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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Make Or Break Weekend For Milwaukee
The tickets are cheap, the weather forecast is spectacular and there’s something for the kids as well as teenagers, 20-somethings and dear old dad.
After a horrible turnout last year, the open-wheel community is hoping the Andretti-led Milwaukee IndyFest delivers solid fun for the fans and a proper revenue stream for the organizers. (Photo: LAT)
The tickets are cheap, the weather forecast is spectacular and there’s something for the kids as well as teenagers, 20-somethings and dear old dad.
It’s this weekend’s IndyFest at Wisconsin State Fair Park in Milwaukee and its pretty much make it or break it time for one of Indy car racing’s oldest tracks and partners.
Last year’s Father’s Day show was a disaster and it wasn’t until Michael Andretti stepped up to the plate late to rescue the Milwaukee Mile and put it back on the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule.
Andretti, who put on some great shows his career at this driver’s track where he won five times, hired Kevin Healy to run things and they immediately made a couple quick decisions:
The race needed to be Saturday, not Sunday which is Father’s Day.
The prices needed to be scaled down to bargain prices after last year’s piracy.
There had to be more than just a race to entice new fans and bring back old ones.
“Michael was adamant about making ticket prices reasonable and making this have a street race atmosphere,’’ said Healy, the former vice president of marketing for Air Tran. “Milwaukee is a city of festivals so we made this IndyFest.
“There’s a passionate hard core group of fans but to make this a success we’ve got to attract new ones and I don’t think anybody will recognize the infield. We’ve got something for everyone.’’
Besides the IndyCar Experience, there will be a midway complete with a Ferris Wheel in the infield in addition to a family zone with picnic tables in Turn 3. The Snake Pit will be in Turn 2, next to the Coors Lite stage that will host a Smashmouth concert after the Indy-car race.
Bobby & Graham Rahal will join Michael and Marco Andretti for a Q&A session Friday night while A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford and Dario Franchitti are part of Coffee with Legends on Saturday morning.
But the best thing is the price of admission.
Grandstand seats are anywhere from $21 to $69, the infield is $29 for two days and $22 for Saturday while two-day pit passes are only $35. Friday is free to sit in the grandstand and any grandstand ticket is good for infield admission.
State Fair Park has roughly 35,000 seats and drew less than 15,000 a year ago so 25,000 seems like a logical goal with all the extras and good prices.
“Racing is like hockey in that if you haven’t seen it in person you can’t appreciate the speed,’’ continued Healy. “This is a great race track with a great tradition and I think there’s some high energy for the race in this town.
“The biggest thing we had to overcome was the skepticism if it’s actually going to happen.’’
Healy said the fair board and state of Wisconsin have been great to work with and there’s been good community support. Marcus Hotels is sponsoring a street festival Thursday night while ABC Supply and Miller/Coors have pitched in and a new technology company (XYQ) is the presenting sponsor.
A Saturday date and 12:30 starting time wasn’t ideal but it was the only thing that could be worked out.
“We like a challenge,’’ said Healy with a chuckle. “We’ve crammed a year’s worth of work into a few months but Marcus, ABC, Coors and XYQ want to see this work.
“It may take a couple years to get back to where it used to be but I’m optimistic.’’
Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
It’s this weekend’s IndyFest at Wisconsin State Fair Park in Milwaukee and its pretty much make it or break it time for one of Indy car racing’s oldest tracks and partners.
Last year’s Father’s Day show was a disaster and it wasn’t until Michael Andretti stepped up to the plate late to rescue the Milwaukee Mile and put it back on the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series schedule.
Andretti, who put on some great shows his career at this driver’s track where he won five times, hired Kevin Healy to run things and they immediately made a couple quick decisions:
The race needed to be Saturday, not Sunday which is Father’s Day.
The prices needed to be scaled down to bargain prices after last year’s piracy.
There had to be more than just a race to entice new fans and bring back old ones.
“Michael was adamant about making ticket prices reasonable and making this have a street race atmosphere,’’ said Healy, the former vice president of marketing for Air Tran. “Milwaukee is a city of festivals so we made this IndyFest.
“There’s a passionate hard core group of fans but to make this a success we’ve got to attract new ones and I don’t think anybody will recognize the infield. We’ve got something for everyone.’’
Besides the IndyCar Experience, there will be a midway complete with a Ferris Wheel in the infield in addition to a family zone with picnic tables in Turn 3. The Snake Pit will be in Turn 2, next to the Coors Lite stage that will host a Smashmouth concert after the Indy-car race.
Bobby & Graham Rahal will join Michael and Marco Andretti for a Q&A session Friday night while A.J. Foyt, Johnny Rutherford and Dario Franchitti are part of Coffee with Legends on Saturday morning.
But the best thing is the price of admission.
Grandstand seats are anywhere from $21 to $69, the infield is $29 for two days and $22 for Saturday while two-day pit passes are only $35. Friday is free to sit in the grandstand and any grandstand ticket is good for infield admission.
State Fair Park has roughly 35,000 seats and drew less than 15,000 a year ago so 25,000 seems like a logical goal with all the extras and good prices.
“Racing is like hockey in that if you haven’t seen it in person you can’t appreciate the speed,’’ continued Healy. “This is a great race track with a great tradition and I think there’s some high energy for the race in this town.
“The biggest thing we had to overcome was the skepticism if it’s actually going to happen.’’
Healy said the fair board and state of Wisconsin have been great to work with and there’s been good community support. Marcus Hotels is sponsoring a street festival Thursday night while ABC Supply and Miller/Coors have pitched in and a new technology company (XYQ) is the presenting sponsor.
A Saturday date and 12:30 starting time wasn’t ideal but it was the only thing that could be worked out.
“We like a challenge,’’ said Healy with a chuckle. “We’ve crammed a year’s worth of work into a few months but Marcus, ABC, Coors and XYQ want to see this work.
“It may take a couple years to get back to where it used to be but I’m optimistic.’’
Robin Miller brings 40 years of experience to his role as SPEED.com's senior open-wheel reporter, and serves as a frequent contributor to SPEED Center and Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain.
INDYCAR BRAZIL
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