The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to Milwaukee Mile for the first time since 2015. Making up for lost time, the series will hold a pair of 250-lap races around the 1.015-mile oval in consecutive days for the Hy-Vee Milwaukee Mile 250s.
Expect Team Penske to shine.
The team went 1-2-3 on the speed charts in the test June 11 at Milwaukee, has won 14 of the last 16 short-oval races and is a perfect 4-for-4 on ovals this season - finishing first and third, respectively, in both Iowa Speedway events (July 13-14) and coming to the finish 1-2 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 17.
Team Penske drivers have also led 601 of the 960 oval laps this season.
Favorites
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske (R1)/ Snap-On Team Penske (R2) Chevrolet)
Newgarden has four Milwaukee starts, with a pair of fifth place finishes in the last two. He entered the July doubleheader at Iowa Speedway with 1,847 laps led and six wins in 14 starts. He came out with no laps led and finished third and seventh. Still, experience matters in this stretch, and Newgarden was second fastest in the June test at Milwaukee and won the Aug. 17 race at World Wide Technology Raceway. He has four top-seven finishes in his last five starts overall this season, too.
Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske (R1)/ Gallagher Team Penske (R2) Chevrolet)
McLaughlin was third fastest in the Milwaukee test despite never having raced on the track. At the Iowa twinbill (July 13-14), he won Saturday and placed third a day later. At WWTR, he finished runner-up. Also, in four oval qualifying tries this season, McLaughlin has qualified first, second, first and first, respectively. The Team Penske driver is tied with Newgarden with a series-best 3.0 average finishing position on ovals this season but paces all drivers in oval laps led with 391, more than double second-best Will Power (167).
Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
O’Ward was fifth fastest in the test despite never turning a prior lap at Milwaukee. Also, in 24 oval starts, O’Ward has two wins, seven runner-up finishes and 17 top-five results, including a second-place finish at both the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart on July 13 at Iowa Speedway. His ninth-place average finish on ovals this season ranks sixth best.
Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)
In four oval starts this season, Dixon has finished third, fourth, fourth and 11th, respectively, leading to a third-best 5.5 average finish on circle tracks. At Milwaukee, Dixon has more starts than anyone in the field with 12 and won there in 2009.
Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet)
Power led 229 laps in his 2014 Milwaukee win, was quickest in the June test, has three top-four finishes in his last four Milwaukee starts and climbed from 22nd to win the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade on July 14 at Iowa Speedway. He also led a race-high 117 of 260 laps at World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 17 and 101 of the 110 laps in his Portland International Raceway victory last Sunday.
Sleepers
Alexander Rossi (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
Rossi was ninth fastest in the Milwaukee test despite no starts to his name there. He also finished fourth in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and eighth in Race 1 at Iowa this season. He ranks 10th in oval finishes this season with a 11.5 average.
Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Phoenix Investors Chevrolet)
With four top-12 finishes in four oval starts this season, Ferrucci has an opportunity to shine this weekend. He considers himself one of the best short oval racers in the series, and his 9.25 average finish on circle tracks this season ranks him seventh best.
Rinus VeeKay (No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet)
The speed was only 13th in the June test at Milwaukee, but VeeKay rebounded at Iowa Speedway for a pair of top-10 finishes in two days. Another top-10 finish at World Wide Technology Raceway led VeeKay to a fourth-best 8.25 average finishing spot on ovals this season.
Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)
Herta flashed speed in Iowa by qualifying first and fourth, respectively. He was fourth in the Milwaukee test, too. Herta finished 11th and fifth in the Iowa doubleheader, fifth at WWTR and has as good a chance as anyone to top the Team Penske trio. His 86 oval laps led this season rank fourth best. His 4.75 average finishing position in the last eight races overall this season is tops in the series.
David Malukas (No. 66 AutoNation/Arctic Wolf Honda)
Malukas showed a ton of speed in the June test at Milwaukee, setting the seventh-fastest lap time despite that being his first in a car for Meyer Shank Racing. Malukas led the opening practice session, qualified third and battled up front all day before crashing with Power while battling for fifth at the last oval, WWTR.