The milk preference for every 2025 Indy 500 starter

SPEEDWAY, IND. — A tradition now nearly 90 years in the making continues in 2025 as every starter in the Indianapolis 500 has provided their milk preference.

This year, 28 drivers chose whole milk while five drivers chose 2% milk:

1. Takuma Sato (starts second)
2. Helio Castroneves (starts 22nd)
3. Graham Rahal (starts 28th)
   • Sato, Castroneves and Rahal also chose 2% milk last year
     • Sato and Castroneves also chose 2% in 2023
4. Conor Daly (starts 11th)
5. Alexander Rossi (starts 12th)

Last year, 26 drivers chose whole milk, including Rossi and Daly. Only two drivers didn’t choose either whole or 2% milk last year. Christian Lundgaard and Christian Rasmussen chose skim milk but each chose whole milk this year.

The tradition began in 1936 when Louis Meyer drank buttermilk in victory lane after his mother advised him that it might feel refreshing on a hot day. Indiana dairy executives caught wind of this and took over the annual tradition in 1956.

The tradition has only been broken a couple of times – most notably by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1993.

Fittipaldi, an orange grower in Brazil, drank orange juice in victory lane to promote the citrus industry. Backlash ensued from fans and officials, who forced him to forfeit $5,000 of his prize money and publicly apologize to the American Dairy Association.

Six of the last 11 Indy 500s were won by a driver preferring 2% milk – while four of the last 11 were won by a driver preferring whole milk.

The 2018 Indy 500, won by Will Power, is the only 500 of the last 11 where the winner didn’t have a preference. That was only one of 12 times when a driver didn’t have a preference since 2013.