Due to ongoing construction at the Milwaukee Mile, the Harry A. Miller Club’s annual summer event moved south to Indianapolis Raceway Park for 2023. Embracing a new setting for the iconic event, more than 50 vintage Indy cars took to the track July 6-7 to celebrate the IndyCar history and of course the cars of renowned designer Harry Miller.
Organizers and participants really leaned into the opportunity to do things a little different this year, and take advantage of the location just 8 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Rick Duman’s Turn 4 Restorations (with Vintage Indy) hosted the event’s welcome barbecue Wednesday night and participants were treated to a tour of the Dallara IndyCar Factory after the Thursday’s banquet with speaker Lyn. St James. Following the racing on Friday, racers were invited to visit Rick Skillman’s Classic Cars in nearby Greenwood, IN.
IRP’s banked 5/8-mile track is vastly different from America’s Legendary Oval, but participants saw it as an exciting opportunity. Vintage Indy’s Mike Lashmett was not going to pass up the opportunity to attend, and the chance to get behind the wheel of a few machines he’d not driven before.
“There was an inordinate amount of track time,” Lashmett said. “They did 30-minute sessions which were longer than usual and they kept it moving the whole day. It was phenomenal. It was a huge privilege to drive a few cars I’d never driven before. Overall, just a spectacular event.”