Q: Is it even worth the time to follow the Indy Lights Series anymore? I like to watch for up and coming new talent, but this series seems to taking a nosedive. At the races, the grandstands are barren when the Lights on on-track. If your DVR is fortunate enough to seek out an Indy Lights race, you have to endure the fingernails-on-the-board screeching play-by-play of Mike King. Now we hear that TG Jr. has postponed the development of a new car, so we have to endure these earsplitting relics from the defunct Indy Racing League for years to come. With only a half dozen drivers signed up with a month to go before St. Pete, will there even by a Lights season in 2013?

Don Davis, Chardon, Ohio

RM: As long as Sam Schmidt fields six cars there will be a season but, clearly, this series has reached the fork in the road. It needs a major makeover or a For Sale sign. Sad to think how far it’s fallen since the days of Tracy, Herta and Moore but at least it did give Newgarden and Vautier a chance to advance.

Q: I usually don't write in when I hear bad news, when Randy got fired I kept my mouth shut. When aero kits were delayed I didn't say anything, when they were delayed again I held my tongue. This is because I love racing, I love IMS, I love IndyCar. How on earth can there not be a new INDY LIGHTS car? This series is so utterly bush league I have no Idea how it finds the Speedway in May, if I was a potential sponsor I would run like Forest Gump to any other series even if it cost me double because at least I would know I would be dealing with people who could manage their way out of a paper bag. Companies put hard earned money into these proposals and acted in good faith why can’t IndyCar? I heard Mark Miles on Trackside and for the first time since October felt good about the direction my favorite sport was going, until now. After saying all that I will be watching St Pete, I will see you in May and at Mid-Ohio all weekend, but I am sick and tired of making excuses for this series.

Nick, Brownsburg

RM: IndyCar is going to have to decide whether to get behind Lights or turn them out because it’s embarrassing to have 10-12 car fields.

Q: Just when I had finally got my two sons excited about open-wheel racing and the Indy 500, (and actually be able to take them to Indy and see them embrace "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing"), someone drank their own Kool-Aid and lost their mind. The current leadership of IndyCar is turning the series into a modern-day Bismarck and it is just a matter of time before she sinks into the abyss from ineptitude, ignorance and greed never to return. As much it hurts me to even entertain the thought, would ISC ever consider purchasing IndyCar and provide the unwavering leadership and direction to the product and fans open desperately needs? Special thanks Randy Bernard for helping to make the series something my sons could enjoy, even if for a moment.

Ryan Hunsberger

RM: At one time it appeared ISC wanted to control sports cars, sprint cars, Indy cars and stock cars but the Bill France-Tony George marriage soured and I’m not real sure there’s any good reason for ISC to want to own IndyCar at this point.

Q: A couple of months ago, Jimmy Vasser/Chip Ganassi shared that they wanted to get Alex Zanardi in the Indy 500. The month of May is approaching sooner than we know it. Is there anything new about that?

Elmer Arden

RM: Thankfully everyone came to their senses and Zanardi is not competing. But I’d love to see him drive the pace car some day.

Q: Just wanted to say how right you are about USAC being the best racing around. Ever since they announced two dates in New Smyrna, Fla. I was pumped. I grew up watching midgets every Saturday night in Joliet, Ill. This was my first midget race in 17 years, and what a show! They turned laps more than 2 seconds faster than the super late models, sliced and diced like you'll never see in stock cars, and drew a bigger crowd, as evidenced by the mass exodus from the grandstand after the feature. Kyle Larson is indeed the hottest thing since fire! His pass coming out of Turn 4 on Caleb Armstrong on the restart was probably the best pass I've ever seen in a midget. I was just a little disappointed with the track announcers though. They didn’t seem to know much of anything about Larson, outside of what he did at the big track Saturday. No mention of the 4 Crown Nationals, or really any of his racing achievements. Also, Bryan Clauson was in the field, with no mention of his starting the 500 last year, or his National Championship. WTF? How often does an Indy 500 starter come race at the local track here in FL? There was a lot of praise for Dave Steele, being a Florida guy, but just an also ran kind of mention of Tracy Hines. Tracy Hines! He's won more races than half these drivers have ever been in!

Ethan Donahue

RM: Nothing better than USAC midgets and sprints on the dirt and if Pat Sullivan had been on the PA the fans would have known everything about those guys.

Q: A recent question reminded me of the famously horrible '69 Can-Am season Jim Hall and John Surtees spent together, at each other's throats the whole time. So what were the WORST driver/owner and/or crew chief pairings in Indy racing that you recall? (For some reason the names Foyt and Cheever keep spinning 'round in my head...)

Hap Sharp, Whiting IN

RM: Bignotti and Foyt were volatile, ditto for Bignotti and Sneva and Mario and Nigel Mansell were oil and water. Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr. didn’t hit it off and Roger Penske didn’t see eye-to-eye with Gary Bettenhausen, Sneva or Tracy. Derrick Walker and Bobby Unser mustered up some hate for each other and Vuky went after Jud Phillips once at Phoenix. Don’t mention Pat Patrick around Gordon Johncock either.

Hap, you got along with Jim Hall didn’t you?

Q: No video game, no app, no video streaming, and Poison at the Carb Day concert. So how does this sport plan on connecting to the younger demo? IndyCar mobile is available to Verizon subscribers only. Does anyone realize its 2013?

Jared, Reading, Pa

RM: We may have a video game coming and Motley Crue’s Vince Neil was once an Indy Lights driver, but I guess Poison hasn’t had a hit in a while?

Q: My letter deals with "the good old days." That is simply what they are. They won't be repeated, we won't see nine chassis manufacturers and six engine manufacturers at Indy again, as much as we'd like to see it happen. Spec racing is the name of the game, in F1, OWR, NASCAR, NHRA, you name it. The economic and demographic realities have taken the sport in a direction which will be difficult (probably impossible) to reverse. The other factor which many overlook is the entertainment options available to people today which weren't available in the 60's and 70's. Video games, 300 cable channels, other stick and ball sports, they all have made the entertainment equation much more cluttered. And, the younger generation doesn't have the level of interest/passion for cars and racing like I saw 30-40 years ago. I am involved in a rather large charity car show and cruise event here in Columbus, Ohio, and the vast majority of participants are over 50. Yes, we see a few younger people with their late model Mustangs and Camaros, but the hobby is clearly aging. And I think motorsports is suffering from the same social reality. Problem is I can't think of any good long-term solutions. At least none that make good business sense. We now have a new generation which has grown up with the CART/IRL split, and had the opportunity to become interested in OWR. Given the instability and poor product they were promoting, there is little chance we'll be able to attract them back to become life-long fans. Nothing would make me happier than to see Indy back at the level we witnessed in the 60's and 70's. Huge crowds for qualifying, bump day excitement so thick you could cut it with a knife, a wide variety of chassis and powerplants (I can still remember watching qualifying in the late 60's and seeing a segment on one guy with his car on a two-wheeled open trailer, having found his engine block in a junk yard-a 350 4-bolt main small block Chevy out of a school bus-incredible), Tom Carnegie blaring out "a new track record" at least once every year. But, deep down, I know we'll never relive those days. So, I'll continue following the sport as I have since the mid-60's, continue reading the Mailbag and watching Wind Tunnel, and watch the continued evolution of the sport into whatever it becomes.

Jack Compton

RM: Restoring innovation to Indianapolis would probably help in May but not sure it would make any difference anywhere else. Of course if more engine manufacturers got involved it would be healthy for the series in terms of marketing but you are right – we will never see a return to the ‘90s in CART, let alone the ‘60s and ‘70s in USAC.

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.