The RACER Mailbag, February 28

Welcome to the RACER Mailbag. Questions for any of RACER’s writers can be sent to mailbag@racer.com. We can’t guarantee that every letter will be published, but we’ll answer as many as we can. Published questions may be edited for length and clarity. Questions received after 3pm ET each Monday will appear the following week. Q: The new DHL livery on Palou’s car is pretty rad. It’s good they continue to also have the Indy 500 livery with LBGTQ colors. My question is, why DHL doesn’t run that livery at LBGP event as well? Not only because it’s other marquee event on the calendar, but city has huge LBGTQ community right off Broadway Ave near the track would be good tie-in. Could bring in that community that’s probably hesitant to come out to event, but seeing the Pride livery car may make them feel included. Thoughts? Bradley Nowell, LBC MARSHALL PRUETT: It’s a great idea. I’d guess the Indy use is aligned with the biggest spotlight of the year being offered at the 500, which would  — through the images and messaging from IMS — reach a much wider audience. Q: Can you explain in layperson terms how the supercapacitor hybrid concept works?  As I understand it, the traditional battery and harvesting does not apply to how a supercapacitor works. Where does the energy come from to utilize? Also, this version of hybrid was necessary because of the need to fit within current chassis and weight configuration.  Lastly, does this version have any applicability to Honda and/or Chevy road cars? Jeff Smith, State College, PA MP: It is traditional harvesting, actually. It’s no different in concept to a standard ‘battery’ as we think of them in a Tesla or similar; the supercapacitor stores electrical energy it receives from the motor generator unit and releases electrical energy back through the MGU. The energy is made by a spinning metal drum, the MGU, which is driven by a driveshaft that connects it to the transmission. The MGU is no different in concept than what’s used in a city’s power station, where a shaft is turned at a high rate of speed and spins something akin to an MGU with magnets and coils inside (the 2m15s point of the video below is a good demonstration) the MGU that generates electricity. Since the existing Dallara IndyCar chassis doesn’t have space to carry a big battery, the miniaturization offered with supercapacitor cells was the smart direction to go. Supercaps charge quickly, and since they aren’t big and can’t hold a ton of energy, they also get depleted rather quickly. I’m not aware of any road-car applications for Chevy or Honda due to the small amount of energy that can be held compared to a traditional battery. Q: I have been involved with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar racing since 1954. This will mark my 70th consecutive year at IMS and my family’s 104th year and five generations at IMS. I served on the USAC tech committee for 10 years. My company has been a primary sponsor on two race cars, has presented awards to participants and placed advertisement in the programs. I was honored to be on Tony Hulman’s personal credential list for the past 53 years. I enjoyed the golden years at IMS in the ‘50s and ‘60s. In the ‘70s I watched USAC try to sanction a 200 MPH sport with their 100 MPH mentality. I saw the politics of the 1963 and 1966 finish, the 1967 STP Paxton turbine and the Scott Goodyear black flag as the beginning of the decline of IndyCar racing. When Mr. Hulman passed away in 1977, then came incompetent leadership of IMS and USAC, the politics of USAC/CART, the Split, the IRL and the collapse of CART. With the news that Roger Penske is the new owner of IMS and IndyCar, there was hope that IndyCar racing would be brought back to its former glory. This has not happened. Other than the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar is racing in front of empty grandstands, poor TV ratings, sad corporate sponsorship, and forgetting their old friends for their new friends. Unfortunately, there are not many new friends. The Penske ownership of IMS has done away with so many of the Indianapolis 500 traditions that made it the greatest spectacle in racing and one of the all-time great iconic sporting events in the world. The Indianapolis 500 might survive without an IndyCar series, but the IndyCar series cannot survive without IMS. It seems that Penske leadership is attempting to carry IndyCar racing on the back of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tony George attempted to carry the IRL on the back of IMS and it did not work. He who forgets history is doomed to repeat it. Is IndyCar racing repeating its history under the leadership of Penske ownership? My biggest disappointment in the 70 years that I have been involved with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar racing is the ownership and leadership of Roger Penske. So much for the long hoped-for Savior. Yes, I will be there with my son on race day. I pray for a fast, safe, green flag and dry Indianapolis 500. Looking forward to “Gentlemen, start your engines.” David Felstein, Terre Haute, IN MP: With Katherine Legge rumored to be in the second Coyne car at Indy, at least, if not all of the ovals, I’m expecting to hear ‘Drivers, start your engines,’ rather than ‘Gentleman.’ I hate to hear about your disappointments, especially after spending a lifetime at the 500, but you aren’t alone. Q: Not sure if you watched TBS’ NBA All-Star Saturday night but the introduction was led by the Borg Warner trophy, faces from the trophy speaking, and pictures of Indy 500 drivers and cars. I thought it was very well done and provided cross-promotion. Not sure if IndyCar was involved but if not they should contract the creators to develop cross-promotion videos. It got me thinking about the Pat McAfee show, which is set in Indy and on ESPN daily and YouTube. They have the desired audience. What if IndyCar asked Pat McAfee to set up a remote broadcast during practice and had drivers, crew, etc drop by during the show? If Pat and his hosts have not been to Indy, I think they would be blown away and be a natural promoter. Your thoughts? Last, I wondered if you have talked with any Formula E drivers, because it seems to me it would be a strange/new experience to drive without engine revs to help with shifting and braking. Sense of hearing seems to be useless. Rick, Miami, FL MP: Hi, Rick, yes, I shared the intro moments after it aired.   Leave it to the NBA and TNT to do the best IndyCar-related promo I’ve seen in years. Bravo. pic.twitter.com/w4a8QK13Ke — Marshall Pruett (@marshallpruett) February 18, 2024 Getting McAfee involved would be a coup, especially considering that he’s highly employed by ABC/ESPN, IndyCar’s former TV partner and key rival to its current partner NBC. Pat did some things with Conor Daly years ago when he wasn’t affiliated with a major/competing network, and that got some traction, but I can’t see how it would happen while he’s being paid a fortune to represent ABC/ESPN. Yes, I’ve spoken with many past and present FE drivers, and FWIW, the cars aren’t silent. They have mechanical motors that rev and whine, transmissions that whine, and tires that squeal, so there are plenty of audio inputs to use while driving.