Motorsports Venues - Milwaukee IndyFest Tickets Now on Sale

MILWAUKEE, March 1, 2012: Tickets are now on sale for the 2012 Milwaukee IndyFest, which will take place June 15 and 16 at the Milwaukee Mile at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. IndyFest will feature an IZOD IndyCar Series race Saturday afternoon as well as many other family-friendly activities, and is being promoted by Andretti Sports Marketing Wisconsin, an agency led by IndyCar team owner Michael Andretti. The ticket details for the Father's Day weekend event were unveiled today in a news conference at the historic Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee.

Advanced purchase general admission/infield tickets begin at $17.50, with adult reserved seats for Saturday's race starting at $19 in advance. Fans can watch Friday's practice and qualifying sessions from the grandstands for free. Overall ticket prices represent a reduction of more than thirty percent compared to the previous IndyCar event at the Milwaukee Mile. Fans can order tickets online at the official event website www.MilwaukeeIndyFest.com , or they can contact the State Fair Park box office at (414) 266-7100. The box office hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow, and 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. this Saturday. Normal box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

"IndyFest will be a celebration of Milwaukee and IndyCar," said Michael Andretti, CEO of Andretti Sports Marketing. "The Milwaukee Mile has such a great history, and we want to honor that heritage by building a new tradition of fun. It's very important that we offer fans ticket prices that are a good value and give the event a festival atmosphere."

"I am grateful that Michael Andretti and his team have stepped up to keep the historic Milwaukee Mile as a premier date on the IndyCar schedule," said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. "Milwaukee is a major league city filled with the greatest sporting fans in the world. I encourage our community to rally around Milwaukee IndyFest. Race day will be an opportunity for our city to shine in front of an international TV audience."

Andretti Sports Marketing also announced the first two major event sponsors. Marcus Hotels and Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation , is the first Milwaukee-based sponsor and will be the Official Hotel Partner of Milwaukee IndyFest. Marcus Hotels and Resorts is also the first to join the "Champions of the Community" program, which will recognize local companies involved in sponsoring and promoting IndyFest.

DHL is the first national/international sponsor, and will be the Official Express and Logistics Provider of Milwaukee IndyFest. Additional local and national sponsors will be announced in the coming weeks.

The official charity of the event is Racing For Kids, in conjunction with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. More details on the charity will also be released in the near future.

The IndyFest weekend schedule begins Friday with practice and qualifying for the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Firestone Indy Lights. Fans can watch the action from the grandstands for free, while Friday infield tickets of $17.50 will include access to the IndyCar Fan Village, Family Fun Zone, local bands, traditional Wisconsin-style food and an autograph session with the star drivers of the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Saturday's action will begin with morning infield activities as the Firestone Indy Lights race takes the green flag mid-morning. Following the pre-race pageantry and driver introductions, the Milwaukee IndyFest 225 will rumble to life early Saturday afternoon. It will be seen nationally on ABC-TV, and worldwide on ESPN International. Fans can see the winning driver on the infield stage prior to a post-race concert.

Reserved seats for Saturday's action begin at $19 in advance, with the highest-price seat of $64. Fans can also buy infield/general admission tickets for Saturday. Weekend paddock passes are available for an additional $25, which allows an up-close view of the race teams in action as they prepare the fastest and most versatile race cars in the world.