MP 945: The Week In IndyCar, Sept 22, Listener Q&A

It's one longer-form episode of the Week In IndyCar Listener Q&A show as we dive into a bunch of questions submitted via social media. 

A sampling of the items posed this week (Q&A begins at the 4m48s mark in the episode):

"What makes a driver fast? Not the car, not the team but the person themselves?"

"Hi MP, I'm a 15-year-old IndyCar fanatic who is currently taking a career ed class. I want to go the route of becoming a race mechanic or race engineer in motorsport but I don't know how I could go about that. In class we are often talking about what career we want to have and how to get there. But I simply don't know enough to answer these questions and see a path for me to get a opportunity in motorsports. Hoping you have some insight as a ex-mechanic."

"If the series wants to continue with double header races, what if they tried to make the two somewhat different? Scott Dixon was critical of the race distance on Saturday. Would a 90 lap and a 60 lap race have made strategy better than two at 75 laps? I know 2020 is triage mode for the series...But if the double header model continues, that might define the races?"

"MP, with shorter weekends and lack of practice time becoming the norm this year, it's been interesting seeing how different teams have responded. Alexander Rossi stated in his podcast that the lack of practice time has really thrown a wrench into how his team is accustomed to understanding and improving the car throughout the weekend. It got me wondering how CFD and other simulation programs actually work and how they are used to prepare a good baseline setup to roll off the truck with? Are they strictly aerodynamic focused programs or can other variables also be input into these programs such as suspension, gearing, engine mapping, ambient conditions, etc.?"

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