Milwaukee, WI
‘There’s a learning curve’: IndyCar hybrid system brings new challenges to the Milwaukee Mile
IndyCar’s Pato O’Ward offers first impressions of Milwaukee Mile
The group of IndyCar drivers testing at the Milwaukee Mile included many first-time visitors. Pato O’Ward made an interesting comparison.
WEST ALLIS – The first full-field test of IndyCar’s new energy recovery system at the Milwaukee Mile included several categories of drivers:
- Those who had competed at the Mile, which hasn’t had an IndyCar race since 2015 but will host a pair on Labor Day weekend.
- Those who had done some testing with the hybrid system, which allows drivers to recapture energy during off-throttle times and then use it much for an extra kick of power as they do the push-to-pass system they already have on road and street circuits.
- And those who had done little or none of either.
It turns out their opinions on the system were even more varied than their experience levels with it or the track.
“You’ll get more used to it with time, that’s for sure,” said Graham Rahal, a veteran of seven Milwaukee races who finished third last time. “Even for me today, in my car, they changed basically my entire steering wheel from two days ago to today to add the buttons and change things around.
“There was a lot in my brain today as far as to figure out in a short period of time. … It will get better.”
Milwaukee Mile, back on the IndyCar schedule, ‘is going to race fantastic’
The Mile opened in 1903, eight years before the first Indianapolis 500, and has been the site of 113 Indy-style championship races, but in recent decades various promoters were unable to run a profitable IndyCar event.
The return this year, with two 250-lap races sponsored by the Hy-Vee, is being promoted by State Fair Park, which owns the facility, with the help of IndyCar. Nearly $3 million in state and private money has been spent on revitalizing the track.
“I love it,” said Pato O’Ward, one of the drivers who hadn’t driven on the Mile before Tuesday.
“I think this is going to race fantastic. It’s very enjoyable. It really is. It reminds me of Iowa, but just obviously less banking. It’s a bit old-school like that.”
Marcus Ericsson, the 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner, also was turning his first laps at the track he described as rough and “slidey.” He enjoyed the challenge.
Deploy of the hybrid affects handling
And as for the hybrid?
“You can feel it deploying; it depends when you deploy,” Ericsson said.
“If you deploy in the middle of the corner, you’re definitely going to put yourself in some trouble, or potential trouble. You need to be precise in when you deploy and be smart about it. Same with the ‘regen.’ That does things for the handling of the car. Whether it’s in the corner or wherever you want to regen.
“So it’s definitely a tool, from team to team, track to track, manufacturer to manufacturer, will have techniques on when you want to use it. It’s what I like about it. It’s something you can do different to your competitors.”
That’s the best case scenario. But O’Ward hadn’t seen much of it by the time he spoke with reporters after the first few hours.
“Right now, we’re all working within certain limits that we can work in and it’s just … it doesn’t really change the wave, if that explains it,” O’Ward said. “A lot of the guys are probably not even using it. I wasn’t really touching it.
“I would like it to be a bit more of a shift in terms of performance, in terms of just what we get to feel.”
IndyCar hybrid debuts in July 7 race at Mid-Ohio
The hybrid system is scheduled to debut two races from now on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the July 5-7 weekend.
After that, six of the final eight races of the NTT IndyCar Series are scheduled for oval tracks, including a doubleheader July 13-14 on the seven-eighths-mile Iowa Speedway and Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 at the Mile.
“On the simulated restarts we were doing, when you utilize it, it’s a clear boost,” Rahal said. “I would also say in traffic when you get really bogged down, it was nice to be able to pull the deploy and really feel a lot of gain.
“That can make racing quite interesting, I think. As challenging as it is to remind yourself of it all the time, I think the net effect is going to be positive.”
Over the course of further testing at Iowa, Nashville Superspeedway, Worldwide Technology Raceway and elsewhere, teams will continue to gain an understanding of the best ways to use the system on various types of tracks.
“There’s definitely optionality with it,” said Josef Newgarden, who won the pole the last time the series was at the Mile. “There’s a learning curve. There’s a strategy to it.
“How do you utilize it? It’s not just a set thing for everybody and it’s there. You can use it a lot of different ways. There’s definitely going to be a learning curve and I think optionality for people to use it differently.”
Milwaukee Mile hybrid test runs smoothly
Tuesday’s test was delayed by nearly an hour for inspection and work on several areas on the catch fence. Then teams spent the morning working on their own. In the afternoon they simulated racing conditions, complete with restarts and pit stops, in groups of 10.
They combined to complete 3,563 laps with a half-hour break for a sprinkle but otherwise without incident.
Team Penske Chevrolet driver Will Power, who has seven races’ experience at the track including a victory in 2014, turned the most (188) and posted the fastest lap (22.6001 seconds, 161.521 mph). Power also drove in the hybrid’s first test at the Mile last fall.
“It’s the same system,” Power said, when asked about the evolution. “Just we’re not having issues with it. We’ve got to a point where I think it’s working well.”
Newgarden was second-fastest and Scott McLaughlin third as Team Penske matched its 1-2-3 finish Sunday at Road America in Elkhart Lake. Colton Herta of Andretti Global had the best lap among Honda drivers, fourth. O’Ward was fifth.
Handling is still a key at Milwaukee
Speeds were down almost 10 mph from the Newgarden’s qualifying run from 2015, due largely to the cars having considerably less downforce. Then drivers barely lifted off the throttle in the long, flat turns. Now they do, and that’s an opportunity to recapture energy with the hybrid unit.
The gap should close some by August, but the hybrid unit isn’t going to make up all the difference.
“The gains that it gives you aren’t big enough in order for you to shift focus on trying to use it in the most efficient way possible vs. just trying to make a perfect lap with a good setup and everything,” O’Ward said.
“Right now, there is more lap time in making sure your car and your setup is good and perfecting how you get through a corner, vs. ‘Oh, I need to engage it here.’”
SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A South Milwaukee homeowner is pushing back after the city ordered him to take down his year-round skeleton display, calling it a violation of property maintenance codes.
Sean Oster and his wife have maintained the display — featuring skeletons named Hector and Henrietta along with other decorations— for nearly two years, dressing them up for holidays, sports events, and other occasions.
Mike Beiermeister
The display has drawn attention from neighbors and passersby, with some saying it has become part of the neighborhood’s character.
Watch: South Milwaukee homeowner fights city order to remove year-round skeleton display
South Milwaukee homeowner fights city order to remove year-round skeleton display
“It’s like an expression of the owner’s passion… and I think it’s cool they can use their lawn that way,” neighbor Jeremy Payment said.
Mike Beiermeister
Last month, Oster received a letter from the city of South Milwaukee describing the skeletons as Halloween decorations being displayed outside the appropriate time of year and ordering him to remove them by July 7.
Under the city’s property maintenance code, yards must be kept free of anything considered an “unreasonable blighting influence,” which the city says can include displays left up out of season. The notice also flagged an inoperable vehicle on the property. Each violation could result in fines of up to $500 per day if not corrected by the deadline.
Oster says he understands part of the city’s concern.
“They have a few points… I’ve got a couple collector cars… I understand those shouldn’t be out,” Oster said.
Mike Beiermeister
He plans to move the cars into the garage and clean up the yard, but says the skeletons are staying.
“I don’t think it’s hurting anybody. It’s literally a victimless crime,” Oster said.
Oster also had a message for whoever filed the complaint.
“Live with it… more people like it than hate it. And if we’re enforcing this, then we should go around and take down Christmas lights that are up year-round,” Oster said.
The city administrator did not respond to a request for comment.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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The Milwaukee Bucks’ impending trading of Giannis Antetokounmpo to a new team has been the buzziest NBA story since the New York Knicks won the title. But what if it never happens?
The stars are aligning for the Bucks to pitch a narrative to Giannis that for the second straight transaction cycle they’ve dangled him to the rest of the Association and gotten a tepid response.
A few teams, like the Miami Heat, have been clearly interested. Many others, like the Boston Celtics, seem much more cautious and coy about their pursuit of the Greek Freak. Juggernauts like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are less than a Giannis away from winning the championship, and neither team even seems willing to bid.
Even Miami’s dogged pursuit may not include exhausting every possible means to add Giannis. After all, he’s into his 30s now, with a lot of basketball miles between NBA and international competition, and his representatives want a seat at the table, plus the injury history is getting extensive…
The important distinction, as @Anthony_Chiang and I, and @EthanJSkolnick have noted, is while only Bam is off limits, the Heat cannot in good conscience offer every single good young player and every single available first and every pick swap. Most, sure. But offer everything…
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 18, 2026
And then there’s the Bucks, an organization so committed to winning with Giannis they waived and stretched Damian Lillard last summer because they thought adding Myles Turner would lead to the next great Milwaukee frontcourt following Brook Lopez’s decline. There’s a pitch to be made right now from Jon Horst and the Bucks’ leadership that there’s no other NBA team out there who wants to win with Giannis as badly as they do.
Outside from the human element of feeling wanted, there are more tangible elements in play. Giannis can’t sign his next massive extension until October 1 with Milwaukee, or six months following a trade if he is dealt. If his next team is hesitant to give up players or picks to trade for Giannis, is there really any guarantee that a max extension is on the table in 2027?
The collective bargaining agreement’s extension rules offer somewhat of a double-edged sword in this case. It hurts the Bucks’ ability to keep Giannis that he can’t formally extend until the draft and free agency are over, but also the prospect of being able to sign before suiting up in 2026-27 is more appealing to Giannis than having to wait until January or February. Especially given the series of injuries that have plagued him.
All of this sentiment and security still isn’t enough in itself for Milwaukee. The Bucks would require a plan to improve quickly to get Antetokounmpo bought in again to avoid ending up back here, but in an even more desperate spot, come February. Upgrading from Doc Rivers to Taylor Jenkins is a great start, but executing trades and smart free agent signings will be crucial.
Is it serendipitous timing that the Bucks biggest position of need is wing players and the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly want to get into the range of the 2026 NBA Draft where Milwaukee is slated to pick, with rival teams eyeing young wings Trey Murphy and Herb Jones? Notably, those same Pelicans infamously overpaid to “get their guy” last Draft.
This is more than likely some combination of pipe dream and fairy tale, given most of the reporting around Giannis continues to conclude he’ll be departing Milwaukee in the coming weeks. But even that is strangely optimistic for the Bucks, as they’ve reportedly quietly walked back ownership’s stated timeline of having a decision made by the draft.
All of that said, it still feels more likely that Giannis is traded than not. But this saga has had its share of twists and turns so far and throughout all the noise Giannis has re-signed with the Bucks. Who’s to say that couldn’t happen one more time?
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MILWAUKEE — An Oak Creek couple’s stolen car has been found after a viewer who saw a report on the theft spotted it near a south side Milwaukee apartment complex.
Melinna Posey said the ordeal began when her car was stolen and she turned to social media for help. A person who responded claimed to have the vehicle and demanded money for its return. The person messaging even taunted her, discarding some of the items inside the car.
Personal items were inside the vehicle, including the family’s car seat, stroller, cameras and photos.
“It’s been very stressful, especially for him. It’s his vehicle, it’s in his name,” Posey said.
Watch: Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex
Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex
I spoke to Posey on Tuesday. Since then, she and Tyler Dusenberry had been searching for the car. On Thursday, the couple received a message from someone who saw the story on TMJ4. That person found the car at a south side Milwaukee apartment complex and shared pictures of the red Dodge Durango SRT between trees and a building, covered in tarps.
“I didn’t believe the text message at first today, and then he sent pictures of the car, and I was like, thank the lord, I was like thank you so much,” Posey said.
“It’s a roller coaster that’s what it’s been,” Dusenberry said.
Brendyn Jones/TMJ4
Oak Creek Police picked up the car and are processing it for evidence. The family has not yet been able to see the inside of the vehicle or what, if anything, was left behind.
The family said they are grateful to everyone who helped them this week, but said the entire experience will be tough to get over.
“It’s just unfortunate that this all happened, and we had a lot of memories and trips within that vehicle so it’s just a little life-changing to be honest,” Dusenberry said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Let’s talk:
Hey there! At TMJ4 News, we’re all about listening to our audience and tackling the stuff that really matters to you. Got a story idea, tip, or just want to chat about this piece? Hit us up using the form below. For more ways to get in touch, head over to tmj4.com/tips.
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