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The winner of the Indy 500 drinking milk in the Victory Lane is the most famous tradition at the Indy 500. But it’s just one of many that make the 500-mile event stand out as more than just a race. Known as “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” the Indy 500 has been held every year since 1911, and over time, several unique traditions have become an important part of the event.
Almost the entire month of May is dedicated to the traditions that slowly build up to the race day, which falls on the Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend. These traditions make the event special for the fans and drivers, as they have developed over more than 100 years. Here's everything you need to know about five fascinating Indy 500 traditions.
#5 The 500 Festival Parade held before the Indy 500
The 500 Festival Parade is an event held annually on the Saturday before the Indianapolis 500. Established in 1957, the parade was created to celebrate the city's connection to the race and has since become one of the largest parades in the United States.
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Each year, it draws over 200,000 spectators to downtown Indianapolis, featuring colorful floats, balloons, marching bands, celebrities, and the 33 Indy 500 drivers who will compete the next day. The parade begins at 11:45 a.m. and officially kicks off at noon. For those unable to attend in person, the event is broadcast live on local television and streamed online.
The 500 Festival Parade is organized by the 500 Festival, a nonprofit organization founded in 1957 to coordinate civic events leading up to the Indianapolis 500. Over the years, the parade has featured various grand marshals, often celebrities with ties to Indiana or notable sports figures.
#4 Indy 500’s Last Row Party
The Last Row Party is a long-standing tradition of the Indianapolis 500, organized by the Indianapolis Press Club Foundation (IPCF) since 1972. Held on the Thursday evening before the race at the Hulman Terrace Club inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this event honors the three drivers who qualify in the last row, positions 31, 32, and 33, of the Indy 500 starting grid.
While the event playfully roasts the final qualifiers, it also serves a charitable purpose. Proceeds from the Last Row Party fund journalism scholarships for Indiana college students. Each year, three scholarships are awarded in the categories of deadline news, feature writing, and sports reporting.
The drivers honored at the Last Row Party are often newcomers or those who faced challenges during qualifying. Despite starting at the back, many have gone on to achieve significant success in their careers. Notable participants have included former Indy 500 winners like Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Fans attending the event enjoy food, drinks, and the opportunity to interact with drivers. Specially designed T-shirts commemorating the year's last-row drivers are available for purchase, adding to the festive atmosphere.
#3 The Indianapolis 500 always falls on Memorial Day weekend
In 1910, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted races on Memorial Day (then known as Decoration Day), the Fourth of July, and Labor Day. Among these, the Memorial Day event attracted the largest crowds. Recognizing this, organizers decided to focus on a single, significant race. Thus, in 1911, the inaugural Indianapolis 500 was scheduled for May 30, aligning with Decoration Day, which was a fixed holiday at the time.
The timing also coincided with a lull in the agricultural calendar making it an opportune moment for local farmers to attend the race. However, in 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted Memorial Day from a fixed date to the last Monday in May, creating a three-day weekend.
Initially, the race was held on the Saturday of this weekend in 1971 and 1972. However, feedback indicated that Saturdays were inconvenient for many spectators who worked that day. In response, the race was scheduled for Monday in 1973. Since 1974, the Indianapolis 500 has been consistently held on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. This scheduling allows for a full day of racing activities, with Monday serving as a contingency in case of weather-related delays.
Holding the race on Memorial Day weekend has also deepened its cultural resonance. The event incorporates tributes to military service members, including performances of "Taps" and military flyovers. These elements honor the holiday's purpose of remembering those who have died in military service.
#2 The Indy 500 winner kissing the bricks
One of the most cherished traditions at the Indianapolis 500 sees the winning driver and their team kneel at the start/finish line to kiss a strip of bricks known as the "Yard of Bricks." This act honors the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was originally paved with bricks in 1909. Over time, asphalt replaced most of the bricks, but a one-yard strip remains at the start/finish line as a tribute to the track's origins.
Interestingly, the origin of this tradition is credited to NASCAR. The practice of kissing the bricks began in 1996 when NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett and his crew chief, Todd Parrott, celebrated their Brickyard 400 victory by kneeling and kissing the Yard of Bricks. This act of kissing the bricks resonated with the fans and it was eventually embraced by the IndyCar community in the early 2000s.
Gil de Ferran is believed to be the first Indianapolis 500 winner to kiss the bricks in 2003. Since then, it has become a standard part of the victory celebrations at the Indy 500.
#1 Winner of The Greatest Spectacle in Racing drinks milk
This is also among the most celebrated traditions at the Indy 500. The race winner traditionally drinks a bottle of milk in Victory Lane. This custom began in 1936 when Louis Meyer, after winning his third Indy 500, drank buttermilk to refresh himself on a hot day. A photographer captured this moment, and a dairy industry executive, seeing the opportunity, promoted milk as the celebratory drink for future winners.
The tradition paused from 1947 to 1955, during which winners received water in a silver cup engraved with "Water from Wilbur," named after Wilbur Shaw, a three-time winner and then-president of the Speedway. In 1956, the dairy industry reinstated the milk tradition by offering a cash bonus to winners who drank milk in Victory Lane. Since then, milk has been a staple of the Indy 500 celebrations. Each year, drivers indicate their milk preference, whole, 2%, or fat-free, before the race.
The American Dairy Association of Indiana ensures the chosen milk is ready for the winner. The tradition is taken seriously by fans and participants alike. In 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi chose to drink orange juice instead of milk to promote his citrus business, leading to boos from fans and a formal apology from Fittipaldi.
Today, the milk-drinking ceremony remains a cherished part of the Indianapolis 500, it's a symbol of victory and also connects the modern-day drivers to the Indy 500's rich history.
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