting, etc. I’ve also recently written about IndyCar having an extra year now to get a new chassis moving in time for the 2024 engine launch, so that’s also on the site for your perusal.
They won’t run them until 2024 because Chevy and Honda agreed to postpone them to 2024, with Chevy being a steady proponent of the delay to 2024, which Honda eventually agreed to, which led IndyCar to formalize the one-year push. They won’t run the 2.4s in 2023 because they don’t want to.
Q: Rumor has it that Beth Paretta is still working to put together a crew and technical support. Any idea what Gerald Tyler is up to these days? He was Simona’s engineer in 2012 and ’13 and they got along great. He knows how to set up a car the way she likes it. Considering all the positive publicity Paretta Autosport generated last year, you would think Penske Entertainment would want them included. What’s going on?
Patrick, Brownsburg, IN
MP: Not sure on Gerald; he fell out of IndyCar towards the end of 2018 and hasn’t been in demand since. You would think having the team that brought more attention to the event than any other as a must-have for the next Indy 500 would be a priority for the series, but I can’t say I’ve heard anything to suggest that’s been the case. I filed an entry list update on Monday that stopped just short of saying Beth and Simona won’t be participating in the 106th Indy 500, but that’s what I expect to hear when they are ready to speak publicly. IndyCar has been doing a lot of good and smart things since RP took over; I can’t say the situation with Paretta and De Silvestro falls into that category in 2022.
Q: I was surprised to hear rumors about a possible Milwaukee Mile race. As someone who wishes there were more ovals on the schedule, I have a question, assuming a race is run: How can IndyCar make it a good race? I attended the last three at the MM and they were little more than parades except for the jockeying during pit stops. This is not just a Milwaukee problem, either. It happens at all the relatively flat short ovals (e.g. Phoenix, WWTR, etc). It was not always like this.
Travis W., Sussex, WI
MP: WWTR has put on some good shows so I wouldn’t necessarily lump them into the conversation, but if we get Milwaukee back, I’d expect IndyCar to hold a test with a sizable amount of cars to do like they’ve done at Texas, for example, and try to get a feel for different aero specifications and pick the one the drivers felt gave them the best chances to pass into, at, and out of the corners.
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