Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers could be despatched to mailbag@racer.com. We love listening to your feedback and opinions, however letters that embody a query usually tend to be printed. Questions obtained after 3pm ET every Monday will probably be saved for the next week.
Q: Why did Sebastien Bourdais not signal with Meyer Shank for IMSA like his Cadillac teammate Renger van der Zande? Was he signed elsewhere at the start was finalized with Acura? Was there just one seat? Politics of racing?
Kim
MARSHALL PRUETT: Seb was retained by GM/Cadillac to race within the WEC. He and Renger went to/stayed the place they have been wished most.
Q: I’ve been learning this yr’s oval IndyCar races and have just a few observations:
After a number of years of oval domination, Josef Newgarden had a tricky time this yr. Whereas he did win the Indy 500 and the race at WWTR, his different oval outcomes needed to be disappointing to him after the dominance of the earlier years.
In the meantime, his Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin established himself as a power to be reckoned with on ovals. Scott had two wins a second and a 3rd, certified on the pole 4 occasions and second twice. He led by far essentially the most oval laps at 554, greater than double that of second-placed Will Energy with 240 and nearly one third of the overall oval laps (1666).
Group Penske continued its oval domination. The three drivers led a complete of 895 of the 1666 laps, or 53.7%. They led extra laps than all the opposite groups mixed. As well as, the staff had a report of 5 wins, two seconds and three thirds from the seven oval races. In addition they had 5 poles and 5 different entrance row begins, together with an entire shutout of the entrance row on the Indy 500.
Regardless of this dominance they didn’t win the championship, which helps the notion that the perfect all-around staff that finishes properly in all disciplines would be the seemingly champion, as seen by Alex Palou’s third title in solely 4 years with Chip Ganassi Racing.
Lastly, I’ve to present an enormous shoutout to Colton Herta. After 5 years of disappointing oval outcomes, a fourth, two fifths and two sixths, he certified properly in 2024 and received a win and a 3rd. Maybe these oval performances will proceed and put him within the higher echelon of title contenders.
I can’t wait till subsequent yr to see how issues unfold. Regardless of the doom and gloom championed by lots of the Mailbag readers, IndyCar is the perfect racing on the planet.
Doug Mayer
MP: Agreed, Doug. Regardless of its many issues and shortcoming, most of these objects don’t detract from the on-track product. Vital yr forward for Penske. Its driver trio is solely superb. Full cease. It’s the streaky nature of their amazingness that has stored them developing simply shy within the championship runs since 2020 whereas Ganassi’ has taken 4 of the final 5.
McLaughlin appears to be like poised to have a breakthrough in that regard. He doesn’t must hit dwelling runs in each race. A few dingers and a gentle weight loss plan of doubles and triples will make him an IndyCar champion; it’s the precise system Palou has used to stifle Penske’s gaudy stats.
The 2025 grid isn’t even full but, however you possibly can already rely McLaughlin among the many title contenders. Michael Levitt/Motorsport Photos
Q: With Roger Penske shopping for GPALB and the unique proper to stage races at Lengthy Seashore till 2028, is Inexperienced Savoree the following firm he’s pondering of shopping for? They personal 4 tracks, and three of them want far more consideration and funding. The St. Pete GP is just one that appears OK, but it surely nonetheless may use having the IMSA WeatherTech collection added on to make it a correct big-time occasion – an East Coast Lengthy Seashore.
I do hope Roger doesn’t mess what Jim Michaelian and his staff have executed for LBGP for 50 years. If something they want few extra TV displays, higher audio system and a greater reserving agent to draw higher acts, particularly for a metropolis like Lengthy Seashore that has nice native authentic music scene.
The opposite foremost query is, can Roger persuade the Lengthy Seashore council to re-up the following contract? Or Will Liberty Media with Chris Pook or NASCAR bid for the following contract?
Dale Gribble, Arlen, TX
MP: Inexperienced Savoree would must be on the market for that to occur. Forsythe was interested by promoting to the precise purchaser. I miss the times of St. Pete being an IndyCar/ALMS occasion. Penske’s observe report is one in all taking management of or beginning occasions and investing or making vital enhancements, and if I’m town council, that’s one thing to financial institution on.
Q: I can’t say sufficient how glad I’m to see the present constructive vibe of sports activities automobile racing each in IMSA and WEC. That is all because of permitting LMDh and Hypercar options to be obtainable for potential producers to make the most of! GTP will probably be all of the richer for it, and my yearly Rolex 24 journey since 2016 will probably be much more thrilling with Aston Martin’s gorgeous Valkyrie becoming a member of the line-up of superior machines from the present OEMs.
Folks argue about what resolution is best, however each are wonderful. With LMDh, large makes like GM, Porsche or Honda can get entangled utilizing their powertrain tech and design language in addition to different tips of the commerce creating a automobile that could be very a lot their very own with out having to begin from scratch with a customized monocoque and different bespoke components.
For Hypercar, a big producer that wishes to construct from scratch and take up the duty of creating every part for the problem, or to supply a automobile obtainable for buy reminiscent of Toyota or Ferrari, can achieve this too. What’s extra, a smaller producer that doesn’t make its personal engines can nonetheless construct their very own automobile and symbolize themselves accordingly, like Glickenhaus did.
This logical method has given us so many cool automobiles to get pleasure from on observe and wonderful racing. I hope this momentum continues to hold on. Regardless that it’s years away, the hydrogen idea race automobiles Alpine, Hyundai, and Toyota have proven off have me feeling constructive in regards to the future for sports activities automobile racing! Cheers to that and a little bit of positivity for the Mailbag.
Derrick Fonseca
MP: There’s no actual debate to have; each formulation are wonderful and supply producers with the choice that most closely fits their wishes and monetary capabilities. I don’t know what to do with all of this Mailbag heat and kindness!
