For the first time since 2015, The buzz of Indy Car will be heard around the Milwaukee Mile with a doubleheader this weekend.
"A big part of Indy Car racing is the history of the sport," Marcus Ericsson says. "And I think coming back to places like this one, is very important for us because one, oval racing is a big part of the DNA of IndyCar racing. So I think that's super important. I'm really happy that we're doing more ovals this year."
"It's a tough track," 2014 Milwaukee Mile winner Will Power says. "There's not much banking. A very short oval. So, you know, [an] easy to make a mistake. Tough to win. Very tough to win. You're always in traffic. But a fun place."
Watch: 'It's a tough track': Indy Drivers prepare for Milwaukee Mile
At a test in June, most drivers didn't have experience on the one-mile oval, and it showed.
"Oh I kept hearing, this is going to be a track where the European drivers are going to shine at because it's a flat oval," Christian Lundgaard says. "I hope the grip gets a little better for the race weekend because it's quite slippery out there."
"It's been tricky because it's very low grip," Ericsson says. "It's slippery out there. But the track is building grip, you know the more laps we put down and the more rubber we put down. It's just getting more and more grip out there. But it's been fun, you know, I like that challenge to drive the car on the edge. Just sliding around on both axles, and trying to find the optimal line."
One of the big factors is figuring out proper tire wear.
"I don't have enough experience here to be able to tell you exactly what it is," Pato O'Ward says. "But what it's going through I would say over the course of five, ten, fifteen, twenty laps you know. At lap five? It is completely different to lap twenty-five. So you have to really stay on top of the balance of the race car in order for you to extend it out to fifty laps is probably what's going to be the full stint."
You can tell, with a doubleheader and one race after the events at the Milwaukee Mile, these IndyCar drivers are stoked to return.
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