7 Things To Know About The Indy 500 Milk Tradition

For nearly three grueling hours, drivers competing in the Indianapolis 500 endure sitting in a tiny cockpit with temperatures climbing up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. 

They're racing at speeds topping 230 mph. 

Yet, when the checkered flag drops at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing," the winner doesn’t celebrate by spraying a baseline vintage of French champagne like a competitor might do in Formula 1. 

Instead, they climb out of their car, covered in sweat and grime and eagerly grab an ice-cold glass bottle of American dairy milk.

It is arguably the most recognizable — and perhaps, most curious — tradition in motorsports. 

Learn more about how a simple post-race craving evolved into a decades-long tradition, backed by hundreds of local farmers and a lot of spilled dairy.

Louis Meyer, a 23-year-old Californian, in his Miller Special after winning the 16th annual 500 mile auto race at the Indianapolis Speedway. 

The legendary tradition was sparked by driver Louis Meyer after his third Indy 500 win in 1936. 

Exhausted and thirsty after driving 500 miles, Meyer asked for a cold bottle of buttermilk — a refreshing drink his mother appreciated.

A local dairy executive spotted a photo of Meyer chugging the beverage in the next day's newspaper, recognized a golden marketing opportunity and vowed to make milk a permanent fixture.

1940 Indy 500 race car winner Wilbur Shaw is seen drinking milk during the traditional Brickyard ceremony.

While milk was handed out sporadically after Meyer's 1936 victory, the tradition paused during World War II when the race was suspended. 

When racing resumed, then-Speedway president and three-time winner Wilbur Shaw opted to hand the victors a silver cup of cold water instead, a brief era known as