Q: Not so much a question, but a FYI for IndyCar fans. Just saw the Tournament of Roses Parade and guess who showed up. Yes car fans Randy Bernard is the new President & CEO of the RFDTV network. Right there in the proverbial living color on the back of the biggest damn farm tractor you will ever see. This year’s RFD's TofR entry was dedicated to their "Classic Tractors" show. For those of you who don't know "Classic Tractors" is an RFDTV hit show, hey it pulls bigger numbers than IndyCar. In the phalanx of cool tractors leading the RFD float were two with "interesting" wheel skirts/ fenders. Yes Dallara pig car fans the tractors had full IndyCar high speed kits on them. Can you say "In your face"? (BTW they are just as ugly on a John Deere as they are on a pig car). For those of you with snide remarks about this news let me be the first. At least now when Randy steps into cowflop (a Texas phrase shout-out to AJ) it will be the real thing not some jealousy droppings of those without a clue.

Steve, Houston, TX

RM: Thanks for sharing, wonder if Dallara cut Randall a deal?

Q: Everyone is still wondering why sponsors haven't come back or attendance hasn’t went up and to be honest I truly think it’s not that Fortune 500 companies don’t know about the sport I think they know that IndyCar is bad for business. Since 1996, only until Penske, Ganassi and Andretti joined IRL you started to see 500 companies sponsor showing up. In CART you had some of the same sponsors as NASCAR so pretty much no matter what IndyCar does now it won’t matter because the stench of Tony’s vision (failure) will linger and that's what keeps manufacturers and 500 companies away. So I think it’s better to fold this s*** series and Hulman & Company sell the rights to a new company because there’s no hope until then... maybe a new company can revive CART and have history from 1979-2007, -present

Kevin from NJ

RM: Obviously, The Split ravaged the month of May and, eventually, open-wheel racing and it’s never recovered (although the Indy 500 crowd has made a nice comeback). It’s still much easier to get a sponsor for Indy than for IndyCar. Mark Miles maintains the series isn’t for sale but the only person interested in buying it is Tony George and his group.

Q: A lot of the mailbag letters talk about bringing back the past and trying to recreate a winning formula. I just wanted to share my experiences because I feel they are a little different than most. To start the first time I went to any race track was pole day in 1996 when I was 10 years old. Before this I would watch the Indy 500 on TV with my family but never really paid too much attention to it. However, after going to the track and seeing Davy Jones break the track record followed by Stewart and then Brayton pulling his already qualified primary car out to get the pole I was hooked. I ended up rooting for Davy Jones that year since he was the first person I saw set a track record. After that I watched every 500 live on TV begging my parents to take me each year. I finally got to go with a friend in 2000 and have been back to the race every year since 2005. I now have a set of four tickets in Turn 3 that I use every year. This past year’s race was definitely the best that I have seen in person. Everyone knows how great the racing was but another reason that I thought the whole event was awesome was due to the sponsorships around The Speedway. I know many people were put off by the banners on the walls and the Shell logos behind the TV screens but I thought they added to the importance of the race and made it seem like a bigger stage. Almost all major sporting venues have sponsors and advertisements everywhere, think the ring around football stadiums that are always flashing some product. My generation has grown up with this proliferation of sponsorships and without them the track seems plain and looks more like the setting for a local club race than the greatest race on the planet. I have been to Donald Davidson’s history class, taken the grounds tour at the track, and been to the museum numerous times. While I am in awe of what has been accomplished in the past and greatly respect all the drivers and engineers that have made the sport what it is today, I am more excited about what is occurring today. Going back and watching old 500s just doesn’t keep my attention because I did not grow up with those drivers. If I’m watching an old race I am more interested in the cars than the drivers. I started watching IndyCar during what I have been told is one of the worst eras in its history. However, it is by far my favorite sport today. The only thing I wonder is that if in 1996 during my first visit to The Speedway had the pole record not been set would I have still gotten hooked on IndyCar.

Ryan, Greenwood, IN

RM: It’s good to know there are some passionate, young fans like you out there and hopefully your enthusiasm in contagious with some of your friends. Mario said last May’s race was one of the best he’s ever witnessed and I had to agree as did a lot of folks.

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.