Why the Indy 500 winner drinks milk

Why the Indy 500 winner drinks milk

One of the most famous traditions at the Indy 500 is the fact that the winner drinks milk in victory lane, and not champagne. 

But why is this, and which F1 champion broke the sacred tradition after winning at the Brickyard?

Why the Indy 500 winner drinks milk stems back to 1936 when Louis Meyer claimed his third victory in the race - and promptly drank a glass of buttermilk, which his mother had often told him to do as a child. 

Meyer may have drunk buttermilk in 1933 after his second win, but this was not captured on film. In 1936, it was, and so began the tradition. 

After a marketing executive from the Indiana Dairy Farmers Association saw the film of Mayer in 1936, he made sure milk was on offer for the winner every year between 1938 and 1941, when the race was suspended for the Second World War, resuming in 1946.

In 1947 and until 1955, the winner simply drank water. In 1956, milk returned, over a decade before Dan Gurney first sprayed champagne at Le Mans and in F1.

Since 1956, every winner of the Indy 500 has drunk milk in victory lane, except in 1993.

Then, two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi opted to drink orange juice to promote his citrus farms back in Brazil, doing so after his second win. To this day, some Indy regulars still hold the decision against Fittipaldi. 

In 2026, drivers have the option of whole milk, 2% milk, or fat-free, with Alex Palou opting for whole milk after his 2025 victory.