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By Bobby Tanzilo Managing Editor E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Bobby Tanzilo

Published June 2, 2008 at 8:35 a.m.

Tags: milwaukee mile, noise pollution, danica patrick

I just checked online. I live just under four miles from the northern edge of State Fair Park. So, why did it sound like there was a car race a block from my house yesterday?

It seemed like all day long there was a constant, annoying loud thrum in the air. Oh, wait, that's right. There was.

That's because there was a race four miles away. And despite the impressive natural hill that separates my Milwaukee neighborhood from the Milwaukee Mile in West Allis (there's an entire municipality separating us, too), it sounded as if the race was taking place a block away.

Then, of course that hum -- like an advancing horde of locust -- was there in advance of race day, too. I'm not sure about you, but more than one of my neighbors commented about the racket and most wondered what it must be like to live on 76th Street between, say, Greenfield Avenue and I-94.

I'm all for a renaissance at the Mile and at State Fair Park and for the crowds and national media attention that the races draw. But, c'mon, fellas (and Danica), can't we tone it down a bit?

After all, I've known a couple people who've gotten tickets for driving with noisy mufflers. And I bet they were nothing compared to this.

14 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by MKE Luvva on June 19, 2009 at 11:39 a.m. (report)

Maybe because it's NASCAR, it ain't major league anything, it's a bunch of rednecks driving in circles.

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Posted by xheralt on June 19, 2009 at 11:32 a.m. (report)

[sarcsam]Yeah, and all that banging and clanging of construction and the remaining industry in the Menomonie Valley is keeping me awake at nights, that should all be shut down too!!![/sarcasm] The whining of people who live near the track, or the airport, about the "noise" never ceases to amaze me. And even four miles is still "near", in our relatively compact burg. *I* live about four miles away from The Mile, and while I can clearly tell when there's a race in town, I don't find it that bothersome. OnMilwaukee sports writer Dave Begel has been grousing about the Milwaukee Mile gets no respect and is endangered, and here the reason is, in a different corner of the site. If you were to wall the sound in, to keep from offending the delicate ears of suburbanites, you'd get the Metrodome Effect times a thousand for the people watching the race -- and that *would* be permanently damaging, even with earplugs. Why is it that Milwaukee is willing to bend over backwards for other franchises to maintain it's "major league" image, but *not* for NASCAR? It's a car race, it makes some noise, GET OVER IT!

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Posted by jkashou on June 3, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. (report)

Try living 50 ft off of Brady Street with all the motorcycles loud enough to shake my widnows. It's nonstop in the summer!

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Posted by CoolerKing on June 3, 2008 at 8:01 a.m. (report)

I used to live near 50th and Oklahoma. On a weekend you could hear the engines, even from that distance. A little more volume on the stereo would take care of it, but just to give you an idea of how loud they can be. I doubt if they'll never have races there if someone complains, but seriously..."the businesses will go out and taxes will go up"? Wow! How would the town survive the other eight months out of the year when there are no races?

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Posted by Way to close on June 3, 2008 at 7:09 a.m. (report)

I actually planned to mow my lawn and then go grocery shopping at 3 on Sunday. The Indy cars are quiet compared to the NASCAR trucks which is inescapable.

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