After a quiet off-season, the Mailbag is back. Check out what questions RPM.ESPN.com users had for Robin Miller -- and Robin's answers:

Robin Miller: Thanks for the kind words. I asked Max in Florida if there was much hope and he didn't sound real optimistic. The gas will supposedly be good for attracting people like Shell back to CART because they want to promote that area instead of oil products. I believe Pook has serious interest for Porsche and/or Audi so far and maybe a couple Bernie Ecclestone has steered his way.

Robin Miller: There is a story going around that TG promised Road America he would pay the purse and charge them no sanction fee to pick up the IRL. I said on Friday night's RPMNow radio show I expect him to take over Elkhart Lake and Mid-Ohio in 2004. CART needed to make Elk Lake happen, regardless of the circumstances, because that's where it's true fan base is located and it's the last bastion of road racing. If CART turns into a street course only circuit, I can't see it surviving. As for the IRL, don't forget all but one of their drivers are "road racers" and obviously with Dixon, Dario, Kanaan, Gil, Helio, Brack and Scheckter they've got much better talent than the current CART lineup. I don't think the old IRL would have drawn anyone to a road race but now I think it might. Thanks for missing RPM. We miss doing it.

Robin Miller: Supposedly, Greg has a deal in place and it includes a Honda engine. He's not on the Phoenix entry list so maybe it's Indy only. Maybe we'll know more after Phoenix.

Robin Miller:: I don't think there's any doubt Danica has the potential to make it to Champ Cars but she still needs a little seasoning. Yes, she spent three years in Europe and yes she's got guts and an attitude. But she needs two years to learn the tracks and get acclimated. But if CART wants to create some instant fans and good publicity, she'll be in CART by 2005. Hell, if she shows enough in 2003, I'd move her into a CART car for 2004. CART needs a popular storyline.

Robin Miller:: It could be in this country unless CART reclaims Elk Lake and maybe adds Road Atlanta. It needs diversity, ovals, street circuits and real road courses. Losing Road America will be devastating to CART's true fans.

Robin Miller: You make a very good point. Not only do you cancel another race, you get rid of the BEST road course in America and part of your heritage. It's unacceptable in every way and don't be surprised to see the IRL snap up Elk Lake and Mid Ohio. CART paid for the Chicago race last year and that's the least it could have done for Elk Lake. A dark day for road racing fans. Thanks.

Robin Miller: If you think like me all the time then you probably need some kind of medical attention, but I like your mindset. Pook is the one who suddenly proclaimed Atlantics were not a good stepping stone to CART! And I, for one, told him to his face that was a big mistake. Give Rocky Moran Jr. or Joey Hand a shot and see what happens. Not just a one-day test or some BS excuse. Why would any Atlantic owner want to think about moving up when the CEO doesn't even believe in his own feeder system? Pook is dead wrong about this or maybe he's not familiar with Patrick Carpentier, Michael Andretti, Jacques Villeneuve and Alex Barron. If CART has to change it's feeder system, fine. But don't generalize all the Atlantic kids as being inferior to F3000 guys. Is Sebastian Bourdais a stud? Sure looks like it. But could Moran or Hand or Alex Gurney get the job done? We don't know that answer until they get a fair chance. Thanks.

Robin Miller: Please see my response in the question above. But, to further pursue your point, CART doesn't need to be All-American or even half American. But it damn sure needs a half-dozen Yanks who have the talent and desire to stick around and make CART their home. Going to Canada, Mexico and England you see the passion those fans have for their drivers and CART needs to develop a following for some Atlantic grads, providing they have the talent. But they need a chance first. You're right that owners have to do whatever possible to keep the doors open but with CART handing out money this year to teams, at least a few million could have gone to Moran or Hand or Gurney. Thanks.

Robin Miller: Very good question. F1 dropping Spa is just as sad as CART losing Elk Lake and both come down to money. Bernie threatened to take away the British GP a couple years ago so, obviously, tradition means very little anywhere anymore. But I agree with you. F1 spends millions and millions of dollars and can't have any more races than the IRL?

Robin Miller: CART lost most of its big names so what better time to grow some new ones? As I've said in answers above, you've got to give some young Americans from Atlantics a shot. Not a test, a real shot. Memo did a nice job for Ganassi but got cut because he didn't qualify good enough. C'mon, he almost won the second race he ever drove and had three podiums and that wasn't good enough to keep his ride? What about Alex Barron? Hell of a good racer and ex-Atlantic champ yet nobody in CART seems to remember his name. Hell, Casey Mears wanted to stay in CART and nobody gave him the time of day. You know, if you add Gurney, Mears, Moran, Danica Patrick, etc., you might be able to cultivate some new fans or re-interest some old ones. Don't know about Mad Max. As for Foyt, I've got a Japanese recipe ready for him in May.

Robin Miller: I've given him credit for saving this season and getting 19 cars on the grid but I've also been plenty critical of him turning his back on the Atlantics, losing Elk Lake and not letting CART become a street series. The St. Pete race wasn't bad (more passing than all the street shows last year and the cars are more fun to watch without traction control) but you need to cultivate some new heroes and you can't them with guys who aren't going to be around more than a year or two. You make some very good points and I intend to send Pook all these questions. Thanks.

Robin Miller: When the IRL was formed, Tony George's platform was to return Indy back to the days of American short track drivers with inexpensive racing, homemade engines and that old station wagon spirit of the 1960s. True, Steve Kinser and Jack Hewitt did get the opportunity to run Indy (which would have never happened with CART) and Tony Stewart was able to showcase his skills and get a NASCAR ride. But the IRL wasn't about opportunity for American oval trackers or saving open wheel racing from those greedy car owners, it was all about Tony George killing CART and taking control of open wheel. He could care less about any short tracker except his stepson (Ed Carpenter) and my isn't ironic that now he's got engine leases, Honda, Toyota, evil foreign drivers and all road racers except Sarah Fisher? Foyt could have hired JJ Yeley but instead he's got Shigeaki Hattori to replace Eliseo Salazar and Marco Greco. The sad thing is that CART's shallow car owners don't care about competition or making open wheel better or what the fans want. It's all about money and that's why they all followed Penske to the IRL like a bunch of mice. The end result? After eight years of civil war, open wheel is in grave danger of being forgotten by the American public because neither side understands or cares about the big picture or the future.

Robin Miller: USAC did several things to cut its own drivers' path to Indy. Taking the dirt cars out of the Champ Car sked was the first and worst move because suddenly you didn't have to be versatile. Outlawing rear-engined sprinters after Tom Sneva won a few features was the second bad move because that kind of experience could have been valuable -- even today. All that horsepower behind the driver at Winchester ... USAC has always been a disaster as a sanctioning body and those two things certainly crippled the path to Indy. Could USAC change it's thinking today? Who knows. I think Rollie Helmling is pretty sharp but his hands could be tied over a major change. I just can't believe none of the IRL owners will hire JJ Yeley so he'll probably end up in NASCAR like Gordon, Stewart, Leffler, Newman, etc.

Robin Miller: The new look IRL is pretty much the old look CART but, amazingly, that seems to be just fine with Tony George and all his minions who supposedly hated everything about CART in 1995. Sam can afford an Infiniti team but not Indy cars. McGehee just needs money. The Falcon might fly if they give it away, but probably not. As for the next couple years in the IRL, well I imagine it will continue to follow CART's old trail. It's got everything but road races this season but that's going to change in 2004.