(NewsNation) — After Louis Meyer won the 1936 Indianapolis 500 on a particularly warm day, he asked his mom for buttermilk to quench his thirst. Now, the “Winners Drink Milk” is one of the most beloved tradition at the Indy 500.
Since its conception, the drinking of milk has evolved into a ceremonial tradition where a veteran milk presenter and rookie milk presenter hand off a jug of milk to the winner of the race.
This year’s veteran milk presenter Alex Neuenschwander joined “Morning in America” to share how he got the honored role and what it means to him, saying he was picked for the part by his fellow dairy farmers.
“I’m really excited about this. Just the hard work that I do every day as a dairy farmer, to take this into victory circle. I’m really excited,” Neuenschwander said.
While the tradition began with a glass of buttermilk, Neuenschwander says in the modern day, only whole milk and 2% are offered.
“Whole milk is the most popular. Out of the 33 drivers, 26 of them chose whole milk,” Neuenschwander explained. “We have a cooler with each kind in it and whoever wins, we’re gonna make sure that what they chose is what we bring up to them.”
The start of the Indianapolis 500 was delayed as a strong storm pushed through the area Sunday, forcing Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials to evacuate about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
It was unclear how long the delay would last, but speedway president J. Douglas Boles said the hope was for a window after the initial band of rain that would allow enough time to dry the track and complete at least 101 laps, making the race official.
