Milwaukee Mile facts for kids

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Milwaukee Mile
America's Legendary Oval The Mile

Paved Oval (1954–present)
Location	Wisconsin State Fair Park 640 S. 84th St, West Allis, WI,
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (UTC−05:00 DST)
Coordinates	43°01′12″N 88°00′36″W / 43.02000°N 88.01000°W / 43.02000; -88.01000
Capacity	Approx. 37,000
Owner	State of Wisconsin
Operator	Wisconsin State Fair Park
Broke ground	29 September 1899; 125 years ago (1899-09-29)
Opened	11 September 1903; 121 years ago (1903-09-11)
Construction cost	$150 million (USD)
Former names	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway (1949–1989) Wisconsin State Fair Speedway (1903–1948)
Major events	Current: IndyCar Milwaukee Mile 250 (2004–2009, 2011–2015, 2024–present) Indy NXT Milwaukee 100 (1986–2001, 2004–2009, 2011–2015, 2024–present) Former: NASCAR Truck Series LiUNA! 175 (1995–2009, 2023–2024) ARCA Menards Series Sprecher 150 (1982–1983, 2005–2007, 2021–2024) NASCAR Xfinity Series NorthernTool.com 250 (1984–1985, 1993–2009) Can-Am (1987) USAC Stock Car Milwaukee 200 (1960–1980) NASCAR Midwest Series (2001, 2005) Atlantic Championship (1988, 1993–2004) Barber Pro Series (2003) ASA National Tour (1998–2000, 2004) X-1R Pro Cup Series (1997, 2008) NASCAR Southeast Series (1993–1994)
Paved Oval (1954–present)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1.015 mi (1.633 km)
Turns	4
Banking	Turns: 9.25° Straights: 2.5°
Race lap record	0:21.519 ( Scott Pruett, Reynard 97I, 1998, CART)
Infield Road Course (1955–present)
Surface	Asphalt
Length	1.800 mi (2.897 km)
Turns	10
Original Dirt Oval (1903–1953)
Surface	Dirt
Length	1.000 mi (1.609 km)
Turns	4

The Milwaukee Mile is a famous oval race track located in West Allis, Wisconsin. It's a suburb just west of Milwaukee. This track is super old, first opening in 1903 as a dirt track. It's actually the oldest operating motor speedway in the entire world!

The main track is about 1.015 miles (1.633 km) long. Inside, there's also a smaller road course that's about 1.8 miles (2.897 km) long. The grandstands and bleachers can hold around 37,000 fans, which is a lot of people!

The Milwaukee Mile has hosted at least one auto race every year since it started, except during World War II. Many big racing groups like NASCAR and IndyCar Series have held events here. Lots of famous racers have won at this track, including Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt, and Juan Pablo Montoya.

In 2009, the track stopped hosting NASCAR and IndyCar races for a bit. But IndyCar came back in 2011 and again in 2024. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also returned in 2023.

A Super Old Race Track!
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A Super Old Race Track!

The Milwaukee Mile is known as "America's Legendary Oval" because of its long history. It's a special place for racing fans. The track is owned by the State of Wisconsin and is part of the Wisconsin State Fair Park.

It has seen many different types of racing over the years. From horse racing to dirt track cars, and then to modern paved oval races. It's a true landmark in the world of motorsports.

How It All Started: The Dirt Track Years

Before it was a car race track, the Milwaukee Mile was a horse-racing track in 1876. In 1891, the land was bought to create a permanent home for the Wisconsin State Fair.

The very first car race happened on September 11, 1903. A driver named William Jones won a five-lap race. He set the first track record, going 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) in 72 seconds!

Early Racing Legends

Famous racer Barney Oldfield became a legend at the Mile. He set a speed record in 1905 and then broke it in 1910. He drove his "Blitzen Benz" at over 70 miles per hour (113 km/h).

In 1911, Ralph DePalma won the first Milwaukee Mile Championship car race. This was four years before he won the famous Indianapolis 500.

A "Rain Date" Is Born

On July 17, 1933, a race was canceled because of rain. The drivers, including Wilbur Shaw, convinced the organizers to hold the race the next day. This is how the idea of a "rain date" for events started!

New, bigger grandstands were built in the 1930s. They could seat almost 15,000 people. These grandstands were used for many years until new ones were put in in 2002.

The track also started a tradition in 1947. It became known for hosting a big race right after the Indianapolis 500. This was even mentioned in the 1969 movie Winning.

Fast Cars on Pavement: Open-Wheel Racing

In 1954, the track changed from dirt to pavement. This allowed for even faster racing. A smaller road course was also added inside the main oval.

Big Moments in Open-Wheel History

In 1963, Jim Clark made history. He won the first race for a rear-engined Indy Car at the Mile. This was a big change from the older front-engined cars.

A. J. Foyt was another legend who raced here. In 1965, his main car wasn't ready. So, he used his backup dirt car, prepared it himself, and still finished second!

The track was repaved again in 1967 to keep it in top shape. Sadly, in 1968, a crash during the Rex Mays 150 race resulted in the death of driver Ronnie Duman.

Andretti Family Dominance

The Andretti family has a special connection to the Milwaukee Mile. In 1985, Mario Andretti won his fourth race at the track. His son, Michael Andretti, won the next two races in 1986 and 1987.

In 1991, something amazing happened. For the first time in racing history, three members of the same family finished 1-2-3 in a race. Michael Andretti won, his cousin John Andretti was second, and his father Mario was third!

IndyCar Returns

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 breaks, IndyCar returned to the track in 2011 and again in 2024 for a doubleheader event.

Stock Car Racing at the Mile

The Milwaukee Mile has also been a very important track for stock car racing. For many years, it hosted some of the biggest races for AAA and USAC stock cars.

NASCAR's Time at the Mile

NASCAR brought its Busch Series (now NASCAR Xfinity Series) to Milwaukee in 1984 and 1985. Many famous NASCAR drivers raced here.

In 1996, Wisconsin native Dick Trickle almost won, but Buckshot Jones passed him with just four laps left. Jones won by the closest margin in NASCAR Xfinity Series history: 0.002 seconds!

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also started racing at Milwaukee in 1995. Mike Skinner won that first truck race. Ted Musgrave is the only Wisconsin native to win a truck race at the Mile.

The track was resurfaced in 1995. Temporary lights were brought in for some races in 2003, 2005, and 2006.

Track Length: A Small Mystery

The exact length of the Milwaukee Mile's paved oval track is a bit of a mystery! Different racing series use slightly different measurements.

NASCAR used to say it was 1.000 mile (1.609 km).
IndyCar says it's 1.015 miles (1.633 km).
CART used to say it was 1.032 miles (1.661 km).

For the Truck race in 2023, NASCAR also started using the 1.015-mile (1.633 km) length.

Football in the Infield: The Dairy Bowl

Did you know that the middle of the track used to be a football stadium? It was informally called the Dairy Bowl.

The NFL's Green Bay Packers played many games here from 1934 to 1951. They even won the 1939 NFL Championship Game here, beating the New York Giants 27-0. The 50-yard line of the football field was right where the start-finish line of the race track is now!