
RACER Mailbag: Your Racing Questions Answered - March 19

Race fans watching from grandstands
Welcome to the RACER Mailbag, featuring expert answers from Marshall Pruett, Chris Medland, and Kelly Crandall. Here are this week's top motorsport insights:
IndyCar's Las Vegas Potential While F1's Las Vegas contract ends this year, replacing it with IndyCar seems unlikely. Despite previous IndyCar races in Vegas showing modest attendance, more affordable ticket prices could potentially draw decent crowds. However, F1's significant infrastructure investment suggests they'll likely extend their stay.
IMSA Broadcasting and Race Format Changes The 12 Hours of Sebring's Peacock-only streaming coverage has sparked discussion about broadcast strategies. Meanwhile, Road America's upgrade to a 6-hour race format reflects positive fan feedback, though it comes at the expense of the Indianapolis race, which will be shortened to 2h40m in September.
Technical and Financial Insights:
- Honda and Chevrolet provide free engines to select top teams, while others pay for leases
- The 2027 IndyCar chassis is not expected to be cheaper than the current model
- V6 turbo engines remain optimal for IndyCar, offering better durability and sound compared to four-cylinder alternatives
Race Operations Update:
- Oriol Servia continues as IndyCar's pace car driver
- IMSA teams won't face additional costs for Road America's extended format as it's a direct swap with Indianapolis
For the latest motorsport updates and answers to your questions, readers can email [email protected]. Questions received after 3pm ET Monday will be addressed the following week.
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