December 4, 2023

In 2000, the CART Racing Series was becoming a mess with the Indy Racing League trying to take control of the series.

Only one CART team showed up at the Indy 500 in 2000 and it was Chip Gannasi Racing with Juan Pablo Montoya in an IRL car. He easily won the Indy 500.

CART tried to have their own Indy 500 with the Michigan 500 in July but it wasn't anything like the famed Indianapolis 500.

Fresh from his Indy 500 win, the following weekend on June 6, 2000 Juan Pablo Montoya put his car on pole position in Milwaukee.  For the Miller Lite 225 presented by Kmart race, Juan Pablo had the fastest laps during the race and won.

DailmerChrysler/Mercedes would withdraw their engine program and the series was becoming a mess thanks to Tony George and his Indy Racing League trying to take over.

Helio Castroneves was in his first of many successful years in a Penske Indy Car. That car was to be Greg Moore's ride but Greg died tragically in 1999 at the California race.

Greg was missed and we can only imagine what he would have done during his racing career.

Helio would go on to win many races through the years including 4 Indy 500's! Maybe Helio can get Indy win number five next year!

Gil de Ferran would win the championship in 2000 and Kenny Brack was the rookie of the year in 2000.

Enjoy a look at the Milwaukee Mile where the Indy Cars are coming back in 2024 after missing the last 8 years there.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Juan Pablo winning the Milwaukee CART race a week after wining the Indy 500 in an IRL car. 

Will Power doing the first laps of an Indy Car in 8 years at the Milwaukee Mile on October 18, 2023!

Will Power back at the Milwaukee Mile for a tire test October 18, 2023!

November 20, 2023

One of the best things to have happened recently was the announcement that the Indy Car series is coming back to the Milwaukee Mile in 2024! They will be in Milwaukee on August 31, 2024 for one race and then following day September 2 for another race.

So happy to see that they are bringing the Indy Cars back to the historic Milwaukee Mile. On the morning of October 18th I got to see some of the improvements that are being done to the track and facility.

Firestone also ran a tire test at the Milwaukee Mile and Will Power ran the first laps in 8 years of an Indy Car. Will Power and Team Penske were ready to go at 10am on the dot.

The Team Ganassi car of Linus Lundquist came out a little while later.

Enjoy a look at the first lap and laps of an Indy Car with Will Power at the Milwaukee Mile since the 2015 ABC Supply Wisconsin 250.

Sebastian Bourdais won the race in 2015 but Will Power won it in 2014. Will sure looked as if he enjoyed being back at the Milwaukee Mile.

Go get some tickets and join us August 31st and September 1, 2024 at the Milwaukee Mile.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

November 6, 2023

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween! Two inches of snow here and no trick or treaters.

This blog is about Scott Brayton who was an Indy Car, CART and IRL racer in the 1990's. He passed away tragically on May 17, 1996 at age 37.

A tire blew in practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indy 500 and Scott was killed instantly after hitting the wall. Sad story of too many racers I've known through the years in Indy Cars.

It's a crazy business and you know the hazards going in but it's a heartbreak every time we lose someone for the family and our racing community.

I met Scott Brayton only one time.  It was at the Milwaukee Mile and then I photographed him at Road America in 1993.

He was such a nice guy.  I recently realized that on Facebook we have a mutual friend!

We miss you Scott.  Here are some pictures from 1993 of Scott in a beautiful Indy Car.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Great day of racing at the Milwaukee Mile on August 27th, 2023.

September 25, 2023

It's been a very busy summer as I haven't done a blog in a month!

My stage 2 bladder cancer is so far under control after the right kidney was removed on July 24th.  I feel almost normal again!  Another CT scan in a little over a month to check things out.

On August 27th at the Milwaukee Mile, NASCAR came back to town! Last visit for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was in 2009. They ran for 15 straight years starting in 1995 at the Mile.

"The Clean Harbors 175" NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race ran along with the "Sprechers 150" ARCA Menards Series race. It was a beautiful day for racing and a great crowd showed up at race time.

Bonnie Blair our Milwaukee multiple Olympic gold medal skater was the Grand Marshall for the Craftsman Truck Series race which was very nice. Plus, we got a flyover with a C-130 and two F-35 fighter jets! Always love flyovers and the pilots need the practice and hours.

A few Wisconsin drivers were participating most notably Ty Majeski from Seymour, WI. who had just won the previous race, the Lucas Oil IRP.  Other Wisconsin drivers were Josh Bilicki, Dexter Bean and Derek Kraus.

Ty Majeski qualified second but was penalized after a right rear tire was confiscated during a pre-qualifying inspection.  I actually saw being done Sunday morning when I walked by the inspection area.

He qualified second but the penalty put him to 13th for the race and the crazy day saw him finishing seventh. The was docked 75 points as well as five playoff points. Crew chief Joe Shear was suspended for the next four races and fined $25,000. That's racing folks!

Friend and racer Josh Bilicki who we had big hopes for had a tire issue that put him out early and the race was won by rookie Grant Enfinger.

On another note,  Hailie Deegan finished 13th for a pretty good day.

Grant also raced the ARCA Menards race but William Sawalich won the ARCA race at 16 years old after a great last restart and race with Joel Love.

Great weekend of racing at the Milwaukee Mile.  Enjoy some photos!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

July 23, 2023

This blog is a day early because of a little procedure I'm having on Monday July 24th.  After a physical and many tests, I learned that I have Stage 1 urothelial cancer.

So I'm having surgery to remove my right kidney. I'm glad we have two kidneys. Everybody, get your annual physical done!  I would have never have known this without that routine physical because I feel fine. So happy we caught this early.

In the blog this week we have the 2023 Weathertech Brian Redman International Challenge at Road America. There was also a wonderful Ferrari reunion going on also.

After the 7:30am photo meeting I got to photograph a few classes of cars before the photo that I actually came up to Road America to do. That is the Ferrari grid photo.

Went up on a lift at noon Friday in a bucket lift/cherry picker. The shot is a classic Ferrari grid photo of 15 beautiful Ferraris and then I had to leave. Because of that, I missed photographing many of the car classes and friends cars but can't be in two places at once!

Saturday and Sunday was the annual Gathering on the Green in Mequon, Wisconsin. They had alot of great music there this year.

Enjoy a look at the morning of race cars and the Ferrari grid photo with perfect weather.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

A few photos of the Road America fun on July 14th, 2023.  Could only stay until noon with a busy weekend of photography.