Located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park, the Milwaukee Mile houses a 1.015-mile paved oval. In addition, there is a 0.8-mile asphalt-paved road circuit located in the infield. The infield was home to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers from 1934 to 1953. Known as the oldest operating speedway in the world, the Milwaukee Mile Speedway has hosted at least one auto race every year since 1903, except during World War II.
The remarkable mile-oval has hosted 34 NASCAR national series races – 15 of those being CRAFTSMAN Truck Series events – but not one since 2009. Next weekend, the Milwaukee Mile will play host to the second event in the postseason’s Round of 10. In 1995, the inaugural CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at the Milwaukee Mile was won by pole sitter Mike Skinner, piloting the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The following year (1996), there were 17 lead changes, which became a series track record.
The 2008 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion and three-time Most Popular Driver, Johnny Benson Jr. holds the most wins in Brew City after three consecutive victories in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Four-time series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. won the last race at the Milwaukee Mile on June 20, 2009, where he bested a field that included Todd Bodine, Matt Crafton, and Johnny Sauter. Crafton, current Playoff contender and driver of the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford, is the only driver entered next weekend that has made a previous Truck Series start at Milwaukee.
Not only will majority of the contenders have to get comfortable with a new racetrack next weekend, but they will also be experiencing a foreign concept: racing on a Sunday. Qualifying for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at the Milwaukee Mile Speedway begins at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, August 27 (on FS2).
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Next Race: Clean Harbors 175
The Place: Milwaukee Mile Speedway
The Date: Sunday, August 27
The Time: 4 p.m. ET
The Purse: $644,030
TV: FS1, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 177.625 miles (175 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 55),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 110), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 175)
Outside Looking In: Crafton, DiBenedetto hoping to rally
Following the TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park to open the 2023 Playoffs, ThorSport Racing veteran Matt Crafton and Rackley W.A.R.’s Matt DiBenedetto find themselves below the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Round of 8 cutline.
Last weekend, three-time series champion Matt Crafton rallied to a ninth-place finish at Indianapolis and left the 0.686-mile track just two points back from the Round of 8 cutline. The veteran is the only driver in series history to participate in each of the series’ Playoffs since its inception in 2016 and had earned a spot in the Round 8 in all previous postseason appearances up until last season.
Crafton is also the only driver entered with previous experience at Milwaukee. In nine starts, the Tulare, California native has one top-five finish and five top 10s recorded. His best finish at the famed mile-oval is second (2008). It’s been 78 races since Crafton’s last CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win (Kansas, 2020).
Although it’s been 14 years since the series was last at the heralded Milwaukee Mile Speedway, Crafton will likely rely on his previous knowledge of the track to find a way to lock himself into the Round of 8.
Unlike the extensive Playoff experience Crafton has, Matt DiBenedetto is just in his first appearance in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs and has never raced in Brew City. It’s been 19 races since DiBenedetto’s last visit to victory lane (Talladega, 2022) but the Grass Valley, California native knows how to race his way into the top 10. He’s record 10 top- 10 finishes so far this season. The driver of the No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet finished 10th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and is only three points back from the Round of 8 cutline and the final transfer position.
Currently, Rev Racing’s rookie Nick Sanchez is in the eighth and final position to transfer to the next round in the Playoffs on points. Just ahead of Sanchez in seventh in ThorSport Racing driver and 2021 series champion Ben Rhodes, up four points on the Round of 8 cutline.
Playoff Clinch Scenarios: Looking Ahead to Milwaukee
With one of the three races in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs Round of 10 in the books, here is a look at the clinch scenarios for the 10-driver field:
Already Clinched
The following driver has clinched a spot in the 8-driver field of the next round: Ty Majeski.
Can clinch via points
If there is a repeat winner or a win by a driver who cannot advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 7th winless driver in the standings. The same point requirements listed below would hold true if a new win comes from among Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger or Ben Rhodes.
- Corey Heim: Could only clinch with help
- Christian Eckes: Could only clinch with help
- Carson Hocevar: Could only clinch with help
- Zane Smith: Could only clinch with help
- Grant Enfinger: Could only clinch with help
- Ben Rhodes: Could only clinch with help
If there is a new winner from Nicholas Sanchez or another winless driver lower in the standings but still eligible to advance to the next round, the following drivers could clinch by being 56 points above the 6th winless driver in the standings.
- Corey Heim: Could only clinch with help
- Christian Eckes: Could only clinch with help
- Carson Hocevar: Could only clinch with help
- Zane Smith: Could only clinch with help
- Grant Enfinger: Could only clinch with help
Can clinch via win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Nicholas Sanchez, Matt Crafton, Matt DiBenedetto.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc.
GMS Racing announces it will cease operations at the end of the season – Multi-time championship winning team GMS Racing announced it will be closing its doors at the conclusion of the 2023 race season.
GMS Racing has won the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship twice (2016, 2020) and currently fields three full-time teams consisting of current Playoff contender Grant Enfinger and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidates Daniel Dye and Rajah Caruth.
GMS Racing’s latest victory, win number 44 in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, positioned the team as the overall winningest Chevrolet organization within the series. With six races remaining in the year, all three drivers will look to add fuel to the legacy of one of the most successful organizations in NCTS history.
“During the past nine years, GMS Racing has become one of the top teams in the Truck and ARCA Series garage. The people that made this happen have been the hard-working men and women at GMS Racing and GMS Fabrication. Every employee, new and old at GMS has always strived to be the very best,” said Maury Gallagher.
Sean Hingorani to attempt CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut at the Milwaukee Mile – Rising ARCA Menards Series West star Sean Hingorani hopes to make his debut in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series this weekend in Brew City, piloting the No. 61 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra TRD.
The 16-year-old began his first full-time racing season in the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports this year. In 22 events across all three ARCA platforms, Hingorani has amassed four victories, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.
“Sean has shown a lot of potential in his short career and we’re happy to have a driver of his caliber join HRE,” team owner Shige Hattori said. “He has won in many different types of race cars, which will prove to be beneficial. I think he has the ability to be successful with our team. We look forward to having a great run in Milwaukee for our new partner Fidelity Capital”.
Olympic Speedskater Bonnie Blair to be Grand Marshall in Milwaukee – Five-time Olympic gold medalist and Wisconsin native, Bonnie Blair, will serve as the Grand Marshall and give the command to start engines in the return of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to Milwaukee Mile Speedway.
Blair is the most decorated female U.S. Winter Olympian of all time. She is a member of the Wisconsin Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. In her amazing career, Blair earned gold medals in three straight Olympics, and a total of five gold medals and one bronze medal in 500-meter and 1,000-meter competition in the 1988, 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. She’s also the 1986 short track skating world champion.
“Bonnie Blair is iconic,” said Loan Mansy, Clean Harbors’ president of environmental sales and service. “We wanted an iconic sports figure to kick off this iconic race. Bonnie’s been making America proud and representing the best of the Midwest for decades. With our local Milwaukee ties and Safety-Kleen’s long history in the region, including being founded in the city, there are some obvious parallels that made Bonnie the ideal choice as grand marshal to our race.”
