ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at Milwaukee IndyFest
• Race 12 of Verizon IndyCar Series season (July 11-12). ... Juan Pablo Montoya leads the championship standings by 46 points over Team Penske teammate Will Power.
• Entry list: 24 cars entered
• 411: Tickets and information
• For spectators: Infield activities for all ages are available both days, with live entertainment in the Coors Light Music & Beer Garden and the Family Fun Zone that incorporates activities designed to provide fun for all ages, including children’s rides, vendors, concessions and raised viewing platforms to watch all of the race activities. … A Verizon IndyCar Series driver autograph session is scheduled from 3-4 p.m. July 11 in the INDYCAR Fan Village. Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires drivers will greet fans from 12-12:30 p.m. July 12 in the INDYCAR Fan Village. … Ahman Green, the Green Bay Packers' career rushing leader and honorary race chairman, will be on stage for a Q&A session at 3:20 p.m. July 12 in the Coors Light Music & Beer Garden.
• Twitter: @MKE_IndyFest, #IndyFest; @IndyCar, #IndyCar
Verizon IndyCar Series on-track times (all times Central/local):
Saturday, July 11
5-6:15 p.m. -- Practice 1
Sunday, June 12
9:15-10 a.m. – Practice 2
12:30 p.m. – Single-car qualifications (two-lap average speed)
4:35 p.m. -- Green flag
• Race laps (counterclockwise): 250 (253.75 miles) on the 1.015-mile oval with 9.25 degrees of banking in turns
• Track width: 70 feet
• Pit box dimensions: 37 feet
• Race weekend fuel: 85 U.S. gallons of Sunoco E85 for practice/qualifications; 85 gallons for race
• Tires: Nine sets of Firestone Firehawks for the weekend ... New for the race is an improved compound on the left-side tires to provide increased grip. The right-side tires are the same compound and construction as 2014.
• Aerodynamic packages: Both Chevrolet and Honda road/street and short oval platforms will be used, with approved options available for all teams to experiment with and utilize to address drag and downforce.
• TV: The NBCSN race day programming block starts with a re-air of "INDYCAR Chronicles," featuring CFH Racing driver Josef Newgarden, at 2:30 p.m. (Central), which leads into taped qualifications at 3 p.m. and then the race telecast at 4 p.m. Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer, alongside analysts Townsend Bell, David Hobbs and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.
• Web: Live streaming video of Verizon IndyCar Series practices and qualifications in conjunction with real-time Timing & Scoring and the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts is available on Racecontrol.indycar.com. … For the race, Timing & Scoring and the radio network broadcast.
• Radio: All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, Sirius 212, XM 209, Racecontrol.indycar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying is broadcast on Sirius 212, XM 209, Racecontrol.indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are on Racecontrol.indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app. Paul Page is lead announcer with analyst Davey Hamilton.
• INDYCAR 15 app: Verizon Wireless puts fans in the driver's seat with its INDYCAR 15 app, which has been enhanced with features such as an interactive 3D live view with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan's favorite driver is positioned, in-car camera video streaming from cameras that move 360 degrees and driver to pit crew conversation. Download it today
• He said it: "I like Milwaukee because you really have to 'drive' the car. It demands a lot of mechanical grip, as does everywhere, but it is important to have a stable car and good drivability. The driver has to (have) a lot of control with the throttle pedal and the steering wheel because this flat oval doesn't have banking support. So the car is always very grip limited and it's easy to slide or snap around." -- Takuma Sato, driver of the No. 14 ABC Supply Honda for AJ Foyt Racing
• Points: Driver, entrant and engine manufacturer receive points corresponding to their finish in the race (manufacturer points are awarded to the top three Chevrolet and Honda finishers). Bonus points for driver/entrant also are awarded for Verizon P1 Award (1 point), leading the most laps (2 points) and leading a lap (1 point). Engine manufacturer bonus points are awarded for Verizon P1 Award (1 point) and leading the most laps (2 points).
• 2014 race: Will Power started from the pole and led 229 of the 250 laps in recording his first victory on a short oval. He led Team Penske teammate Juan Pablo Montoya across the finish line by 2.7949 seconds. Tony Kanaan finished third.
• Two-lap qualifying record: Dario Franchitti (170.841 mph) on June 18, 2011
• Of note: Race title sponsor ABC Supply, which also is the primary sponsor of the Nos. 14 and 41 AJ Foyt Racing entries, has its headquarters in Beloit, Wis. It will entertain upward of 1,800 guests at the racetrack. ... Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires will practice and qualify July 11 and conduct its 100-lap race at 2 p.m. (local) July 12. … Sage Karam will compete in the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Milwaukee for the first time. He won the 2013 Indy Lights race from the pole. … There have been eight different winners in 11 Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2015. There have been three different winners in the three oval races. ... Seven drivers entered have won at The Milwaukee Mile. Six drivers entered have earned the pole at The Mile. ... The Milwaukee Mile will host its 113th Indy car race dating to 1939 when Babe Stapp won at an average speed of 83.6510 mph. … Nineteen drivers have won at The Milwaukee Mile in their Indy car championship seasons; the most recent Power in 2014. … Rodger Ward holds the record with the most victories with seven. A.J. Foyt holds the record with the most poles with seven in his 45 starts. … Is Montoya the favorite to win? In his nine races on ovals since returning to Indy car racing in 2014, Montoya has two victories among eight top-five finishes (including runner-up at Milwaukee in 2014). ... Scott Dixon will mark his 250th Indy car start this weekend. ... The No. 2 Verizon Team Penske crew of Montoya claimed the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award at the MAVTV 500 on June 27 with a total pit lane time of 3 minutes, 28.28 seconds. The No. 2 crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities.