Milka Duno: Doing her Job in IndyCar

Being the slowest qualifier for an IndyCar race is not always an indignity per se. But doing so with a qualifying speed that is a statistical outlier, as Milka Duno did Saturday at Mid-Ohio, borders on the ridiculous. What to do, now that Milka has entered Marty Roth territory?

The answer is to be found in the cost of IndyCar equipment. It simply must be cheaper. Lowering the cost of equipment that is necessary for entry would allow for more teams, cars and drivers. If a full field at road courses were, say, 26 cars, then the IRL would need another six entries in order for Milka to be bumped.

Less expensive chassis and engines - no matter whether the latter is leased, bought, or, gasp, built by the teams - would also reduce the barrier to entry for prospective sponsors. The current roster of team sponsors is dominated by firms that might or might not have any real interest in IndyCar racing. Target and 7-Eleven use their team sponsorships to extract concessions from vendors. McDonald's seems to go out of its way to not activate its IndyCar sponsorship, perhaps because its participation hinges on its having Newman's Own products in its stores. Phillip Morris USA is, of course, prevented by the Master Settlement Agreement from advertising almost anywhere else.

And that brings us back to Milka. She participates in IndyCar racing not to win or even to compete, really. She is here to put a smile on the face of Hugo Chavez, a daunting task and one that she does rather well. Citgo, the Venezuelan state-owned retailer that works in concert with Venezuelan state-owned drilling giant PDVSA, sponsor of HVM Racing's E.J. Viso, is a financial and political tool of the Chavez regime. Milka Duno, a smart and tough cookie when she is not sitting in a race car, wears the Citgo colors with a friendly smile and without any apparent sense of embarrassment.

Unfortunately, she seems to be similarly unaffected by her on-track results.

Perhaps, some years from now, the cost of entry for prospective team owners will have been reduced. Only then might the IRL rid itself of faux racers. Only then might a critical mass of teams convince corporations to sponsor IndyCar racing for its own sake.

Roggespierre