Whole, 2% or skim — but no buttermilk!: Why does the Indianapolis 500 winner drink milk?

Here is everything you need to know about why the Indianapolis 500 winner drinks milk:

Why does the Indy 500 winner drink milk?

The tradition started in 1936 when Louis Meyer drank buttermilk in Victory Lane because his mother said it would refresh him on a hot day, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A dairy industry executive saw a marketing opportunity and milk has been part of every race since 1956.

Why can't Indy 500 winners drink buttermilk now?

Drivers Ed Carpenter and Felix Rosenqvist requested buttermilk on the American Dairy Association Indiana survey but will have to settle for whole milk.

In 2019, Brooke Williams, director of communication for the American Dairy Association Indiana, told IndyStar the organization hasn't offered buttermilk as an option since the poll was started in the mid-90s because it's not the drink it was in 1936.

Meyer was drinking milk that was left over from the butter his mother made, according to Williams. That buttermilk was refreshing, rich and creamy. But it no longer exists because dairy products are produced at large plants and the old-fashioned buttermilk is highly perishable.

Modern buttermilk is regular milk with a culture (and sometimes salt for flavor) added to it and, while you can drink it, it has a sour taste and is more often used in cooking.

"(If) we see a driver drink a full glass of buttermilk before the race," Williams said in 2019, "we'll give them some special (consideration). For now, we're keeping it to the three options [of whole, 2% and skim]."

Who delivers the milk to the winning driver?

The Veteran Milk Person. Yes, according to a USA Today story, that's the official title.

This year it's Tim Haynes, a 62-year-old dairy farmer from Garrett, Indiana, who runs Superior Dairy. The position is a three-year commitment, first as the Rookie-elect, then Rookie Milk Person, who hands milk to the winning team owner and chief mechanic, and, finally, the Veteran Milk Person.

"The thing they joke about, dare I say, is, 'Don't drop the milk,'" Haynes told USA Today.

Here is the list of milk for the 2022 Indianapolis 500 drivers

Twenty-six of the 33 drivers said they wanted whole milk, 6 want 2% and Juan Pablo Montoya listed no preference. Defending champ Helio Castroneves added, "Pink powder please," to match his car. In addition to Carpenter and Rosenqvist, Montoya, Graham Rahal, Devlin DeFrancesco and Colton Herta requested chocolate milk, which is also not offered.

Marco Andretti: whole

Ed Carpenter: whole

Helio Castroneves: 2%

Conor Daly: whole

Devlin DeFrancesco: whole

Scott Dixon: whole

Marcus Ericsson: whole

Santino Ferrucci: whole

Romain Grosjean: whole

Jack Harvey: whole

Colton Herta: whole

JR Hildebrand: whole

Callum Ilott: 2%

Jimmie Johnson: whole

Tony Kanaan: 2%

Sage Karam: 2%

Dalton Kellett: whole

Kyle Kirkwood: whole

Christian Lundgaard: whole

David Malukas: 2%

Scott McLaughlin: whole

Juan Pablo Montoya: No preference

Josef Newgarden: whole

Pato O'Ward: whole

Simon Pagenaud: whole

Alex Palou: whole

Will Power: whole

Graham Rahal: whole

Felix Rosenqvist: whole

Alexander Rossi: whole

Takuma Sato: 2%

Rinus VeeKay: whole

Stefan Wilson: whole

Contact IndyStar Deputy Sports Editor Nat Newell at (317) 444-6182 or nat.newell@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NatJNewell.