IndyCar Series at the Milwaukee Mile

History

Open wheel racing at the track dates back to 1937. AAA sanctioned races in 1937–1939, 1941, and 1946–1955. The track was paved in 1954. For most years starting in 1949, Milwaukee traditionally hosted the first race following the Indianapolis 500. From 1947 to 1982, Milwaukee normally hosted two races, the first race right after Indy in early June, and the second in August or September. The latter sometimes in the days surrounding the Wisconsin State Fair.

USAC sanctioned Championship car races from 1956 to 1979. In 1980, the race switched to a CART (later CCWS) race, and continued through 2006. After the 1982 season, the second race was dropped. With only one race annually going forward, the track decided to keep the traditional June "right after Indy" date. This tradition was famously referenced in the 1969 movie Winning where Robert Wagner's character delivered the line "Everybody goes to Milwaukee after Indianapolis". In 1986, the race was scheduled for Sunday June 1. However, due to rain on May 25–26, the Indianapolis 500 was postponed to Saturday May 31. After discussions with track, television, and series leaders, the Milwaukee race was pushed back one week to make the accommodation.

The IRL/IndyCar Series started holding races at the track in 2004, and thus for a brief time (2004–2006), the track hosted both a Champ Car race (June) and an IndyCar race (late July). For 2007, IndyCar became the lone event. At that time, there was a renewed interest in placing the event on its traditional June date immediately after the Indy 500. This arrangement lasted three years (2007–2009). The race was put on hiatus for 2010, stemming from management difficulties regarding payment of sanctioning fees. In 2011, the race returned with Michael Andretti and Andretti Sports Marketing promoting the event. The race was branded as the Milwaukee Indyfest and included an infield festival reminiscent of street racing formats with vendors, paddock access, music stages, family zones and the signature Ferris Wheel. The Milwaukee IndyFest ran for four years, with ABC Supply Co joining as the Title Sponsor in 2013.

In 2011–2013, for a variety of reasons, race organizers decided to move the race to the Saturday of Father's Day weekend. Detroit took the weekend immediately after Indy, and Texas maintained its position on the second weekend of June. For 2014, the race moved to August reviving the old state fair date. For 2015, it moved back to July, then went on hiatus due to poor revenue and poor attendance.

After eight years, and after track renovations, the race returned in 2024 as a doubleheader on Labor Day weekend.

Race history and facts

From 1950 to 1987, the June race was called the Rex Mays Classic, in honor of Rex Mays, a two-time AAA national champion killed in a race in 1949. Meanwhile, the August race was named the Tony Bettenhausen 200 from 1961 to 1982 in reference of Tony Bettenhausen, who died after a crash in 1961.

In the 1963 Tony Bettenhausen 200, Jim Clark and Team Lotus became the first to win an American Championship race with a rear-engined, monocoque car. After finishing second in that year's Indianapolis 500, Lotus decided to run the car again at Milwaukee and Trenton. Clark and teammate Dan Gurney broke the track record by over a second in qualifying, and Clark led all 200 laps to win, lapping the entire field except for second place A. J. Foyt.

At the 1991 race, for the first time in the history of Championship/Indy car racing, three members of the same family finished 1st–2nd–3rd in a race. Michael Andretti won the race, second went to his cousin John, and third to his father Mario. The Andretti family swept the podium, while Michael's brother Jeff finished 11th.

Indianapolis 500 / Milwaukee winners

For most years from 1949 to 2009, Milwaukee traditionally hosted a Championship/Indy car race the weekend immediately following the Indianapolis 500. Numerous drivers managed to win both races in the same year in back-to-back weeks.

• 1947: Bill Holland
• 1956: Pat Flaherty
• 1964: A. J. Foyt
• 1971: Al Unser Sr.
• 1974: Johnny Rutherford
• 1982: Gordon Johncock
• 1983: Tom Sneva
• 1988: Rick Mears
• 1994: Al Unser Jr.
• 2000: Juan Pablo Montoya (Indianapolis was an IRL race, Milwaukee was a CART series race)

Past winners

AAA Championship Car history

• 1937: Race shortened due to scoring error. : Non-championship race : Shared drive

USAC Championship Car history

: Shared drive

CART Championship Car history

• 1981: Tony Bettenhausen 200 was originally scheduled for August 2, but was rained out and postponed until September 5.
• 1994: Race shortened due to rain.
• 2005-06: Race shortened due to a time limit (1:45).

IRL/IndyCar Series history

Support race history

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References

References

1. Pruett, Marshall. (September 25, 2023). "Milwaukee in, Texas out as IndyCar releases 2024 schedule". [[Racer (magazine).
2. "The Milwaukee Mile". Champ Car Stats.
3. Oreovicz, John. "Indy winner Franchitti targets Indy/Milwaukee double". ESPN.com.
4. Case, Dean. "The Day the Dinosaurs Died".