Indy 500 Victory Tradition: Celebrating with Chilled Milk

Indy 500 Victory Tradition: Celebrating with Chilled Milk

After winning the Indianapolis 500, the tradition is to celebrate with a bottle of chilled milk. The American Dairy Association Indiana provides the milk to the winner, who then takes a few sips, poses for photos, and pours the milk in celebration. The association polls the drivers before the race to determine their milk preferences, which include whole, 2 percent, skim, chocolate, strawberry, or buttermilk. Whole milk has been the popular choice among drivers, with 25 out of 33 drivers requesting it for the 2026 Indy 500.

The tradition of celebrating an Indy 500 victory with milk dates back to 1936 when Louis Meyer, a fan of buttermilk, drank it after winning his third Indy 500. A dairy industry executive saw this and requested that milk be provided to the winner of each Indianapolis 500 thereafter. While not every winner drank milk immediately after Meyer's moment, the tradition of celebrating with milk returned in 1956 and has been an annual tradition since then.

The 2026 Indy 500 is scheduled for Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX, with pre-race coverage starting at 10 a.m. ET. Both the race and pre-race show will be available for streaming on FOX One. Celebrate the victor's tradition with a bottle of milk after the race!