MILE MONTHLY

Happy Holidays From The Milwaukee Mile

IndyCar Series Driver Helio Castroneves Is “Dancing With The Stars” Champion, Racing At The Mile June 1st

Determination, character, staying cool under pressure and the thrill of competition are all required qualities for a world-class IndyCar® Series driver. On November 27, in front of 21 million viewers on live network television and a star-studded studio audience, those same driving forces propelled two-time Indianapolis 500 race winning driver Helio Castroneves and his professional ballroom dancing partner Julianne Hough to victory on the popular “Dancing With The Stars” ABC-TV show.

The couple did more than dance, as they wowed the audience and captured the hearts of America with Castroneves’ charisma and their talented performances over the past ten weekly programs leading in to the evening’s grand finale.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE (INCLUDING TICKET OFFER DETAILS)…

The NASCAR Busch Series is now the NASCAR Nationwide Series

Same great NASCAR action, same expectation of a Wisconsin driver winning the 250-lap extravaganza on Saturday night, June 21 this upcoming season. What’s changed is the series name. For 2008, the NASCAR Busch Series undergoes a name change, and will now be known as the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Nationwide Insurance has signed on for seven years as this premier series’ entitlement sponsor.

2008 Milwaukee Mile Season Ticket Packages, The Perfect Holiday Gift

You may have your favorite seat or favorite event already picked out, but have you thought of a gift for every race fan on your list? This holiday, give the person on your list the gift of SPEED!

Helio Castroneves captured the interest of the nation by winning “Dancing With The Stars” and now’s the time to get Helio fans up close to 170mph IndyCar Series action May 31st and June 1st! Helio and all the stars of the Indy 500 will be signing free autographs on race weekend!

The return of NASCAR stars on Wisconsin’s biggest motorsports weekend will be June 20 and 21! Can a drive like Denny Hamlin’s last year be matched? The three-wide pass for the lead in the closing laps had the packed house on their feet in the NASCAR Busch Series race!

Wisconsin and the nation’s top short track stock car racers return August 22-24 on our traditional Governor’s Cup weekend, none bigger than Wisconsin NASCAR superstar Matt Kenseth, who will be back! Four divisions of great stock car racing, including touring stars and grass roots racers from across the state will be in action.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION

What’s New in 2008 The 100-mile Indy Pro Series Race moves to Sunday, June 1 as a prelude to the ABC Supply / A.J. Foyt 225 IndyCar Series® Race, and is included with the purchase of a Sunday race ticket. The IndyCar and Indy Pro Series offer a double-header for the first time in Milwaukee Mile history. It will be a full day of open-wheel racing action that you can’t miss!

FRIDAY FREE DAYS offer a great way to bring new fans and kids to The Mile to experience the excitement you’ve grown to love! Grandstand admission is FREE on Friday, May 30 to the practice and qualifying for USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series stock car activities and on Friday, August 22 to catch the rotating Governor’s Cup stock car divisions’ practice sessions.

In response to multiple requests from our loyal fans, we are now designating NON-SMOKING SECTIONS in the main grandstand. Please CLICK HERE for more information.

MORE RACING! The USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series stock cars have been added to IndyCar Series Pole Day, Saturday, May 31. General Admission tickets are available through The Milwaukee Mile ticket office or by calling 414.453.8277, kids 12 and under are FREE.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE OF WHAT’S NEW IN 2008 AT THE MILE

Special Offer To Fans of The Milwaukee Mile

For more info about the Milwaukee Wave go to: www.milwaukeewave.com

Tretow’s Thoughts

‘Tis the season to celebrate Wisconsin successes in NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup Series!

The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season ended with Matt Kenseth winning at Homestead Miami Speedway, in what was the final race for the “old ‘Cup Car” that will be replaced by the Car of Tomorrow in 2008. The December curtain-closer was also the last race for the NEXTEL Cup Series, as 2008 will usher in the newly-named NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The race in Miami, more significantly, was also the last event Allenton, Wis. native Robbie Reiser served as Matt Kenseth’s crew chief. Leading in to the race weekend, it was announced that Reiser was promoted to oversee all of Roush Fenway Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series operations. Reiser was an accomplished short track racer and champion driver before risking it all and moving to Denver, NC to race in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1994. This photo is emblematic of what he was to become. As a driver, Robbie dominated Wisconsin’s late model scene in 1993. This photo of Robbie – wrench in hand, still in his driver’s suit during a Busch Series practice session, was taken on July 4, 1993. On that hot afternoon, Reiser qualified for his first NASCAR Busch Series race at The Milwaukee Mile.

There were several factors that led to the phone call placed by Reiser to Matt Kenseth in the Spring of 1997, as Kenseth was commited to racing out of Gerry Gunderman’s Franklin, Wis. race shops in the old ASA National Tour. Reiser’s limited successes in NASCAR as an owner-driver, his confidence in his abilities behind the wrenches and the need to continue a family-owned and operated team all contributed to a great relationship.

Quite the dynamic duo, they made the most of a small race shop with a handful of dedicated crew guys that moved down from Wisconsin with Robbie as their core, to race Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in 1998 and 1999 for the Busch Series title. Then in 2000, they moved to NASCAR’s highest level together at Roush Racing to beat Junior for the then-Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors! And then there’s their point system-changing run to their Winston Cup Series title in 2003 (the series was renamed the NEXTEL Cup Series in 2004, so chalk up another “Kenseth was the last in NASCAR to win _____”). Yeah, I guess I’m partial. I’m also partial to Jimmie Johnson’s run to his second consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series title in 2007. Many don’t know Jimmie spent two years living and racing out of Pewaukee, Wisconsin. The Californian was looking for an opportunity to break in to stock car racing after winning an off-road championship with Herzog Motorsports, and had been sleeping on Ron Hornaday’s couch in North Carolina while bumming late model rides in the Tarheel State when he was told of an opportunity in early 1998 to race in the old ASA National Tour. Prior to that, Johnson had been to Crandon, Wisconsin to race his off-road truck, but never competed in more than six stock car races in his life before becoming a sponge under the tutelage of crew chief Howie Lettow, who had won the series championship in 1996 and worked with countless rookie drivers. Johnson’s immense natural talent and Lettow’s calm demeanor were a great match, with Johnson in the shop every day working and learning about stock cars in Wisconsin, which he raced throughout the country from a shop just 20 minutes west of The Milwaukee Mile.

Jimmie and Matt are the only two drivers to finish in the top-10 in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points every year since 2002. It’s more than coincidence, it’s great talent and a solid background of racing in Wisconsin!

Fittingly, Kenseth’s winning race car from Homestead Miami Speedway has found a nearby home – inside the Matt Kenseth fan club store in Cambridge, Wisconsin! (see photos by clicking on the Matt Kenseth Store website, www.mattkenseth.com).

I look forward to the opportunity to chat with Jimmie whenever he’s scheduled to test his racecar at The Milwaukee Mile this coming season, and along with you, watching Matt return home to race in a late model at The Milwaukee Mile this coming August during Governor’s Cup weekend.

Have a safe Holiday Season!

SEE ALSO

IndyCar Weekend | NASCAR Weekend | Governor’s Cup/ARCA/ASA Wknd | Other Events