IndyCar - Patrick Ready To Return To Her Roots At The Famed Milwaukee Mile

WEST ALLIS, May 31, 2011: Danica Patrick will be the only Wisconsin-born driver in the June 19 Milwaukee 225 IZOD IndyCar Series event at the famed Milwaukee Mile.

That fact is probably the least known of all the things written and said about the world’s most famous woman racer.

But Patrick, born in Beloit, Wis., and grew up in Roscoe, Ill., looks forward to a return to her roots every year when she gets the chance to compete at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. Last year, Patrick didn’t have that chance.

For the first time since 1945, an open-wheel race was not contested at the Milwaukee Mile.

“I am so happy we are going back to the Milwaukee Mile,” said Patrick, who finished 10th Sunday in 100th anniversary of the Indy 500. “Milwaukee is the closest track to my home in Roscoe. I was actually born in Wisconsin in Beloit. So I am a native and the crowd has been very good to me there. I have a large amount of people from my home area coming to Milwaukee for the race. That is great. It is fun to go back to the Milwaukee Mile. We missed it last year.”

Last September, AB Promotions announced it would take over the operation of the IZOD IndyCar Series race at the Mile after the race wasn’t contested in 2010. The Milwaukee Mile is the longest active race facility in North America, dating back to 1903, six years before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway opened. The Indy cars have run more races at Milwaukee than any other track in the United States including 115 events since 1945 when there was no racing due to World War II.

Patrick loves racing on the Milwaukee track like many of her IndyCar Series competitors.

“I believe the Milwaukee race is one of the best shows we put on all year long,” said Patrick. “There are two lanes to race and the car doesn’t stay the same for the whole race. That makes for some good passing opportunities. The pits shake it up a little bit too because they are small and things can happen. I have had good races at Milwaukee. Going back to the Formula Atlantic race, I finished fourth there. It was the first oval I ever race on. You need a good car there because conditions change during the race. You can place the car where you want. The car changes a lot there when you race 225 laps around a small oval. You have to adapt to the inside line or the outside line during the race. You have to be patient at Milwaukee. And you need a car that stays under you throughout the entire race.”

Patrick and her fellow racers also know about the motorsports history at the historic one-mile oval in West Allis.

“Being that it is one of the oldest tracks in the country, it would be a shame to lose a track with such historical value,” she said. “People relate to history and the depth of the history of the track. That is what makes the Indy 500 so special and it is 100 years old. And Milwaukee is even older. So it is special to race there.”

Patrick has a strong record in her performances at the Milwaukee Mile too.

She drove first at Milwaukee in the Atlantic Championship in 2003 and 2004 for Rahal Letterman Racing, finishing fifth and fourth in the smaller cars. Her IndyCar Series debut in Milwaukee came in 2005 when she qualified sixth and drove near the top-five before a spin ended her day on lap 125. Since that non-finishing run her rookie year, Danica has never placed out of the top-ten at Milwaukee with a fourth (2006), eighth (2007), ninth (2008) and fifth (2009).

“Milwaukee is a fun place to race,” said Patrick. “I think all of the drivers really enjoy competing there.”

But could this be Patrick’s last race at Milwaukee?

Rumors are running wild that Danica will move to NASCAR stock car racing full time in 2012.

She isn’t saying anything about her racing future, but it is possible she won’t race at her home state race track again.

This year’s Milwaukee 225 will not be an easy one on the track for Patrick either.

One of the strongest fields in IZOD IndyCar Series history is primed to battle on the historic one-mile oval track during the Father’s Day weekend.

Patrick and many of her IndyCar Series competitors will get accustomed to the track again when they test at the Mile on June 1 and 3.

Former Milwaukee winners Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ryan Briscoe will be among the leading contenders on June 19. Current series point leader and two-time 2011 winner Will Power will be another top challenger at the Milwaukee Mile along with Patrick, Helio Castroneves, Graham Rahal, Marco Andretti, Oriol Servia, Long Beach winner Mike Conway and Indy 500 runner-up, rookie J.R. Hildebrand.

Tickets for the June 18-19 Milwaukee 225 at the Wisconsin State Fair Park are now available at the ticket office located at 7722 Greenfield Ave. in West Allis as well as through the www.milwaukeemile2011.com website or by calling 800-722-3840. The action-packed weekend features ticket prices as low as $35 for Sunday infield general admission for adults, $15 for teenagers (12-16) and children under 12 are free. Sunday grandstand tickets begin at $35.

Group sales and sponsorship opportunities also are available for the Milwaukee 225 at 800-722-3840.