IndyCar News: Friday Report from the Milwaukee Mile (Update)

INDYCAR Announces Milwaukee Mile Grid Penalties: INDYCAR officials have announced a nine-position starting grid penalty for the entries for unapproved engine changes following the Sunday, Aug. 25 race at Portland International Raceway.

-No. 2 Penske (Newgarden)

-No. 6 Arrow McLaren (Siegel)

-No. 11 CGR (Armstrong)

-No. 30 RLL (Fittipaldi)

-No. 45 RLL (Lundgaard)

The teams were in violation of:

Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5^th) 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 (5^th) 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 Saturday, Aug. 31 at the Milwaukee Mile.

At-track schedule (all times Central):

FRIDAY, AUG. 30

1:30-2:15 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Practice, INDYCAR LIVE

2:35 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Installation Laps, Peacock

2:45-3:15 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES High-Line Session (Two groups, 15 minutes each), Peacock

3:30-5 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice, Peacock

SATURDAY, AUG. 31

Noon-12:45 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Single car, Two laps), INDYCAR LIVE

1:15 p.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps (Lap 1/Race 1; Lap 2/Race 2), Peacock

2:55 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Milwaukee 100 (“Drivers, start your engines”)

3 p.m.  INDY NXT by Firestone at Milwaukee Mile (90 laps/91.35 miles), Peacock

4:40 p.m. Peacock on air

5:01 p.m. “Drivers, start your engines”

5:05 p.m. Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Race 1 (250 laps/253.75 miles), Peacock (Live)

SUNDAY, SEPT. 1

11 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Installation Laps, Peacock

1:30 p.m. USA Network on air

1:56 p.m. “Drivers, start your engines”

2 p.m. Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Race 2 (250 laps/253.75 miles), USA Network (Live)

NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship facts:

• Alex Palou leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with three races to go for the second time in his INDYCAR SERIES career. Palou also led the championship with three races to go in 2023 when he won the title. Palou, who has led the point standings after nine of the 14 rounds this season, took the point lead at the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey in June.
• There are eight drivers still mathematically eligible for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship: Alex Palou, Will Power, Colton Herta, Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood. Any driver who trails the points leader by 109 points or more on Saturday or 55 or more points following Sunday’s race will be eliminated from contention.

• Since the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Milwaukee in 1939, 19 drivers have won the Milwaukee Mile in their INDYCAR SERIES championship-winning seasons: Will Power (2013), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Dario Franchitti (2011), Sebastien Bourdais (2006), Al Unser Jr. (1994 , 1990), Nigel Mansell (1993), Michael Andretti (1991), Johnny Rutherford (1980), A.J. Foyt (1964, 1980), Joe Leonard (1972), Al Unser (1970), Mario Andretti (1966), Rodger Ward (1959, 1962), Jimmy Bryan (1956), Chuck Stevenson (1952), Tony Bettenhausen (1951), Johnnie Parsons (1949), Ted Horn (1947), Rex Mays (1941).

Point differential: The 54 points separating Alex Palou and Will Power is the fourth-largest point margin with three races remaining since 2008. During that span, the average lead with three races remaining is 34.3 points.

Key championship point statistic: Since 2008, the driver who has led the championship with three races to go has won the championship 10 times – Scott Dixon in 2008, 2018 and 2020, Dario Franchitti in 2011, Will Power in 2014 and 2022, Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Josef Newgarden in 2017 and 2019 and Alex Palou in 2023.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:

• The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s will be the 15th and 16th races of the 2024 season. There have been seven winners in 14 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2024 season. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway-1), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500, World Wide Technology Raceway), Will Power (Road America, Iowa Speedway-2, Portland International Raceway) and Colton Herta (Streets of Toronto) have all won in 2024. The modern record (1946-present) for the most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
• The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s will be the fifth and sixth oval races of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. The first four oval races were won by drivers from Team Penske. Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500 and World Wide Technology Raceway), Scott McLaughlin (Iowa Speedway-1) and Will Power (Iowa Speedway-2). The remaining oval race is scheduled for Sept. 15 at Nashville Superspeedway.
• The Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s will be the 114th and 115th INDYCAR SERIES events at the Milwaukee Mile. Scott Dixon and Will Power are the only drivers to win at Milwaukee entered in the event.

• Josef Newgarden has won 10 of the last 15 oval races on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. Newgarden finished fifth at Milwaukee in 2014 and 2015 and scored his first INDYCAR SERIES pole position at the track in 2015.
• Five drivers have previous starts at Milwaukee Mile – Scott Dixon, Katherine Legge, Josef Newgarden, Will Power and Graham Rahal. Dixon has 12 starts, most of all drivers. All five drivers have led laps at the track (Power 233, Dixon 190, Newgarden 109, Legge 12 and Rahal 5).
• Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 337th and 338th consecutive starts, extending his record streak…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 200th consecutive start on Saturday… Saturday’s race will mark Dixon’s 400th INDYCAR SERIES start, making him only the second driver to reach that milestone, behind Mario Andretti with 407 … Will Power will attempt to make his 300th INDYCAR SERIES start on Saturday, becoming the 10th driver to reach that mark … Christian Lundgaard (Saturday) and Kyle Kirkwood (Sunday) also will mark their 50th INDYCAR SERIES starts this weekend.

Good afternoon from the Milwaukee Mile, the world’s most historic operating speedway in West Allis, Wisconsin at the Wisconsin State Fair Park.   Rain fell on the track early this morning and the skies are still cloudy.  Temperatures are expected to be in the high 70s for today’s practice at 3:30 pm CT.

Open wheel racing started at the Mile in 1939.   There have been 114 IndyCar races hosted at the track over nine decades.  The NTT INDYCAR SERIES has not raced here since 2015, which Sebastien Bourdais won.

Former IndyCar Champions Scott Dixon (2009) and Will Power (2014) are the only active drivers who have won a race here.  Josef Newgarden won his first career pole position at this track in 2015.

Other great drivers in the IndyCar Series to win at the Mile are Rodger Ward, Parnelli Jones, AJ Foyt, Mario Andretti and Al Unser Jr.

Here is today’s schedule.  All times are Central Time.

2:45 – 3:15 pm     High Line Practice

3:30 – 5:00 pm    IndyCar Practice  on Peacock

Lucille Dust reporting live from the Milwaukee Mile