Indy 500® Milk Tradition
“Winners Drink Milk” is considered one of the most beloved phrases and traditions in Indiana and all of sports.
The tradition started at the Indianapolis 500® by driver Louis Meyer simply requesting buttermilk to quench his thirst after the 1936 race. The Drink of Milk has since evolved from a thirst satisfying beverage to a ceremonial hand-off with an Indiana dairy farmer giving the iconic, glass bottle of milk to the winner with over 250,000 people watching in-person and more worldwide.
Each year, two Indiana dairy farmers carry out the “Winners Drink Milk” tradition in the Victory Circle of the Indianapolis 500®. The dairy farmers represent their colleagues’ hard and dedicated work to bring the nutritious drink to so many. A ‘Rookie’ is selected each year, who spends the first year “training,” and delivers bottles of milk to the winning Chief Mechanic and the winning Team Owner. The following year the Rookie becomes the official Milk Person and is given the honor of handing the ice-cold bottle of milk to the winning driver of the Indy 500®.
The drivers are asked for their milk preferences before the race: fat-free, 2% or whole milk. Whole milk is the most popular choice by the drivers.
Want to bring the Milk
tradition to your festivities?
Apply for a Winners Drink Milk® Kit and share with us how
it can be shared at your event.
Meet your 2025 indy
500® milk Presenters
In 2025, Abbie Herr will serve as the Veteran Milk Presenter. Abbie will deliver ice cold milk to this year’s winning driver. Ashley Stockwell will serve as the Rookie Milk Presenter, delivering milk to this year’s winning team owner and chief mechanic.
Watch for Abbie and Ashley on race day on Victory Podium.
Abbie Herr
2025 Veteran Milk Presenter
Ashley Stockwell
2025 Rookie Milk Presenter
Meet past milk
Presenters
Alex Neuenschwander
2024 Milk Man
Kerry Estes
2023 Milk Man
Tim Haynes
2022 Milk Man
Jill Houin
2020 Milk Woman
ANDREW KUEHNERT
2019 Milk Man
Kim Minich
2018 Milk Woman
Joe Kelsay
2017 Milk Man
Janet Dague
2016 Milk Woman
Alan Wright
2015 Milk Man
Ken Hoeing
2014 Milk Man
Duane Hill
2013 Milk Man
Dave Forgey
2012 Milk Man
Richard Thomas
2011 Milk Man
Franklin Weaver
2010 Milk Man
Sam Schwoeppe
2009 Milk Man
Anita Schmitt
2008 Milk Man
Merrill Kelsay
2007 Milk Man
Steve Phares
2006 Milk Man
Paul Mills
2005 Milk Man
Don Gurtner
2004 Milk Man
LEARN MORE ABOUT INDY 500® TRADITIONS
If you haven’t spent time in Indiana during Memorial Day weekend, you may not know that the Indianapolis 500® is celebrated far and wide throughout the Hoosier state and how important the tradition of the drink of milk by the winning driver at the end of the race is (also dubbed the “Sport World’s Coolest Prize” by Sports Illustrated).
The milk tradition began with a simple request. When Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner, won his second Indy 500® in 1933, he asked for a cold glass of buttermilk to quench his thirst. Yes, buttermilk. Three years later, Louis repeated the win and was photographed drinking his buttermilk. For the next two decades, the Milk Foundation presented milk to race winners off and on. But in 1956, Tony Hulman made the Bottle of Milk a permanent part of the Victory Lane (now Circle) celebration.
Today American Dairy Association Indiana has the honor in helping to provide the milk that gets handed to the winning driver. Each year, an Indiana dairy farmer is selected to be the person who gets to hand over the bottle of ice cold milk to the winning driver. This is a two year commitment with the first year being a “rookie” year, and the second year being a “veteran” year. The rookie hands a bottle of milk to the winning driver’s chief mechanic and team owner; the veteran hands a bottle of milk to the winning driver.
The drivers are polled before to the race for their milk preference in the event they are the winner. The choices are between skim, 2% or whole. While buttermilk isn’t an option today, it's still talked about with the drivers! Proving how strong and meaningful the traditions are at the Indy 500®!
