Tag: Milwaukee Mile

King of the Mile

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In the 117 races in which all of the iterations of IndyCar has run at the Milwaukee Mile since 1939, one driver stands out as the indisputable King of the Mile. Rodger Ward won the Milwaukee race seven times between 1957 and 1963. A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti are a distant second with four wins each.

In Ward’s era, Milwaukee hosted a race the weekend after the Indianapolis 500 and another race in August. Ward never swept a season at Milwaukee, but twice he won the August race and then the June race the following year.

Ward won in Milwaukee in August in each year of his two Indy victories, in 1959 and 1962.

Despite all his wins at the Wisconsin State Fair track, Ward won the pole just once, in the June 1964, race. Foyt, who was virtually unbeatable that year, won the race. Ward did not finish that one but came back to get second place in the August running won by Parnelli Jones. His only other podium was third place in1956.Jimmy Bryan was the winner.

Ward leads Foyt on his way to winning the 1962 Milwaukee 200 in August, 1962

Ward’s won in 1957 (June), 1958 (August), 1959 (August),1960 (June),1961 (June),1962 (August), and 1963 (June). He participated in 26 races at The Mile. Ward had three other top five finishes, 5th in 1951, 4th place in both 1962 and 1963, years when he won the other race that year.

Rodger Ward transformed from a journeyman driver into one of the sport’s top stars in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He retired after the 1966 Indianapolis 500.

Milwaukee Wrap Up-Indycar Can Go Home Again

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Indycar’s return to Milwaukee- and its racing roots- turned out be the perfect mix of great crowds, great racing, and great weather. The leadup to the race was filled with concerns on all fronts, but as the Friday morning rain and clouds cleared, so did the worries about what was in store.

I had some indication that attendance would be better than expected on Friday when I got caught in the garage pass redemption line which went about halfway into the tunnel. It reminded of the Legends’ Day autograph line at IMS. Perhaps the organizers can find a spot behind the grandstands or have multiple points for distributing wristbands like some other tracks do.

The upper deck was very near capacity on Saturday while the lower sections did not seem that full. On Sunday the upper deck was about 90% of Saturday’s crowd, but the lower decks looked significantly fuller. I wonder if Saturday’s race brought some folks out who hadn’t considered coming.

Everyone seemed to have a great time, and it was a race crowd. They were on their feet for restarts, and when there were passes for the lead.

One thing I would like to see added for 2025 is a scoring pylon. The promoters had three video boards on the front stretch, well spaced so that every fan had access , but the angle of the sun made them hard to see for most of yesterday.

Short Track Racing- More, Please

Saturday and Sunday were examples of the best of short track racing. Both races, while completely different in tone and style, featured the best elements of the sport. Early contenders faded while others found the right combination and put themselves in the mix. Favorites had issues and dropped out. The winner was in doubt until the final handful of laps. A race fan can’t ask for more.

Notes

Kudos to Firestone and Indycar for figuring out the oval package after the debacle at Iowa.

I wish Milwaukee had the double header slot on future calendars, and Iowa went back to a single race.

Will Power’s spin may have cost him his shot at the title. He gained only 10 points on Alex Palou on a day when he could have grabbed the lead. Palou needs only to finish ninth or better at Nashville to clinch his second consecutive crown.

The two podiums had six different drivers representing five different teams, including a first time podium for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Pato O’Ward broke the Team Penske oval winning streak Saturday, but Scott McLaughlin got them back on track yesterday.

I hope the momentum from this past weekend carries over to the season finale in Nashville i9n two weeks’ time. There is an actual title fight happening this year, and I am ready for it.

Quick Thoughts- Milwaukee Race 2

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Indycar- Just when you think you know how things will turn out, they turn out differently.

A chaotic beginning set the tone for another entertaining race. The started was waved off, and polesitter Josef Newgarden’s day ended when he was punted by Marcu Armstrong into the front stretch wall.

Before that happened, what looked like a very short day for Alex Palou and a loss of the championship lead turned out with him losing just 10 more points to Will Power. Power spun on a restart and went down a lap. he recovered to 10th at the end, but attrition allowed Palou to finish 19th.

After a disjointed first half, the race settled into a game of pit strategy. It appeared Herta had the upper hand until Sting Ray Robb’s wall contact with 21 laps to go allowed the leaders to take fresh tires. McLaughlin

The waved off start because the back of the field was not in line caused chaos at the front. Some drivers slowed, and others accelerated. I have seen the green flag waved with worse formations than how the field lined up today. It would help if Race control stopped allowing the last half of the field to lag so far behind on the pace laps. Perhaps the grid should start out in rows of two, then have a tire scrub lap, and reform.

Today’s race had 816 passes, more than yesterday. Given the good racing we saw at Milwaukee this weekend, and what we watched at Gateway, I think the hybrid wasn’t the issue at Iowa. It may have been the track.

Kyle McInnes photo

Movers

Scott Dixon finished second from 17th.

Colton Herta finished third after starting 18th. He nearly won the race.

Marcus Ericsson went rom 16th to 5th, and Kyke Kirkwood finished eighth from 19th oin the grid.

Overall, Mikwaukee had a successful return to its Indycar roots. The attendance was great both days. There may have been a few more fans here today. The racing was very good.

I will stop here since I need to hit the road. Thanks for following along this weekend. I will have a complete Milwaukee wrap up tomorrow.

Let’s Do it Again

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Today’s Schedule: All times Central. Race is on USA, Peacock, and Inycar Radio

10 am: Gates Open
11 am: Install Lap
1:25 pm: Driver Intros
1:44 pm: Invocation
1:45 pm: Anthem
1:56 pm: Command
2 pm: Green Flag

I would be very happy with a race similar to last evening’s event. The temperature should be in the md 70s for the race.

I watched some highlights on Peacock this morning. The upper deck was almost full, and television had some good shots of the stands.

Som leftovers:

Why do Myer Shank cars always fall back immediately when they start on the front row?

The Ericsson/Newgarden incident was nobodY’s fault. It looked like the rear of the 28 just slid out.

night having Alex Palou and Will Power pitting next to each other had an interesting moment last night. Let’s see what today brings as the title chase has tightened.I will have the starting lineup out in a bit,

Quick Thoughts-Milwaukee Race 1- Pato- monium

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

All of a sudden Indycar oval racing is good again. The gloom and doom following the Iowa doubleheader has vanished like gossamer on windy day.

WWTR had a good race, and this evening’s race also produced a good show. The race ended with Will Power chasing down winner Pato O’Ward. Races always seem more fun when Pato wins. Itb was certainly a poular victory with the fans.

O’Ward, the most popular driver in Indycar and Mexico, dominated the race ince he took the lead, staying at the front for 133 laps. Any other winner would have been overshadowed by third place finisher Conor Daly, who started 25th and gave. Juncos Hollinger Racing their first podium..

O’Ward first took the lead on lap 68, led again from lapo 119-185, and took the lead for good on lap 195. He managed traffic beautifully, keeping Will Power at bay to win by just under two seconds. It was one of O’Ward’s more convincing wins.

Daly- From 25th to 3rd

Juncos Hollinger Racing hired Conor Daly to replace Agustin Canapino for one reason- to get into the Leaders’ Circle. Based on tonight’s result, it looks as if they made the right choice. The 78 is now 21st in entrant point -above the cut line.iiDaly does well on ovals, but tonight was arguably one of the best drives of his career, He started 25th in a car that had not shown except for a few solid qualifying efforts and brought home the team’s first Indycar podium.

Daly admitted in the post race press conference that finances may keep him from keeping htis ride in 2025. JHR would be well served to find a way for Daly to stay. The team has shown improvement this season, and I think Daly could help take another step forward.

Notes

Katherine Legge recovered from a spin and earned a top 20 finish.

Why did the last caution, for debris, require 16 laps?

Power cut Alex Palou’s lead to 43 points as Palou managed a fifth place result. Power shave 11 points from the advantage. Even he cuts 11 points in each of the final two races, Palou still takes his third title.

Power noted in the press conference that Indycar, not NASCAR, should be racing in Mexico.

Results

McLaughlin, Newgarden Take Milwaukee Poles in a Penske 1-2 Lockout

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Scott McLaughlin will be on the point for the start of this afternoon’s first Milwaukee 250, while teammate Josef Newgarden will move to 11th after taking a nine place grid penalty.

Tomorrow, Newgarden has the pole and McLaughlin starts second, as Team Penske continues their oval domination in the 2024 season.

Race 1 Qualifying Results:

The 11 mile an hour speed separation between McLaughlin and last place Pietro Fittipaldi means that the leaders will encounter lapped traffic very early in the race.

David Malukas will move up to the front row for the start this afternoon.

Sunset is at &:27 pm Central time. Barring a long red flag or a race with lots of yellows, the race should easily finish before sundown. Ifr not, Indycar may declare a timed race.

Remember, kids, today’s race is exclusively on Peacock at 5 pm Central.

Race 2 Results

As of now there are no penalties assessed for Race 2, so this should be tomorrow’s starting lineup.

Notes

I talked to a couple of peoples in a Dunkin Donuts this morning who are in town for the race. They are originally from Indy but now live in Texas. They flew to Milwaukee for the race.

I drove to the track a little before 10 and there was a line toget in.

I heard that garage passes are sold out.

Thanks to Dale Coyne Racing for providing me workspace this weekend.

Milwaukee’s schedule has accomplished something oval tracks have had difficulty with. There is minimal downtime once cars get on track. Indycar follows Indy NXT after a brief transition, and the action is virtually nonstop. The only change I would make is to have Sunday’s race start an hour earlier.

INDYCAR Announces Milwaukee Mile Grid Penalties 

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 INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024) – INDYCAR officials have announced a nine-position starting grid penalty for the entries of No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing and No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing for unapproved engine changes following the Friday, Aug. 30 practice at the Milwaukee Mile.
The teams were in violation of:Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next race, which is the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Race 1 today, Aug. 31 at the Milwaukee Mile.