As reported by Sbnation.com, the practice of the Indianapolis 500 winner sipping a bottle of milk began when Louis Meyer won the 1933 race and asked for buttermilk following the nearly five-hour event. That was what Meyer's mother had always told him to drink as a boy growing up when he was thirsty, track historian Donald Davidson told SB Nation.
Three years later when Meyer again won the race he repeated his request, this time receiving the buttermilk in a glass bottle. A dairy executive for the Milk Foundation saw footage of Meyer drinking milk and realized the marketing potential. Henceforth, every winner from 1938 to 1941 sipped milk, as did the 1946 victor.
In latest buzz, a new era for the Indianapolis 500 arrived in the form of a most unfamiliar driver. An American, no less.
Alexander Rossi outlasted his faster rivals - and his fuel tank - for a stunning victory Sunday in the historic 100th running of "The Greatest Spectacle In Racing." The unlikely win allowed the long-suffering Andretti family to celebrate in the biggest race of their storied careers and it left the top drivers in the field fuming over Rossi's good fortune. Read more at CNBC.