IndyCar: Decent numbers reported for Milwaukee doubleheader

INDYCAR’s first event in Milwaukee in more than nine years produced very successful results on Labor Day Weekend. Wisconsin State Fair Park announced that more than 42,000 fans were in attendance over the weekend for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend. This pales in comparison to the Italian GP F1 race on the same weekend, which drew 335,000 fans

The entertainment-filled weekend marked the first INDYCAR event hosted at the historic one-mile oval track at Wisconsin State Fair Park since 2015.

Featuring 250-mile NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on back-to-back days for the first-ever INDYCAR doubleheader weekend at the world’s oldest operating racetrack, Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend exceeded expectations while delivering a memorable experience for fans.

“We were so excited to bring INDYCAR back to the Milwaukee Mile for the first time in nearly a decade,” said Shari Black, CEO and Executive Director of Wisconsin State Fair Park. “INDYCAR has a great history of racing in Milwaukee, and we were thrilled to see so many passionate fans enjoying the races and the Free Fan Zone.

“The success of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend is a testament to great teamwork between Wisconsin State Fair Park and INDYCAR, and we look forward to building on this new era of racing at the Milwaukee Mile.”

Adding to the tradition of INDYCAR racing at the Milwaukee Mile, which began in 1939, the 115th and 116th series races hosted at the track delivered some of the most thrilling action in the event’s history. With a combined 1,430 on-track passes over the two NTT INDYCAR SERIES races, Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend featured more compelling racing than any other event this season. In Race 1 on Saturday, August 31, Arrow McLaren’s popular driver Pato O’Ward captured the checkered flag for his third win of the season in an event that included 326 passes for position – an INDYCAR record at the Milwaukee Mile. Race 2 on Sunday, September 1 delivered even more excitement with a track record and season-high 763 on-track passes overall and 56 passes inside the top five – also a new record for the series at the Milwaukee Mile. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won Sunday’s race for his third victory of the 2024 season.

While the impressive crowd in the grandstands was captivated by the racing on the flat one-mile oval, so were the fans watching the race broadcasts online or on television. Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend reached more than 1.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings information. While Race 1 was streamed exclusively on Peacock, Sunday’s Race 2 broadcast on USA Network produced an average of 735,000 viewers for the second-highest rated INDYCAR race on the network since 2022. With a peak audience of more than one million viewers over the final thrilling laps of the race, Sunday’s telecast was the highest-rated sports event in its time slot across all broadcast and cable television networks, but was dwarfed by the Sunday morning Italian GP viewership on ESPN and ESPND.

In addition to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader, the rising stars of INDY NXT by Firestone also produced an exciting race on Saturday, August 31. Andretti Global driver Louis Foster won for his seventh victory of the season as he was crowned the 2024 INDY NXT series champion. Caio Collet of HMD Motorsports also clinched series Rookie of the Year honors with a top-10 finish.

With the results of the two competitive NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at the Milwaukee Mile, the series championship battle will be decided this weekend in the season finale at Nashville Superspeedway. Several season-long battles were decided on track during the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s, however. Chip Ganassi Racing driver Linus Lunqvist clinched the series Rookie of the Year award, while Chevrolet wrapped up the Manufacturers Award and the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet team with driver Will Power secured the Firestone Pit Performance Award as the top team on pit lane over the course of this season.

While the world-class competition on the track kept fans on the edge of their seats in the main grandstands overlooking the front stretch at the Milwaukee Mile, there were plenty of activities and entertainment off the track throughout the holiday weekend.

The Free Fan Zone at Wisconsin State Fair Park was packed during the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s Weekend. Located just outside of the grandstand, race tickets were not required to enter this area. All visitors enjoyed complimentary access to the Free Fan Zone which featured lively entertainment, classic Fair food from fan-favorite vendors, and family fun with an exciting race atmosphere on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Bank Five Nine Amphitheater, located within the Free Fan Zone, hosted free concerts with headliners Ian Munsick on Friday night and Quiet Riot on Saturday night. The stars of INDYCAR were also featured in the Free Fan Zone throughout the weekend with an all-driver autograph session in Central Mall on Friday night and standing-room-only Q&A sessions with fans on the Blue Moon Tavern at the Park stage on both Saturday and Sunday.

With the successful return of INDYCAR to Milwaukee, momentum is already starting to build for next year’s Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 Weekend, scheduled for August 22-24, 2025. To learn more, visit https://wistatefair.com/wsfp/indycar-weekend-at-the-milwaukee-mile/.