Today’s question: INDYCAR SERIES racing returned to Wisconsin State Fair Park last weekend for the first time since 2015 with the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s doubleheader. What was your favorite part of this exciting event?

Curt Cavin: It’s always sad when an enjoyable sports season draws near its conclusion, but my goodness, the drama that often comes with it can be gripping, and last weekend’s doubleheader at the Milwaukee Mile certainly showed that. Regardless of your fandom, watching Alex Palou sit helplessly in a stalled car as Sunday’s race prepared to begin was gut-wrenching. I found myself relieved that he eventually got rolling even as I knew he was in big trouble, 28 laps behind the leaders. Then, Will Power took the race lead to grab control of the standings only to spin coming to a restart and fall a lap down when he pitted for a front wing change. Even the final laps of the race were compelling as Palou and Power worked to score as many points as possible. Yes, Palou will take a big lead into next weekend’s finale at Nashville Superspeedway – his advantage is 33 points – but he is certainly not a lock to claim this title. Expect there to be drama and tense moments. That’s what live sports usually delivers.

Eric Smith: My top moment was just the atmosphere, in general. When I pulled in the track and drove under the tunnel each day, I could feel the magnitude of what was in store. The crowds were big all three days in the grandstands, the free fan zone area and the infield sections. What I also noticed most was the deep knowledge and passion of those fans. They donned actual driver merchandise and not just NTT INDYCAR SERIES or track-specific attire. The amount of driver jerseys, T-shirts and hats was staggering. An example, the Indianapolis 500 has a lot of fans wearing event gear or Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wing and Wheel logo attire. Last weekend, I noticed a lot of Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward, Josef Newgarden, Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon and other driver-specific clothing on site. Another highlight was the energy coming from the grandstands. The cheering during driver intros was as noticeable as any track outside of IMS. The roar was loud and noticeable. That led to my takeaway that these drivers are very popular and embraced like rock stars in Milwaukee. That’s a great way to lead to growth.

Paul Kelly: I sensed the same drama and atmosphere as Eric and Curt last weekend at Milwaukee. But, as usual, I’ll get more basic than those two erudite gentlemen: How about the racing? The competition and action were fantastic last weekend at the Mile, a reminder of why the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned to the nearly flat oval. The combination of differing tire and fuel strategies, combined with the growing courage of drivers to use the low and high line instead of the more trustworthy middle groove (I’m smiling at you with admiration, Santino Ferrucci and Conor Daly!) produced arguably the best weekend of pure racing of this season for me. There were duels for position all over the track for most of both races, as short ovals like Milwaukee highlight a vital skill – navigating slower traffic – more than any other type of the varied circuits the series visits. Milwaukee laid bare who was talented at these maneuvers and who had trouble in packs of slower cars. There were a season-high 667 on-track passes in Saturday’s race, the most on record at the Milwaukee Mile. That record lasted less than 24 hours, as the race Sunday boasted a season-high 763 on-track passes. The overtaking was very meaningful Sunday, too, as there were 56 passes in the top five, another track record.