16 | May | 2011 | Winners Drink Milk!

Indianapolis 500 Milk Bottle

The Drink of Milk in Victory Lane For over 70 years, winners of the Indianapolis 500 have celebrated in Victory Lane (now Victory Circle) with a hearty swig from an ice-cold bottle of milk – a ceremony recognized around the world as unique to the Indy 500. In an interview shortly before his death in 1995, Meyer recalled that his favorite beverage during his driving years was buttermilk and that’s what he asked for following the second of his three wins. Three years later, on the occasion of his third 500-Mile victory, he was photographed drinking milk in Victory Lane. Several years after that, the Bottle of Milk became a permanent part of the post-race celebration when Anton “Tony” Hulman decided that milk was a wholesome and appropriate beverage for Victory Lane festivities. For those who may be wondering what the winning driver drinks, it’s no longer buttermilk. Today, it’s delicious, nutrient rich, ice-cold milk served in a glass quart bottle. The American Dairy Association of Indiana and its Indiana dairy farm families are responsible for ensuring that the Victory Circle tradition endures and prospers. In fact, Sports Illustrated magazine has recognized the bottle of milk given annually to the winner of the Indianapolis 500 as No. 1 among the "sports world's coolest prizes."

Ready to Race

Posted on May 16, 2011 by crisgoode

By Mary Nicholson

It’s May! The month to celebrate in Indianapolis! Checked flags will soon be decorating mailboxes, flagpoles, gas stations, and grocery stores. I can hardly wait! I never dreamed I would become a “track rat”, but in my twelve years of living in Indiana, I certainly have.

It helps that I work for the American Dairy Association of Indiana, sponsors of that famous “Drink of Milk in Victory Circle”. Being involved with a tradition like that certainly plays a part in my interest in the race. There’s just something special about the track. After moving here in 1998, I was amazed the first time we drove by it. Having seen the race on TV, I never imagined how large the whole IMS grounds are. I was equally surprised to see that there are regular homes, churches and schools so close to it. When you drive by the track at nighttime – not during Indy 500 or Brickyard festivities – it is so quiet and dark and a little foreboding. Quite the opposite is true during daylight hours, and especially when it’s getting close to a Race Day. It’s one of the best places to be!

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