The Harry Miller Indy Cars at the Milwaukee Mile.

Indy Car at the Milwaukee Mile in 2002.

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

October 23, 2023

Been a bit of a crazy summer medically for me and I missed a lot of things going on, both good and bad.

I didn't realize that Gary Wright had passed at 80 years old on September 4, 2023.

Gary was born in New Jersey and started as a child actor at age 7 on television, and then started acting on Broadway before being cast on the Brady Bunch for several years.

He was a musician from an early age and decided to back up that career by becoming a doctor! He then went to Germany to study and specialize in psychology.

All this time he was in many bands and the most notable was Spooky Tooth. He also played on former Beatle George Harrison's album, All Things Must Pass. He even went to India with George for some musical events.

In the 1970's he went solo and his most famous song is probably Dream Weaver in 1975.

I had the pleasure of photographing him in 1977. It was a nice show with great lighting and numerous fog machines. It made for good photos!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 9, 2023

March 20th, 1976 I was in my apartment on 45th and North Avenue when I heard sirens and smelled smoke.

Looking outside, a block away I saw a fire taking over a house and first responders arriving at the scene.

Being a photographer working for the Bugle American newspaper in Milwaukee at the time, I grabbed the camera and went to check it out.

This was a full blown house fire and Milwaukee firefighters were setting up hoses and blasting the fire with water. 

I came across this old film a while ago and it shows our incredible first responders of the Milwaukee Fire Department in action. Many thanks to them for what they do daily!

There is fire coming out of the windows and water is coming out of the doorways to the sidewalk. Firefighters wearing all their gear went inside to check for any person or animal that needed rescuing.

Take a look at the photo of the fire truck and check out all the gear they are using. Shows us how much improvement has been made to equipment for fire departments and first responders. They undoubtedly require the best we can give them.

Also notice a couple of television journalist friends filming away for the evening news report.

This gives you an idea of how photojournalists also risk their lives with the work they do.  For me I can think of two situations where it got very dangerous.

First would be when I was almost squished to death with a general admission audience for The Who waiting to be let into a show in Madison, Wisconsin at the Dane County Coliseum. A security friend got me through the door before mayhem happened. A moving crowd wanted to get in through the glass doors NOW!!!  I almost broke through the glass door because of people pushing and shoving me as I was right up front at the door.

Another time, I was in pit lane at the Milwaukee Mile. Marco Andretti missed his pit spot during practice and I thought for sure he was aiming for me!

As a rock'n 'roll and auto racing photojournalist since 1971 I have to keep my eyes open for anything and I thought I'd seen it all but still get surprised every now and then.

Enjoy a look at the Milwaukee Fire Department doing what they do best.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann