Latest news with #PSLs
Axios
2 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Pumpkin spice lattes are already brewing in Philly
The leaves may still be green and the temperatures blazing, but America's favorite fall flavor is already brewing. Why it matters: The great pumpkin spice arms race is real. What's happening: For people who just can't wait until fall, we are in "Augtober" and Summerween — when Halloween meets the summer heat and autumnal flavors creep into menus across the country. Flashback: The pumpkin spice craze was born 23 years ago, when Starbucks debuted its Pumpkin Spice Latte — PSL, for short — in 2003. Between the lines: Pumpkin spice isn't just a flavor — it's big business. Starbucks' PSL alone pulls in around $500 million every season, according to MarketWatch. By the numbers: Last fall, PSL demand spiked on Aug. 19, nearly two weeks earlier than it did in 2021, per DoorDash data. And searches for "pumpkin spice" in July increased by 49% this year, according to Yelp data. When is pumpkin spice season 2025 Weeks ago, the unofficial season began in grocery aisles. Now, it's debuting at restaurants with brands slowly launching products. Trader Joe's traditionally has launched pumpkin spice products by mid-September. When is pumpkin spice available at places like Starbucks On Monday, La Colombe begins offering its pumpkin spice latte and draft latte at its cafes. Freebie: The first 30 people in line for a pumpkin spice drink at each Philly cafe that day will get a free seasonal pumpkin pastry with their purchases. Krispy Kreme's Pumpkin Spice Cake Doughnut, PSLs and pumpkin coffee are now available. And IHOP is already offering pumpkin pancakes. Aug. 26 is when Starbucks' fall menu debuts, four days later than last year's earliest ever release.
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
PSL season goes to the dogs. Pups get their own pumpkin spice latte
Pooches don't have to miss out on PSLs. Human-grade pet food brand The Honest Kitchen has released a seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte made for with five human-grade ingredients — goat's milk, pumpkin, honey, cinnamon and ginger — the limited-edition product can be served as a drinkable treat, poured over meals or mixed into food. The Pumpkin Spice Latte has no fillers or artificial additives. Selling for about $12.99, it's available at as well as PetSmart and select neighborhood pet stores. PSL 2025: When does Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte come out?
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Broncos unlikely to leave Colorado for stadium (or training camp)
It's not uncommon for NFL teams to threaten moving cities (or states) when it's time to build a new stadium. NFL owners often use the leverage of staying in town to get the funding they seek from local taxpayers. The Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders are recent examples of moving out of state. The Kansas City Chiefs are a recent example of threatening to relocate if they don't receive funding to upgrade their stadium. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos might be inching toward building a new stadium. It remains to be seen if the Broncos would ask taxpayers to help fund such a stadium (if they do build one). Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who's married to Ann Walton, cousin of Broncos co-owner Rob Walton, privately funded SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (but he did make fans purchase PSLs). We're still early in the process, but there have been no public threats of relocation from Denver's NFL franchise (and Gov. Jared Polis is "committed" to keeping the team in Colorado). The Broncos are also spending about $175 million on renovations for their facility, a sign that they don't have plans to move away. Denver coach Sean Payton used to organize out-of-state training camps with the New Orleans Saints, and the Rams practiced in Hawaii this spring. But the Broncos will continue to hold training camps in Englewood. 'We're going to try to get this building over here built. If you want to ask Greg [Penner] that question you can, but I think we have it here," Payton said in May when asked about potentially practicing somewhere other than Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. "We have it here," Payton continued. "I like our set up and our routine. I like the fields, the facilities and the meeting space. In one year — give or take — in May, we'll be moving over there. So I don't want to move to a … How much does it cost? $175 million facility and then ask to go to Maui to practice." There have been no signs that the Broncos plan to build a stadium outside of Colorado, and it sounds like they're not even considering moving training camp. Good news for fans in the Denver market. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
NBC Sports
27-05-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
Bills sell 25,000 PSLs for new stadium
The Bills will open their new stadium next year. They're currently in the process of filling it up. Via Ryan O'Halloran of the Buffalo News, the Bills have sold more than 25,000 Personal Seat Licenses for the new venue. Bills COO Pete Guelli told O'Halloran that the Bills are 'on pace to sell out the building.' The Bills are using a 'stadium experience' to allow fans to gather information before committing to a PSL. Per the team, 80 percent of the season-ticket holders have signed up for PSLs. The new stadium is expected to hold 62,000 fans, 9,000 fewer than the team's current home.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The RACER Mailbag, January 29
Q: IMS contacted my family about my father being the 'Account Holder' on our tickets for the 500. Our father passed away in 2006 (his first 500 was 1946). Our mother is still alive at 97 years old. IMS asked if our mother still attends the race; she stopped attending in 2017 (her first 500 was 1947). IMS then stated that someone attending the race needed to be the 'Account Holder' and that the transfer fee for same would be $100. Per their policy: 'The account will be assessed a $100.00 administrative fee for the transfer that is payable within 10 business days of the invoice date. Failure to pay the fee will void the ticket transfer and the tickets will revert back to the current Account Holder.' Thanks, IMS. As your Account Holders die off, $100 is now charged to their survivors if they'd like to retain their tickets. Two questions: 1) Why did it take 19 years for you to call us? 2) Why does it cost us $100 to retain our tickets within our family? Jesse (first 500 was 1969), Franklin, IN MARSHALL PRUETT: Oof. Penske Entertainment was taken to task last year by its teams after big year-to-year price hikes were passed down – like annual credentials for extra crew members, which went from $500 to $1000 for no apparent reason. I heard from several teams who reported their Indy 500 hospitality suites were subject to an extra $50,000 fee, with no extra amenities: just a giant money grab, from within its cash-strapped paddock. I share this in response to the apparent cash grab here which, as I've read about in other sports, has become a common way to squeeze more money from fans through personal seat licenses and transfer fees. Probably not as big of an outrage for younger sports fans who are accustomed to such things — not as if they like it, but some newer fans have never lived in a time where PSLs didn't exist — but for older fans who've been loyal to IMS, or your favorite local stick-and-ball team you've supported forever, it likely lands in a different, greed-based manner. Here's what Penske Entertainment/IMS shared in response when I forwarded your letter, and they've also asked for your contact info to make a direct outreach: Indianapolis Motor Speedway's main goal is to ensure tickets are going to our account holders and to prevent fraudulent activity. In many cases, a family member reaches out to let us know when a beloved family member has passed, and we assist with an account transfer, so the tickets remain in the family. Understandably this is not always the case, so the IMS Ticket Office has started to review customer accounts and reach out to customers where the name on the account and the payment details and/or address do not match. We want to ensure the tickets are paid for by family members and others do not try to fraudulently acquire an account/tickets when the account holder passes. We also want to ensure the mailing address is correct so tickets arrive where they should the first time and the email address is current so event operational emails with important information are received. We believe we should always allow family transfers (because the seats transferred have the family ties and memories that make them special to that family) and our policy allows family members to transfer tickets from another family member's account for situations such as these. The account holder does not always need to attend the race, so we will reach out to the fan and address. As part an account transfer among family, we did implement a transfer fee for a variety of reasons. Our fee is in line with the market and lower than some competitors. I hope this helps you understand our process and why we believe it is the fairest way to treat all our customers while, at the same time, allowing families to keep the seats that have traditionally been in the family. For some fans, reserved Indy 500 seats are a family tradition that stretches over generations. Chris Owens/IMS Photo Q: FOX is advertising it will provide streaming for the Super Bowl through Tubi TV on its new commercial it rolled out with Erin Andrews. This is all speculation, but if it goes well with Tubi TV, there may yet be an IndyCar cord-cutter option for streaming. Tubi TV is free – whether or not the Super Bowl stream will be free, I have no idea. Rob, Rochester, NY MP: I didn't know Tubi existed until this time last year when Katt Williams mentioned it on Shannon Sharpe's podcast, and since then, I've avoided it whenever possible because it tends to have really crappy movies with lots of ads. All that being said, I just looked and it's owned by FOX, so yes, in theory, it would be an easy tool to use for more live sports programming if that's what FOX Sports wants for IndyCar. Q: Now that IndyCar has taken over promoting Nashville, why doesn't it take over promoting all 17 events on the calendar? Then it would be able to make sure there was a high level of marketing and quality of on- and off-track activities. If it brought on the same support series for each event, it would make things better. Just look at what Feld Entertainment does with Monster Energy Supercross. Penske Entertainment has billions of dollars and ownership of major brands. It's not a lack of money that is the issue. I find that some IndyCar promoters put on a better event than others. Depending on the event, you can have a shoestring budget to a high one where you can stage concerts with top level acts. I have found with Toronto, for example, there is not much to do there in the infield, with very little activities in Thunder Alley which used to be robust. They don't have activities for families or kids indoors out in the infield. It's wall-to-wall racing. Yes, they do have the Rookie Racers club for kids, but it's really not enough. Having kids entertainers is sorely needed. They don't have to be famous, either. If there was a kids zone indoors, it would go a long way. Right now the paddock is the only option for off-track activities. If Penske Entertainment eliminated the middle-man and promoted all of the events itself, it could make sure that the circus is exactly the same no matter where it goes. Is this the way IndyCar might go, or is the choice to take over promotion of Nashville an anomaly? David Colquitt MP: All great points you raise, David. At this stage, Green Savoree Race Promotions is the last significant race promoter in IndyCar with Toronto, St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio — which it owns – and Portland. From there, it's track owners/managers putting on events at Barber, Laguna Seca, Road America, etc. The only thing that wouldn't work, unless Penske wants to make major investments, is all of those tracks, and a few others, pay Penske $1,000,000 or more to show up and race. And not all of those are profitable for the promoters, so I don't know if Penske wants to take them on when others are willing to pay. Q: Having just enjoyed the end to another excellent Daytona 24 Hours (GTPs in the sunshine are a really lovely thing), I'm sure I'm not going to be the only person writing in about the Paul Miller Racing/Pratt Miller shenanigans. I think IMSA really goofed by not coming down harshly on Paul Miller Racing as a team, in the moment. Yes, it penalized the No.48, but the problem with that is that it ignores that the only reason the No.48 was doing that was to benefit its team car. You can say that there was nothing in terms of concrete evidence to indicate conspiracy, but by doing that, it left the team with the same incentive, and rewarded it for its behavior – which then also incentivized the Corvettes to return the karma later in the race. At this point, two-car teams in IMSA can only conclude that the series is OK with teams using their cars together to ruin someone else's race for their own benefit, even if the individual car is disadvantaged. It continues the same stewarding problem that the failure to penalize AXR at PLM in 2023 did. I get that IMSA wants a dramatic product and hard racing, but 'let 'em race' only works when everyone is scared enough of penalties for bad behavior that they all leave room for each other. By not penalizing this, it creates a situation where particularly ruthless teams or drivers will commit to dirty driving until IMSA has to crack down with the same cack-handed over-regulation that F1 features. Light touch regulation only works when everyone knows that they want the light touch because a heavy touch will hurt. And IMSA's lining things up so that it will lose the thing it wanted (great racing) because it was too scared to make hard decisions when they were called for. Duncan, Ottawa MP: It was such a cheap move — the only black eye for the race that comes to mind. I'd understand the loss of standards if it was the last lap. But pulling this kind of nonsense hours before the flag was unfurled was just sad. And now the BMW/Paul Miller Racing team has a bullseye on its cars at Sebring from any rival who wants to ruin their race, not to mention an inescapable need for IMSA to be ready to park the PMR team if it tries this garbage again. Q: It was great to see the Mustang being competitive at the Rolex 24, as well as the Ford vs Chevy battle again. I liked that the Mustang finally won and also finished third. However, I lost all respect for Paul Miller Racing due to the antics with the No.48 car blocking and interfering with the lead battle between the team car and the Corvette. The No.48 and Farfus, being 55 laps down, should have moved out of the way. The No.48 and Paul Miller Racing got off easy with a drive-through. My thoughts would be to park the No.48 and have the No.1 car get a stop and hold for a minimum of two laps. I would suspend Farfus for the next race as well. At least the No.1 car was removed from contention in the final hour. Frank, Mooresville, NC MP: I've always liked Augusto. Made me sad to see this display of low-rent driving. Also made me wonder if we'd see this kind of behavior if Bryan Sellers was still with the team. I'd think not. The 2025 racing season already has a villain, and it's not even February yet. Mike Levitt/IMSA Q: I'm nowhere the Rush fan that you are. However, to have Rush dogged like they were in last week's Mailbag is not acceptable. Geddy Lee's voice may not be perfect, but it is a part of what makes Rush sound like Rush. No-one complains about Bon Scott or Brian Johnson of AC/DC. Geddy may not have the supersonic vocals of Brad Delp of Boston. but together, Geddy, Neil, and Alex made Rush what they are: an iconic rock band that deserves to be in the hall of fame. Their lyrics are poignant and quite relevant today. Just look at the chorus for Freewil'. More people need to read those lyrics today. Back to racing, what was going on between BMW and the Corvettes in GTD Pro? John Balestrieri MP: Hating on Rush is an old, easy, and lazy trope. But I digress. BMW tried to win the race early. Really early. And played itself. Q: Just watched about 10 hours of the Rolex. Can you please explain just how the energy percentage they kept referring to interacts with the ICE? I assume if it is depleted the car shuts down, but am interested in how it is used, how it can be drained at a slower rate similar to saving fuel in IndyCar, and how on the pits stops it is regenerated. Don Weidig MP: It's an artificial thing. The virtual fuel tank is just that — a virtual construct — that's used to police how long the hybrid cars can go between pit stops. When GTP cars pit, they have fuel left in the tank and the energy recovery systems charge multiple times each lap, so there's no danger of the ICE being starved of fuel or the ERS from being drained. Think of the VFT like a pit stop clock that counts down until the driver needs to stop and sit still as fuel is poured into the tank and the act of sitting still and 'recharging' for 50-55 seconds or so is completed and the VFT meter goes back up to 100 percent. Q: I'm beginning to wonder if once again Roger Penske has outsmarted all of us. Finally, IndyCar has a TV partner that is actually putting it on the air and . A new car seems to be coming in two years, and something is going to have to happen with engine manufacturers as well. Everything that will move IndyCar forward seems to be happening at around the same time. Was Penske always looking down the road and playing the long game while we were all fretting about an old car, lack of promotion, etc? The last piece to the puzzle seems to be opening the schedule to new track locations. Could that be what Penske is working towards next? Brian, Phoenix, AZ MP: I'd love to say yes to everything you've cited, but it was actually the opposite, with being paralyzed by fear of failure that's led to doing nothing for so long. The reason IndyCar took all those extra years to go hybrid after Penske bought the series? Roger was allegedly gripped by fear that they would fail and refused to let it happen until Honda said it was gone unless hybridization went live and took over the project — with Chevy — to make the dang systems. The FOX deal has been a big upgrade insofar that FOX has been doing an amazing job of promoting the series, but that isn't the job of a network. That's the job of the sporting league or series. With FOX, Penske is supremely lucky to have the head of FOX Sports, Eric Shanks, a Hoosier who positively loves IndyCar, and has attacked its promotions in a way that's far above and beyond what's normal for a mid-tier racing series (mid-tier in terms of popularity). In short, FOX Sports is doing what Penske has been unwilling or unable to do in promoting his own series, and that's a massive gift. It's hard not to be appreciative of Shanks and the spotlight he's placing on IndyCar. But it's also worrisome when a TV partner is your de facto marketing plan. Think of whatever Penske tried from a marketing and promotions standpoint from 2020-2024, and whatever it was, it barely moved the needle. It moved, no doubt, but IndyCar is not meaningfully closer to NASCAR than it was prior to its sale and has IMSA getting closer from behind. Q: On January 15th, A.J Foyt turned 90 years old. When he's gone, what will happen to A.J. Foyt Racing? Will the team be sold, or shut down, or handed over to someone else in the Foyt family? Kurt Perleberg MP: Larry Foyt has run the team for many years and has been responsible for finding the budgets to compete. As long as it's rewarding, I imagine Larry will continue to enter cars and run the team, but if that were to change, I'm also sure he'd be able to find a buyer. PREMA Racing inquired about buying the team and Ted Gelov, who bought into Ed Carpenter Racing, also spent time looking into buying into the team before moving onto ECR. Q: God bless Roger Penske, but this is Penske b******t at his best. He's doing nothing but monopolizing IndyCar for his own good. I attended those races and they were the best promoted and entertaining events a fan could ask for. Borchetta put everything he had into making those races a success, and he succeeded – that's what a successful promoter does. Is Penske is crossing the line? Time will tell. This should be about the fans. Timothy S, Nashville, TN MP: I'm remembering how the Penske Entertainment leadership were praising Borchetta to no end before, during, and after the Nashville Speedway race, also mentioning he had some great, new, and refreshing ideas worth exploring. That's all code for: This guy can be an even bigger help to us and to the series he loves. Great to see Scott is still sponsoring the race and doing his pre-race event, but losing Borchetta as a greater marketing and promotion ally is where I'm most disappointed. I'll also say that one IndyCar team owner, while commenting on this promoter change, said there's a problem taking place with a dwindling number of folks who want to promote IndyCar races, hence the move towards consolidation. Q: How realistic is it for a new engine manufacturer to come into IndyCar and be competitive with the existing Honda and Chevy engines under the current engine formula? Honda tried entering F1 a year after the regulation change from V8s to turbo V6, was several development years behind the other manufacturers, and failed miserably. I feel like the fairly high likelihood of making up the back third of the field is an impediment to any brand that would consider joining IndyCar until there's a change to the ICE component of the engine regulations Will, Indy MP: All depends on the internal combustion engine formula that's chosen by IndyCar. If it's a continuation of the current 2.2-liter motor, that would present the same disadvantage for any new supplier. If there's a call to go to the abandoned 2.4-liter formula, that would also present an advantage, specifically for Honda which uses it in the Acura ARX-06 GTP car, and to a much lesser degree, Chevy, which built and ran the engine in track tests. Another option is for the ICE to be made spec-ish, which could be a point of attraction, where the energy recovery system is the main area where development is allowed and becomes the new form of individuality and creativity as ICEs have been for 100-plus years. Q: I'm writing to plead for help. My wife brought me to the 500 last year for my 50th birthday. Despite watching on TV for many years, it was my first live race of any kind. It was an incredible and unforgettable experience. One of the few souvenirs that I bought at the track was an IMS can koozie. I proudly used it all spring and summer as a humble brag to my friends and family. I then sadly lost it at a yacht rock concert. I've searched everywhere online for a replacement, but it's like the thing never existed. Maybe somebody reading this knows where I can find one? It was a tall, slim one, all checkered flag with a Wing and Wheel logo. I have such great memories of that day, but I really miss having my souvenir. P.S. Malukas and Ferrucci are crazy if they don't make a slightly younger version of the Bus Bros. Those two could be a gold mine of content. Eric M MP: eBay is your friend! That's a great idea for the Foyt drivers. We've had the Bus Bros. The Motor Homies. Maybe they can become the Camper Cousins. Until he gets a proper podcasting studio set up, the phone will have to do. Motorsport Images Q: What would you do to make the IndyCar 250 pounds lighter and keep them as fast and as safe for a new car design? Dave B., Albuquerque MP: I wish I had an answer that allowed all of the current technology to be carried over. Ditch the ERS unit, which would cause at lease one auto manufacturer to leave, and we're close. Go to a lightweight gearbox, which will also invite a new lack of reliability, and we're super close. Slash the fuel capacity to 14 gallons and that should get us close to your 250-pound drop, but we kill the series' hybrid relevance for the auto industry, and drive up costs with a new 'box, and add more pit stops with a smaller fuel capacity. The one other option, which allows everything to stay in the car, is to make the car out of nothing but expensive/exotic materials, a la F1, and then we kill the series by out-pricing the majority of our team owners. So, there's weight that can be carved, but nowhere near 250 pounds without huge sacrifices being required. Q: I remember meeting Scott Pruett during a Champ Car weekend in Montreal. IMSA was the support race back then! Scott graciously posed for a photo in front of his BMW-powered Ganassi, which he shared with Memo Rojas. Pruett raced pretty much everything from Trans-Am, CART to DPs. Have you seen him around paddocks, and could you share a story about him? Yanie Porlier, Canada MP: Of course. See him a few times per year, often at historic events or IMSA races. My favorite Scott Pruett story is from 10 or 15 years ago, when I moved over to the media side, and asked him if anyone inquired if we were related, since we share the same last name, and the same unusual spelling of Pruett with and 'e' instead of the more common 'i.' I'd been asked if I was related to Scott, also knowing we grew up two hours away from each other, at least 1000 times before I asked him if he'd received the same query. Deadpan, he smiled, and said, 'No.' And I've never felt smaller or less significant, but I also realized that nobody like you had ever asked me to pose for a photo at a motor race because unlike Scott, I've done jack ***. Q: 'Waiting for someone to call And turn your world around Looking for an answer to The questions you have found Looking for An open door' 'What you own is your own kingdom What you do is your own glory What you love is your own power What you live is your own story In your head is the answer Let it guide you along Let your heart be the anchor And the beat of your song' Dave Zilai MP: Bless you, Dave. Everything is indeed awesome in Penskeville. I know this, because they tell us so in our morning brainwashing sessions. No negative talk in 2025, they say. Q: IndyCar should think outside the box for its new car. I think something like a modern version of the 1981 AAR Pepsi Challenger would be a good choice. Or even something else. A different-looking car than the one presently used would set IndyCar apart from other open-wheel series. Jerry, Washington, PA MP: I agree. So much so, that I wrote the same thing — including the reference to the exact car you mention — in a recent Mailbag. Q: One thing that I don't believe I've heard discussed with regard to the new car is power steering. I know everyone wants to contain weight and costs. Power steering adds weight and costs money, and saving weight in other areas costs money. However upon hearing the Jamie Chadwick may have left the series due to this issue, and hearing Katherine Legge on her new podcast, I think the time is now for the car to have power steering. What exactly are we trying to prove by not having it? Aerodynamics and downforce have evolved, and so has the culture. If the sport is truly trying to grow, then having more women drivers adds to the appeal, storylines, and entertainment factor overall. The time is now for power steering in my opinion. John, Ann Arbor, MI MP: I asked the series if the new car will have power steering. They said no. I can't disagree with anything you've said. Q: I'm thinking back to the origins of the old Formula Xtreme class in motorcycle racing for the inspiration to my question. Regarding the next IndyCar chassis and engine formula, what would be wrong with a peak horsepower limit and minimum weight? Include some realistic minimum service life as well. Let the manufacturers get there however they'd like – any number of cylinders, pushrod, OHC, turbo, NA, hybrid, diesel, or even full-electric to rile up the fans. While this open-ended formula seems more attractive (at least in my eyes) to new OEMs wanting to explore their own power plant designs, would my sort of run-what-you-brung formula be capable of keeping the racing close and costs reasonable? What are the holes in this idea? Pete, Rochester, NY MP: I love all of this, Pete, but there's no interest within the series or its current manufacturers to have a high degree of creativity on the propulsion side. Take notes, IndyCar. Motorsport Images Q: I have enjoyed the recent back and forth Mailbag topics regarding the state of IndyCar today versus back in the 'golden days.' I am a new fan; I've watched every race fairly obsessively for the past four years. Prior to that, I had been to the 500 several times but otherwise had no concept of the series. I just happened to catch the first race of 2021 on TV, and that gave me an opportunity to experience an entire IndyCar season from start to finish. I've been hooked ever since. Was the racing really that much better back in the 'golden days', or were the days golden simply because the sport was more popular than it is today? What would you consider the golden years, and how could I find some of those races to watch? Ray MP: It was golden for a few reasons, and there have obviously been multiple golden eras. If we go back to CART IndyCar at its peak of awesomeness in the 1990s through 2001, it was the cars, which were blindingly fast and powerful and dangerous. It was the hall-of-fame caliber of drivers at the front half of the grid, with Andrettis and Unser Jr and Foyt and Mears and Fittipaldi and many others, and it was the quality of competition, driven by vast budgets from big sponsors. Move through the 1990s and you start adding in the Tracys and de Ferrans and Franchittis and Castroneves and Moores and da Mattas and Kanaans and so on. But, compared to the modern era's spec cars, which by nature create incredibly close racing because almost every aspect of every car is identical, you won't often find CART races where everybody qualified within a second of each other and super-close finishes. Different chassis suppliers, different engine formulas that allowed for greater creativity, and different tire vendors, plus rules that let teams develop their own aerodynamic pieces and suspension bits, meant there were real differences in performance from team to team and manufacturer to manufacturer. And that was really cool. But if you don't care so much about the intricacies of the cars and just want close racing, today's IndyCar is tons better than anything that came before in CART or Champ Car. You can find plenty of those races on YouTube. Q: Did I read the word 'diecast'? Let me follow-up. The short answer to Kris from Kokomo is that just like the series itself, IndyCar diecast is very much a niche business, and as such, variety and availability are lacking. I would guess IndyCar's models are outsold by NASCAR's by a huge margin, and F1's by an even huger one. NASCAR's offerings tend to be limited to Lionel Racing products in 1:24 and 1:64 scale. However, they are a big part of NASCAR team and driver marketing. For instance, Hendrick declared Kyle Larson's attempted double to be the 'Hendrick 1100' and marketed a special set of models for both races. Multiple manufacturers make F1 (and sports cars) in multiple scales including 1:8, 1:10, 1:12, 1:18, 1:143, and 1:64; maybe a few others. So there is a wide choice if you want to buy. Ferrari, for example, has four (five, if you count a company sharing a license) licensed manufacturers. Plus, at least three companies making unlicensed models of historical cars. Variety is hardly an issue. As for IndyCar… As this is being written, there is no new production of contemporary cars. that it would dump long-time supplier Greenlight in favor of Macau-based IXO to produce 1:18 and 1:64 models starting in 2025. This is a good thing. The diecast metal Greenlights were pathetic – barely suitable as souvenirs. While IXO is a 'to be seen' proposition as it mostly does rally and sports cars and has no track record with open-wheel cars, its models have respectable quality. (IXO also moves the models from old-style diecast metal to cast resin [basically, plastic], which generally allows for better detail. In the meantime, unsold Greenlights are pretty well available from retailers or eBay. There are some new historic IndyCar models available from Replicarz in Vermont, but they have had to cut back their plans for future releases because of weak demand. Apparently if you build it, they will not come. Otherwise, eBay. Al, Boston MP: Thanks for the insights, Al. I misspoke on Greenlight last week; wasn't aware those went away which, as you note, isn't a loss. I have exactly one Greenlight 1:18, and it was a gift from a driver-friend who signed it. If it weren't for the personal connection to it, I'd have given it away. Q: Just finished reading the article about . I understand that TWG Motorsports is the parent company which owns Andretti Global and part of WTR, among others. But what I'm struggling to understand is the current relationship between Andretti Global and the Cadillac F1 project. I know the original intent under Michael Andretti was to house the F1 project at their Indianapolis base alongside their IndyCar and Formula E teams. Is that still the intent, or is Cadillac F1 now mutually exclusive and parallel to Andretti Global under the umbrella of TWG? Michael Hart CHRIS MEDLAND: There's two parts to this answer. The first one is that the Cadillac F1 Team was established in 2024 as a separate entity to Andretti Global under TWG and GM ownership, so it is parallel to Andretti's other motorsport operations now. But much of the F1 team is what was set up by Andretti Global and remains the same, in terms of the personnel and a satellite facility at Silverstone where the car is currently being designed. The new Andretti HQ at Fishers is also still included as part of the team's operations, although with multiple bases and GM's increased involvement I'm not sure you could say it's 'housed' there. GM is building its own power unit factory near its Charlotte motorsports facility, and that is separate to Andretti Global, but always would have been. It will also utilize some existing in-house resource in Warren, Michigan as it would have done had the team still been operating as Andretti. If I'm being brutally honest, as much as the team will want to be as American as possible – and having establishments in Indiana, Michigan and North Carolina will give it strong roots – the Silverstone facility is likely to be the busiest hub initially, solely based on the location of experienced F1 personnel and the logistics of the race calendar. Q: I am in Europe and I don't have a TV package or TV box where I live, so I have to rely on streaming to watch motorsports. It's very convenient that WEC, IMSA and F1 all have a streaming option. What is also very interesting is that IndyCar, which is not that popular outside the U.S., has set up a streaming service for countries that do not have TV rights for IndyCar (which I hope that it continues under the new FOX deal), even though it didn't need to set something like this up. Meanwhile, NASCAR, which has a bigger budget and more resources than IndyCar, does not have a streaming option anywhere outside the U.S., but it does have TV rights holders in some countries in Europe. I believe that NASCAR can gain some fans if it also has a streaming option available, so why hasn't NASCAR set up a streaming option yet for those countries that don't have TV rights in Europe? Or what prevents NASCAR from setting something like this up? Stefan Robu KELLY CRANDALL: I had to dig into this a bit. Naturally, the approach is different from IndyCar and F1 because the popularity and demand are different. NASCAR did previously have an OTT (over-the-top) product that ended in 2021 but it kept those rights open as it waited for domestic deals to come together in case any of those included international rights. The door is not closed to a streaming option in the future as it pertains to international strategy. Additionally, NASCAR has a web page you can visit which contains information about viewing its races from overseas, and I was told that Cup Series races are available linearly and digitally in the vast majority of European markets. Also from NASCAR, 'most, if not all, of our partnerships in Europe are with companies that have DTC (direct to consumer) options as part of their service. So even cord-cutters would have an option to stream content, (it) would just be with a third-party broadcaster rather than with NASCAR itself.' He's happy because he knows you can (probably) watch him from Europe. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images THE FINAL WORD From Robin Miller's Mailbag, 28 January, 2015 Q: When I wrote a few weeks ago and talked about innovation at Indy, I mentioned Roger Rager and his bus block engine. It seems he has become a cult figure in the Mailbag since then. I know he was a mid-west and Knoxville legend, and if you Google him it mentions Indy but not the bus block. Got any stories about him you could pass on to the readers? After all, it is only two years until the next IndyCar race so we need something to read about. Tom in Waco ROBIN MILLER: Just that he was extremely brave in a sprinter and that carried over to his one and only Indy 500 start. To think he qualified 10th in that car and engine combination still ranks as one of the great little guy stories ever at IMS. Hell, he was still racing sprinters a couple years ago so he's still crazy. Story originally appeared on Racer
