What to know about Milwaukee Mile IndyCar weekend tickets, schedule, autographs, infield access

It’s been nine years since Indy cars last raced at the historic Milwaukee Mile.

The Milwaukee Hy-Vee 250s on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend will mark their return with the doubleheader promoted by State Fair Park with help from IndyCar.  The races will take on extra significance as the third- and second-last races in the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series championship.

Given the time that has passed and changes in the interim, here’s a look at questions fans might have, whether they’ll be attending for the first time, have watched other series at the track in recent years or have been going to races at the Mile for decades.

What is the NTT IndyCar Series?

Open-wheel, open cockpit cars that race in the Indianapolis 500 have been run at other tracks around the country and internationally on large ovals such as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, street courses in cities such as Detroit, road courses such as Elkhart Lake’s Road America and short ovals such as the Milwaukee Mile. This season the schedule includes 17 races, including two doubleheader weekends, plus one non-points race.

The sport has had numerous governing bodies over the years. IndyCar is the latest. The NTT IndyCar series raced at the Mile 11 times from 2004-2015.

The sanctioning body also runs Indy NXT , a steppingstone series that runs in conjunction with most NTT IndyCar Series races.

What is the Milwaukee Mile?

Originally a private horse track, the oval on the grounds of State Fair Park held its first motor race in 1903, eight years before the first Indianapolis 500.

Since then it has hosted hundreds of national level races for open-wheel and stock cars, although its use has been sporadic over recent decades due to issues with promoters and sanctioning bodies.

The facility has undergone significant upgrades, with more than $8 million spent or committed from both public and private funds, primarily to prepare for IndyCar’s commitment for 2024 and ’25.

How much do tickets cost for IndyCar weekend at the Milwaukee Mile?

Reserved tickets range from $60 to $110 each race day, and a small number of general admission grandstand seats are available for $45.

Admission for practice Friday is $10. Weekend reserved seat passes range from $85 to $200 and weekend general admission is $85.

In reserved sections, children 2 and under may sit on a ticketholder’s lap for no additional charge. General admission grandstand tickets are free for those 11 and under with the purchase of an adult general admission ticket.

Prices do not include service fees. Tickets are available at the gate.

Weekend camping packages , which include a site, infield parking and four weekend passes, go for $515 plus fees.

Will the infield be open to fans for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250 races?

There is no infield-only general admission being sold, but anyone with a grandstand ticket will be able to watch from the infield.

Can fans get into the IndyCar paddock area at the Milwaukee Mile?

Garage passes are available for $20 Friday, $40 each Saturday and Sunday or $75 for the weekend. Admission is not included.

How much does parking cost on IndyCar weekend at the Milwaukee Mile?

Parking on the grounds is $10 Friday and $20 each Saturday and Sunday with infield parking $35 each Saturday and Sunday. Motorcycle parking is $8. Only credit cards are accepted.

Will the Milwaukee Hy-Vee 250s be sold out?

No. The seats are expected to be closer to half full. The weather forecast can have a substantial positive or negative effect on the number.

What’s the best way to watch a race at the Milwaukee Mile?

Higher typically is better when it comes to grandstand seats, given how the teams’ transporters can obscure the view of the back stretch. All 300 and 400 level grandstand seats require reserved tickets, while the 100 and 200 levels have some general admission seats.

Double fencing between the track and spectators in the infield has made watching from inside more difficult.

Can fans bring their own food and beverages into the Milwaukee Mile?

Carry-ins are not permitted in the grandstand, other than items for family care, such as water or snacks for children, or for medical reasons. Find a list of other restrictions on the State Fair Park website.

Numerous traditional State Fair vendors will be open on race days. Plans call for 14 permanent stands and five temporary stands to be open, along with four concession stands on the upper concourse offering food, as well as three beverage-only stands on the ground level.

What has been done to address entry issues?

Entrances have been reconfigured and will operate much as they do during the Fair, with admission booths and security screening separated and with more lanes, a State Fair Park representative said, after backups were prevalent on the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series/ARCA race day.

Attendees of the NASCAR and ARCA races Sunday reported a much smoother experience.

What is the schedule for IndyCar weekend at the Mile?

The lone NTT IndyCar Series practice session of the weekend is scheduled for 2:35-5 p.m. Friday. Qualifying is at 1:15 p.m. Saturday, and the races are scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Indy NXT, the only support series, is on track for practice from 1:30-2:15 p.m. Friday, qualifies at noon Saturday and races at 2:50 p.m. Saturday.

Will drivers be available for autographs?

Autograph sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the American Legion area on the south end of of Central Mall in the free fan zone.

Is there other entertainment scheduled for the State Fair Park grounds on IndyCar race weekend?

Concerts are scheduled for the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater each day with Ian Munsick at 7 p.m. Friday, Addiction at 11 a.m. Saturday, Quiet Riot at 7 p.m. Saturday and The Playlist at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Additionally, the Bud Pavilion will host the Cheap Shots at 6:30 p.m. Friday; the Blue Moon Tavern at the Park has Road Trip at 7 p.m. Saturday, and Leff’s Miller Lite Sports Bar & Grill has Phil Nordby at 2 p.m. Saturday and Patrick Murphy at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

All are free to the public.

Are practice, qualifying and the races on TV, streaming or radio?

The Saturday race will be seen on NBC’s Peacock streaming service, beginning at 5 p.m. Then the Sunday race is scheduled for USA cable and Peacock, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Practice Friday and qualifying Saturday are to be on Peacock.

Also, WOKY (AM-920) is scheduled to carry the race broadcasts on radio.

Who are the NTT IndyCar Series drivers to watch at the Milwaukee Mile?

Will Power is making a run at a second championship in three years, coming to Milwaukee off a dominant performance Sunday at Portland. The 43-year-old Australian leads the series with three victories – including the second race of the Iowa Speedway doubleheader – and is second in the championship, 54 points behind Alex Palou. That’s about one race’s worth.  Power is one of four active, full-time divers to have raced in the Mile’s most recent IndyCar event in 2015 and won from the pole in 2014.

Alex Palou comes in with the points lead, but he’ll have to win out – two at Milwaukee and the finale at Nashville Superspeedway – to match his total of five victories from last season when he won his second title. Palou has won 11 races since joining the series in 2020 but none on an oval. He finished third and second in the Iowa Speedway doubleheader this year.

Josef Newgarden is another of those drivers who raced previously at the Mile. Sixteen of his 31 victories have come on ovals, including the most recent eight. An early-season penalty has prevented Newgarden from being a player in the championship. With four of the final five races on ovals – he won the first of those two weeks ago at World Wide Technology Raceway – he’ll stay front of mind until the end of the season.

Three-time Australian Supercar champion Scott McLaughlin picked up his first oval victory this year at Iowa and was second two weeks ago at WWTR. In 10 starts at those two tracks, McLaughlin has finished worse than fifth just once.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Milwaukee Mile IndyCar weekend tickets, schedule, autographs, infield access