Milwaukee Mile facts for kids
The Milwaukee Mile is a famous one-mile (1.6 km) oval race track in the central United States. It's located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, Wisconsin, a town near Milwaukee. This historic track has grandstands and bleachers that can hold about 37,000 fans.
The Milwaukee Mile is known as the oldest operating motor speedway in the world! It has hosted at least one auto race every year from 1903 to 2015, except during World War II. It was originally a dirt track, but it was paved in 1954. Besides the main oval, there was also a 1.8-mile (2.8 km) road course inside the track.
Many major racing organizations, like NASCAR and the IndyCar Series, have held exciting events here. Famous racers such as Barney Oldfield, A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Jeff Gordon, and Danica Patrick have all competed at the Milwaukee Mile.
In 2009, the track stopped hosting NASCAR and IndyCar races for a while. IndyCar returned in 2011, but after the 2015 season, the track stopped holding major professional races.
| America's Legendary Oval The Mile |
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| Location | Wisconsin State Fair Park 640 S. 84th St, West Allis, WI, |
| Capacity | Approx. 37,000 |
| Owner | State of Wisconsin |
| Operator | Wisconsin State Fair Park |
| Broke ground | September 29, 1899 |
| Opened | 1903 |
| Construction cost | $150 million (USD) |
| Former names | Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway (1903–1954) |
| Major events | NTT IndyCar Series ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 (2004–2009), (2011–2015) Indy Lights Milwaukee 100 (1986–2001, 2004–2009, 2011–2015) NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Copart 200 (1995–2009) NASCAR Xfinity Series NorthernTool.com 250 (1984–1985, 1993–2009) USAC Stock Car Milwaukee 200 (1960–1980) ASA Midwest Tour Wisconsin All-Star 100 ASA Late Model Series Governor's Cup 150 Mid-American Stock Car Series |
| Oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | ~ 1.0 mi (~ 1.6 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns – 9.25° Straights – 2.5° |
| Infield road course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.8 mi (2.9 km) |
| Turns | 10 |
Contents
History of the Milwaukee Mile Race Track
The Milwaukee Mile has a long and interesting history, starting as a horse racing track and growing into a world-famous motor speedway.
Early Days as a Dirt Track
By 1876, the track was a private horse racing course. In 1891, the State of Wisconsin bought the land. They wanted to create a permanent home for the Wisconsin State Fair, which still happens there today.
The very first car race took place on September 11, 1903. William Jones from Chicago won a five-lap speed contest. He set the first track record, completing a lap in 72 seconds at 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).
Famous Racers and Milestones
Barney Oldfield became a racing legend thanks to his success at the Mile. In 1905, he set a new track record. By 1910, he reached 70.159 miles per hour (112.910 km/h) in his special car called "Blitzen Benz."
In 1911, Ralph DePalma won the first Milwaukee Mile Championship car race. This was four years before he won the famous Indianapolis 500. Oldfield also raced a unique gold car called the "Golden Submarine" in 1917, beating DePalma in several races.
A race in 1933 was rained out. The drivers, including Wilbur Shaw, convinced the promoters to hold the race the next day. This is how the idea of a "rain date" for events was born!
Huge new grandstands were built in the 1930s, seating 14,900 people. These replaced the older ones from 1914. A roof was added in 1938. These grandstands were used until new aluminum ones were installed in 2002.
The 1939 race was the first official AAA Championship race held at the track. The Milwaukee Mile became known for hosting the "race after the Indianapolis 500." In a 1969 movie called Winning, a character played by actor Paul Newman even said, "Everybody goes to Milwaukee after Indy."
Between 1947 and 1980, the Milwaukee Mile held more national championship races for midget cars, stock cars, and Indy cars than any other track in the country.
Football at the Dairy Bowl
The center of the Milwaukee Mile's quarter-mile dirt track was once home to a football stadium. It was informally known as the Dairy Bowl. The NFL's Green Bay Packers played some of their games here from 1934 to 1951. This included the 1939 NFL Championship Game where the Packers won their fifth league title!
The 50-yard line of the football field was located where the race track's start-finish line is today.
Open Wheel Racing History
In 1954, the one-mile (1.6 km) track was paved with asphalt. An infield road course was also added. A smaller quarter-mile dirt track inside the oval was kept for local races in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1963, Jim Clark made history by winning the first race for a rear-engined Indy Car. He drove a Lotus-Ford car.
A. J. Foyt won many races here. In 1965, he even raced a front-engine dirt car on the paved track and finished second! This was a big surprise because rear-engine cars were becoming dominant.
The track was repaved again before the 1967 season. By 1967, the smaller dirt track and half-mile road course were closed to make more room for the pit area where race teams work on cars.
In 1983, there was a famous race where Tom Sneva won by 10 seconds. But after the race, his car was found to have a small issue. The win was first given to Al Unser, but after an appeal, Sneva was given his win back two weeks later.
The last sports car race on the infield road course was in 1984. The road course was repaved in 2004.
In 1985, Mario Andretti won his fourth race at the Mile. His son, Michael Andretti, won the next two races in 1986 and 1987. Mario also got his first paved oval track win here in 1966.
Al Unser Jr. won the 1990 CART race. This was the ninth win for the Unser family at the track, with his father Al Unser, Sr. and uncle Bobby Unser each having four wins.
A special moment happened in 1991 when three members of the Andretti family finished in the top three spots. Michael Andretti won, his cousin John was second, and his father Mario was third. This was the first time this had happened in auto racing history!
In 1993, Formula One champion Nigel Mansell got his first oval track win at Milwaukee. He went on to win the CART championship that year.
The Indy Racing League IndyCar Series started racing at the Mile in 2004. Dario Franchitti won the first event. His team, Andretti Autosport, won three races here. After some problems with promoters, the series did not return after the 2015 season.
NASCAR Races at the Mile
NASCAR held two Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) stock car races at Milwaukee in 1984 and 1985. Many famous NASCAR drivers raced in these events.
The NASCAR Busch Series returned to Milwaukee in 1993. Steve Grissom won that race. In 1996, Wisconsin native Dick Trickle almost won, but Buckshot Jones passed him with only four laps left. Jones won by the closest margin in NASCAR Xfinity Series history: 0.002 seconds!
The Busch Series raced every year from 1993 to 2009. Five drivers who won here also won the Busch Series championship in the same year. Greg Biffle was the first to win twice in a row, in 2001 and 2002. Two Wisconsin drivers, Johnny Sauter and Paul Menard, have won Busch Series races at the Mile.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (CTS) also started racing at Milwaukee in 1995. Mike Skinner won the first truck race. Ted Musgrave is the only driver to win the truck race twice, in 2001 and 2004. He is also the only Wisconsin native to win a truck race here.
The track was resurfaced after the 1995 season. Temporary lights were brought in for some races starting in 2003, allowing events to be held at night.
Track Length Differences
The exact length of the paved oval track is a bit debated by different racing series.
- NASCAR uses a length of 1.00 mile (1.61 km).
- The IndyCar Series uses a length of 1.015 miles (1.633 km).
- CART used a length of 1.032 miles (1.66 km) from 1997 to 2006.
Track Records
Here are some of the fastest records set at the Milwaukee Mile:
ARCA RE/MAX Series
| Type | Distance (miles / km) |
Date | Driver | Time | Average speed (mph / km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying (1 lap) |
1.006 / 1.619 | 2005 |  David Ragan |
0:00:30.016 | 119.936 / 193.018 |
IndyCar Series/Champ Car World Series
| Type | Distance (miles / km) |
Date | Driver | Time | Average speed (mph / km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying (IndyCar) (2 lap average) |
1.015 / 1.633 | 2011 |  Dario Franchitti |
0:00:21.3826 | 170.841 / 274.499 |
| Qualifying (Champ Car) (1 lap) |
1.032 / 1.66 | 1998 |  Patrick Carpentier |
0:00:20.028 | 185.500 / 298.888 |
| Race (225 laps) |
226.350 / 364.275 | 2000 |  Juan Pablo Montoya |
1:37:38.526 | 142.684 / 229.628 |
Indy Lights
| Type | Distance (miles / km) |
Date | Driver | Time | Average speed (mph / km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying (1 lap) |
1.015 / 1.633 | 2011 |  Esteban Guerrieri |
149.005 / |
| Type | Distance (miles / km) |
Date | Driver | Time | Average speed (mph / km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying (1 lap) |
1.006 / 1.619 | June 25, 2005 | Johnny Sauter |
0:00:29.365 | 122.595 / 197.298 |
| Race (200 laps) |
201.200 / 323.800 | June 26, 2004 | Ron Hornaday |
2:26:59.??? | 105.052 / 169.065 |
Images for kids
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Crowd at the 2009 Nationwide race
See also
In Spanish: Milwaukee Mile para niños
