INDYCAR Returns to the Milwaukee Mile
Photo credit - Penske Entertainment: James Black
“This is our DNA, oval racing.”
With that brief statement, Roger Penske, chairman of the Penske Corporation, owner of Penske Entertainment, INDYCAR and the NTT INDYCAR Series, summed up the series’ desire to return to the Milwaukee Mile.
Wisconsin State Fair Park and Penske Entertainment have teamed up for the return of the INDYCAR Series to the famed Milwaukee Mile as part of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule marks the first INDYCAR series race at the Mile since 2015.
But it's not just one race in 2024. For the first time in the track's history, the Mile will be hosting two INDYCAR Series races in one special Labor Day Weekend set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, August 30th, through September 1st.
Talks between Penske and the Wisconsin State Fair Board began a year ago, discussing what changes needed to be made to the track to bring it up to current INDYCAR standards.
“I think there's a huge commitment here from the state and certainly the Wisconsin Fair Board, John Yingling, the chairman, and we got together to talk about what we needed to do to bring it to the current standards to have an INDYCAR race here. The commitment from the state and certainly the Fair Board has given us that opportunity.”
“For us as a series, we're trying to be different,” Penske said. “We're going to have six ovals next year. That's one more than we had this year. I think it's important as we get ready for the Indianapolis 500, which is obviously our premier event, but also with our road races and also the street races that we have around the country.
“To me, this opportunity was really obvious. It's in our backyard, and we have a tremendous amount of fans in this part of the country that love INDYCAR racing.”
“We love to go racing on the streets and also certainly on fixed road courses, but this opportunity for us, as we look from an INDYCAR standpoint, to create a bigger footprint within the sport, and the television coming out of these types of ovals is amazing, the passes, the competition.
“To me, this opportunity was really obvious. It’s in our backyard, and we have a tremendous amount of fans in this part of the country that love INDYCAR racing.”
“Look, it's a place [where] the people in the grandstands can see the whole racetrack,” Penske continued. “They feel like they're in the cars. They can see what's going on. It's not coming by every minute and a half or whatever it might be.
“I think the visibility, the fact that we can have entertainment for our corporate sponsors, we're going to bring more visitors into the state, which is obviously one of the key reasons that the governor has given their commitments here, and we can partner with the State Fair board and get the benefit of their relationships with the baseball team and all the other sports we have here in the state.
“To me, it all came together.”
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Roger Penske
Photo credit - Penske Entertainment: James Black
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers credited Penske and his organization for making things happen in a short period of time.
“In reality, it's a huge win for southeast Wisconsin. It's a huge win for our state. It's a huge win for the State Fair Park and tourism in general.
“The partnership, making this happen, believe me, this doesn't always happen where we set a goal to do something and accomplish something,” Evers continued. “Sometimes in politics that takes generations. Sometimes in this case it took a year. Things can get done at state level, whether it's Team Penske, the State Fair Board, all the folks that are part of the State Fair, the state agencies that have played a role.
“It's been a team effort and a really good effort, and we're going to have a lot of fun next Labor Day Weekend.”
Unlike in years past, the plan is to expand the footprint of the event according to Wisconsin State Fair Park CEO, Shari Black.
“Yes. We are thrilled to welcome INDYCAR back to the Milwaukee Mile. There's just so much that we feel we can offer here.
“For those that are familiar with our Harvest Fair, that's sort of what we are planning to follow, kind of that footprint where it really brings out our Central Park area.
“In the past it's always been along Grandstand Avenue, which is right outside of the track, so we're trying to go more inside of the fair and have more of that festival feel.
“A lot of vendors bring in their own music acts, so we're hoping they'll do that, as well, so kind of that festival-type feeling is what we're looking for.”
(L-R) Roger Penske, Gov. Tony Evers, Shari Black, Scott Dixon, David Malukas
Photo credit - Penske Entertainment: James Black
For six-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion Scott Dixon, the series’ return to the Milwaukee Mile is welcome news.
“Yeah, I think all of us were definitely extremely excited for the announcement. Some of us heard the whispers of it coming back on the schedule. I know it had been talked about for maybe the last year or two.
“This is huge,” the Chip Ganassi Racing driver continued. “The timing of this event is going to be very special. A double-header, it's big points on the table before we go into the season finale and for the championship fight.
“I think I'm especially really pumped about that and where it's going to fall on the schedule, but it's so good to be back here in Milwaukee. A lot of great memories from this race and obviously a great area for our fans. Definitely excited to see it back on the schedule, and I know everybody is going to want to do the best job possible and hopefully we can pack the place out and put on a great show for everyone.”
Although he’s yet to race at Milwaukee, the double-header weekend will be a home game, of sorts, for Arrow McLaren driver David Malukas, who grew up 90-minutes away in Chicago.
“Yes, yes, this is pretty much a home track, it’s going to be that sort of feeling. I'm super excited for what's coming, especially being a double-header.
“Short ovals is kind of something that we've had a lot of fun in and a lot of success, and I think the racing in INDYCAR, it's something very special and unique to our series, so it's very good to have two more coming around, especially here at the Milwaukee Mile. I think me, Scott and the rest of the crew are going to have a lot of fun and put on a good show.”
Photo credit - Penske Entertainment: James Black
While the announcement of INDYCAR’s return to the Milwaukee Mile is welcome news, the reality is the track’s best days were more than twenty years ago. Several promoters have tried to make a go of it, but haven’t been able to draw more than 20,000 fans. What makes Penske believe he can succeed, not just for one date, but for back-to back days?
“Well, look, it's obviously a key part of our schedule, but more important, I think as Penske Entertainment took over the Series and operates the Speedway, I think we've come in with a team of experienced people that we can partner with Shari and her team here at the fairgrounds.
“Before you had promoters coming in and coming out. But we're committed. We've invested heavily in the track at Indianapolis and also certainly in the Series, and it's important that we take the series to places that are long-staying capabilities, which you have here. They've got a great track.
“One of the areas we like so much is we have this wonderful convention center that the state has provided here at the park, and we'll have all of our chalets, all of our entertainment for our sponsors and people like that can really set up there, so we see that's going to be great entertainment, especially as we come down to the end of the series, being able to use that for what it's built for, to bring fans into the state and certainly for tourism, and we'll use that as a key.
Roger Penske
Photo Credit - Penske Entertainment: James Black
“Also,” Penske said, “we're looking at opportunities to have entertainment. We have the opportunity here with entertainment here at the fairgrounds, and maybe Saturday night we can have some music. We haven't committed that yet.
“A number of sponsors we've touched base with are very interested to be part of this. We haven't announced anything at this point, but I think it's our experience -- as you know we were in the speedway business for a long time with Michigan [Speedway] and California [Speedway] and all over the country here, and then to come here and put this under our control in conjunction as a partnership with the Wisconsin Fair Board, I think it works out.
“We've got the capital to do it, but even more important when we step back and you look at the track and the money that's been allocated by the state funding in order to take it to the next level from a safety perspective and also for a fan, I think we're doing that also.
“Those are all things that had to happen before we could come here and say it's going to be sustainable.”