IndyCar Returns to The Milwaukee Mile with Scott Dixon, Kyle Kirkwood, Christian Lundgaard, Nolan Siegel and promoter Shari Black

ROGER:

This is Roger Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans and insiders view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN SportsTicker, Sports Illustrated, AutoWeek and SpeedSport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to this special bonus edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind-the-scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers and teams that compete in the Indianapolis 500. IndyCar returns to the Milwaukee Mile for the first time since Sebastian Bordet drove to victory at the Flat One Mile Oval in 2015. It's the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s with an evening race scheduled for Saturday, August 31st and a day race on Sunday, September 1st. The Milwaukee Mile is located at the Wisconsin State Fair Park and is one of the oldest racing facilities in existence. It opened in 1903 and began hosting IndyCar races in 1939. Once the home of the Rex Mays Classic, traditionally the first race after the Indianapolis 500 for many years, and a second race held in August during the Wisconsin State Fair, the Tony Bettenhausen Classic, there have been 114 IndyCar contests on this track. PitPass Indy has an exclusive in-depth interview with Wisconsin State Fair Executive Director and CEO Cherry Black later on today's show. But first, let's catch up with six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing. Dixon has competed in 12 races at the Milwaukee Mile and is a former winner at the track in 2009. Dixon was a championship contender, but his quest at a record-tying seventh championship this year was hampered in a first-lap crash in last Sunday's bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway. He was squeezed off the track by Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood. When Dixon tried to get his number nine PNC Bank Honda under control, he hit the curb and ran into Pietro Fittipaldi's Honda, sending Dixon's car through the grass and into the Armco barrier. He finished last in the race and is 101 points behind championship leader and teammate Alex Pillow with just three races remaining. Dixon is all but mathematically out of the championship, but he could still win a race or two out of the final three races this season. Here is my exclusive interview with Dixon for Pit Pass Indy. A man who's driven at the Milwaukee Mile before is our next guest. It's six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon. Scott, first time that IndyCar's back at the Milwaukee Mile since 2015. What's it gonna be like returning here after such a long absence?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I think it's definitely going to be interesting. Cars have changed a lot since those days. Obviously, the introduction probably of the hybrid may add some difficulties to it just with the added weight and the speed of the corners and things like that. So, it will change a lot on how you used to drive the track. Obviously, one thing is still true is that the competition is through the roof, but kudos for IndyCar getting back on the schedule. Obviously, the downside was that we've been away for almost 10 years, and they've added to it with a double header, so it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.

BRUCE:

Do you think it's almost like you have to sell this market as a new market simply because it's been so long since IndyCar has been here? A lot of the people that were the loyal Milwaukee Mile people that came out here from 1939 on are really no longer around.

SCOTT:

Yeah, I think it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. You know, I think the demographic for the Midwest is very strong. You know, whether you look at local tracks that are close to here, you know, there's a lot of them. Road America, we used to race in Chicago, you know, Indianapolis isn't far, Iowa's not far. So, you know, there's a lot of places where you'll have the traditionalists, Yeah, I guess the big thing is turning on, you know, the young people and getting them involved. And I guess with IndyCar, they'll have to see how that plays, you know, going for straight out of the box with a doubleheader would definitely make it interesting. But yeah, there's a lot of work to do. And I think a lot of people also like traditional dates. You know, this one always came after the Indy 500. It was very early in May or June to a kind of late summer is going to be interesting. The weather should be perfect for that though.

BRUCE:

Hate to bring this up, but first lap of the race last week at Portland, you were the first driver out, you had a collision with Kyle Kirkwood, and I can remember you radioing to your crew, well that was quick. How long does it take for you to accept the fact that you've had a really good season, but have that happen this late in the year, probably going to be the end of the championship run?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I think that's frustrating. You know, you obviously try to keep that as live as long as possible. You know, the move I still think was pretty crappy and pretty dirty. You know, it's one of those things, and obviously that kind of rolled on to, you know, having the contact with Pietro, which, you know, honestly, it's tough in that situation, especially with cars going everywhere, and then him, you know, kind of finding the curbs. You know, it was an unfortunate situation, but as we all know, that's racing. You know, you can't do much about it. It's something that was out of your control. Even when it's in your control, it's frustrating as well. But yeah, we'll do the best that we can now, obviously, to go on to and try and win the final three races of the year. What that means championship-wise is, you know, I think it's quite... It's definitely obvious that we wouldn't be racing for a championship at this point, 101 points back or something like that. We'll do our best and if it comes to it, we'll also be trying to help our team win this championship as much as possible.

BRUCE:

Have you talked to Kyle?

SCOTT:

Not really, we will at some point. You know, it's unfortunately I think a little bit too how IndyCar guidelines, you know, kind of let you race. But still, you know, there's a factor of, you know, just doing something that's, you know, kind of, you know, it's like a new go-karting racing.

BRUCE:

At what point do you consider playing wingman for Alex?

SCOTT:

You know, I think it depends on a lot of different factors. You know, I think at this point, Alex has obviously got things in a great situation. You know, for me, foremost is to try and win races at the end of the season. So that will be the main focus. But if it comes down to it, yes, you know, we've always worked as a team. And, you know, if that comes to that, then that's what we'll do.

BRUCE:

Does Alex remind you, this run that Alex has been on since 2021, remind you of some of the runs you've had earlier in your career?

SCOTT:

You know, I think we've had, we've done it several different ways, right? So, you know, obviously there'll be parts you can pick out of it. You know, I think they've done a tremendous job on just, you know, being quick, doing the obvious things right, and obviously staying out of trouble. And sometimes staying out of trouble can really, you know, depend on how your fate's going to turn out. And, you know, you've got to hand it to the 10-car group and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing, because, you know, they've done a hell of a job.

BRUCE:

Now obviously Alex is your teammate, you're racing to bring Chip Ganassi Racing home a championship. As a competitor though, as one of the more experienced veterans, what's the admiration level like about the season that Will Power has had? I don't think a lot of people expected him to win three races with three races remaining.

SCOTT:

I don't know, I kind of expect it. He's with one of the best teams in the series. He's obviously a past champion, past Indy 500 champion, so no, I don't see that as crazy as it may be people put out there. I think there's definitely be moments too where he's lost a lot of points and would be in a totally different situation. you know, if those didn't occur. So, you know, we'll see how it plays out. You know, he's still almost 50 points back, but, you know, definitely, you know, after Portland, I think it's put him in a right situation to have a good crack at it.

BRUCE:

With all the championships you've won and all the championships you probably should have won, at what point does a driver like Alex start thinking protection mode rather than victory mode?

SCOTT:

I think the team handles that quite well. You really just have to keep eyes forward. These last three races are the same three races at the start of the season. They pay the same amount of points. You just have to go out there each weekend trying to win. I think he's been and seen a tremendous amount of racing and how championships work and how you need to race the race opposed to racing for points right now. I think he'll handle that well.

BRUCE:

How would you assess your year? You have to be pretty proud of the fact that you've been driving in the IndyCar series for a long, long time, and you're still one of the top guys.

SCOTT:

Yeah, I don't know. You kind of always look at it probably in disappointment as far as the opportunities that are missed. So I know Portland was a rough one for us. St. Louis going off strategy was a rough one. Barber with Graham was a big loss in points, and then you had the... hybrid failure at Mid-Ohio, and then you had the tyre failure at Road America. Any of those, if you just took two of those, would put us right back in the hunts. So, coulda, shoulda, woulda. Any driver in this championship can kind of refer to many missed opportunities. So yeah, you gotta have a clean season, you gotta finish all the laps, and that will give you maybe a hope of trying to win a championship.

BRUCE:

Going back to the Milwaukee Mile, early in your career, I can remember in 2004 when you had a couple of wallbangers. Yeah. You've had some very good moments at this track. You've had some bad moments at this track. What's your recollections of past races at the Milwaukee Mile? How challenging is it?

SCOTT:

Ah, it's definitely challenging. Probably one of the toughest, you know, circuits or short tracks that we get to go to. You know, good and bad memories as you touched on. I think probably got the record for destroying, you know, two cars in four laps and then ended up going home. So, you know, it's not, you know, before the race. So, it's, you know, the win there for me, for sure. I think when you look back at tradition and the history of this race and who's won here tradition of it always normally coming right after the biggest race of the year in the Indy 500, even reminiscing to my first win here in Indy Lights in a dominant fashion. So it's a fun place. It can be an extremely tough place, especially if you get it wrong and if you don't have the car that you need. So that could add to it twice this weekend, whether you're on the good side or the bad side of having a doubleheader.

BRUCE:

How shocked were you at how exciting the racing was at the Bomberito Automotive Group 500? Because a lot of people thought, ah, it's going to be follow the leader. Turned out to probably be one of the best oval races of the season.

SCOTT:

Yeah, it was great. It was good to see. You know, I think everybody, you know, sees that with arms wide open and, you know, you hope. But, you know, there's a lot of preparation, I think, that goes into that, whether it's the highline practice to the formula of getting the downforce correct, and you definitely had good cars and bad cars, and I think they can work on that, especially if Firestone's inclined to maybe bring a tyre with a little more degradation as well, I think that would really make it even more exciting, but especially one and two, getting that line and seeing it immediately work, one, in the practice, but also once we got the first into the race, but yeah, it was cool, man, great to see.

BRUCE:

Do you think we'll see the same type of racing at the Milwaukee Mile?

SCOTT:

I think you hope so. You know, I know the open tests that most of the cars or all the cars did, you know, it doesn't equate to that just because they're share factor, you know, you're trying to get the best performance out of the car and use the preferred line. But I think as soon as we have degradation and people trying to get past cars, then you're going to see the creativeness come. And here it's a little different. The low line is kind of the slippery line, and the high line is the grippy one, which is definitely inverted from a lot of places we get to go to. But definitely a lot of probability, I think, to see some different lines going on.

BRUCE:

And wrapping up here with Scott Dixon, six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion for Chip Ganassi Racing. Last week, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's lost a couple of legends, characters they were behind the scenes, hidden heroes Bill York, the longtime press room manager of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway passed away at 91 and this week we learned that Chuck the Paperboy and Chuck Lynn has died What are your recollections of either of those two and just how they were part of the fabric of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

SCOTT:

Yeah, I'd say with Bill, you know, I knew of him, but I didn't really get to spend a whole lot of time with him. But obviously those that come before you set the groundwork and obviously the popularity that we've been able to enjoy it. You know, the biggest race in the world, the Annapolis 500. So, you know, obviously a huge thanks to him for what he did for our sport. Chucky, I knew a little bit better just with my error and obviously, you know, getting a lot of papers dropped off. for many years, to, you know, the different color schemes that he had on his bike, to, you know, his scooter kind of thing at the end, but just a character, you know, to him writing his book. So, you know, it's sad to see these people go. You know, there are obviously a lot of, you know, relationships that these people have throughout these years, and I'm just glad that I knew them, and, you know, glad to see that they had so much fun at what we love to do, and at a place that's been so fortunate to give so much to us all.

BRUCE:

You knew that Chucky was nearby just by hearing his call for paper on his bike then you heard him before you saw him and that made you realize it's the month of May and where you're at at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway But anyway, Scott Dixon, good luck this weekend at the Milwaukee Bile 250s. Good luck the rest of the season. Hey, we're going to end up finishing the year at Nashville Super Speedway. You're the last guy to win there. So good luck in that race, too. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, mate. Kyle Kirkwood played a role in Dixon's crash, and he is my next guest on Pit Pass Indy. This will be Kirkwood's first race at the Milwaukee Mile. Kirkwood discusses that and other topics on this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Our next guest has heard about the Milwaukee Mile. Now he's going to get to race the Milwaukee Mile. It's Kyle Kirkwood, driver of the number 27 AutoNation Honda and Andretti Global. Kyle, what are your thoughts going into this weekend's doubleheader at such a historic venue?

KYLE:

Yeah, to be honest, I don't have many preconceived notions. We tested here and it was the first hybrid test, so things have changed, I think, since then. But, I mean, I'm excited. I've obviously watched this race before when I was in karting or lower level cars. And, you know, this place has always produced good racing. Androde's been good here in the past, although it was nine, ten years ago that they were. But who knows how much has changed. Usually things are kind of transparent. Still a very similar car to then. So, yeah, I guess I'm excited to see what kind of racing this place provides. When we were here testing, I thought it was a very fun track to drive, one of the more fun ovals, because it just required a lot of confidence in your car. So, yeah, getting ready to get this second doubleheader of the year going. Weather looks nice. Everything's kind of coming together.

BRUCE:

Your team owner, Michael Landretti, has not only raced here, he's won here. He was also the track promoter for a couple of years. He tried to make this go for a while. Couldn't really draw the fans like he needed to do to make it a worthwhile business entity. The last race here prior to this weekend was 2015. How important is it for IndyCar to get a foothold in Milwaukee?

KYLE:

I mean, to get a foothold in a new market, it's not a new market, but a revamped market, right? It's important for us. I think the goal is to obviously spread out a little bit more and start creating a new fan base in different places. I think they've done a good job so far. They've promoted this event very well. It's nice to have Hy-Vee on board. They obviously do a very good job with all the events that they do with us here at IndyCar. So, yeah, I mean, only time will tell how this weekend goes and how it will play into the years to come.

BRUCE:

There are a lot of fans in Milwaukee that wanted an IndyCar race back at the Milwaukee Mile. I guess the key now is to whether they go out and buy a ticket. Why do you think it is so difficult for IndyCar, outside of the Indianapolis 500 of course, which is its own entity, to be able to draw the same type of crowds and create the same type of enthusiasm on Obel's that they do on street and road course races where it just seems to be a great event.

KYLE:

I don't know. I have no idea why that is the case. I'm sure you know more than I do. And so does some of the guys that have been around this a lot more than than I have. So I can't really put my input on that.

BRUCE:

But does it really baffle you?

KYLE:

I'm not sure. I'm not sure to be honest. You know, I mean, obviously we go to Indy 500 and that's a massive event. And then right after that, we don't get as big of a crowd when we go to the next Oval. So I don't, I don't know exactly what, what is the reasoning for that? Does it baffle me? Not really, because it's been a common trend. I think so. Yeah, I mean, obviously, our main thing isn't oval racing like NASCAR's is, so you can't just be like, oh, well, I guess we need to absolutely get a huge crowd at ovals. That's not maybe the... extreme objective because we have three other types, or two other types of racing going on with street courses and road courses where we draw a great crowd. But I think with the promotion that they've done here at, here in Milwaukee, and then what they've done also for the finale in Nashville, you would expect them to draw a big crowd. But like I said earlier, it's only time will tell if that happens.

BRUCE:

Well, here's another baffling question. Does it baffle you how good Alex Polo is?

KYLE:

I think it baffles everyone. Yeah. I mean, he's done phenomenally at all tracks this year. And even the tracks that you expect him to not do well at, he still somehow gets himself in the top five range, top four, top three even. So it's tough to compete against that kind of level. And honestly, I feel like There's a lot of drivers that are at the same level as him, pace-wise and execution-wise. It's just he does it every single weekend perfectly, which is very hard to go up against, especially in a 17 race season.

BRUCE:

When the schedule came out and the tail end of the season was going to be heavily loaded with ovals, a lot of people thought, well, this is an opportunity for other drivers to fight it out for the championship. All Alex has to do on Sundays, if he leaves here with a 55 point lead, it's championships over. Yeah.

KYLE:

Yeah. So. I mean, it's still going to be hard for him to do. I think Penske has proven in recent years that they're really strong at short ovals. And this will probably be another one that they're very, very strong at. So we'll see how it kind of plays out. in the last three are short ovals. And so I think Penske's are probably gonna be one to beat. But at the same time, with that being said, we've kind of made, I think, a big step forward on short ovals with, when you look at Iowa and when you look at Gateway, we were quite a bit better there. So I think we're anticipating to be kind of nipping at the heels of them right now.

BRUCE:

Will Power here in 2014 ran away with the race. He started on the pole, and he led all but about 20, 25 laps. So different car, different era, but you have to really expect him to be one of the leaders of the pack.

KYLE:

Yeah, I think so. But at the same time, if you look at our group, who was the last one to win here? Was it Bourdais, right? Sebastian Bourdais. Yeah, it was Sebastian Bourdais, and he ran away with it. Guess who's engineering? Mark is his car, Sebastian Bordet is an engineer, so obviously we've got some input from there. Marco was really good here in 2015, 2014 as well. And so we've kind of got a lot of, and then you look at my engineer, Jeremy Mellis, he was on Josef Newgarden's car and he qualified on the pole, I think it was 2015 or 2014. So we've got a big group of engineering that's had a lot of success around here. So, I feel like we're probably gonna be ones to be here.

BRUCE:

So what are your thoughts so far on the hybrid system? Is it getting better every weekend? Are drivers understanding it better every weekend?

KYLE:

I don't think anything has changed, so you can't say anything's gotten better, but I think everyone's starting to figure it out a little bit better and starting to utilize it properly. For me, Personally, I don't know if this is a popular opinion or not, but I feel like it's actually made the racing a little bit better on the road courses because it's Gave you opportunity to change things up to get by people Especially with the lap limits that they have in place where you can kind of save up a lap limit and then catch somebody off guard So it's in a sense. It's working like a like another overtake that not everybody has so In that sense, it's been quite a bit of fun. For oval racing, I don't think it's really changed much. I feel like the racing's very, very similar. But yeah, so for road courses and street courses, I've actually really enjoyed it.

BRUCE:

So you're saying the hybrid works, you like it better on the street and road courses because you can actually use it as an advantage more than on an oval?

KYLE:

Yeah, I mean, I can't say that it's actually made the car faster because of the weight that's added to it, but I think the race has gotten better. I'd say at Portland this past weekend, it's what allowed me to pass about three cars is just the strategy and how you use it. So, yeah, I mean, I like it so far.

BRUCE:

Is it also worth the effort for the fact that if you spin out, you drive off course, you get stuck by the tire barrier, you can fire it back up and drive away?

KYLE:

I haven't had to do that yet, but I'm sure... I mean, it already has happened, right? Like, Roman last weekend had to use... Anything that keeps a yellow flag from... Yeah, I mean, the last thing we want is yellow flags, right? Like, nobody likes to watch a race filled with yellow flags, especially for... small incidents where somebody spins and they just can't get restarted. So it will be a benefit. We haven't seen it used that much yet. But yeah, I mean, every single yellow flag that we can eliminate is a positive thing for our racing.

BRUCE:

And wrap it up here with Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global. How would you assess your season at this point?

KYLE:

Yeah, I mean, it's been good. There hasn't really been any massive breakthrough moments. I'd say Toronto was a solid weekend for us, right? I think either Colton or I were winners there, or both of us were in one way or another. So, but they're, from outside of that, we've led a lot of races, but we really haven't had the pace to win races outside of Toronto. So, yeah, it's been solid. That's how I would say. I wouldn't say it's been great. It's been solid. We've had a little bit of misfortune and luck with the two ovals crashing out of those, kind of not anything to do with our fault. And we got a very harsh penalty last weekend, which kind of took us from third to 10th. So some bad luck moments, but also some good luck moments, right? Like we had a couple of races where we were just sneaking inside the top 10 and we finished top five. So you got to look at it from all points of view. So like I said, solid year. Of course, you always want to be better, but you're always saying that unless you're dominating.

BRUCE:

Well, I know you want to wrap up a solid year with a solid finish here in two races at the Milwaukee Mile, but Kyle Kirkwood, good luck the rest of the way this season and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Yep, thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

WILL:

This is Will Power of Team Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Will Power won last Sunday's race in Portland and enters this weekend 54 points behind the leader, Alex Palou. If Palou leaves Sunday's second race 55 points ahead of second place, he will clinch his third championship and become the first driver to win back-to-back IndyCar titles since Dario Franchitti won three straight championships from 2009 to 2011. There are other drivers that have plenty of reason to close out the season with a victory, including our next guest. It's Christian Lungard of Rahal Letterman Lannigan Racing. The driver of the number 45 Hy-Vee Honda will leave the team at the end of the season and join Arrow McLaren. Lungard has some bittersweet feelings as his ride at RLL comes to an end, but high hopes for the future with Arrow McLaren, as he tells me in this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Getting ready for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s. This is the driver of the Hy-Vee Honda at Ray Hall Leatherman Lanigan Racing. It's Christian Lungard. Christian, it's another race where you're representing your sponsor. You represent them at all sponsors, but it's the sponsor's names on the race. So how cool is that, especially when we're returning to an historic track like the Milwaukee Mile?

CHRISTIAN:

I think it's pretty cool and I've said it multiple times before what HyVee does for the sport and now introducing Milwaukee as well for them to represent that and for me to represent the brand. I think we all know how cool an event it is at the Iowa Speedway, just because of what Hy-Vee does to the facility. And I have no doubt that it's going to be the same thing here in Milwaukee. So it's pretty cool to be the man and the face on the cover. But again, we also want to perform well for them.

BRUCE:

And how cool is it to show up at a track that opened in 1903? That was probably a full hundred years before you were even born.

CHRISTIAN:

That's 98 years before I was born. which I think says a lot. No, it's cool. We tested there after Road America this year, and I think the test was a little bit of a struggle for us, but I'm pretty confident that we worked a lot on that. I think the car was a lot better at Iowa for the race than it's been previously. Even at Gateway, I think we were a little bit more competitive on pure pace, not necessarily in the race, but we have two chances at it here.

BRUCE:

98 years before you were born, but a lot of the history of the Milwaukee Mile, your team owner has been part of it, Bobby Rahal. He raced here a lot. What has he told you to expect an IndyCar race at the Milwaukee Mile to be like?

CHRISTIAN:

The thing is, you know, the track, even though that the track hasn't changed that much, it still changed a lot. And I think that's that's typical for every racetrack for for back in the days to to where it is now. Got to experience it at the test and it just seemed to be pretty slick. Not a lot of cars have driven there in the past many years, so it's going to be pretty entertaining for us to run two races there.

BRUCE:

As far as your short oval package, it's a little bit different than some of the short ovals you've ran on It might be sort of similar to Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway because it's flat, but Iowa's banked You're gonna finish the season at Nashville Super Speedway, it's banked So what do you think the racing is going to be like with this package in two races this weekend?

CHRISTIAN:

I mean, ideally, I think a lot of us sees it as just two high-speed corners that you typically see at a road course. I know there's been questions, especially from us European drivers, well, this one seems to be a lot more straightforward, and that's also what Bobby told me, that I think typically European drivers that come over with low to non-oval experience run better at Milwaukee just because it's more of a a typical just fast corner like three and four is at a gateway.

BRUCE:

Kyle Kirkwood earlier said that he thinks the hybrid assist has actually made the racing on street and road courses a little bit better because he says if you time it right you can use it to pass people. We haven't seen that yet on ovals but do you feel the extra weight on an oval more than you do a street and road course?

CHRISTIAN:

I don't necessarily think you feel it more, I think you feel it pretty equally across all three types of tracks. But what I do think at Ovals is because the car is so much heavier, the aero packages are different, the tires are different, all to compensate for the weight of the car. And to get that right in the first goal I also think is very difficult for all parties involved in making that happen. So for sure next year it will all be very different and it will be a lot better for that at least.

BRUCE:

How would you assess your season?

CHRISTIAN:

Probably the biggest rollercoaster both emotionally and also on performance. I think a lot of results in the beginning of the season we let slip away for stupid mistakes that Well, we quite easily could have been in the top five and didn't really get anything for it. We've had a lot of pace in the beginning of the season. As soon as the hybrid was sort of implemented, I think we lost a little bit of that performance. But I think we're still coming back strong and you see our pace in Portland. We were there on qualifying pace, but we struggled in the race. And I think the three Penske cars were by far the strongest in the race at Portland. And that's why we need to focus and put the focus for the last three races is we need to just simply be stronger on race pace and make sure that we can pass people.

BRUCE:

You've made a business decision. You're going to move on from Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing. You're going over to Errol McLaren. What's it going to be like having a new opportunity with a team that really seems to be not saying that Rahal Letterman Lanigan wasn't, but it appears that Zach Brown and that staff over there aren't afraid to spend whatever it takes to become a winning team.

CHRISTIAN:

Yeah, I look at it in a few different ways. Obviously, it's an opportunity for me, again, to represent a brand that is a little more worldwide than Hyvee is. And obviously, having come from the European background, seeing what they're doing in Formula One with the McLaren racing team there, And I think that was a little bit of a deciding factor for me as well, because the way they turned that around and you're looking at them winning now from where they were a couple of years ago. And I see that trajectory with the IndyCar team as well. And I want to be a part of that, so it's pretty exciting for the future. I've had a lot of questions about this whole deal, and of course it's great, but at the same time I also want to focus on finishing the season high with Rahal. and really give them what they deserve for what opportunity they've given to me. I respect Bobby, Mike and David a lot. And David is a character that I never really thought I would meet, but I'm glad to have raced for their team.

BRUCE:

And also you've had a chance to represent a brand that's very aggressive and excited to be part of IndyCar and Hy-Vee. I'm sure you've made a lot of friends, not only with the people who work at Hy-Vee, but with probably some of the customers when they see your life-size cutout of Christian Lungard. What's it going to be like when you look back at your experience with Hy-Vee?

CHRISTIAN:

There's so many great moments, great memories, great people, as you mentioned. There's such good people and the dedication that they have for the sport to make it better. We need a lot more of and I think they just set an example and to have been a part of that as well is pretty extraordinary for me. But yeah, I mean, it's for sure relationships that I will carry on with me. And again, I'm going to be here for a while, so it's going to be great and it's going to be people that I'm going to continue to see.

BRUCE:

And when you do make a switch from one team to the next, how bittersweet is it?

CHRISTIAN:

Well, I think there's a lot of emotion in it from the side of leaving a team, but also a very exciting future ahead with new opportunities. I'll still be in the paddock, I'll still see them around, so it's still going to be nice. Having created a lot of friendships and relations to people that work within the team, I'll still be seeing. I started golf when I came to America, and a lot of them I play with now. And I doubt that that's going to change as well. So there's going to be a lot off track, but also a lot of familiar faces on track.

BRUCE:

Well, Christian Lundgaard, good luck this weekend in the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s. Good luck over the final three races of the season with Rail Letterman-Lanigan Racing. Good luck next year as you jump over and join Errol McLaren. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you so much. When Lungard joins Arrow McLaren, one of his teammates will be 19-year-old Nolan Siegel of Palo Alto, California. Siegel joined Arrow McLaren in June when he signed a multi-year contract. He hopes to finish the season with a podium finish in one of the final three races, as he tells me in this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview. Nolan Siegel of Arrow McLaren Racing has joined us now. Nolan, when you think about it, you're the youngest driver in IndyCar. You're about to race on the oldest track in IndyCar. It opened in 1903. They've been having races here since 1939. Can you even fathom that this place was built in 1903, and here you were born in the 2000s.

NOLAN:

Yeah, it's pretty cool, and it's cool to think about the history of IndyCar, and I think it's great that we're doing all these short ovals, because it is such a big part of kind of the history of the series. So, I'm excited to be back here, and it's a very unique track as well. So, yeah, it's cool. It's cool to think about.

BRUCE:

Did you feel the history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when you were there in May?

NOLAN:

Yeah, absolutely. Every time you walk in there, even when it's not race day, you can feel it. It's cool. I've been through the museum there as well, and just kind of thinking about being a piece of history is quite cool, especially, you know, being in the, well, or driving at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

BRUCE:

So are you going to sense that same history at the Milwaukee Mile because you think about it like, All the great names in racing that have won here and that have raced here. Now you're going to get to add your name to that list in a different era.

NOLAN:

Yeah. I've never been to the track. It'll be my first time later today. So I'm excited. But yeah, it is definitely cool to be back here and back after a break. I think it's kind of the first year of a new era of IndyCar racing in Milwaukee. So definitely cool to be part of the first year of that.

BRUCE:

Could you have possibly envisioned the way your season has gone? Because when you started, you were running for the IndyNext Championship. And then the last time you were in the state of Wisconsin is when you had to make the decision, OK, I'm going to end my shot at running for the IndyNext Championship, even though I'm leading the points to be able to get a chance of running IndyCar.

NOLAN:

It is crazy to look back on what's happened this season. It feels like it's been years since Road America, but it realistically hasn't been that long and it's wild what's happened since then. So it has definitely been a crazy year that I will never forget. But very, very happy to be where I am now and I couldn't be happier with how this season turned out. So I'm in the best place I could possibly be with Arrow McLaren and excited to be racing in Milwaukee in the IndyCar instead of in the IndyNexcar.

BRUCE:

The decision to join Arrow McLaren, how big an opportunity was that? Because they've kind of had an interesting season themselves in terms of drivers that have been in their cars.

NOLAN:

It's an incredible opportunity for me, I think. You know, obviously a lot of things have happened with the sixth car this year, but it was an incredible opportunity that I certainly would never turn down, right? So, very happy that they have trusted me with that seat and looking forward to being in it for hopefully a long time to come.

BRUCE:

What's it been like having Brian Campy working with you the last couple of races? He had been here in IndyCar before with Team Penske, had a lot of success before he went back to NASCAR with Hendrick Motorsports. Now he's working with you for the final couple of races. He worked with Kyle Larson at the Indianapolis 500. What's it been like having Brian Campy now to help walk you through some of the things in IndyCar?

NOLAN:

It's huge for me. Brian has been an incredible asset for myself and the whole SIX team. Really, all of Aaron McLaren. He brings a ton of information from IndyCar, from NASCAR, and he's worked with some of the best drivers in not only in IndyCar, but in NASCAR as well. And I think that for me, as a rookie, there's a lot to learn. And having someone like that, can kind of bring some knowledge about what the best guys are doing in, you know, even in NASCAR, it's helpful for me to kind of get some insight into how those guys go about it. So it's been massive for me, and I think that he is going to help this team grow really quickly in the next few races.

BRUCE:

How much progress would you say you've made in your rookie season?

NOLAN:

I feel like I've made a ton of progress looking back at the first couple races I did where it was hard getting thrown in. IndyCar is incredibly competitive right now, but I feel like now we are solidly, you know, in the fight and especially coming to these short ovals, we're aiming for the podium, which was not really a realistic goal at the start of the season. So I think it's really cool to look back on how far we've come and we've had a couple of disappointing weekends, but I think Coming away from Gateway feeling like we didn't maximize our performance and being solidly in the top 10 shows how much progress the sixth team has made.

BRUCE:

What's been the most difficult thing about IndyCar?

NOLAN:

I think the most difficult thing about IndyCar is just how unbelievably competitive it is. You know, there's a lot going on from the strategy side that you don't get in the junior cars. You know, you have to fuel save, you have to save tires, there's a whole pit strategy, but at the same time, there's no one in the series that is not a great driver or a great team. So, you have to maximize everything all the time, and if you don't, you don't end up, you know, second or third, you end up 22nd or 23rd. So, it's very difficult to be perfect all the time, but that's kind of what you have to be if you want to fight at the front.

BRUCE:

So when you enter a race, understanding your level of experience, your age, where you're at, how long you've been in an IndyCar, what do you gauge for success right now?

NOLAN:

Right now I think it's about learning every weekend, for sure, and I think Again, you know, we've made a lot of progress, and if we can continue making progress every week, then that's how we're going to make our way to the front. So it depends. But at the same time, I think we're at a point where we've made a lot of progress and actually have potential to get really good results and, you know, be in the top five, be on the podium. And I think that we need to put it all together and actually get that result now. So it's still about learning and improving, but at the same time, we all want a result to show for it, I guess.

BRUCE:

So you've got three short oval races left this season. What will a good result be over those final three?

NOLAN:

I think we want to be on the podium. That's that's certainly the goal. And I think that it's very achievable. Aaron McLaren puts together an amazing short oval car, as we've seen in Iowa and Gateway. So You know, I think we had a lot of potential in those races and, you know, I had a pit speed penalty at Gateway that I think cost us a really strong result and we've had little mistakes here and there, so I think if we can minimize that, then the result will come and that's the goal.

BRUCE:

And then what do you plan on doing over the offseason to improve your game when you come back in 2025?

NOLAN:

Hopefully there's some testing on the schedule, just more time that I can spend in the car the better. And I'm obviously still new to the team and like I said, it feels like it's been a long time. It really has not been that long that I've been in this car with this group of people. So I think getting more comfortable with the people on the team and building better relationships with everyone is going to be really important for 2025.

BRUCE:

Well, not only were you new to the team and new to IndyCar, but then all of a sudden, halfway through the season, they throw this hybrid assist unit at you, which everybody had to learn. Did you feel that in some ways that hampered your progression or that, hey, the veterans don't know any more about this thing than we do?

NOLAN:

Yeah, I wouldn't say that it was Massively beneficial or hurtful for me But I think if anything, you know it even the playing field a little bit There are guys that have been in this car for you know, many many many years so, you know even my teammates, they've been to all these tracks in the IndyCar many, many times before. So for me, getting up to speed and trying to beat them is a difficult task. So I think throwing something in that we're all learning is better for me in the sense that, you know, they don't know anything more about it. So I don't know if it's really helped, but it certainly hasn't hurt, kind of, you know, having everyone learning something for the first time.

BRUCE:

Well, Nolan Siegel, you've certainly been in high demand in your racing career, and now you have a great opportunity in front of you with IndyCar. Good luck this weekend at the Milwaukee Mile. Good luck in the offseason. Thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy. Thank you. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

WILL:

Hi, I'm Scott McLaughlin, driver of the number three team Penske Chevy, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. And now here's my exclusive in-depth interview with the promoter of this weekend's race at the Milwaukee Mile. It's Sherry Black, the executive director and CEO of the Wisconsin State Fair Board. Our next guest has been very busy the last couple of weeks. It's Sherry Black, executive director, chief executive officer of the Wisconsin State Fair Park, which recently just had the Wisconsin State Fair. Now you're getting ready for the return of IndyCar racing to the Milwaukee Mile Labor Day weekend with the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s. Sherry, how do you describe to our listeners just how busy this last month has been?

SHERI:

Well, we set some major records during our 11-day fair, biggest one being all-time high attendance record. quickly shifted. We just hosted the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this past weekend, and now IndyCar will be coming the following weekend. So we have not even had a moment to celebrate all those records we set during the Wisconsin State Fair because we're just moving into these races. And then we certainly hope after Labor Day we can breathe a little bit, but then we have another event, Harvest Fair, that we'll be hosting that we promote as well. So no rest for the wicked. That is for certain.

BRUCE:

Back in the old days, they used to hold the IndyCar races, the second IndyCar race of the year that would happen at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. They would hold it during the state fair. I was young during that time and I always wondered now having gone to the Milwaukee Mile in my adult years, how on earth they handle all of the logistics of having the state fair going on the same time as an IndyCar race.

SHERI:

Well, I think it was very different when they were hosting those races. Our attendance was about half of what it is now. This year, we had just over 1.1 million. Back then, their attendance was about 550 to 600,000. So very different. The other thing is they didn't have the expo building back then. So the grounds looked very different around the racetrack. We have had multiple vendors that really wanted to participate and obviously with that increased attendance, we're able to do that. So we've just really built it up. It's much larger than what it used to be. We're actually busting at the seams and unfortunately we're landlocked. So it's a little bit hard to grab more space, but we just have to be creative in how we're doing it.

BRUCE:

Prior to this weekend, the last time the NTT IndyCar Series raced at the Milwaukee Mile was in 2015. Sebastian Bourdais won the race. Then it dropped off the schedule. Attendance for those races that were promoted by a group of different promoters, the latest would have been Andretti Promotions. They tried to go at it, couldn't really fill the place. It sat dormant for a long time. There was even a period of time there where The state was wondering, what are we going to do with it to pay off the debt of the renovation? What did you see in the asset and the property that led you to believe we need to bring IndyCar back? We need to bring auto racing back to the Milwaukee mile.

SHERI:

Well, I think that it's been something that's been talked about for a long time, obviously since Andretti left. Um, and I believe that given the way that it was promoted at that time, Wisconsin State Fair Park really was not involved with any of that portion of it. The responsibility of the team here at that time was just to provide the space and um treated as any other event we have that happens here at the park. We have events almost every weekend for those that are not familiar, where we provide the space, the promoter comes in and puts on a show. So that's how it was always run in the past, where now, Wisconsin State Fair Park really has some skin in the game because we are the promoter. So it allows us to have more control. Similar to, for those that are familiar with our fair, we created our own midway. We have an independent midway. This isn't something that Is done everywhere, but there are numerous state fairs that are going to this model So we bring in all the rides games food. We pick them ourselves um, so As we say we we choose the most sought after rides and game operators So you get the best of the best and then we have complete control over that area with security, um how our entrances are working everything is done by our team. So we are now doing that with the help of course from IndyCar because they understand their series and what their needs are. So we've had numerous collaborative meetings with them to make sure that we are servicing this event the best way possible.

BRUCE:

What is it that makes you believe the State Fair Board will be able to do this better than, say, a race promoter or a race team owner such as Michael Andretti tried to do in the past? Is it because you believe you understand your local market better or some of the things that will encourage people to come to the State Fair Park that maybe people who don't live in Milwaukee understand quite as well?

SHERI:

Well, given the fact that I was not here at that time, I hate to speak too much, not knowing everything that was involved. However, I can tell you from our perspective now, I became CEO, I was interim in October of 21 and officially became CEO in March of 22. And since that time, I know that it has certainly been an initiative of our board to get racing back at the mile. We also knew at that time that numerous repairs or enhancements for safety were needed So during that time we explored different areas and we were fortunate that the governor was willing to help the governor and his administration Was willing to help with those safety repairs So we had that backing I think really helped and then certainly we used some of our reserves And a portion came from our foundation to help cover those costs because it was quite expensive. I mean, the park, or I'm sorry, the track has been used, but not for top tier racing. So I think that it was having that support from all of those entities that helped us bring the track back to life, so to speak.

BRUCE:

And also, how important was Roger Penske, the owner of IndyCar and the Penske Entertainment Company that is involved with helping to promote this race, Mark Miles and his staff? How important was it getting Roger Penske to really listen to what the Wisconsin State Fair Board had to offer? Because he's been going there for quite a long time as both a fan and a team owner.

SHERI:

So we were fortunate because Roger Really also played a big part in racing coming back. He was very interested in the location It has a lot of history here at the track and was very interested in bringing the race here So I think that that is certainly what helped us convince the governor's office that it was something we should really explore and they were very supportive of that and as I mentioned earlier having a that team backing us and supporting us with their knowledge and expertise is what is really going to help us make this a success.

BRUCE:

A lot of the fans and people involved with IndyCar who wanted to see IndyCar return to the Milwaukee Mile all think of the glorious history of the Milwaukee Mile. It opened in 1903, it had been hosting IndyCar races since 1939. A lot of the fans that made the Milwaukee Mile what it was were an older generation group, people that either fought in World War II or had family members that came from that era. Then you had the boomers, that generation that really liked mechanical things. So now you're trying to entice younger generations into becoming IndyCar fans. From your point of view, how big of a challenge is that? And what are some of the initiatives that you have to make it seem like it's really cool for younger people to come out to the Milwaukee Mile and see an auto race?

SHERI:

We have certainly embraced that and understand it. The nice thing is that that is what we do with Wisconsin State Fair. That event is something that people have either they came with their grandparents, their parents, and now they continue to come with their children or their grandchildren. We're really great at building memories or i'm sorry we should say We're really great at creating memories. That's what is so Iconic about our fair as well as the milwaukee mile. It's you know a huge um historical track that means a lot to numerous people all throughout and you're you are correct that we need to engage that next generation and I feel that We are working with a number of groups in our area, one of them being Junior Achievement. We have a sponsor that wanted to see those kids come out and learn about the track and learn about racing. So he actually purchased the tickets for these kids and their families to come. The other thing is we're bringing in a younger country artist that he kind of crosses over with country to a southern rock. He is going to be here on Friday evening and we're hoping that brings in a younger generation. As well as just some of the other activities. We're offering a free fan zone this year. So that show with Ian Munsic is free. People don't have to pay for that. You can come just for the fan zone. Wisconsin State Fair Park has numerous permanent stands that are going to be open. unusual. You don't typically have that. So I think that'll be a lot of fun that even if you don't want to go into the stands, you can just come for the free fan zone and take in the atmosphere and the energy. And we're hoping by people just being curious and coming out for that free experience, that's going to entice them to, hey, I want to go in the stands. I want to see what's happening out there. You can hear the cars and the excitement and be able to see winners circles. That's what it's all about.

BRUCE:

Also, a lot of the expo halls, exhibition halls that are used for the state fair are going to be open during the IndyCar race. That's something that normally wasn't done in the past. To be able to utilize those, to be able to utilize the beer gardens, the concession areas, the restaurants that are already have places on site. How important is that to give fans more entertainment for their dollar than they may have got when they were out there in the past when it was just basically a race?

SHERI:

Right. So the expo hall will only be open for our chalets. So those are rented out to specific groups. Um, but we will have a number of our permanent stands will be open and have local entertainment playing As well as our central park area. We plan to program that for some activities so that Everybody can just come out and like I said, enjoy that energy enjoy the The nice weather looking, it's looking good so far. So we're excited about that. But just, you know, people love to come together and enjoy food and beverage and all those different experiences. We know everybody loves our fair food, which that will, of course, be on full display as well. So I think it's just going to be a fun atmosphere to be at for this Labor Day weekend.

BRUCE:

You brought up a good point, Labor Day weekend, when the schedule was announced last year, that was the date that Milwaukee got. Is that a challenging date? Because being somebody from the Midwest myself, I do know that Labor Day weekend for a lot of people, especially in Wisconsin, that means the last trip up to the lake house in Northern Wisconsin. Is that something that you're seeing as a little bit of competing for their time?

SHERI:

Sure. And I look at it from the other angle. So I have two boys and a daughter who have always played sports. My boys, big football players. So for us, there's that last week in July that was always the break. And that was prior to me working at Wisconsin State Fair also with my oldest. My youngest is still playing. But you get one break the whole summer because you're training and doing all the lifting and the running. prior to that, and there's a few contact days in there. But then beginning of August, typically it's August 1st, I know this year I believe it was August 4th, you start the football season. So for a lot of people in this area, you are not traveling anymore. You're certainly not going for Labor Day weekend because you're practicing all the way up and then you'll practice right away on Tuesday. I think there's a large contingency that just doesn't do that typical up north thing anymore. Now, don't get me wrong. I know there are several people that still do that. I understand that. But I think that with the high school football being as competitive as it is, especially in our area, I think you see a lot of families that are still in town over Labor Day weekend.

BRUCE:

Next year's race will be a week earlier, so it won't be on Labor Day weekend. Is that a benefit?

SHERI:

Perhaps, I guess, you know, this is something we're doing something that's never been done before. So we certainly will see how it plays out and see where we need to adjust. And it'll be interesting then to see next year how that weekend goes as well. We had a great weekend with NASCAR Truck Series this past weekend and last year. Unfortunately, it was very hot yesterday, and I'm sure that that hurt our attendance a bit. But we still had a really great crowd here.

BRUCE:

What do you expect for the crowd for the double header with IndyCar this weekend?

SHERI:

Expecting a large crowd for both of those races as well. Tickets are selling well. So we're really excited about it.

BRUCE:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

JOSEF:

Hey, everyone, this is two time Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Here's the rest of my exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview with Sherry Black, the executive director and CEO of the Wisconsin State Fair Board, the promoters of the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s. In the past covered all those races that I'd mentioned before, 10 years ago or so, there were always people who, a lot of fans in Milwaukee that follow IndyCar, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they were spending money to go out to see IndyCar race at the Milwaukee mile. Was that something, a challenge that you've noticed?

SHERI:

Um, I guess I'm not certain we haven't had as much experience to really judge something like that. We'll have to see how it goes.

BRUCE:

But of course, a key partner in this event is the sponsor of the race, Hy-Vee. They do an outstanding job with the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. This model will be a little different. It's more of a traditional presenting sponsorship. But how valuable has Hy-Vee been in helping to promote this race?

SHERI:

They've been extremely valuable, and we are so thankful to have Hy-Vee as our title sponsor. As you know, they're starting to move into the Milwaukee market. They have a few stores throughout Madison, Green Bay, and I believe the other one is further west of Wisconsin. I'm sorry, in the western part of Wisconsin. But we are going to see them start moving into this area, and I think that that is something very positive for the state of Wisconsin.

BRUCE:

With Hy-Vee, when they get involved, they don't do anything small. They're usually all in with signage, with the way they promote and how have they been able to help you promote this race? The Hy-Vee logo looks pretty cool. A lot of the Hy-Vee things always stand out well. I know they're involved with the NFL teams in the area, such as the Packers, the Vikings. the Kansas City Chiefs and also the fact that maybe with Hy-Vee being based in Iowa, maybe a lot of your ticket customers will be coming from Iowa for that event. But how valuable and how impressed are you by the way they help promote things that they're involved with?

SHERI:

I'm extremely impressed. Now I am very familiar with the race at Iowa. And we are slightly different, so we need to build up. We're not going to quite be as big as that with the entertainment piece of it. Being the first year, you know, we need to crawl before we walk, walk before we run. So we wanna make sure that we're making that progression as we go. So we're starting out just with some smaller acts with Ian Munsic and Quiet Riot, but they're great acts. I know that they're both very popular here locally. So I think that that is a great way for us to start. And then we hope to see that grow certainly going into the future.

BRUCE:

So you've promoted a state fair. Now you're promoting an IndyCar race weekend. How different are those challenges?

SHERI:

The fair obviously encompasses so many different facets to it, given all of the different activities that we have going on, because not only are we having the food and beverage piece, we have the rides and games, but the biggest part is the agricultural piece, which is the cornerstone of what the fair industry is. It's why it started and it's why it continues. This is A race which again new to the majority of us here at the park. So something that we're learning But very similar in the way of we need to move people in and out, you know during the fair we would be Parking the whole track. Well, we're not doing that now obviously because we have a race going on Um, so we're looking at parking in other areas, but our gates and entrances is something that's Um, very important. We take it very seriously.

None:

We have magnetometers at all the gates safety is always our number one concern

SHERI:

So we have all of those pieces, but we feel that we are able, so we found during the fair, we can move 14,000 people through our gates per hour. So that's a really great number. That's up from 12,000 last year. So we feel that we finally have figured out the gate system now with the magnetometers and moving people through effectively. And we're bringing that to the IndyCar races for this weekend because we know that everybody comes about the same time. So we want to make sure that that is very smooth and comfortable for everyone.

BRUCE:

And also just having the people at the Penske Corporation, Penske Entertainment and IndyCar's partners to be able to pick up the phone and call Michael Montry or Mark Miles or Merrill Kane or any of those people to help assist. How valuable is that? Because they've had a lot of experience in auto racing and also lately they've been promoters.

SHERI:

Yes. And I will tell you, I think poor Michael Montrey is on the phone with me more than he would like to be, but I am so fortunate to have learned a lot from him and his expertise is invaluable. Same with Meryl Kane. Mark Miles was just here last week for an event with our Milwaukee Business Journal. He sat on a panel. And I think that these are individuals that are highly respected, as you know, in the industry. And we just could not ask for a better team to be helping us.

BRUCE:

And that brings up another good point. How has this been received by the business community of Milwaukee?

SHERI:

It has been very well received. IndyCar is great about community involvement and making sure that they are out in the community and being seen. So they've helped us with bringing in the show car. We have done several activations in Milwaukee. That I believe have really helped us get in front of the people that we need to And get that support and I know all eyes are going to be on us this weekend Because I think some people are holding back a little bit They just want to see that we're able to make this work and I know they're interested in signing on for the following year

BRUCE:

And for the race fans that may be coming up from Indianapolis, maybe coming over from Ohio, maybe coming from Missouri and Iowa and other parts of the country. What are the key concession areas that they must go to while they're at the state fair park?

SHERI:

Well, out of our vendors, I would say that tavern. at the park is one of my favorite because they have the most unbelievable potato chips. I know that sounds crazy, but the way they're prepared and they taste, they're phenomenal. That's one of my favorites. Less is another great place. You can get some great burger sliders. I just had those yesterday. Slim has everything you can imagine. Pistol Pete has really great cheese curds. Of course, Wisconsin, that's what we're known for. And of course we have great beverages that can be enjoyed at all of our vendor locations.

BRUCE:

Is the winner still gonna get a giant cream puff and victory lane?

SHERI:

You know, it's so funny you ask, and I love that you asked because I was just before I got in with you, I was just talking to our baker about how many cream puffs we are going to need this weekend. So yes, there will certainly be cream puffs.

BRUCE:

Well, those are key things when you go to the Milwaukee mile, but hey, for people that want to tailgate, because Wisconsin is a state famous for tailgating, whether it be Brewers games, Packer games, university of Wisconsin games, are fans, are there areas where they're allowed to tailgate?

SHERI:

We actually don't encourage tailgating here at the park because we're just not a facility that's set up for that. I'm sure it will be happening in the infield. That's a little bit different, but we don't really encourage that on our parking lot.

BRUCE:

What's the buzz like this week up there?

SHERI:

It's exciting. There's a lot of energy. I think we have a lot of local bars that, of course, are looking forward to this. You know, the great thing about West Dallas is there is a bar at every corner, but they really support Wisconsin State Fair. And now they're excited to be welcoming back IndyCar because they were participants in it. back when we had it and I know that they're happy that it's coming back and so they actually keep calling us too to find out what our ticket sales are like because they want to make sure they're prepared as well.

BRUCE:

And finally, there is a possibility that the champion of IndyCar could be decided at your doubleheader race weekend this weekend. Alex below has a 54 point lead entering the Saturday race and 54 points is the maximum that any driver can get in any given IndyCar race. So if his lead is more than 54 points after the Sunday day race, then there's no way for anybody else to take the title away from him in the last race of the year at Nashville. So how exciting would it be for Milwaukee miles return to be able to decide the champion?

SHERI:

I don't think it can get much more exciting than that. Kenneth, especially at the historical Milwaukee mile and coming back after almost 10 years of not being here. I think that would just be the icing on top of the cake.

BRUCE:

But I'm also sure that the partners at Penske entertainment are probably doing their best to try to make sure that willpower stays in it and takes the title all the way to the last race of the year.

SHERI:

I am sure. And that's great too. We just want everybody to come out and have a great time with again.

BRUCE:

Well, Sherry black, a lot of us have been looking forward to the return of IndyCar racing to the Milwaukee mile. We'll get our chance this weekend with the Hy-Vee Milwaukee mile two fifties. We're all excited. It's great to have these oval races back, especially it's great at an historic oval, like the Milwaukee mile, but good luck with the race weekend. And thank you for joining us today on pit pass, Cindy.

SHERI:

Thank you so much. And we look forward to showing off the Milwaukee mile next weekend.

BRUCE:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Engine. We want to thank our guests, Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global, Christian Lungard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Nolan Siegel of Arrow McLaren, and Sherry Black, the executive director and CEO of the Wisconsin State Fair Board, for joining us on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at X, previously known as Twitter, at BruceMartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.

Hide Transcript