The RACER Mailbag, October 1

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We love hearing your comments and opinions, but letters that include a question are more likely to be published. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will be saved for the following week.

Q: So if there’s one consistent theme in IndyCar, on social media and in the Mailbag it’s fans railing against spec cars, spec tires, and only two engine suppliers. Of course there is a reason that it’s the way that it is: not enough impressionable eyeballs on TV, butts in seats, buzz on social media, etc to generate sponsor interest/money for the series or the teams.

So let’s just assume that all current trends be damned and motorsport in this country generates increasing, rather than decreasing (or steady) interest. How many eyeballs on all the media platforms (not just broadcast TV?) and butts in seats would it take to generate the sponsors to return to a more freewheelin’ open rule book? What would sponsors want today (aside from a huge audience) that they wouldn’t have back in the glory days? 

Mike Z, Breckenridge, CO

MARSHALL PRUETT: Great questions, Mike. It might be as simple as saying that a return to IndyCar being a home for big-box stores and brands like it was during the CART era, and for a while to a lesser degree when major CART teams switched to the Indy Racing League, would send a powerful signal to the sporting, entertainment, and business worlds that IndyCar is a powerful entity to engage.

Take many of the best-known cigarette brands, beer companies, and most popular retailers, and they were all found in CART, spending wildly, buying huge blocks of tickets and handing them out, and matching their grand event activations with national TV or print ads pointing back to their CART racing programs. The average person in the U.S. was likely aware of CART/IndyCar, and not necessarily because they liked it and followed it, but because huge brands made significant efforts to transport CART to 30-second commercials on their TVs or ads in the newspapers and magazines people read.

That’s what I think of when the topic of bringing today’s IndyCar ‘back’ to where it once was in the national register of awareness. It wasn’t because we had two tire supplier or four unique chassis vendors or because the racing was great. The cars were amazing, no doubt, and blew your mind if you got to see them live. But that wasn’t the measure of success or popularity. It was the sponsors and activations – the array of engine suppliers also went big on promotions – who brought CART/IndyCar to the masses in the comfort of their living rooms or bathrooms or break rooms at work. If we ever get back to that point, money will be flowing like a river through the paddock.

One of the wonky realities of CART in the late 1990s is the stands were often full, but the TV ratings weren’t necessarily insane. In my brain, I often think we had five million people tuning in at all times, but it wasn’t the case.

The 1999 season spread across the ABC network and ESPN on cable had an average of 1,130,000 viewers per race during a 20-race season. FOX just closed its all-network debut season with an average of 1,362,000 across its 17 races.

On the surface, it suggests the 1999 ratings were soft, but it’s also worth noting that CART did not have the Indy 500 on its calendar in 1999; that belonged to the IRL. CART had nothing like the 500 to pull its ratings average way up like FOX had this year where many races produced audiences in the 700,000 range while Indy brought in 7.8 million, which acted like a rocket to drive the season-long average up to 1,362,000.

Nonetheless, the new FOX average is strong. It should pique the interest of more sponsors. The new quest is to keep the non-Indy races rising. That’s where CART circa 1999 wasn’t so bad. All it had was non-Indys and its average, split on network and cable, was more than 1 million viewers per race. If FOX can get to that point with its all-network plan, and deliver the big Indy number, the series and its teams will have something meaningful to sell at a higher price to sponsors.    

Q: I wonder if you are hearing of 2025 PREMA crew members landing at other teams for 2026? And in your opinion could the stars align and Dale Coyne sign Rinus Veekay again for the 2026 season if Rinus is without a drive? Dale wanted him and business is business, etc. Were bridges burnt, or is this a possibility please?

Oliver Wells

MP: Some, yes, but not in large quantities. I’ve had a few team owners tell me they’ve heard the entire team is up for sale (the asking price has ranged between $20-25 million), but when I ask if they’ve been contacted by PREMA to buy the team, they’ve said no, which I’ve said is strange, since the 10 other teams would be the first you’d expect to hear from the 11th team if the 11th was indeed for sale.

Anything is possible. For where Rinus is headed, it’s hard to find the upgrade now that we know it’s not just Michael Cannon that’s being left behind at Coyne, but also a technical alliance with Andretti Global. If Rinus is on the market, and interested in a return, Dale’s wise enough to see the big picture. Justin Wilson drove for Dale, left for Dreyer & Reinbold, and returned after two years. Same for Sebastien Bourdais, who did two stints with Dale, so there is a precedent.

As I understood the situation, VeeKay was looking at the end of 2026 where the big opportunities become available. So whether it was staying with Coyne in 2026 or allegedly moving to JHR for a year, putting himself in play with Andretti, or Arrow McLaren, and maybe others with front-running seats that could open up a year from now, is the heart of the strategy.

Q: I’m planning to go to one street race next year. Been to ovals and road courses, never to a street race. Which ones do you recommend, with priority given to track view, and fan experience?

Ken in Indy

MP: Long Beach. 

Q: What ever happened to IndyCar streaming on a dedicated FOX sports streaming service? If I remember correctly, we were told by FOX at the start of the season that something would be out by the end of the year. Was that just something they told the fans so we’d stop bugging them about it?

Max Camposano

MP: From August 22.

Q: Forgive me if this has been covered, but when the 2026 IndyCar schedule was released, was there a statement indicating that all of the races would again be televised on big FOX rather than FS1? Has that been confirmed, or is there a chance that several of the events could slide backward onto FS1? If all of them are going to be on network TV again, it feels like that would have been a key, loud talking point when the schedule was released, but I don’t believe it was.

Mark Founds, Mason, OH

MP: This was the closing sentence in the second paragraph of the schedule story I wrote: “In a continuation from 2025, all races will be broadcast on the FOX network.”

Q: Your response to David from PA last week was weak. If IMSA does have local yellows as you say, they have a funny way of showing it! As in, when do they ever use a local yellow?

It’s not a small matter when 25-50% of race time is FCY. Road America is my home track. It’s four miles. If a local yellow can’t be used there, IMSA does not have local yellow flags. 

Does IMSA even care about ‘racing’? Or will we all be part of a modern-day Emperor’s New Clothes story, saying the ‘racing’ is great? If we do, the sport will die. Please don’t be a party to its demise.

Steve Rosaaen, King of Lower Ellsworthia (self-appointed)

MP: A question was asked and answered. But weakly, apparently. I’ll be sure to answer IN ALL CAPS GOING FORWARD BECAUSE THAT MEANS I’M STRONG, OR RIGHT, OR SOMESUCH THING. (I think.)

I get it. You don’t like the overly long stretches of full-course yellows that consume far too much of some IMSA races. Who does?

Can we use a little bit of logic and a touch of assumption to state that, like Dean Wormer so eloquently proposed, the number of IMSA fans who love the forever cautions is zero-point-zero?

If an IMSA driver has an issue and can extricate themselves from the problem in a timely manner, you get a local yellow. Happens routinely and without fanfare. Someone out-brakes themselves, for example, fires into the grass at wherever, and trundles back to the racing surface seconds later: Local yellow is shown while the driver handles their business and it’s withdrawn afterwards.

It’s when the resolution isn’t swift, or something requires onsite assistance, where the drawn-out cautions come into play.

IMSA has heard the complaint countless times. As those hundreds, or maybe thousands have said, IMSA should adopt the WEC’s virtual safety car technology and use slow zones in place of full-course cautions.

Vaguely related, I didn’t have a reason to bark at former IMSA president Scott Atherton on regular occasion, but one instance that stands out is where I met the end of my frustration with poor driving standards and the ensuing forever-long cautions at Sebring in 2014. (See, this really isn’t a new thing).

The 12-hour race had 12 cautions totaling 4h57m, and one red flag for 6m49s. That left just 6h56m of green racing for the country’s most prestigious endurance race, which was nearly cut in half by inept drivers who should not have been licensed, a lax approach to applying control to those drivers by the series’ stewards, and the ensuing time it took to retrieve broken cars or repair the barriers while cycling the classes through pit stops and reordering the field over and over again.

Of those 12 cautions, only three required less than 20 minutes of inaction. If you think Road America was bad, Sebring had it covered.

The thing to prevent is a reason to pause the entire race. When that happens, by rule, it triggers one of two tiers of pit stop procedures. If it isn’t the quick routine, which feels like it’s a rarity, it’s the longer procedure where all cars are allowed to pit in two separate stages: Prototypes first, then GTs.

At a long track like Daytona or Sebring or Road America, it takes forever. And once that’s done, the in-depth effort to reorder the field, across all four classes, kicks in. And that also seems to take forever. It tends to require an exceptional amount of time—often longer than the cleanup took at the site of the problem.

That’s what going to the WEC’s VSC and slow-zone routine would prevent, and, in theory, greatly improve the quality of racing. But the quality of racing in the WEC is my biggest complaint – especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans – where the VSC/slow-zone process often remove the opportunity for restarts and memorable passes. There are exceptions, of course, but my single biggest issue with WEC races is the difference in caution/pit lane procedures. Despite its clear drawbacks at times, I’m a bigger fan of IMSA’s procedures.

So, beyond adding to the list of complainers complaining about an issue that’s already been complained about for at least a decade, I welcome suggestions on how to solve the problem.

THANKS FOR WRITING IN, KING.

I have no relevant photos of IMSA and flags. But I do have a photo of Jarno Trulli, Pedro de la Rosa and Giancarlo Fisichella dressed as flags, so let’s go with that. Steve Etherington/Getty Images

Q: The 2026 Phoenix IndyCar race is listed on Phoenix Raceway’s website, but I don’t see any mention of qualifying. Surely there will be at least a practice session as well as qualifying during the ‘NASCAR Championship Weekend’, right?

IndyCar’s website lists the event as happening on March 7th and 8th (Friday and Saturday). Phoenix Raceway’s site is selling tickets only for March 8th and 9th. If the cool cars are running on Friday the 7th (I assume for practice and/or qualifying), will the track even be open to the public?

When IndyCar had top billing at this track, the race length was 250 laps. Is this still the case with the series most likely serving as an undercard to NASCAR’s B-series?

Any insight will help in my decision to buy tickets and then drive 300 miles to the event, even if this whole endeavor reminds me of a recent interview with the guitar player from Drivin N Cryin when he said: “You did not want to open for the Ramones. Their crowd would eat you alive.” Hopefully IndyCar gets treated with more respect by the headliner’s audience and promoters than Drivin N Cryin did.

CC

MP: IndyCar will have a full-length race at Phoenix. I asked the series for more info on the Friday question and was told the schedule is still coming together, but yes, IndyCar action is anticipated for Friday and to look for an upcoming communication from the track and series on what they’re planning.

Q: I thoroughly enjoyed being at the Battle on the Bricks. IMSA put on a pretty good race, and I always appreciate the open paddock and grid walk before the race. Walking through the paddock, I did get to see some talented young racers like Broc Feeney, Hunter McElrea, and Toby Sowery. Feeney is having an amazing season in the Supercars, while I remember McElrea and Sowery from racing in the IndyCar ladder system.

I’ve heard a rumor of Feeney perhaps coming over to the U.S. to either race in NASCAR or IndyCar. To me, McElrea and Sowery seem to be at the point in their careers where they are leaning toward sports cars, but the door is still open to IndyCar provided the right opportunity comes up.  What are your predictions for the future of these three drivers I’ve mentioned? 

Brandon Karsten 

MP: Perfect opportunity for Feeney to make his IMSA debut with Aussie team owner/driver Kenny Habul. I doubt it would become as lucrative as driving for T8 in Supercars, but standout GT stars like him are rather attractive in the GTD and GTD Pro ranks. Not so much in prototypes where Hunter and Toby race.

McElrea hasn’t given up on IndyCar, but as I’ve suggested to him, going all-in on sports cars is where he needs to focus since the IndyCar market wants one of two things today and for the foreseeable future: A monster, proven open-wheel talent with race wins and/or championships to offer, or an almighty sum of money, and he’s lacking both.

I don’t question his talent, and if there was a team that wasn’t looking for instant results from a proven veteran or needing gobs of cash, he’d be a great candidate. But we aren’t living in those times, and before long, there will be fewer avenues for him to reach IndyCar.

Take the introduction of charters to IndyCar which has stripped the ability for teams to run extra cars outside of Indy without fear of failing to qualify, and the mounting pressure from some team owners to reduce the size of the field, and that means we’re speeding towards a smaller car count with more fully professional entries where teams hire their drivers.

Same exact thing for Sowery. Outside of the Indy 500, we don’t have any teams actively searching for driver to run in extra cars at the other events. Unless it’s handing $9 million to a Coyne or Foyt, and in a hurry, I can’t find a pathway for Toby or Hunter to become an IndyCar driver.

Talent aside, the teams in need of drivers for 2026 need money, first, either from the drivers, or a sponsor who specifically wants to pay a team to run the driver they prefer. In both instances, I’m unaware of these two meeting the financial criteria, but I’m privately rooting for them.

Q: Alpine just won a great race at Fuji, and so now both the best-sounding (Cadillac) and best-looking (Alpine) Hypercars have won a race this year. Yay!

But my question isn’t about either of those cars. My question is whether Honda is any closer to bringing the ARX-06 to the party? Two of them in IMSA just isn’t enough.  Is there any hope of seeing them in WEC?

Duncan, Ottawa

MP: With Honda/HRC actively evaluating its greater plans to race here in IndyCar, NASCAR, or both, or neither, or just one of those two, I think we’ll need to get an answer on where the company is headed before commissioning a WEC program moves closer to the top of the planning pile.

It appears to be committed to IMSA, so I don’t have that as a question mark. I know HRC is passionate about endurance racing – it’s not like the people there aren’t passionate about other forms of racing, but GTP/Hypercar competition is especially revered – so depending on where it goes with IndyCar/NASCAR, an expansion into WEC could be possible.

Main takeaway for me is how IndyCar and NASCAR are expensive, with NASCAR being the more expensive of the two. If Honda stays in IndyCar and skips NASCAR, I could see a glimmer of hope for WEC. If it enters NASCAR, I don’t know where the budget would come from to add a second, NASCAR-size budget to do international endurance racing.

Q: With Ruzewski being named as Team Principal of Andretti Global, do you have any feeling about whether this was shuffling a loyal soldier like Rob Edwards to another position in the family to make way for better?  With all the money Andretti Global has, it has consistently underachieved and it always seems to be in the little details that separate a team like Andretti Global and the Team Penskes or CGRs of the world.

I like Rob, but when the cartoon anvil seems to drop on your cars all the time at some point a change has to be made. 

Jeff Smith, State College, PA

MP: I was expecting Ron to join the team in a leadership role as a complement to Rob. I wasn’t expecting Ron to lead the IndyCar team without Rob.

The move tells me TWG is taking a fresh approach with its IndyCar program, which might be obvious, but after taking a slight step back in 2024, I think we’re seeing Dan Towriss’ unflinching pursuit of success in the leadership change. All the best team owners/leaders behave that way; if Chip or Roger or Kanaan believe a change will make their program stronger, they make the change. Sometimes it’s a cold decisions, but they DGAF.

The two strongest teams in IndyCar last season are loaded with upper-level managers. I lose track of how many team managers (or folks with a similar title or role) are at Ganassi and Arrow McLaren, because there are so many, and they all help their teams to do more, at a higher level, on a more consistent basis. That’s not what Rob had last season. It’s also not what Ron has waiting for him upon arrival, so for his sake, I hope he’ll be able to recruit more help—more than what Rob had—to shoulder the weight of expectations and make the team better in every department.

Q: Rookie missing from the list of Penske rookie drivers from your article ‘Big Dave’ time has arrived’ – Gonzalo Rodriguez. RIP.

Bob, Glendora, CA

MP: Gonzalo drove a partial season for the team in 1999. From the story: “With the exception of Tracy, and a few others Penske tried in 1999 when the team was at its lowest point, nothing about the acquisition of Malukas fits Penske’s time-honored practice of recruiting IndyCar race winners or seasoned champions from other disciplines to lead the program.”

Q: I know there has been talk with Denver about a new street course race here potentially for 2027 or 2028 that may be around Mile High Stadium. I am wondering if the Broncos announcement that they are building a new stadium has affected those discussions at all? I just wonder if there is appetite to put in capital improvements to host a race at the old site when it is clear that it won’t be at that site long-term.

Daniel, Denver

MP: Yes, without a doubt.  

Q: I’m a kids/young teen TV writer who’s worked with Disney and Nickelodeon. I’m currently developing a comedy action kids TV show around kart racing, which is something you need to do as you work your way up the ladder to IndyCar racing. I would love to try to get IndyCar and FOX involved with the show. Can you recommend who to talk to at both companies?

Mark

MP: Yep. Send the pitch/ask in an email to the Mailbag, our editor will forward it to me, and I’ll pass it onto the series. 

Q: Just wondering if you have heard any news on sponsorship for Will Power in 2026? I’m a big Will Power fan and am pissed that Penske didn’t offer him a contract longer than one year. Hoping he will many races with Andretti to prove Penske wrong.

Barry, PA

MP. Yes. He drives for TWG Global under its Andretti Global brand, which is led by Dan Towriss who also leads TWG’s financial services company Gainbridge. Gainbridge has been the sponsor of the No. 26 Honda, and I have yet to hear of any changes to the TWG-owned Gainbridge being taken off the car. If there’s a question, it’s what companies will adorn the other two cars.  

Q: In IndyCar/CART’s heyday what opportunities and/or feedback existed to improve and grow the series? I ask since reading Zak’s State of the Series had me reflecting and I wasn’t alive to witness the heyday. 

P.S.: I also wish Roger Penske penned a State of the Series himself.

Atilla Veyssal, West Allis, WI

MP: CART was the Championship Auto Racing Teams, which was an entity created by and led by team owners. They would appoint CEOs to run the business, but the owners voted on major policy changes. CART was created to free the owners from the dictatorial treatment of a sanctioning body. The Indy Racing League was created by the Hulman George family and led by the family, not the team owners, and that tradition continues today under the ownership by Penske Entertainment and Fox Corp where team do not have an ownership stake or voting power.

But, in a positive development, Penske and Fox have an increasing grasp of how important it is to engage the team owners fo guidance and counsel.

Q: With Ford choosing to run its own GTP program, where does that leave Ganassi’s efforts to return to sports car racing?

Joey

MP: It has nothing that I know of, but is doubling the size of its Indy NXT program. 

Ganassi’s next sports car move? Watch this space. Jake Galstad/IMSA

Q: Will Power said that he is under contract to Penske until the end of 2025 but I was not sure after reading your article about Malukas if he was working for Penske now, or was his contract always with Penske so no contractual issues?

If so, why would Penske not release Power from his contract immediately? It seems like a bit of an f*** you to Power. Or am I looking for controversy where it does not exist?

Jim Doyle, Hoboken, NJ

MP: Nothing about the handling of Power has struck me as being thankful or respectful, so I wouldn’t expect it to change after the divorce. Penske is fully aware of how much Power can and will help Andretti to improve, and since he’s no longer on their team, it would make no sense to give Power and Andretti the maximum amount of time to prepare for 2026. Said another way, if you’re electing to release your veteran quarterback who will go on to help a rival to beat you, is it your responsibility to release him the moment free agency begins for his sake, or to wait until it’s most advantageous for you and your team?

Ultimately, Penske’s remit is to beat every other team. Whether it was Power or an engineer or a mechanic, I’d do the same exact thing in the name of competition.

Q:  I hope you can provide some insight on this.  It’s something I have thought of since the beginning of Pirelli bringing three sets of different compound dry tires along with F1’s sustainability quest.

’m curious, after the experiment at Monaco this year that had the teams mandated to perform a second pit stop, why the FIA or FOM do not just mandate the use of all three compounds in a dry race?

Or why not go to a single soft dry compound and everyone just has to deal with it? And obviously I’m not talking about the no tire change rule that happened in 2005.

Karun Chandhok has discussed this (all-three compound mandate) during a broadcast two years ago, but it is something I’ve thought about since 2019. In fact, I thought it would go hand in hand with Pirelli’s decision.

It’s an easy way to introduce complications via pit stop errors. It provides competitive advantages AND disadvantages during the race, something the F1 folks have been trying to manipulate for a long while now.

I’ve been reading RACER magazine for decades now, and an F1 fan for nearly 50 years. I often have wondered why it seems that sometimes they cannot see the forest for the trees.

Joey Genitempo

CHRIS MEDLAND: This has been discussed on a number of occasions, Joey, but I from my understanding speaking to Pirelli in the past, the concern here is it actually pushes everyone towards the same strategy more often than not. It removes the potential for greater variance because everyone would have to keep the same tires for Sunday to have all three available, and the more you prescribe the more a single optimal solution appears.

You also know what other teams are going to do far deeper into the race, because after the first stop you know there will be a second at some stage, and which tire they will switch to. The soft tire idea you have has some merits, but then it will always suit certain cars more than others, whereas teams currently can bias their strategy towards compounds they are happiest on during a race weekend.

The dream for Pirelli and F1 is a borderline race where both one and two stops are very similar race times, and overtaking is possible but not easy. That means you would get strategic differences, and a race coming to a crescendo at the end, a bit like Spa in 2024.

The sustainability angle is one I fully agree with you on, but on that front I feel like there needs to be improvements in terms of tires being able to be re-used at future races, even if they are recycled when they go unused.

Q: At the end of every qualifying or race session, F1 drivers get weighed and then get handed a slip of paper.

What do drivers do with the paper? Do they have pockets in their fire suits? What happens if the driver loses the paper? A fine? The whole process seems quaint.

Ed

CM: It is very quaint isn’t it! But it’s a firm record of the weight at that moment so that the team have it to refer to, in case of any issues with overall weight alongside the car. The paper slip usually is handed to the driver’s trainer or physiotherapist (who will have pockets!) and it allows them to also see how much weight a driver has lost compared to pre-race, so they can work out rehydration and recovery plans.

It’s a key item at places like Singapore or even Qatar back in 2023, where drivers lost a significant amount of fluids through the race. It means the team and driver instantly know what they need to replenish, and could pre-empt a driver feeling unwell later on.

As basic as it seems, it also ensures a driver doesn’t have to remember a number given to them when they’ve just got out of the car, and nor can anything be tampered with post-session.

It’s a science. Zak Mauger/Getty Images

Q: We know that Formula 1 hates to take suggestions from other series, even when those series are out-performing F1 in terms of fan engagement. After a string of races decided by qualifying, with very little actual car-to-car racing, let alone passing, perhaps F1 should look to series with a lot of real on-track action – the WEC and IMSA sports car races.

F1’s last car design was supposed to allow F1 cars to follow each other closely and even challenge for the lead, based on the implementation of ground effect aerodynamics. Unfortunately the rules retained huge front and rear wings, which meant that following closely still resulted in the loss of front downforce, understeer, and loss of front braking.

The Hypercars and LMDh sportscars use ground effects, and large but limited rear wings, but the front aerodynamics are based on nose and body shape, with less sensitivity to the dirty air that bedevils F1 cars. This allows the close and fierce racing we have seen this year in IMSA and in the WEC, notably at Spa, a race for the ages.

These same series offer another way to spice up the competition without resulting to gimmicks like reverse grids. The Hypercars and LMDh cars share the track with GT3 cars, and sometimes with LMP2 cars, which are both slower over a lap than the Hypercars, but are directly competitive with the Hypercars in some areas, notably slower corners, braking (the GT3s have antilock brakes), and sometimes initial acceleration. These other cars create challenges for the fastest cars, as the track essentially changes each lap as slower cars are encountered in different areas.  The Hypercar/LMDh drivers are separated by who can navigate the continuous traffic in the best way.

So a quick solution to the boring, pass-less racing in F1 is to combine the F1 main race with the F2 feature race. F2 is slower than F1, it has more variety in driver skill than in F1, but the cars are still fast, they require skill, and F2 speeds are close enough to provide a passing challenge to the F1 drivers.  The organizers could even give the F2 cars a one-half-lap head start, to promote challenging passing.

Of course this sort of approach will never be implemented. Instead, we get the 2026 rules with active aerodynamics and extreme hybrids. In a typical example of Central Planning, we will get no solution to the problem of dirty air making actual racing impossible, but also additional problems of power deployment, unpredictable handling, and reduced driver input.

Bruce 

CM: I’m going to both agree and disagree with you here, Bruce! WEC and IMSA don’t outperform F1 in terms of fan engagement, whether you look at that through social media followers or through television viewers. But I actually don’t think that is all that pertinent to your fair complaint that we haven’t had great wheel-to-wheel action recently.

The problem with that, though, is the fact we have such a close field. There’s a reason Carlos Sainz can hold on to finish third in Baku, and Liam Lawson fifth, because the performance deficits of their cars are so much smaller than in the past, and often less than a second covers the entire grid in Q1 despite this not being a spec series.

There’s also no BoP to try and keep the racing close between very different cars as there is in WEC and IMSA. Those do benefit from having cars with very different strengths and weaknesses then being brought closer over a lap through certain methods.

But I have suggested your idea as a left-field one before, too. Maybe not at every race, but every now and then, or on certain tracks, it would be a fun variable to have in there. I’m sure there are plenty of people who say sportscar racing is where multi-class grids should be, not F1, and I get that too, but I like the idea of drivers having to show wider skillsets and dealing with traffic and other car categories is an art form.

Whether it would work in practice or potentially be a bit rough on the F2 drivers trying to prove themselves, I’m not sure, but the concept is a cool one that I’d be really interested to watch as a one-off at the very least.

I think it’s fair to say the 2026 rules have been far too influenced by the demands of the power units, but the drivers are still getting their heads round them and if they create good racing I don’t think anyone will be complaining. As always, though, with car development allowed, advancements will always see quicker lap times, shorter braking zones, and higher cornering speeds that demand clean air the longer the rules are in place.

Q: The World Endurance Championship this year has taken a lot of blows due to BOP controversy in the top class. While some BOP drama is natural – we often get it in IMSA – I still don’t understand how they got it so wrong?

For example, after fighting and winning the constructors title last year, Toyota are nowhere to be found this year on the podium. What’s more, I don’t think they once ran at the fastest configuration available per the BOP even though they finish at the back in almost every race. Sure, they may need to develop a new car or upgrades, but it doesn’t seem that simple.

What specifically has caused it all to go so wrong? I don’t mind balancing to keep costs from going insane, but nobody can ever ‘equalize’ all performance of different cars. It feels as if they tried to micro-manage and broke the whole system.

I appreciate your time and insight!

Derrick

STEPHEN KILBEY: It’s a good question, and one that is really tough to answer. In my opinion, the 2025 system, which sets the BoP for races outside of Le Mans by using data gathered from a rolling average over multiple races, taking into account both a car’s 10 fastest laps and the average of its quickest 60% of race laps, has been a step too far in terms of micromanagement of the field. 

The biggest issue is that it’s taken too long for certain cars in the field to find their natural equilibrium; for cars like the Ferrari and Porsche, it’s taken most of the season. The Fuji race saw every manufacturer, bar Ferrari, there or thereabouts on long run pace, but it’s taken too long to reach this point, where the BoP table is only being tweaked mildly between races.

What should be noted, though, is that this new system has been introduced because the rulemakers felt the previous system was being gamed. Something else that shouldn’t be overlooked is that Toyota (with the oldest car in the field) and Aston Martin (with the newest car) are the only two manufacturers to have failed to finish on the podium this year, when you consider how much of a pace advantage the three Ferraris enjoyed through the first half of the season, all taking at least one win that’s actually pretty encouraging, at least on the face of it.

To me, it felt like the run from Qatar to Le Mans essentially acted as the perfect storm for Ferrari. The 499Ps enjoyed a good BoP for the season opener, then at Spa and Imola, two tracks the car suits nicely, they remained just as quick. Then came Le Mans, which featured a BoP table that was set in isolation. While the midpack was often well balanced, it took five races for Ferrari to be reeled back in. By then, it was almost too late in championship terms, and the discourse surrounding BoP had become negative at best and toxic at worst.

As for Toyota, its major dip in form can be owed to the BoP values the GR010 has received this year, but only in part. Early in the season, both cars failed to make the podium but finished consistently in the points, with the No.8 finishing in the top five in the first three races. Other factors must be noted: the GR010 is ageing, mistakes are starting to creep in at a time when the mood within the team has seldom been so downbeat, and every other factory around it has improved significantly over the past two years. 

Also consider this, the GR010 is believed to be receiving a major aero update in 2026 and in a recent vote cast between the Hypercar manufacturers on whether or not BoP should be scrapped in the future, all but one manufacturer voted in favor of keeping it, and the outlier wasn’t Toyota. The signs are there that this season’s struggles cannot be entirely attributed to BoP.

Is it just us or were the Toyotas way more competitive when they weren’t painted black? Jakob Ebrey/Getty Images

Q: Kudos to you for all the time you log on the road! It’s a long season. Who are you picking for the championship?

Michigan Man

KELLY CRANDALL: There is still a long way to go before we get close to having an idea of who will be in the Championship 4, let alone pick a champion. But if the trend of the last five years continues when it comes to Phoenix Raceway, a driver from Team Penske or Hendrick Motorsports, if they get to the Championship 4, is going to be the favorite.

Q: Does NASCAR really have a gimmicks problem? I’ve seen some graphics with NASCAR’s ratings drop since its peak. The fans blame the gimmicks. But to me it fits the drop motorsports had all over the world, including F1. Even F1 was saved more by the pandemic than Drive To Survive.

To me, NASCAR’s main problem is the fact that it is a mix of a historically unpopular product known as endurance and another one that is becoming less popular over the years, and that is oval racing. For a racing series, they are a saturated product. They probably know it as they already reduced some races’ distances.

They can even go back to a full-season point system. But it has to come with bigger changes like a smaller schedule and shorter races (except for the classics like Daytona 500), or half of its 36 official races would need to be on road courses (but still shorter races). But as things are now, I think they’ll sink hard if they remove the playoffs and these changes (shorter schedule/races) will be needed sooner or later anyway. NASCAR fans are simply dying and there aren’t enough young people joining to replace those.

Kudos to NASCAR for trying to prevent a bigger drop with all the gimmicks they added to keep it interesting. (I recognize the current playoff model went too far though). I believe without those they’d be below IndyCar on popularity. But they need to be very careful about what they’ll do now.

William Mazeo

KC: I think it depends on what you define as a gimmick. Certainly, there have been many changes in the sport over the last 10 to 15 to 20 years, and part of that is due to the fact that you cannot stay stagnant. However, not all of the changes have been beneficial or well-received. The numbers should be alarming for NASCAR, though, and I’m not sure if you can pinpoint one exact reason for it. The fan base appears to resist change, and it seems to be comprised of older fans.

The playoff format change is going to be key because it has been such a topic of conversation over the last few years. As someone who is on the playoff committee that NASCAR created coming into the season, I can attest that there have been some really great conversations about change and the people involved care about the direction of the sport and the legitimacy of the format. However, in the end, it’s going to be NASCAR’s decision. The committee was not given a chance to present a unanimous format or vote on one. So, we’ll see what NASCAR comes up with. Personally, I have advocated for something along the lines of the first Chase format from 200,4 when it was the top 10 or 12 drivers in points. No ‘win and you are in. To me, that would put drivers in championship contention who are already in contention on a weekly basis through wins or consistency (seeing as they are the top 10 or 12 in points). And I would take away eliminations, even though TV likes them, and just let the final 10 weeks play out.

Q: Please ask NASCAR to explain why a mild spin by Hocevar with eight laps remaining takes so long to clear that the race goes into overtime. Perhaps this is what they want? But it’s so frustrating for a fan to see these on track people move like molasses and the pace car to continue circulating for no apparent reason… and of course this ultimately affects the outcome.

You really have to wonder why Hamlin would try a Gibbs move on Bubba (referring to Gibbs preventing a teammate getting into the playoffs). Is Hamlin so self-centered that he’d rather win the race than see a car that he owns make the next round? Incredible. He got his comeuppance, but I’m sure Toyota weren’t thrilled. Maybe he, Hamlin really does deserve the boos!

CH, Virginia

KELLY CRANDALL: The caution periods do seem like they take forever at certain racetracks, even I can admit that. I think I said the same thing about the Hocevar one on Sunday. However, to play devil’s advocate, there are a lot of moving parts to consider, including when to open pit road, lead lap cars pitting, lap down cars pitting, the wave-arounds, lining the field back up, and that does take time. The best suggestion I can offer is to listen to NASCAR’s podcast, Hauler Talk, because, to give credit where it’s due, they do address issues like that and have previously explained what goes into caution periods that feel long. The episodes drop on Wednesday, and I’ll be curious to see if the Hocevar caution was one that they address.

As for how Hamlin approached the last lap in Kansas, I addressed that in my column this week. Yes, he is self-centered because he has a team and sponsors who are there to win the race, not to watch/let another organization win.

THE FINAL WORD

From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, 4 October, 2017

Q: I have been a USAC-Cart-Champ Car-OWRL/CCWS-IRL-IndyCar fan since my dad took me to Ontario Motor Speedway as a kid. Rooted for AJ Foyt and Swede Savage, and was thrilled to meet Al Unser and get his autograph. How can a guy drive that fast and face death, then casually shoot the bull with fans a few minutes later? Superhuman. As a teenage cook at the Betsy Ross restaurant in Upland, California, in walks Richard Petty after qualifying day. I made the best hamburger and fries of my career that night. I asked the waitress to tell him I was a big fan and to see if he liked his food. He said, “Tell the cook it was real good.” Cool dude.

I respect drivers who are fast and successful, but I have found over the years that I support and root for drivers who are friendly and polite to my children in the paddock and who don’t complain and point fingers after a crash. My politeness hall of fame includes Gil de Ferran, Rick Mears, Josef Newgarden (just added this year), Dale Earnhardt Jr., PJ Jones, and the great Emerson Fittipaldi – named my first son after him. Who is in your similar hall of fame?

Marwood Stout, Camarillo, California

ROBIN MILLER: I’ve never, ever seen Mario refuse an autograph or to pose for a photo – he’s the undisputed king – but Johnny Rutherford is a close second followed by Herk, Parnelli and Hinch.