The RACER Mailbag, March 19

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: Formula 1 is in the final year of its contract with the Las Vegas Grand Prix. If they’re not able to come up with a new deal, could IndyCar replace F1 on the streets of Vegas in 2026? Alistair, Springfield, MO MARSHALL PRUETT: Anything is possible, but with all of the major investments made to host an F1 race, it would be a shock to see it come to an end after three years. I’ve been to many IndyCar races in Las Vegas, and based on previous crowds, there would be a lot of empty grandstands. But with heavy promotion and ticket prices that aren’t obscene like they are to see F1 there, who knows, maybe a decent turnout could be generated. Q: If IndyCar needs any confirmation that moving to FOX was a good move, look no further than IMSA coverage. Not one minute of the 12 Hours of Sebring (at least the second biggest American sports car race) was on any TV service (OTA, cable, dish, etc.). Pathetic. I’m sure IMSA people don’t need to hear this, but run, don’t walk away from NBC. Travis, Kansas City MP: It was strange to see Sebring relegated to 12 hours of streaming, only, via Peacock. Perfect solution for those who’ve cut the cord (or never had a cord), but probably not for fans who prefer to consume their racing via network or cable. Q: Is the recent decision from IMSA to make the Road America race a 6 Hour an example of a series hearing from its fans? I love it, and am looking forward to it. Daniel Martins, Belo Horizonte, Brazil MP: It’s that, for sure, but also the underwhelming response to the Indy race. Not sure a major effort has been made to promote the event, and while many auto manufacturers were supportive of adding Indy in 2023, most have not come through with onsite activation like we see at other IMSA races. Chevrolet, which is the official car/truck of IMS, was the only brand I saw at last year’s race to bring cars and trucks to the midway, and by comparison to what they do during the month of May, it was a tiny footprint and modest display. Maybe the greater Indianapolis market isn’t one the manufacturers found to be vital after a handful turned up in the midway in 2023 and decided the returns weren’t worth the expenditure in 2024. That’s a guess, but when you have a small-ish crowd and the majority of IMSA’s nearly 20 manufacturers opt out on activating at a major endurance event, I can see why it would lose the enduro to everyone’s favorite event on the calendar. At lease in my mind, I view the upcoming 2h40m race at Indy in September as the last chance for IMS to show IMSA that it should continue. Q: Any idea what an extra three hours and 20 minutes adds to an IMSA team’s budget? I know nothing is cheap in racing, but I would’ve thought prep and getting to the track was the main expense. I’m so excited for Road America in ‘26, and pray the 6 Hour stays and gets moved to Saturday in ‘27 with an early evening finish! Chad, West Salem, WI MP: None. No added expense is being accrued by taking Road America out to six hours because it’s simply a trade in format with Indy, which loses its six-hour race and takes Road America’s 2h40m race. Teams were already going to Road America, so there’s no extra fuel costs, and they were already going to Indy, etc. Q: Is Oriol Servia still the pace car driver for the IndyCar Series ? Yanie Porlier MP: Yes, he is. Q: Last week in a Mailbag answer, Marshall said that half of the Honda-powered teams have free engines, with the implication that the other Honda teams are paying for the engine lease. Does the same apply to the Chevy teams, and is it public which teams/cars are sponsored by the engine manufacturer? Is there any chance that the 2027 chassis is less expensive than the current one? Will, Indy MP: Yes on it applying to some Chevy teams (not hard to guess as the best get comped, but not every entry in the best teams gets a motor deal since some are paying drivers). No, there’s no public list of who does or doesn’t pay, but it’s the title contenders who do. I’ve yet to hear a case being made that has the new car being cheaper than the current one. Q: What about a robustly turbocharged, hybridized, two-liter, inline four cylinder for IndyCar’s next engine formula? It could make enough power, be good for weight and packaging, and there are lots of manufacturers that use similar power plants in road cars. There’s even a Back to the Future angle with the old turbo Offys. Ray Schumin MP: A V6 turbo is the perfect solution these days. With the long life being asked of each motor in IndyCar, it’s easier to share the load of making 750 hp across six cylinders than to divide that 750 among four and get to the 2500-mile minimum set in the rules. I love a good turbo four, but with the complaints some fans have about the sound of today’s engine, it will be an uproar when a field of farty four-cylinders go by. Except for the insane high-boost turbo fours from F1 in the early to mid ’80s that sounded like 1000-plus hp volcanic explosions and lasted a few hundred miles, tops, there’s not a lot of audio magic there. Drop the mileage limit to 500-1000, and the possibilities open up.