On Wednesday, IndyCar took to the Milwaukee Mile speedway for the first time in eight years for a tire test ahead of the series’ return next year.

Will Power and Linus Lundqvist turned laps around the historic oval, helping Firestone’s engineers determine the best compound to bring to the low-banked track.

IndyCar has a very long history with the Milwaukee Mile, which stretches back the CART and USAC days. But the series has not visited since the 2015 season.

Even though multiple changes have been made to the cars’ downforce package in that time, the track drove very similarly to how it did eight years ago.

“The track has not changed very much,” said Power, who has won one race at the track in 2014. “Felt very similar to when we last raced here almost 10 years ago.

“It’s a really cool oval because it’s low banking, which is good for our cars and really good for racing. Excited to be coming back.

“It felt exactly the same, of what I can remember. It’s a long time ago. It’s good. This series is so tough and competitive now, tougher than it was when we last raced here. I think the fans will be in for a real treat.

“Never know who’s going to win the races. It’ll be coming down to the wire of the championship as well, so it’ll be a big part of the championship, these two races.”

The Milwaukee Mile features long straights and corners with low banking, with the corners topping out at just 9.25 degrees, almost identical to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The double-header race event will come on the penultimate racing weekend for the 2024 season, placing a high priority on good performances at the venue.  

With the track feel being so similar to how it was years ago, the veterans of the series may have an advantage over the younger drivers.

The two races will be held on August 31 and September 1, with race length and start times yet to be determined.

The NTT IndyCar Series has released the schedule for the 2024 season, featuring a few drastic changes compared to recent years.

Instead of the relatively static schedule that the series has run the past few seasons, next year will see a number of shake-ups for America’s premiere open wheel class.

St. Petersburg will continue to host the season-opener on the first weekend of March in 2024, but things start to look different soon after.

One of the bigger changes is the addition of the previously-announced exhibition round at The Thermal Club, which takes place following the first race on March 24.

The event serves as an open test as well as a shootout for a $1 million prize, and also helps to fill the gap that has traditionally come in the early spring portion of the calendar.

What is missing from the early season slot is a visit to Texas Motor Speedway. Scheduling troubles meant that there was not a feasible place to stick the high speed oval, and it has been left off the schedule for the first time in over 25 years.

The Milwaukee Mile makes a return, however, with a double header event near the end of the season.

IndyCar will race on the historic oval for the first time since 2015, answering fans’ hopes for another oval track to show off close racing on the banking that the series is known for.

“There is such a great tradition and history of IndyCar racing at the Milwaukee Mile, and we are excited to build on that legacy with a Labor Day weekend NTT IndyCar Series doubleheader beginning in 2024,” said Roger Penske.

“We appreciate all the loyal and passionate IndyCar fans in Milwaukee and across the state of Wisconsin, and thanks to our partnership with the Wisconsin State Fair Park, we can’t wait to return to the Mile next season.”

There is a sizeable gap in the schedule to accommodate the Summer Olympics from Paris, which runs July 24 through August 11.

NBC is the United States’ television provider for both the Olympics and IndyCar, and there are not adequate resources or television space available to cover both simultaneously.

After the late-season summer break, IndyCar returns to action with a Saturday night race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

It is one of two events that will be held on Saturday evening, and will bring action back under the lights after 2023 held all of its races in the middle of the afternoon.

The season wraps up with a race around downtown Nashville, with a new date that pushes the event a couple months later than usual.

There will be two races that will be shown exclusively on the streaming platform Peacock in the United States, up from one event the past two years.

Start times will be released at a later date, as the series works with NBC to lock in all the details for the year.