The

Milwaukee Mile The Milwaukee Mile is a oval race track in the central United States, located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb west of Milwaukee. Its grandstand and bleachers seats approximately 37,000 spectat ...

West Allis, Wisconsin West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Wis ...

has hosted

American open-wheel car racing American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2025, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar a ...

events dating back to

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

. The

AAA Contest Board The AAA Contest Board was the motorsports arm of the American Automobile Association. The contest board sanctioned automobile races from 1904 until 1955, establishing American Championship car racing. Modern-day Indy car racing traces its roots d ...

, USAC,

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

Champ Car World Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), ...

, and the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

have all sanctioned races at the facility. The Milwaukee Mile has a long history of Championship/Indy car racing, and for many years, traditionally held a race the weekend after the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

. The

NTT IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

first held events at Milwaukee from 2004 to 2009, and again from 2011 to 2015. After an eight-year hiatus, the IndyCar Series returned for a doubleheader in 2024. The race is currently known as the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250.

History

Open wheel racing An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stock cars, and Touring car racing, touring car ...

at the track dates back to 1937.

AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * AAA (video game industry) - a category of high budget video games *'' TripleA'', an open source wargame Mu ...

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

. 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 The Wisconsin State Fair is an annual event held at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The modern fair takes place in August (occasionally beginning late July) and lasts 11 days. History The first ...

. USAC sanctioned Championship car races from 1956 to 1979. In 1980, the race switched to a

(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 Winning may refer to: * Victory Film * Winning (film), ''Winning'' (film), a 1969 movie starring Paul Newman * ''Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman'', a 2015 documentary by Adam Carolla and Nate Adams Music * ''Winning'', an album by Ten Fo ...

'' where

Robert Wagner Robert John Wagner Jr. (born February 10, 1930) is an American actor. He is known for starring in the television shows ''It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series), It Takes a Thief'' (1968–1970), ''Switch (American TV series), Switch'' (1975–1978), ...

's character delivered the line "Everybody goes to Milwaukee after Indianapolis". In

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, the race was scheduled for Sunday June 1. However, due to rain on May 25–26, the

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 IRL may refer to: Arts and media * ''IRL'' (2013 film), a Swedish drama film about a high school student tormented by peers * IRL (2019 film), an American drama film about "the ups and downs of online dating and modern dating" * ''IRL'' (album), ...

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 Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is an American former racing driver, and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART champions ...

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 ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

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 Father's Day is a day set aside for honoring one's father, as well as fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. "Father's Day" complements similar celebrations honoring family members, such as Mother's Day and, in som ...

weekend.

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

took the weekend immediately after Indy, and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

maintained its position on the second weekend of June. For 2014, the race moved to August reviving the old

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in t ...

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 is scheduled to return in 2024 as a doubleheader on

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

weekend.

Race history and facts

From 1950 to 1987, the June race was called the Rex Mays Classic, in honor of

Rex Mays Rex Houston Mays Jr. (March 10, 1913 – November 6, 1949) was an American racing driver. He was a two-time List of American open-wheel racing national champions, National Champion, won four Pole position, poles for the Indianapolis 500, and is g ...

, 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 Melvin Eugene "Tony" Bettenhausen (September 12, 1916 – May 12, 1961) was an American racing driver known primarily for his open-wheel career. He twice won the National Championship, doing so in 1951 and 1958. He also competed in stock cars, wi ...

, who died after a crash in 1961. In the

1963 Tony Bettenhausen 200 The 1963 Milwaukee 225, Tony Bettenhausen 200 was the seventh round of the 1963 USAC Championship Car season, held on August 18, 1963, at the Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin. The race was the first American Championship car racing, Am ...

Jim Clark James Clark (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British racing driver from Scotland, who competed in Formula One from to . Clark won two Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with Lotus, and—at the time of his death—held the ...

and

Team Lotus Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport categories including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, American Championship Car Racing, Ind ...

became the first to win an American Championship race with a rear-engined,

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

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 Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, engineer and motorsport executive, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of motorspo ...

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 Anthony Joseph Foyt Jr. (born January 16, 1935) is an American former racing driver who competed in numerous disciplines of motorsport. He is best known for his open wheel racing career, and for becoming the first four-time winner of the India ...

. At the

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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.

won the race, second went to his cousin

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, and third to his father

Mario Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...

. The Andretti family swept the podium, while Michael's brother

Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes ...

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 Willard Saulsbury Holland (December 18, 1907 – May 20, 1984) was an American racing driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949 and finished second in 1947, 1948, and 1950. He was runner-up in the 1947 American A ...

*1956: Pat Flaherty *1964:

*1971: Al Unser Sr. *1974:

Johnny Rutherford John Sherman Rutherford III (born March 12, 1938), also known as "Lone Star JR", is an American former automobile racing driver. During an Indy Car career that spanned more than three decades, he scored 27 wins and 23 pole positions in 314 start ...

*1982:

Gordon Johncock Gordon Walter Johncock (born August 5, 1936) is an American former racing driver. He won the Indianapolis 500 twice, and was the 1976 USAC Marlboro Championship Trail champion. Early career Johncock initially began racing at Michigan tracks lik ...

*1983:

Tom Sneva Thomas Edsol Sneva (born June 1, 1948) is an American former race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1983. He primarily raced in Indy cars, and was named to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. A former math teacher and juni ...

*1988:

Rick Mears Richard Ravon Mears (born December 3, 1951) is an American former race car driver. He is one of four men to win the Indianapolis 500 four times (1979, 1984, 1988, 1991) and is the current record-holder for pole positions in the race with six (197 ...

*1994: Al Unser Jr. *2000:

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born 20 September 1975) is a Colombian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , IndyCar between 1999 and 2022, and the NASCAR Cup Series between 2006 and 2024. Montoya won seven Formula One Grand ...

(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

References

External links

Milwaukee IndyFest
{{IndyCar Series races Milwaukee Indy 225 Recurring sporting events established in 1937