Wisconsin State Fair gambling on IndyCar’s return to the Milwaukee Mile

WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin — IndyCar racing returned to the historic Milwaukee Mile Friday afternoon as teams practiced for a Labor Day weekend doubleheader.

It was the first time Indy cars were back in competition on the flat, 1,015-mile oval located at Wisconsin State Fair Park since Sebastien Bourdais scored an impressive win here in 2015.

The NTT IndyCar Series left after that race and moved up the highway to Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, beginning in 2016.

That race has returned to being one of IndyCar’s most popular weekends with large crowds, many from nearby Chicago and Milwaukee, spending the weekend at Road America in campers and tents or the lake cottages near the 4,048-mile road course.

During the intervening years, there were some fans who begged for an IndyCar return to the Milwaukee Mile. It is one of the oldest race tracks in the world, opening in 1903.

It began hosting IndyCar in 1939 and in the decades that followed, it was an important venue for racing. It was the traditional first race after the Indianapolis 500 and was named the Rex Mays Classic, in honor of a great driver who was killed in a race at Del Mar, California, on November 6, 1949. He was 36 years old.

There were two races a year at the Milwaukee Mile for IndyCar. The second race was held in conjunction with the annual Wisconsin State Fair and would later be renamed the Tony Bettenhausen Classic.

That was in honor of the “Tinley Park Express” — a famous and popular racer from Tinley Park, Illinois, who was killed while testing the Stearly Motor Freight Special for his friend, Paul Russo, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 12, 1961 .

For decades, thousands of fans flocked to the Milwaukee Mile for the great racing action on the short oval.

But over time, its appeal faded.

IndyCar left in 2015 because of the small crowd that came to the race. The track fell into a state of disrepair, but was eventually revived by promoter Bob Sargent, who began promoting the ASA STARS National Tour series at The Mile, along with a number of regional, grassroots series.

Roger Penske, a longtime winning team owner at the Milwaukee Mile who is now the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar, still believed in Milwaukee track.

He combined forces with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, and the Wisconsin State Fair Board for an IndyCar return with a double-header on Labor Day weekend.

Hy-Vee would be the sponsor of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s and the Wisconsin State Fair Board would be the promoters.

IndyCar and Penske Entertainment would assist in the promotion and logistics of the event.

It all sounded good on paper, but the reality is, tickets are not selling. There appears to be little enthusiasm in Wisconsin to spend the final holiday weekend of the summer at a race track instead of a lake.

Shari Black is the executive director and CEO of the Wisconsin State Fair Board and is the promoter for this weekend’s activities. Last weekend, Sargent promoted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at the Mile and the crowd for that wasn’t very big, either.

Black remains optimistic that tickets will start to sell for a Saturday evening race and a Sunday afternoon race that will go a long way in determining the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series champion.

Two-time champion Alex Palou has a 54-point lead over two-time IndyCar champion Will Power with three races remaining. If Palou leaves Sunday’s second race with a 55-point lead over the second driver in the standings, he will clinch his third IndyCar Series Championship and his second straight.

He would become the first back-to-back IndyCar Series champion since Dario Franchitti won three straight from 2009-11.

IndyCar needs Milwaukee to be successful because it needs a better balance of ovals to go along with a schedule that is heavy on street and road courses.

Those races on street and road courses drew large crowds because of the festival-like atmosphere.

Oval races, except for the Indianapolis 500 and the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, don’t seem to draw large crowds.

Michael Andretti was the last promoter to try to make it work at the Milwaukee Mile when his company was in charge from 2012-15.

When he gave up on the Mile, so did IndyCar, until Penske revived it.

“I think that it’s been something that’s been talked about for a long time, obviously since Andretti left,” Black told NBCSports.com. “I believe that given the way that it was promoted at that time, Wisconsin State Fair Park really was not involved with any of that portion of it.

“The responsibility of the team here at that time was just to provide the space and treat it like any other event we have that happens here at the park.

“We have events almost every weekend for those that are not familiar, where we provide the space, and the promoter comes in and puts on a show. So that’s how it was always run in the past.

“Now, Wisconsin State Fair Park really has some skin in the game because we are the promoter. It allows us to have more control.”

Black said the Wisconsin State Fair has created its own, independent midway for the fair that concluded in early August.

“This isn’t something that is done everywhere, but there are numerous state fairs that are going to this model,” Black continued. “We bring in all the rides, games and food. We pick them ourselves so as we say we choose the most sought after rides and game operators, so you get the best of the best and then we have complete control over that area with security, how our entrances are working, everything is done by our team.

“We are doing that with the help of course from IndyCar because they understand their series and what their needs are. So, we’ve had numerous collaborative meetings with them to make sure that we are servicing this event the best way possible.”

What gives Black and the Wisconsin State Fair Board the ability to make this weekend a success, however?

Black became interim CEO in October 2021 and officially became CEO in March 2022.

“Since that time, I know that it has certainly been an initiative of our board to get racing back at the Mile,” Black said. “We also knew at that time that numerous repairs or enhancements for safety were needed.

“During that time, we explored different areas, and we were fortunate that the governor and his administration was willing to help with those safety repairs. We had that backing I think really helped and then certainly we used some of our reserves. A portion came from our foundation to help cover those costs because it was quite expensive.

“The track has been used, but not for top-tier racing. So, I think that it was having that support from all those entities that helped us bring the track back to life, so to speak.”

With the support of the Wisconsin governor, who supplied funds for infrastructure improvement, Penske got his senior management involved.

“Roger also played a big part in racing coming back,” Black said. “He was very interested in the location. It has a lot of history here at the track and he was very interested in bringing the race here.

“I think that that is certainly what helped us convince the governor’s office that it was something we should really explore, and they were very supportive of that.

“Having that team backing us and supporting us with their knowledge and expertise is what is really going to help us make this a success.”

So much of IndyCar at the Milwaukee Mile is deep in history, but many of those involved in that history have long passed.

Black realized that she had to promote IndyCar’s return to appeal to a younger audience.

She uses the Wisconsin State Fair as an example.

“That event is something that people have either come with their grandparents, their parents, and now they continue to come with their children or their grandchildren,” Black said of the fair. “We’re really great at creating memories. That’s what is so iconic about our fair as well as the Milwaukee Mile.

“It’s a historical track that means a lot to numerous people all throughout.

“But we need to engage that next generation, and I feel that we are.”

Black and her staff are working with multiple groups in the area that include Junior Achievement. A sponsor helped engage Junior Achievement and purchased tickets so those kids and families can attend this race weekend.

There is a free fan zone this weekend and the Ian Munsick concert is free. Quiet Riot will also perform during Saturday night.

Fans can attend just to experience the fan zone without buying a ticket.

“If you don’t want to go into the stands, you can just come to the free fan zone and take in the atmosphere and the energy,” Black said. “And we’re hoping for people just being curious and coming out for that free experience, that’s going to encourage them to, ‘Hey, I want to go in the stands. I want to see what’s happening out there. You can hear the cars and the excitement and be able to see winner’s circle.’

“That’s what it’s all about.”

The permanent facilities and restaurants used for the Wisconsin State Fair will be open to the public

“People love to eat together and enjoy food and beverage and all those different experiences,” Black said. “Everybody loves our fair food, which will, of course, be on full display as well.

“I think it’s just going to be a fun atmosphere to be at for this Labor Day weekend.”

But so far, it doesn’t seem that many people are changing their Labor Day weekend plans. Friday at the Mile, some crewmembers and drivers said they had dinner a mile or two from the track and the restaurant and bars didn’t know there was a race weekend.

When NBCSports.com asked Black about ticket sales for this weekend, she said, “I’m expecting a large crowd for both of those races as well. Tickets are selling well. So, we’re really excited about it.”

Black has experience in promoting a state fair, one that is very successful. When the fair ended on August 11, Black said a record 1.1 million attended.

If Black’s optimism for a large crowd for the IndyCar race weekend is going to be realized, his staff is going to need to start selling more tickets, and fast.

Follow Bruce Martin on Twitter at @BruceMartin_500