Q: When do you honestly expect an end to the Lotus saga? And, if Lotus does exit IndyCar, do you honestly expect the likes of Shank, Conquest, HVM & AFS to get hold of an engine, if they want one?

Graeme Watson

RM: I think it’s over (Marshall Pruett wrote a detailed story on this recently) and I expect Honda and Chevy to handle Mike Shank and Gary Peterson for sure.

Q: Here's a simple one for you: Better driver (in IndyCar), Danica or Simona?

Bill, West Palm Beach, Fla.

RM: Simona on road courses and street circuits and DP on ovals.

Q: Now that Randy Bernard is fired, could you tell why Randy didn't change that "IRL" related logo? Did Jeff Belskus forbid him to change?

Marlon

RM: Not sure why the logo stayed after the name changed to IndyCar but I don’t think a new one was proposed.

Q: Why NASCAR would buy IndyCar - simple answer - CONTROL of racing in the US. They would control all the high-level professional racing by both type of car and venue. Kind of like baseball or NFL? On the upside - no more politics in IndyCar!

John Boltik

RM: It has its positives and negatives and I suppose maybe there could be some cool doubleheaders at a few tracks.

Q: I have read about a few people, and heard a few TV commentators wanting IndyCar to race at COTA. I think this would be a horrible mistake for IndyCar. Most diehard fans know that F1 is faster, and handle better than Indy cars, however the casual fan who sees Seb turning 1.35's. Then Indy cars run around 2 min. Laps would seem "slow" to the uninformed viewer. With Mid-Ohio, Sonoma, VIR, Barber, and Heartland Park, Mosport, and Elkhart Lake all available, do you feel running COTA could hurt IndyCar image of ‘fastest cars on planet?’

Dustin, Palm Springs, CA.

RM: I agree and I think three races in Texas is too many. Randy Bernard met with the Austin folks a couple times but was waiting for a couple years to see what the landscape looked like.

Q: I was at the race in Austin in the grandstands in Turn 3. The race was phenomenal and I really enjoyed the track, the atmosphere, and the racing. I had been to Road America for all of the CART/Champ Car races from 1989 on and always loved the track for many of the same reasons but what really completed the experience in Austin were all of the trackside large screen TV's showing the race broadcast. I always wished RA had the same thing because you never really knew what was going on most of the time and you could never hear the track announcers until they installed a radio feed. Even still, you didn't get to see the action. It seems that every F1 track has these TV's and maybe a couple of the Indy circuits have them. Is this a series decision or a track decision? And why wouldn't a series want to promote that or make it mandatory? It's a great way to advertise as well.
Erik Steinbrecher

RM: It’s a track decision (although CART did rent some big screens in the ‘80s and leased them to the promoters) but it certainly enhanced the Indy 500 and would be great at Road America.

Q: How about we make a deal that if I win the Power Ball, I'll see to it that everything on your list on SPEED.com is fulfilled?

Dr. Daniel Pratt, New Orleans, LA

RM: Thanks Doc, I’d be thrilled if a third of those wishes came true.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED.

Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.