IndyCar at St. Pete

(Originally posted as a letter to SpeedTV writer Robin Miller (the premier IndyCar scribe on the planet. Click here to read the entire Q&A)

Was absolutely floored by the Versus coverage this weekend. A pre-race show? A race with multiple cameras? A REAL post-race show? Knowledgeable commentators? A network that actually seemed to care about putting on a quality broadcast? I had to check my calendar to make sure it wasn't April 1, and review the medicine cabinet to make sure the Advil bottle didn't list 'hallucinations' as a side effect. The only thing needed was Miller in the booth, but beggars can't be choosers....

That being said, a couple of questions. First, what's up with Milk and Doughnuts? First she's supposedly on NHL with Kid Rahal and Bobby D, she tests at Homestead, and now she's nowhere to be found. Did Hugo Chavez' check bounce, or did someone at NHL wake up and realize that hiring a moving chicane pretty much shoots any credibility you have as a legit racing team right to hell? Second, in light of the debacle of a start today at St. Pete, do you see Barnhart/George/et al being any more receptive to the possibility of trying a standing start on road courses? Finally, is there a chance that Rahal/Letterman can scrounge a sponsor or two to run Indy as a one-off, and if so, who do you think their driver (or drivers) would be?