Overview
- The American Dairy Association Indiana released a drivers’ poll on Tuesday showing 25 of the 33 entrants chose whole milk, seven chose 2 percent, and one driver chose skim.
- Romain Grosjean was the lone driver to request skim for Victory Lane while the majority pick keeps whole milk as the dominant choice.
- Drivers submit their milk preference ahead of the race from options that include whole, 2 percent, skim, or no preference with lactose-free available on request so the correct bottles are staged if they win.
- Ceremony plans include two Indiana dairy farmers handing bottles in Victory Lane and the rookie cow-milking pageant; the American Dairy Association provides a monetary reward and publicity tied to the ritual.
- The milk ritual traces to Louis Meyer’s buttermilk in the 1930s and was formally revived by dairy executives in 1956, turning a photo-op into an organized promotional tradition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.