What drink is normally consumed by winners of the Indianapolis 500?

A long standing tradition of the Indianapolis 500 is for the winner to drink from a bottle of milk immediately after the race. It is known as the victory lane bottle of milk which is a standing tradition that people now don't wish to see changed or broken. This tradition makes people feel good. It is in keeping with the fact that throughout the world, there are more than six billion consumers, who love to drink milk and milk products.

If you ask why milk is used, the answer is simple. Three time Indianapolis 500 winner Louis Meyer regularly drank buttermilk to refresh himself on a hot day and happened to drink some in Victory Lane as a matter of habit after winning the 1936 race. An executive with what was then the Milk Foundation was so elated when he saw the moment captured in a photograph in the sports section of his newspaper, he vowed to make sure it would be repeated in coming years. There was however a period between 1947-55 when milk was apparently no longer offered, but the practice was revived in 1956 and has been a tradition ever since.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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49 Comments

scottlarock

I love milk...I have a problem with my pros**te and my wife said there is link between guys with that problem and milk drinkers....and I said if they look harder they will find a link between that problem and beer, too....

✨KRISTA✨

Knew this one! I have been to the 500 many times.🏁 The qualifications are a blast also!💕

dmarkc

Another mooving story.

Marsha Randolph

For many years, the milk was supplied by a local, family owned dairy, William H. Roberts Mild Company. My dad was a mechanic that serviced their milk delivery trucks and I worked there as an accountant. My husband also later worked there in the plant. It's no longer a dairy facility, but "Roberta," the two-story tall cow still stands in their front lawn area.

Char

JohnnyRoulette, me too very in more ways than one I can't do dairy especially milk. I use oatmilk..

Char

I hate these ads ..anyway as much as I love and have watched racing I never knew this so I picked Champagne.. lol thanks great Q and A

earlepg

I've loved milk since the beginning, so I think it's a great tradition. Also, milk is one of the few beverages that I still drink. I knew that the answer was milk because I caught the end of the Indy 500 on tv not too long ago and witnessed the winner handling his milk.

JohnnyRoulette

Good reason to come in second. I’m lactose intolerant. Didn’t know that until I was 30. My mom knew, but failed to ever mention it until I kept going to the emergency room one summer. I was having bizarre cravings for whole milk and tuna fish sandwiches. Lactaid changing everything! I mean, I’m self-destructive by nature, so I always ate dairy anyway.