IndyCar Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay to Headline the 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest

Could the 2013 running of the Milwaukee IndyFest play a key role in the IZOD IndyCar Series championship just as it did in 2012?

The Milwaukee IndyFest, promoted by Andretti Sports Marketing, a company led by IndyCar team owner Michael Andretti, is one of 19 races that comprise the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule. The Milwaukee IndyFest will take place Father's Day weekend, Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15 on the historic Milwaukee Mile oval at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. The Milwaukee Mile will celebrate its 110th anniversary of racing in 2013.

Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series championship by winning four of the final eight races of the year, a hot streak that began with a dominating triumph at the Milwaukee IndyFest. His victory at the historic Wisconsin track was the first of three consecutive wins for the 31-year old Ft. Lauderdale resident, and provided the catalyst for the championship run. Hunter-Reay is the first American driver to win an IndyCar title since 2006.

Hunter-Reay and his Chevrolet-powered Andretti Autosport team, backed by DHL and Sun Drop, were in seventh place in the point standings after mechanical woes had knocked them out of two of the three races prior to Milwaukee. But, after leading 84 laps to take the victory at the Mile, the push toward a title had begun.

"To be able to stand on the top step of the podium and hold the American flag over my head at a track that has been around longer than any other track in the United States – that is such a dream come true for me," said Hunter-Reay, who also won a CART/Champ Car race at Milwaukee in 2004. "It's so important for IndyCar to be at Milwaukee, and to have now won there twice is something I'm really proud of."

Many of the drivers on the IndyCar circuit rate the one-mile oval with nearly flat corners as one of their favorite tracks in the world – including Hunter-Reay.

"Going 225 laps at Milwaukee feels like a 500-mile race because it is so tough physically. The car is on the edge every lap," explained Hunter-Reay following his IndyFest win. "It's a track where the driver can make a big difference."

Tickets for the 2013 Milwaukee IndyFest are on sale now at the official event website www.MilwaukeeIndyFest.com.

General admission tickets begin at $25, with reserved seating for Saturday's action starting at $29. (The listed prices for tickets include all fees and sales tax.) The two-day festival will again include an infield packed with an array of activities for fans of all ages. Entertainment details will be unveiled in the coming months.