Like Milk and Race Cars, Some Things Are Better Together
It’s time for California Ag Today. On the Ag Information Network, I am Haylie Shipp.
We talked yesterday about a first-of-its-kind effort to bring agriculture to the Sonoma Raceway with a “Farm to Finish Line” event. And while it’s fun and new for Sonoma Raceway, a piece of property that was once a dairy, the relationship of dairy and racing doesn’t stop there. Maybe you’ve heard of a little place called Indianapolis?
The 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 just happened on Sunday – and one of the traditions it’s known for includes handing an ice-cold glass bottle of milk to the winning driver. Donald Davidson, Historian Emeritus with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, says that tradition first started nearly 90 years ago…
“Louis Meyer, who ended up winning the race three times, regularly drank buttermilk. That's what he drank on a hot day. He used to say that the tradition started in 1933. Well, he may have drunk milk in ’33, but we have no photographic record of that. We do know Louis Meyer wins again in 1936 and then he’s given this bottle of buttermilk and it was photographed. Apparently, some executive in the in the milk industry saw that and thought, ‘you know, what great publicity!’”
Every year before the race, each of the drivers are asked about their preference of whole milk, two-percent or fat-free milk should they win. One of each is chilled and ready to pull out and hand to the winning driver.
