WEST ALLIS, Wis. — The Milwaukee Mile was alive once again with the sounds of NASCAR engines and the cheers of the crowd, making a historic return on Sunday after 14 years.

Among the 20,000 attendees was 9-year-old Alexus Zavala.

“It’s just really cool how I just see them with perfect precision going around,” said Zavala.

What You Need To Know

  • Around 20,000 people attended the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series & ARCA Mendards Series races over the weekend

  • It was the first time in 14 years since the track hosted a NASCAR race 

  • The Milwaukee Mile is the oldest operating speedway in the world 

While she may not be in the driver’s seat herself, Zavala’s passion extends to her own collection of miniature race cars that she races outside the field.

“We have little mini race cars and RCs,” she said. “We have a huge track and I race them around.”

She has dreams of being a part of the action one day.

“I do hope I could maybe be a pit crew,” she said.

She said she hopes to work behind the scenes to keep the cars running smoothly for racers like Alex Clubb of Club Racing Incorporated, who raced on Sunday. 

“It’s nice to see NASCAR back, so it’s a lot of fun,” said Clubb.

For him, the Milwaukee Mile holds not only memories of races but also cherished family traditions.

“It’s special to me because when I was a kid growing up, this is what we would do for vacation,” said Clubb.

He said the absence of races left a void in the tradition he cherished, making the return more significant.

“Growing up here and being able to come race here was a dream come true,” said Clubb.

It’s a day that fans and drivers savored, marking a grand return that they hope to keep going.

“I’m glad NASCAR came back and I’m hoping we could get Xfinity Race and a cup race here too,” said Clubb.

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