ARCA Fest at The Milwaukee Mile will Provide Three Full Days of Family Entertainment
by Kari Shear-Carlson
May 30, 2014 – Imagine the sun just waking up and slowly rising. Dew dripping down the windows. The sound of alarm clocks all going off simultaneously. People getting up no matter how tired, taking a shower, and having a hotel breakfast. All preparing to go to the same place. The Milwaukee Mile.
This is exactly what will be happening next Friday morning, June 6th, as ARCA Fest kicks off and nearly 50 teams or more have the first opportunity to prepare for Sunday, June 8th’s, ARCA Midwest Tour presented by Scag Power Equipment’s, The Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com. This three day event will provide entertainment for the entire family, also including a Hot Rod Show & Shine and Monster Truck Summer Nationals on Saturday, June 7th.
The crews will be lined up to enter the pit area, probably wearing a sweatshirt representing their team, saying a few quiet hellos as they still try to wake up. They sign in and step foot into one of the most historic racing venues in the country; and everything changes.
As the cars get unloaded, equipment gets set up, and tires are being picked out, everything begins to come alive. There is just something about walking into a racetrack that causes a stir of energy and a sudden surge of healthy competition. Each and every person is immediately reminded about why they do what they do.
For a race like the Howie Lettow Memorial, thousands and thousands of combined hours have been put in, between the race teams, the various series’, sponsors, the track, and everyone involved to make it happen.
Why is so much effort put into an event like this? As cliche’ as it may sound, it’s “for the fans.” When a team prepares for a race as big as this one, of course they want to win, but they also want to know that their car is good enough to put on a show. They want the fans to experience that same stir of energy as soon as they step foot into The Milwaukee Mile. Hearing a full roaring crowd is one of the most amazing sounds a driver can ever experience.
As the cars roll out onto the track for practice, everything gets into motion. The crews grab their stopwatches, and transponders click off times into the tower. The media center even comes alive as photographers snap pictures and story lines begin to be emerge.
Change after change is made on the cars throughout the day to try to get them just right. Everyone wants to be competitive because they want to have fun and provide great entertainment for anyone who is watching.
As the day closes, teams will debrief and talk about what they will do for Saturday, and when Saturday morning comes, it will start all over again. When Saturday ends, they hope that the hard work has all paid off when the green flag drops Sunday afternoon for The Swiss Colony Howie Lettow Memorial 150.
So maybe a fan has never heard of the most recent series winner, young ARCA Midwest Tour Rookie of the Year Contender and Touring Star, Ty Majeski. Or maybe half the crowd is there to see if Travis Sauter can be the first two-time winner of the event. No matter who ends up in victory lane, the same amount of hours, hard work, and effort has been put in to provide the fans the entertainment of the biggest race in the Midwest, at none other than, The Milwaukee Mile.
WHO: ARCA Midwest Tour
WHAT: ARCA Fest featuring The Swiss Colony Howie Lettow 150 presented by RaceTeamGear.com. The weekend will also include the CRA JEGS All-Stars 100, Mid-American Stock Cars, Midwest Trucks, and Vintage Stock Cars, as well as a Hot Rod Show & Shine and Monster Truck Summer Nationals.
WHERE: The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, WI
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, June 6th-8th
TIMES: Friday: All-division practice from 10:00am-6:00pm. Saturday: qualifying begins at 2:30 with racing to follow at 4:00pm. Sunday: qualifying begins at 9:00am with racing slated to begin at 2:00pm
Hot Rod Show & Shine will be from 8am-8pm on Saturday. The Monster Truck Summer Nationals will begin at 6:00pm on Saturday.
TICKETS – Friday is ARCA Fest Fan Appreciation Day with FREE General Admission. Saturday General Admission prices are $21 for ages 13+ and $11 for ages 3-12. Children 2 and under are FREE. Sunday General Admission for ages 13+ is $26 and $11 for ages 3-12. Reserved Seats are $32-$36. General admission Pit Passes are $50 per day.
Reserved Ticket Bundles are also available for $153-$157. General Admission Pit Pass Bundles are also available for $139 and General Admission Seating Bundles are $52 for ages 13+ and $34 for ages 3-12.
Infield camping spots are also on sale now! Email arcafest14@gmail.com or call 262-607-6266.
For reserved seating ticket information, visit www.arcafest.com or call 262-607-6266.
Be sure to follow the ARCA Midwest Tour on Facebook (midwesttour) and Twitter (@midwesttour).
To learn more about the Automobile Racing Club of America Midwest Tour, log on to arcamidwesttour.com. For questions call the ARCA Midwest Tour office at (262) 729-4111 or Tim Olson at (612) 327-5831 or Steve Einhaus (630) 212-6022 at or e-mail Tim Olson at tim@arcamidwesttour.comor Steve Einhaus at steve@arcamidwesttour.com.
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
