“I’m thinking this could be a really great year for Marco, and we made a few changes within the team that I think are going to be positive,” he said. “I know he’s been working on himself some more, and I think he’s going to be a real factor. I think he will be set for a championship this year again, depending on what happens with the aero kit. If it is good, I think he’s going to be good.
“The thing about Marco, his style and the way he drives is the more downforce you give him, the faster he goes. Sort of like back in the [Acura LMP2] sports car days when he drove for us. I’m hoping the aero kit is actually going to be a positive step for his style.”

G1 Dragstrip was a Tyrrell P34

And G1 Mirage was a Ligier JS11

"It was nonstop development and then you'd be implementing parts continuously. But given the openness of the aero kit rules – which, as our Wirth Research friends tell us are more open than Formula 1 – is a daunting prospect because, well, how much money do you have to spend?"

In another twist that will take some time to digest, aero kit manufacturers are allowed to make alterations to their aero kits three times through the 2016 season. There's no timeline – a change could come at any time, and manufacturers can use the same box three times, each box once, or mix and match.

According to Belli, the three upgrades are capped at a cost of $15,000, and in another major twist, the practice of forcing teams to race with the same exact aero components they used in qualifying has been set aside.

"We are not going to enforce the 'you have to race what you qualify' rule, which is been the standard way of doing things," he said. "You are free to take the option parts on and off your car between qualifying and the race. For example, at Indy it could be quite an interesting story to see why some people qualify with these parts and why do they race with those parts? They won't be cookie-cutter cars from a technical point of view when you look closely at it. It should be quite interesting as well."

I've had conversations with a few people in and out of IndyCar about Marco. Most believe his chances at ever becoming a top-teir championship contending IndyCar driver have passed by him. But that isn't to say he couldn't be an extremely competitive racer in SCCA World Challenge or TUDOR. Maybe even for that matter a run at LeMans. IndyCar however just never seems to 100% click for him. Not that he isn't a decent enough driver. He just doesn't seem to have the 'it' factor his very own teammates in the past (TK, Franchitti and DW) or present (RHR) have had in stupidly similar equipment.

Of course it was another missed opportunity for IndyCar. Ryan Hunter-Reay was offered a good ride but had to decline because Michael Andretti wouldn't let him run. I asked Penske if he'd let Will Power (who grew up on dirt) have a go and he replied: "Tim Cindric called and wondered if we were going to field a midget team." So that was a non-answer but Power would be perfect – along with Scott Dixon, who has been a frequent visitor to the Chili Bowl but never been allowed to race.
The bottom line is that putting a couple of IndyCar stars in front of this audience would be the best promotion IndyCar could get during the off-season, which only lasts seven months. Hell, IndyCar should finance a team because most of these die-hard open-wheel fans in Tulsa couldn't care less about IndyCar and seeing the AMERICAN Indy 500 winner or IndyCar champion or a Josef Newgarden might change their attitude.
At the very least IndyCar should have a display at the Chili Bowl and give out hats, T-shirts and schedules while flying in a couple of drivers to sign autographs and mingle with the fans who never watch their races.