The Memorial Day holiday weekend couldn’t have been better than the 3 hours of pure adrenaline rush!
The Indy 500 kicked off at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a suburban enclave in Indiana.
The 500 miles of zooming cars assemble around 300,000 people to witness “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – one of the most-attended single-day sporting events in the world.
While 33 cars swerve through the 2.5-mile oval track, people wait for the checkered flag with bated breath. But the highlight of the race beings after the race ends; the crowd is excited about a strange tradition– what could it be?
Why Do They Drink Milk at the Indy 500?
It all begins with a mother’s concern for her child. In 1936, Louis Meyer, the hall of fame race car driver and three-time Indy 500 winner, went on to create a dairy history. On his final victory celebration, he drank a bottle of milk as his mother told him, “It would refresh him on a hot day.” Who knew a sweet tribute to his mother would become a decade-wide tradition?
This tradition did pause in 1993 when Emerson Fittipaldi won the Indy 500. He wanted to honor his orange grove in Brazil, so he decided to opt for orange juice instead. It did not go well with the crowd, but the winner deserves to celebrate his own way.
However, the tradition continued after that, with the American Dairy Association Indiana responsible for delivering “the honorary bottle of milk” every Indy 500. To keep things more fun, they even conduct an annual poll for all the racers for their milk preference: either Whole, 2% or Fat-free.
It is quite enjoyable to see a flood of milk poured on the winner than the usual Champagne-spraying.
Who Won The Indy 500 in 2023?
This year’s Indy 500 was nothing short of a high-octane video game like Rocket League. While the race pulled in hundreds of thousands of spectators, no one could have imagined a tire straight-up flying away in the middle of a lap.
With a couple of car crashes, multiple red flags, and a nail-biting last lap of the 107th epic race, the crowd was shooketh at the unexpected win.
The two-time Indy 500 winner in 2017 and 2019 achieved his hat-trick with the 2023 Indy win. The 32-year-old racer rushed to the crowd, dedicating his win to them. This gesture also won people’s hearts with his down-to-earth personality.
Joesph’s wife stood proud as his pillar of strength, watching her husband make an epic comeback.
And for the main event, Joseph took upon the tradition with a grinning smile and beaming gratefulness.
He expressed his much-deserved win: “I just felt like everyone kept asking me why I haven’t won this race. And, you know, they look at you like you’re a failure if you don’t win it, and I wanted to win it so bad.”
“I was emotional the whole last 10 laps because we were I knew we were in a position to fight for this win at the end. And I knew it wasn’t gonna be easy. … But I can tell you, we’re gonna enjoy it tonight. It’s gonna be amazing when we get to celebrate.”
How Much Does the Indy 500 Winner Get?
Total Pool: Estimated $16 million (factoring in final position, no.of laps completed, leading no.of laps, sponsorship income, etc.)
| Winner | Estimated $3 million. Last year winner received $3.1 million |
| Second position | Around $1.1-.1.6 million |
| Rookie award | Gets a bonus of $50000 on top of the racer’s pay |
How Many Laps Is the Indy 500? How Fast Do Indy Cars Go?
The 500-mile race accounts for almost 200 laps. This year, the average speed clocked in at 234 mph. There were several milestones in the race, including:
- Alex Palou’s fastest pole-winning average speed of 234.217 mph.
- A 234.180 mph average for the fastest front row.
- The fastest overall field at a 232.184 mph average.
What are your thoughts on this year’s Indy-500? Who were you rooting for in the race?
What do you think about the milk tradition? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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