Michael Andretti hopes to keep Milwaukee “on the map”

By Jun 16, 2013, 12:48 PM EDT
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Michael Andretti had a lot to be proud of on Saturday, as his Andretti Autosport team scored the win and three Top-5 finishes in the Milwaukee IndyFest and his Andretti Sports Marketing team put on a second successful event at the historic Milwaukee Mile. A glance at the crowd that saw yesterday’s 250-lap race seemed to show that attendance was again in the 25,000 range like it was for last year’s race in Milwaukee.

“I’m excited about how today went obviously with the win, but also with the people that showed up to support the race,” said Andretti, who won five times at the Mile as a driver. “I think it’s a great day. I think a lot of people had a lot of fun out there with the [IndyFest]. Hopefully, we can get this figured out and get this thing to stay on the map.”

Last year, Andretti Sports Marketing announced to the post-race crowd that a second IndyFest would be in the cards. But that didn’t happen this year and Andretti has admitted that his event is going to need more backing.

“In the end, it’s going to come down to sponsorship. We need more,” Andretti said according to the Chicago Tribune. “We can’t lose this race.”

Adding to the uncertainty is reported interest in staging IndyCar events from nearby 1.5-mile oval Chicagoland Speedway and venerable Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The IZOD IndyCar Series has not raced at the ISC-owned Chicagoland oval since 2010, and Road America hasn’t seen major-league open-wheel racing since 2007.

The good news for Milwaukee race fans is that INDYCAR CEO Jeff Belskus appears to be appreciative of the Andretti group’s efforts to keep racing alive at the Mile, the oldest operating motor speedway in the world.

“We feel we have a lot of good options, and we’re glad to be in that situation and position,” Belskus told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel this past week. “But on the other hand, we recognize the folks that have helped get us to this point, and certainly the Andretti team and this event in Milwaukee have been a very positive part of our schedule.

“It’s good racing here in Milwaukee, and if they continue to make progress, that will be helpful in putting this deal together for a longer-term future.”

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”