Top 10 Indy 500s, No. 6: Louis Meyer milks his third victory with historic celebration

(Editor’s note: NBC Sports has selected the Top 10 Indy 500s of All-Time through an esteemed panel of former drivers, broadcasters, journalists and historians. The countdown will run through the 107th Indianapolis 500.)

It was the swig seen around the world – and for decades to come at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

After becoming the first three-time winner in Indy 500 history, Louis Meyer made an unusual request in victory lane. He asked for a glass of buttermilk, which he believed to be the best refreshment on a hot day (advice instilled by his mother).

Meyer, who also won at the Brickyard in 1928 and ’33, was handed a bottle and took a big gulp in a lasting image that appeared in newspapers the next day. That caught the attention of a dairy industry executive who asked that milk be available annually to the winner. Since 1956, the Indiana Dairy Association has compensated Indy 500 winners for including milk in their celebrations (currently a $10,000 payout).

INDY 500 PRIMER: Questions and answers for the world’s biggest race

It’s among many traditions and legacies from the 1936 Indy 500:

–The race was the first in which the Borg-Warner Trophy was presented to the winner.

–Pace car driver Tommy Milton (a two-time Indy 500 winner) suggested that the Indy 500 winner be awarded the pace car as part of the winning prize package.

–The 1936 Indy 500 marked the first time that freshman drivers were required to pass a test that now is known as the Rookie Orientation Program.

There were other safety enhancements made at IMS for the 1936 Indy 500, which could claim the only Month of May between 1929-40 without a fatality on the track. The angle of the outside retaining wall was altered to avoid launching cars outside the