ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest
Verizon IndyCar Series’ championship race continues with short-track battle
Race Broadcast Sunday, Aug. 17 3 p.m. (ET) NBCSN
Qualifying Broadcast Saturday, Aug. 16 8 p.m. (ET) NBCSN
Track The Milwaukee Mile(1-mile oval)
Distance 250 laps/250 miles
Radio IMS Radio Network XM 209/Sirius 213
2013 Race Winner Ryan Hunter-Reay
2013 Pole sitter Marco Andretti (42.8584 seconds, 170.515 mph)
Track Records Single Lap Patrick Carpentier (20.028, 185.500 mph)
May 30, 1998 Two-lap Average Dario Franchitti (43.3100, 168.737 mph) June 15, 2012
First Indy car Race 7/17/1933
Car 12 Will Power, Dallara-Chevy took back the lead in the Verizon IndyCar Series standings from teammate Car 3 Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevy, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Aug. 3 and has a 4 point advantage over the Brazilian into the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest. Can Power take advantage of Team Penske’s knowledge of Milwaukee (seven wins) and maintain his points lead?
2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Car 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda returns to the Milwaukee Mile looking his 3rd straight win on the 1-mile oval. Can Hunter-Reay, who used a three-race win streak that began at the Milwaukee Mile to propel him into championship contention in 2012, make another push for the title with his fourth win of the season?
With six top-five finishes in his last nine starts at Milwaukee, Car 10 Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevy has definitely earned the title of Milwaukee Master. Kanaan won at Milwaukee in 2006 and 2007 and finished second in 2012. The ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 will mark Kanaan’s 231st consecutive Indy car start, which will extend his all-time record. Can Kanaan add a third Milwaukee trophy this weekend?
The 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season has seen 10 winners in 15 races. Should a new winner emerge at Milwaukee, it would tie the 2000 and 2001 CART seasons for most winners in a single season.
Race Notes:
The Milwaukee IndyFest will be the 10th Verizon IndyCar Series event at the Milwaukee Mile. Past winners Ryan Hunter-Reay (2004 Champ Car, 2012 and 2013), Scott Dixon (2009), Ryan Briscoe (2008), Tony Kanaan (2006-07), Sebastien Bourdais (2006 Champ Car) and Juan Pablo Montoya (2000 CART) are entered in the event.
Andretti Autosport has won five of the nine previous Verizon IndyCar Series races at Milwaukee, including the last two with Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Target Chip Ganassi Racing has won two of the last five Verizon IndyCar Series races at Milwaukee (Dixon in 2009 and Dario Franchitti in 2011).
Team Penske has seven Indy car wins at Milwaukee. Andretti Autosport has five wins. Target Chip Ganassi Racing has four wins.
Helio Castroneves has won three poles at Milwaukee (1999, 2006 and 2007). Marco Andretti has won two poles (2009, 2013).
Marco Andretti has four top-five starts in six races at Milwaukee.
James Hinchcliffe has three top-six finishes in his three previous starts.
Scott Dixon has eight top-10 finishes in 10 races at Milwaukee.
Tony Kanaan has finished in the top 10 in eight of his last 11 starts at Milwaukee.
Ryan Hunter-Reay and Dario Franchitti are the only drivers to win at The Milwaukee Mile and win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship in the same season. Hunter-Reay accomplished the feat in 2012 and Franchitti in 2011.
Since the first Indy car race at Milwaukee in 1933, 18 drivers have won at Milwaukee in their Indy car championship-winning seasons: Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Dario Franchitti (2011), Sebastien Bourdais (2006), Al Unser Jr. (1994 and 1990), Nigel Mansell (1993), Michael Andretti (1991), Johnny Rutherford (1980), A.J. Foyt (1975 and 1964), Joe Leonard (1972), Al Unser (1970), Mario Andretti (1966), Rodger Ward (1962 and 1959), Jimmy Bryan (1956), Chuck Stevenson (1952), Tony Bettenhausen (1951), Johnnie Parsons (1949), Ted Horn (1947), Rex Mays (1941).
Since 1993, three drivers scored their first win at Milwaukee: Ryan Briscoe 2008, Michel Jourdain 2003 and Greg Moore 1997.
Championship Facts:
Will Power leads the Verizon IndyCar Series championship with three races to go for the third time in his career. He also led with three to go in 2010 and 2012, but failed to win the championship
Power leads Helio Castroneves by four points – the smallest margin between first and second in the points with three to go since 2009.
There are 11 drivers mathematically eligible for the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Any driver who trails the leader by 158 points or more following Milwaukee will be eliminated from contention.
Three drivers were eliminated from championship contention at Mid-Ohio: James Hinchcliffe, Charlie Kimball and Justin Wilson.
Season to Date:
Will Power won the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It was the 22nd win of his Indy car career, tying Tony Bettenhausen and Emerson Fittipaldi for 19th all time.
Mike Conway won the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for the second time in his career. It was his third Indy car win.
Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama for the second consecutive season.
Simon Pagenaud won the inaugural Grand Prix of Indianapolis, becoming the fourth different winner in as many races.
Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 98th Indianapolis 500, becoming the first driver to win multiple races in 2014.
Will Power and Helio Castroneves split the doubleheader races at the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans – helping Team Penske sweep the wins in Detroit for the first time.
Ed Carpenter won the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway for the first time in his career. It was his third Indy car win.
Carlos Huertas claimed the first win of his career when he won the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Race 1. He became the 211th different winner in Indy car racing.
Simon Pagenaud won the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Race 2. It was his second win of the season and fourth of his career.
Juan Pablo Montoya became the eighth different winner in 11 races when he won the Pocono INDYCAR 500 from the pole. It was his 12th career win. He was the first driver to win the Verizon P1 Award and race this season.
Ryan Hunter-Reay claimed his second win at Iowa Speedway in three years when he won the Iowa Corn Indy 300. Hunter-Reay was the fifth driver in a row from Andretti Autosport to win at Iowa.
Sebastien Bourdais and Mike Conway split the doubleheader races at the Honda Indy Toronto. It was Bourdais’ first Indy car win since 2007. Conway won for the second time in 2014 and the fourth time in his career.
Scott Dixon won Chip Ganassi Racing’s first race of the season when he came from 22nd position to win the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Dixon was the sixth driver in a row from Chip Ganassi Racing to win at Mid-Ohio.
Mikhail Aleshin, Jack Hawksworth and Carlos Huertas started their first career Verizon IndyCar Series race at St. Petersburg.
At-Track Schedule (all times local):
Saturday, Aug. 16
10 – 11 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2
5 – 6:15 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (Single car/Cumulative Time of Two Laps), NBCSN (Taped, 8 p.m. ET)
Sunday, Aug. 17
10 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series systems check
2 p.m. – ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 pre-race
2:45 p.m. – Command to start engines
2:50 p.m. – ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 (250 laps/250 miles), NBCSN (Live)