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Each sport has its original traditions. Hockey players grow beards in the playoffs, baseball players don’t talk about a pitcher when he’s perfect, and Indy 500 winners drink milk in the winner’s circle.
The Indy 500 is full of lore, but only one driver can participate in having an entire bottle of chilled milk thrown in his face.
The practice has crowned every race since 1956, but its roots actually run deeper. The images are iconic, and this year someone else will be able to make the most important choice: whole, 2% or skim?
Why does the Indianapolis 500 winner drink milk?
Like any great story, this one has an escalation. Louis Meyer started the hallowed tradition of drinking milk after his second Indy 500 victory in 1933. He sipped a glass of milk, saying his mother told him a glass of buttermilk was the best thing to drink on a hot day.
MORE: Indy 500 qualifying results: Pole, starting lineup for 2022 race at Indianapolis
After his third victory in 1936, Meyer abandoned all sense of decorum. He took a sip of milk straight from the bottle, probably disgusting everyone there rather than inspiring awe. A photographer snapped a photo of Meyer drinking said milk, and it spawned a tradition like no other.
It was not until 1956, however, that the practice really took hold. Pilots now do this every year, but between 1946 and 1955 there was a break. Today, each driver is asked before the race about his preference, and he can choose between whole, 2% and skimmed milk.
Why did Emmerson Fittipaldi drink orange juice?
One driver decided to go cute with tradition, and as George Bluth Sr. would say, it may have ended in a slight betrayal.
Emmerson Fittipaldi, owner of an orange grove, drank orange juice in the winner’s circle in 1993 before quickly chasing it away with traditional milk. Not for nothing, but it’s a disgusting combination.
Fittipaldi was booed for his crimes, but he got the last laugh. He was honored by the Indiana American Dairy Association Last year. Let no one accuse our lords of Big Milk of not having a sense of humor.
Can drivers drink buttermilk?
The real question here is: drivers want to drink buttermilk? Buttermilk is no longer made in the same way as it once was. It now has a sour taste which is not particularly palatable as it has become mass produced.
According to the Indy Stardrivers will have to prove themselves before they have buttermilk.
“(If) we see a driver having a big glass of buttermilk before the race,” Brooke Williams of the American Dairy Association of Indiana told the Star, “we’ll give them special (consideration). For now, we let’s keep to the three options (whole, 2% or skim).”
What milk have drivers chosen for 2022?
The drivers’ picks are for 2022. Here’s what each driver would drink in the winner’s circle if they won the race (plus their additional comments in parentheses).
| Driver | Milk |
| Marco Andretti | Whole (without orange juice) |
| Ed Charpentier | Whole (Provide buttermilk) |
| Helio Castroneves | 2 percent (pink powder please) |
| Conor Daly | Together |
| Devlin De Francesco | Whole (chocolate) |
| Scott Dixon | Together |
| Marcus Ericcson | Together |
| Santino Ferucci | Whole (frozen) |
| Romain Grosjean | Together |
| Jack Harvey | Together |
| Colton Herta | Whole (Milk Chocolate) |
| JR Hildebrand | Together |
| Ilott Callum | Together |
| jimmy johnson | Whole (Please make sure it is cold) |
| Tony Kanan | 2 percent |
| Sage Karam | 2 percent |
| Dalton Kellet | Whole (fresh, cold milk) |
| Kyle Kirkwood | Whole (iced please) |
| Christian Lundgard | Together |
| David Malukas | 2 percent |
| Scott McLaughlin | Whole (Getting cold) |
| Juan Pablo Montoya | No preference (chocolate) |
| Joseph Newgarden | Together |
| Pato O’Ward | Together |
| Simon Pagenaud | Together |
| Alex Palau | Whole (frozen) |
| Will | Together |
| Graham Rahal | Whole (Since chocolate is not an option and tradition matters) |
| Felix Rosenqvist | Whole (Butter) |
| Alexandre Rossi | Together |
| Takuma Soto | 2 percent |
| Rinus Veekay | Together |
Driver Comment Levels
Adorably polite: Jimmy Johnson
Pink powder?: Helio Castroneves
Firm, but respectful: Alex Palau, Devlin DeFrancesco, Kyle Kirkwood, Dalton Kellett, Colton Herta, Santino Ferucci
Bordering on rude:Scott McLaughlin
Buttermilk: Felix Rosenqvist, Ed Carpenter
Oddly Passive Aggressive: Graham Rahal
Cheeky:Marco Andretti
Lying about not having a preference: Juan Pablo Montoya
Indy 500 winners since 2010
| Year | winning driver |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Helio Castroneves |
| 2020 | Takuma Sato |
| 2019 | Simon Pagenaud |
| 2018 | Will |
| 2017 | Takuma Sato |
| 2016 | Alexandre Rossi |
| 2015 | Juan Pablo Montoya |
| 2014 | Ryan Hunter Reay |
| 2013 | Tony Kanan |
| 2012 | Dario Franchitti |
| 2011 | Dan Wheldon |
| 2010 | Dario Franchitti |
