Tag: Helio Castroneves

NASCAR’s 2025 rule changes have a range of knock-on effects

Helio Castroneves will be in the Daytona 500 field through the new Open Exemption Provisional in the NASCAR Rule Book. NASCAR announced the rule Friday, explaining that it’s similar to a promoter’s provisional used in short track and dirt racing. It …

Helio Castroneves will be in the Daytona 500 field through the new Open Exemption Provisional in the NASCAR Rule Book.

NASCAR announced the rule Friday, explaining that it’s similar to a promoter’s provisional used in short track and dirt racing. It means that a world class driver of another racing discipline, in this case Castroneves, has a guaranteed starting position in a Cup Series race.

Castroneves will be entered in a fourth Trackhouse Racing car under the Project 91 banner. NASCAR will add a 41st driver into the starting field when a team is granted an Open Exemption Provisional, which means Castroneves will be in the field either having made it through traditional means (speed or a Duel race) or using the provisional.

NASCAR would recognize a race win by a team using an Open Exemption Provisional and it would give them All-Star Race eligibility. However, there are certain things the driver and car owner are not eligible for if they make the race using the provisional:

• Race points

• Postseason eligibility

• Prize money

• Any tiebreaker benefit of finishing position.

In other words, if Castroneves and Trackhouse Racing win the Daytona 500, they would be recognized as winners. Castroneves would then be one of three drivers who have won both the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500. He would also be eligible to compete in the All-Star Race, but that’s where the rewards stop.

The second-place finisher would receive first place points. However, they will not receive the benefits of the win such as playoff points and postseason eligibility.

NASCAR will consider each Open Exemption Provisional on a case-by-case basis. Castroneves is the latest highly regarded motorsports talent who will compete in a NASCAR race after Shane van Gisbergen burst onto the scene in 2023 by winning in his debut with Trackhouse Racing. Jenson Button made Cup Series starts over the last few seasons as has Kimi Raikkonen, Brodie Kostecki, Mike Rockenfeller and Kamui Kobayashi.

The addition of an Open Exemption Provisional was an unexpected move when announced. Other updates to the Rule Book came in the same release.

OEM penalties

NASCAR formally added language in order to penalize its manufacturers when deemed necessary. In the fallout from the fall Martinsville Speedway race in which several teams (Trackhouse Racing, 23XI Racing, and Richard Childress Racing) were penalized for manipulating the finish of the race to help teammates, NASCAR admitted there were no rules in place to penalize manufacturers but it would be addressed during the offseason.

Penalties can include the loss of manufacturer points, wind tunnel hours, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) runs.

Playoff waivers

NASCAR senior vice president of competition, Elton Sawyer, initially said in June there was nothing to be done at the moment to change the playoff waiver process. His comments were made after NASCAR granted Kyle Larson a playoff waiver when he missed the Coca-Cola 600 after opting to stay in Indianapolis to compete in the Indy 500. Sawyer, however, did admit another look will be taken after the season was over.

That has now happened. The wording was updated to read that all drivers and team owners must start and attempt to compete in all races to be postseason eligible. NASCAR then went on to clarify that:

• “If a driver does not start and attempt to complete a Race and wishes to remain eligible for the Playoffs, that driver must request a Playoff waiver via the Playoff Waiver Request. If a Playoff waiver is granted for anything other than a medical reason or age restriction, the driver will forfeit all current and future Playoff Points earned prior to the start of the Playoffs. NASCAR’s decision to grant or decline a Playoff waiver request and subsequent loss of Playoff Points is final and non-appealable.”

• The driver would start the postseason with a maximum of 2,000 points.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]

Larson, as an example, would not have been a medical reason. Those would fall under a driver’s medical reason as to why they could not compete (injury or otherwise), the birth of a child, family emergency and other such events NASCAR will consider.

A driver being suspended and requesting a playoff waiver would also be non-medical. It eliminates the optics of a driver getting off lightly when suspended for an on or off-track incident as they are then granted a playoff waiver to remain eligible for the postseason. Going forward, if a driver were suspended – take Chase Elliott for hooking Denny Hamlin in 2023 – they could receive the playoff waiver to remain eligible for the postseason but Eliott would have had to forfeit his playoff points.

The age restriction would mostly impact drivers in the Craftsman Truck Series. A driver needs to be 18 years old to run full-time (having approval on racetracks). A driver can apply for the playoff waiver – as we’ve seen in the past — if they have a full-time ride but cannot start the season at Daytona or other such facilities.

Damaged Vehicle Policy

NASCAR was criticized more than once in 2024 over the DVP policy eliminating drivers from a race. The consensus in the garage was that teams wanted to be in control of their fate and not have NASCAR determine if they are out of the event or if they get towed back to the garage. There was controversy over who was towed or not towed at Talladega Superspeedway after a big crash in the Cup Series race.

The new policy is more straightforward. It all but eliminates the seven-minute time constraint on a team to fix a car. They can now work on their cars and return to the race if they see fit. The breakdown is this:

• A driver can drive or be towed back to the garage if they are on the DVP.

• There will be a seven-minute clock (eight minutes at Atlanta) if the team works on the car on pit road.

• There is no clock for teams working on the car in the garage.

• If a driver leaves their pit stall and the clock expires prior to making it to pit road exit, a penalty will be issued.

• Any vehicles who cannot drive to pit road because of damage or flat tires will be towed to the garage.

NASCAR has long maintained the DVP was to eliminate additional cautions if repaired cars shed parts and pieces. But the continued criticism and at times confusion over the rule, warranted a change. It puts decisions and responsibility back onto the teams.

Castroneves lands Trackhouse’s Project 91 entry for Daytona 500

The long-awaited and highly anticipated NASCAR debut of Helio Castroneves will take place next month at Daytona International Speedway. Trackhouse Racing announced Monday it will field a car for Castroneves to attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 …

The long-awaited and highly anticipated NASCAR debut of Helio Castroneves will take place next month at Daytona International Speedway.

Trackhouse Racing announced Monday it will field a car for Castroneves to attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 16. The entry, Project 91, will be a fourth car for Castroneves that will need to earn a spot in the 40-car field either through his single-car qualifying speed or from The Duel qualifying race. Castroneves will be teammates with Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez.

“Helio is one of the greatest drivers of all time and exactly the type of driver we want to bring to NASCAR,” Justin Marks said. “I think race fans around the world will be excited to see Helio in NASCAR’s most prestigious race. It also exposes our sport to a global audience and allows them to see just how great of a series we have in NASCAR.”

Darian Grubb will serve as the crew chief for Castroneves. Wendy’s will be the sponsor of the car.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would enter a NASCAR race and certainly not the Daytona 500 with a team like Trackhouse Racing,” Castroneves said. “This is an opportunity that nobody in their right mind could ever turn down. I am so thankful to Wendy’s for allowing me to wear their uniform and drive their car, Justin Marks and everyone that made this happen. I wish the race were tomorrow.”

Project 91 debuted in 2022 with Kimi Raikkonen at Watkins Glen. Van Gisbergen made his debut in the car in 2023, winning on the streets of Chicago.

Castroneves, 49, is a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner who has spent decades competing in open-wheel racing. He has 30 career victories and was runner-up in the IndyCar Series championship four times.

Additionally, Castroneves is a three-time winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Castroneves also competed in the IROC Series (2002-2005) as well as in Supercars and Brazil’s stock car series.

“I know how much of a challenge this is going to be, but I also know the type of people and team Trackhouse Racing will bring to the effort,” Castroneves said. “I can’t wait to get to the Trackhouse race shop in North Carolina to meet everyone and prepare for Daytona. There is so much I must learn and I’m ready to get started.”

Castroneves will look to follow Mario Andretti and A.J. Foyt as drivers who have won both the Indianapolis 500 and Daytona 500.

 

MSR parks Blomqvist, Castroneves in for Detroit and Road America

Meyer Shank Racing has parked Tom Blomqvist (pictured above), whose rookie campaign in the No. 66 Honda has been an escalating disappointment. MSR’s Helio Castroneves will replace Blomqvist for at least the next two NTT IndyCar Series races starting …

Meyer Shank Racing has parked Tom Blomqvist (pictured above), whose rookie campaign in the No. 66 Honda has been an escalating disappointment. MSR’s Helio Castroneves will replace Blomqvist for at least the next two NTT IndyCar Series races starting with Sunday’s race at Detroit and the following weekend’s race at Road America.

“Making this decision was by far the hardest one we have had to make,” said MSR co-owner, Mike Shank. “Tom is 100% still a part of the MSR family and will remain a part of the team for the rest of the season. The decision was not made lightly and after much discussion with Tom, and with back-to-back races coming up, we have decided to have Helio drive in Detroit and at Road America.”

The call to pull Blomqvist from the seat comes after an encouraging run to 15th at St. Petersburg was followed by a 22nd at Long Beach, a 19th at Barber, a 23rd at the Indy GP, and an early crash and 31st-place finish on Sunday at the Indy 500.

“It is fair to say that the last couple of days have been some of the hardest in my career,” said Blomqvist. “Everyone who knows me knows how much I love being a part of the MSR family and together we have enjoyed some amazing successes and victories. I am looking forward to remaining part of the MSR family and contributing to the MSR vision as we chase down further successes in the future.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1408]

It’s unclear if Blomqvist will return to the seat afterwards, but he is known to be signed to a multi-year deal and MSR is expected to return to IMSA where Blomqvist won the 2022 DPi championship for the team. Returning to lead an MSR Acura IMSA GTP program would be a natural solution for both sides in 2025.

If the Indy 500 was Blomqvist’s last IndyCar race for the team, Shank and co-owner Jim Meyer have a limited number of options to pursue among veterans to keep the No. 66 Honda in motion until the season finale.

If the semi-retired Castroneves doesn’t stay in the car, recent Arrow McLaren stand-in Callum Ilott could be a possibility, although he does have a number of FIA World Endurance Championship conflicts to consider. Conor Daly subbed for the injured Simon Pagenaud at MSR last year, and then there’s David Malukas, whose pre-season injury prevented him from racing for Arrow McLaren before he was cut by the team.

With his proven skills on ovals, Malukas could be a fascinating proposition for MSR once his hand and wrist have healed.

At present, MSR’s No. 66 Honda sits 24th in the entrants’ championship. Only the top 22 entries in the final standings are eligible to receive $1 million Leaders Circle contracts from Penske Entertainment. Moving the No. 66 into the top 22 would be MSR’s immediate priority with whomever is nominated to drive the car.

Blomqvist gets full-time MSR IndyCar drive for 2024 as Castroneves goes Indy 500-only

Helio Castroneves will transition from his role as a full-time NTT IndyCar Series driver for Meyer Shank Racing into a new ambassadorial position for MSR that includes an ownership stake in the team and a seat in a third MSR entry at the 2024 and …

Helio Castroneves will transition from his role as a full-time NTT IndyCar Series driver for Meyer Shank Racing into a new ambassadorial position for MSR that includes an ownership stake in the team and a seat in a third MSR entry at the 2024 and 2025 Indianapolis 500s.

With his four Indy 500 wins, including his triumph at the Speedway for MSR in 2021, the Brazilian will complete the year in the No. 06 Honda before handing the reins to MSR’s defending IMSA prototype champion Tom Blomqvist (pictured above), who becomes the team’s first confirmed driver for the 2024 season.

For the 48-year-old Castroneves, the transition will complete a full-time IndyCar career that began in the former CART IndyCar Series in 1998 with the Bettenhausen Racing team. His open-wheel stardom took flight after joining Team Penske in 2000 where he became a perennial title contender and win dozens of races and poles along with three Indy 500s. A detour to sports car racing with Penske delivered his first major championship in 2020 in IMSA’s DPi class in a factory Acura ARX-05 prototype, but a rebirth in IndyCar was not offered.

A chance to continue in IndyCar with MSR in 2021 produced the team’s maiden win in the series at the biggest event of all and elevated Castroneves to the exclusive four-time Indy winner’s club. His full-time status was regained in 2022 alongside fellow former Penske driver Simon Pagenaud where he’s delivered four top-10 finishes in the No. 06 car.

“I want to thank Mike, Jim and Liberty for accepting me as part of the ownership group,” said Castroneves (pictured above). “Throughout my career I’ve been very fortunate to surround myself with an amazing group of people and this journey will be my next chapter and I can’t wait for that. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of fuel to burn inside in terms of driving and I will do that at the Indy 500 as I continue my pursuit of the ‘Drive for Five.’”

In Blomqvist, a nice piece of symmetry is found in his elevation to IndyCar where — like Castroneves — it comes on the back of winning the IMSA DPi championship using the same Acura ARX-05 model. The 29-year-old who was born in England and raised in both the UK and New Zealand, has one of the deepest backgrounds of any incoming IndyCar rookie.

The son of Swedish rallying champion Stig Blomqvist was a race-winning standout on the European open-wheel ladder, placing second behind Alpine Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon and ahead of current world champion Max Verstappen in the 2014 FIA Euro Formula 3 series, but was diverted to the German DTM silhouette championship as a factory driver for BMW when opportunities to reach Formula 2 did not materialize.

Blomqvist raced in the FIA World Endurance Championship in LMP2 and GTE-Pro along with FIA Formula E and IMSA’s GT Le Mans category with BMW in the intervening years. A call from Shank leading into 2022 with a stated need of leading MSR’s IMSA DPi program turned into a perfect fit for the team and driver.

With Blomqvist given instructions to attack at all times, two giant wins at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Petit Le Mans — along with five other podiums from 10 races — delivered the 2022 DPi title for the team and Acura with support from co-driver Oliver Jarvis and endurance teammates Castroneves and Pagenaud.

“Firstly I would like to say a huge thank you to Mike and Jim and all the partners — AutoNation, SiriusXM, Arctic Wolf, Clopay and Cleveland-Cliffs — for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” said Blomqvist. “It’s been a good ride the last two years in IMSA, but I’ve been itching to make the step up to IndyCar and this is an opportunity I’m eager and motivated to make the most of. IndyCar is an incredibly competitive series and I’m under no illusions in how difficult this championship can be, but I am extremely motivated to make the most of this exciting new challenge.”

Paired this year with Colin Braun, the two have claimed two more wins and stood on the podium in four of seven rounds. Based on everything he’s seen Blomqvist do in MSR’s wickedly fast Acura DPi and the new hybrid Acura ARX-06 GTP machine, Shank and co-owner Jim Meyer knew Blomqvist was going to be their new IndyCar driver many months ago.

“We are thrilled to bring Tom over to our IndyCar program full-time starting next year, and to be able to keep Helio as a key part of our program moving forward and go for a fifth Indianapolis 500 victory next year,” said Mike Shank. “I feel like all the planets aligned for us to be able to do this, so I’m really grateful for us to be making this next step as a team. Helio brings so much to what we do overall as a team, both in terms of our competition package and all of his experience, as well as how he’s able to engage with our partners. So having him transition to this role is really exciting for everyone involved.”

Blomqvist is scheduled to complete his first oval test immediately after the season finale in Monterey, which would make him eligible for all forms of IndyCar competition in 2024.

IndyCar announces three grid penalties for Indy road race

IndyCar announced a six-position starting grid penalty for three series entries – the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda driven by Helio Castroneves, the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda of David Malukas and the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan …

IndyCar announced a six-position starting grid penalty for three series entries — the No. 06 Meyer Shank Racing Honda driven by Helio Castroneves, the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda of David Malukas and the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda driven by Jack Harvey — for unapproved engine changes following last week’s race at Nashville.

The named teams were in violation of Rule 16.2.3.2: “A fifth Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.”

The specified penalty for violation of this rule is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Purdue backs Castroneves and Kanaan in new SRX partnership

Purdue University has entered a partnership with the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series to introduce its new urban campus in Indianapolis. Coming off the approval to dissolve IUPUI and launch Purdue University in Indianapolis in 2024, with …

Purdue University has entered a partnership with the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) series to introduce its new urban campus in Indianapolis.

Coming off the approval to dissolve IUPUI and launch Purdue University in Indianapolis in 2024, with multiple locations throughout the city and degrees from Purdue University West Lafayette, the iconic Boilermaker gold and black will adorn the race car shared by Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan in this season’s SRX series, which launches Thursday, July 13 and will air weekly on Thursday nights thereafter through Aug. 17, with all races airing live on ESPN.

Purdue has helped launch racing careers for many of its students and graduates with its unique motorsports engineering program. Created in 2008, it is the only accredited undergraduate program in the U.S. and one of three in the world that awards degrees with a concentration in motorsports. Purdue’s motorsports history also extends across its West Lafayette campus, where College of Engineering graduates Matt Kuebel and Mike Koenigs became Indianapolis 500 winners this past May as race engineers for Josef Newgarden and Team Penske, while fellow alumna and Chip Ganassi Racing engineer Angela Ashmore made history as the first female crew member to win the 500 in 2022 with Marcus Ericsson.

“I am very excited to be back at SRX and having Purdue University in Indianapolis on the car and sharing it with my brother T.K. is just perfect,” said Castroneves.

“This is my third year in SRX and I couldn’t be more excited to share the car with my brother Helio and now being sponsored by Purdue University in Indianapolis,” Kanaan said. “As an Indy resident, it’s a big deal. Purdue has long been a part of the Indianapolis 500, so I’m looking forward to carrying their livery during the SRX season.”

Ethan Braden, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Purdue University and Purdue Global, said the university’s deep ties to motorsports and commitment to expanding the university’s academic and research excellence with the launch of Purdue University in Indianapolis makes the SRX partnership with Indy icons Kanaan and Castroneves a natural fit.

“Purdue University is about the persistent pursuit of innovation, and our new urban campus in Indianapolis is one of our next great examples,” Braden said. “We are thrilled to introduce Purdue University in Indianapolis to millions of viewers on ESPN by partnering with the SRX Series. And we couldn’t team up with better symbols of excellence and determination than Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan. Boilermakers worldwide will be cheering them on as they lead Purdue University’s charge on some of America’s most iconic racetracks and into Indianapolis.”

Player Management International, and Doug Barnette, was the agency of record on the deal.

Indy 500 recap with Ferrucci, Hunter-Reay, Ruzewski and Castroneves

The 107th Indianapolis 500 is over and RACER’s Marshall Pruett, third-place finisher Santino Ferrucci, 11th-place Ryan Hunter-Reay, Team Penske race-winning managing director Ron Ruzewski, and 15th-place Helio Castroneves share their stories from …

The 107th Indianapolis 500 is over and RACER’s Marshall Pruett, third-place finisher Santino Ferrucci, 11th-place Ryan Hunter-Reay, Team Penske race-winning managing director Ron Ruzewski, and 15th-place Helio Castroneves share their stories from the Indy 500 captured by Josef Newgarden.

Presented by:

Kanaan sheds a tear over Castroneves salute on final slowdown lap

Tony Kanaan, for whom today’s Indianapolis 500 was the 390th and final race in his IndyCar career, admits he shed a tear when his longtime rival Helio Castroneves saluted him on the slowdown lap. The 2013 Indy 500 winner whose Arrow McLaren …

Tony Kanaan, for whom today’s Indianapolis 500 was the 390th and final race in his IndyCar career, admits he shed a tear when his longtime rival Helio Castroneves saluted him on the slowdown lap.

The 2013 Indy 500 winner whose Arrow McLaren Chevrolet started the race from ninth, finished 16th after a last-lap battle with four-time winner Castroneves. Afterward, Kanaan described himself as “grateful, relieved, happy, sad at the same time. There are so many emotions right now.”

He went on: “I told the guys before we started it was either going to be a win, or anything apart from the win we were going to celebrate regardless.

“I think I would do a disgrace to almost 400,000 people that were there, that made me feel the way they did, to say I’m sad. I had a laugh.

“Helio and I battling for 15th and 16th on the last lap like we’re going for the lead! It was like, who’s playing pranks with us? We went side by side on the backstretch after the checker and we saluted with each other, and I just told him actually I dropped a tear because of that, and he said, ‘I did, too…’

“We started it in ’87, and the last lap of the race we’re actually battling – my last race in IndyCar and we’re battling like it was for the lead. But I wouldn’t have it any different; neither to him.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1408]

He later added: “We were battling on the last lap, the last restart. We went side-by-side twice. A lot of memories came to my mind, and I even said how ironic it is that we started it together and I get to battle him on the last lap of my last race.

“It’s pretty neat. It’s a pretty cool story. He’s a great friend; my reference — a guy that I love and hate a lot throughout my career! And like he just told me, ‘Who am I going to look (at) on the time sheet when I come into the pits now?’ Because we always said that it didn’t matter if I was 22nd and he was 23rd, my day was OK, and vice versa.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool.”

Kanaan said that he was relieved that his 22nd and final Indy 500 was run in front of the race’s biggest crowd since 2016, rather than the empty grandstands seen in 2020 – due to the COVID-19 pandemic – in what was supposed to be his final year.

“One thing is for certain — I think I sat here three years ago and I said I’m not retiring because I don’t want to race in (front of) an empty stand,” he said. “What (the fans) did for me today puts an end of me coming back here. Because that experience right there, I don’t think I will have it ever again.

“In a way, finishing 16th will take everybody’s idea out – ‘Oh, you finished third, you should do it again.’ Kyle Larson is driving that car next year. Hopefully I will be around.”

Meet the true hero of the Indy 500’s bizarre celebratory tradition: The Veteran Milk Man

The Indy 500 winner will be handed a bottle milk afterward. Here’s the story of why — and how it gets there.

The instant Simon Pagenaud felt the ice-cold bottle of milk hit his hand, he raised it high in the air and poured.

As the whole milk flowed over his bright red Firestone hat, Pagenaud lifted his head, allowing the quart to spill over his face. Mouth opened and eyes closed, he enjoyed a few drops as he emptied the bottle on himself. He couldn’t help it; he wanted to soak up every bit of this famous Indianapolis 500 tradition.

“You usually get to spray the champagne when you win a race, and Indy is the only place you get to drink milk,” Pagenaud told For The Win, reflecting back on his 2019 Indy 500 victory. “So I just sprayed the milk all over my face because I just wanted to embrace the moment.

“That’s really when I thought, OK, I’ve joined the club. I can enjoy this just like they did before, but I’m gonna go even further. I’m gonna pour it all over my face just to show how happy I was.”

But while the Indy 500 and its iconic venue, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, can elicit magical feelings, the bottle didn’t just appear in Pagenaud’s hand. It was delivered to him by one of the “milk people.”

Editors note: Clicking this video will not replay the entire race. It begins with the post-race celebration.

Meet the milk man

When the Indy 500-winning driver’s car is ushered into Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane, a myriad of people are there eagerly waiting. But, perhaps, the most important person is holding a bottle of ice-cold milk.

The Veteran Milk Person. Yes, that’s an official title.

For the 2022 Indy 500 on Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC), the Veteran Milk Man is Tim Haynes, a 62-year-old dairy farmer from Garrett, Indiana who runs his family-owned Superior Dairy. As the veteran, he’ll be charged with the all-important task of delivering the celebratory 32-ounce glass bottle to Sunday’s winning driver.

His most crucial responsibility?

“The thing they joke about, dare I say, is ‘Don’t drop the milk,’ ” Haynes said.

Tim Haynes, the 2022 Indy 500 Veteran Milk Man. (American Dairy Association Indiana)

The American Dairy Association Indiana (ADAI) runs the show when it comes to the milk celebration, and their designated “milk people” are dairy farmers who make a three-year commitment to be part of Indy 500 history. After being the Rookie-elect for the first year, the chosen farmer becomes the Rookie Milk Person and inherits the duty of handing a bottle each to the winning team owner and chief mechanic. The following year, they become the Veteran Milk Person.

However, just because Haynes’ top responsibilities are at the end of the 500-mile race doesn’t mean he’ll have a casual and relaxing day. And after being the Rookie Milk Man for Hélio Castroneves’ 2021 Indy 500-winning squad, he knows what to expect.

He and the team of milk people will arrive at the track with the cooler around 6 a.m., surrounded by security — mostly to gain publicity around the milk, an ADAI spokesperson said. One year, the milk arrived in an armored car. Another time, the ADAI hired actors to play bodyguards for the cooler. This year, the milk and milk people will arrive with a police escort, where they’ll likely be greeted by fans wanting to take photos.

The milk people will then take the cooler to a secure location, and when the green flag flies, they’ll get a chance to watch the race. Or, at least, most of it.

“Usually about 15 laps before the end,” Haynes explained, “we head down to the presentation area where we wait for them to bring the winner. … It’s a maze of people. Everybody wants to be there.”

Before the Indy 500, the ADAI polls all the drivers for their milk preferences, should they win. They have three choices: whole milk, two-percent milk or fat-free milk. (Lactose-free milk is a secret fourth option, should any drivers request it.) The majority in recent milk polls requested whole.

Takuma Sato after winning the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2020. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

So when the winner takes the checkered flag, the milk people consult the poll, see the winner’s preference and pull the correct type of milk from the cooler.

“The taste was amazing,” said Takuma Sato, the 2017 and 2020 Indy 500 champion. “It was the best milk I had ever! Of course. It was 2 percent, chilled and felt amazing.”

Nine decades in the making

Although the celebratory bottle of milk is the Indy 500’s most famous long-standing tradition, going back to the 1930s, it’s undeniably a peculiar one. If you’re grossed out by it, take it up with Louis Meyer.

“It’s one of those great Americana events and traditions that really came out of no real pomp and circumstance [or] from some sort of directive,” said Jason Vansickle, vice president of curation and education for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

Meyer was the first three-time Indy 500 champion, and he regularly drank buttermilk throughout his life, as his mother emphasized it when he was growing up. Though Meyer won the 1928 and 1933 Indy 500s, the first documented photo of him downing buttermilk after an Indy 500 win was in 1936, Vansickle explained.

The photo caught the attention of a milk industry executive, who vowed to have milk return to Victory Lane the following year. Little did that person know — with the exception of 1947 to 1955 — the tradition would continue for the next 87 years and counting.

However, every year the milk poll comes around, there are always a few drivers — this year, it’s Ed Carpenter and Felix Rosenqvist — who’d like to keep the milk tradition extra traditional and write in buttermilk, which isn’t an option.

“We just tried to educate them on the buttermilk,” Haynes said. “Buttermilk nowadays is totally different from buttermilk back when they drank it. Buttermilk nowadays is more for baking and stuff. If you ever drank it, it doesn’t taste very good.”

‘Magic’ milk

Ask just about any Indy 500 winner, and they’ll probably tell you how special the milk tradition is. But they’re not necessarily craving the bottle on what’s often a scorching Indiana day after racing at 200 miles an hour all afternoon.

“The milk thing is weird, I’m gonna be honest with you,” said Alexander Rossi, who won the 2016 Indy 500 as a rookie. “But so much of the 500 is about tradition, and it’s about the legacy of that race and what the people did before us. … I think just the sheer magnitude of the event is what’s kept all of these traditions alive for so many years.”

Alexander Rossi after winning the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Even if drivers aren’t big fans of milk or dairy in general, Vansickle said they still appreciate the history behind the milk tradition. It’s akin to another Indy 500 accolade.

Several drivers said they treat their bottles like trophies and have them on display at their homes or offices, some next to their Baby Borgs — the miniature version of the Borg-Warner Trophy the drivers actually get to keep.

One driver, now-four-time Indy 500 winner Castroneves, amended the celebratory milk tradition slightly — and it stuck. After his first victory in 2001, Castroneves became the first driver to take some sips and then dump the bottle on his head, Vansickle said. Not every driver has done this since, he added, but certainly most of them.

“I didn’t know what to do anymore,” Castroneves said looking back. “I took the milk, I chugged it and I’m like, ‘Ahhh, I wanted this so bad and finally got it!’ And then I started pouring [it] down my head.”

Hélio Castroneves after winning the 105th Running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2021. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Of course, the only issue with adding milk to an already sweaty fire suit is the subsequent smell — exacerbated by the drivers often keeping their suits on while they do media for several hours after the checkered flag.

Rossi said he felt “disgusting” after keeping his suit on for more than four hours after the race. Castroneves said the stench is also part of the tradition.

But Pagenaud and Sato, who called it “magic” milk, insist they didn’t smell.

“It was sweet, it was cold and it didn’t smell bad,” Pagenaud said. “The weirdest thing is it didn’t have a big effect on my suit. I didn’t smell bad after. I don’t know. They have special milk, I can tell you that.”

[mm-video type=video id=01f741yqe2wxj3tdtx8v playlist_id=none player_id=01evcfkb10bw5a3nky image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f741yqe2wxj3tdtx8v/01f741yqe2wxj3tdtx8v-1cc14386634bb119fa02213e92dbf118.jpg]

[listicle id=1897851]

[vertical-gallery id=1037107]

What does it feel like to win the Indy 500, one of the world’s biggest races? We asked the 5 most recent winners

“You always appreciate, in a humble way, that this place is is magical,” Hélio Castroneves told For The Win.

For many race car drivers, the Indianapolis 500 is the most monumental and life-changing event they could win. It’s one of the biggest races in the world, and some spend their entire careers chasing that elusive checkered flag.

More emphasis, more pressure, more preparation and more practice are involved, along with an intensified risk factor from the dangers of racing around Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval at 200-plus miles per hour. And even if a driver and their team have a near-perfect race, a competitor could be an inch closer to perfection. So, of course, the winner needs a little luck too.

Ahead of Sunday’s 106th running of the Indy 500, we’re looking back at the most recent races through the eyes of the last five winners — five of the eight champions competing in the 2022 race.

  • Alexander Rossi, 2016 Indy 500 champion: By the final few laps of the 200-lap race, Rossi, then a rookie, was out front and in a great position to win. He and his team gambled on fuel, and his car coasted on fumes across the finish line ahead of Carlos Muñoz.
  • Takuma Sato, 2017, 2020 Indy 500 champion: After trading the lead with Hélio Castroneves in the final laps, Sato put up some brilliant defense the final time he took the lead and won in 2017. He won the 2020 Indy 500 — held in August with empty grandstands because of COVID-19 – under caution ahead of Scott Dixon.
  • Will Power, 2018 Indy 500 champion: Power had a huge, 40-car length lead over Ed Carpenter going into the final lap, and he just had to hold on and not crash in the suspenseful final two miles to take the checkered flag.
  • Simon Pagenaud, 2019 Indy 500 champion: In one of the most thrilling Indy 500 finishes, Pagenaud battled with Rossi, trading the lead in the final laps. Pagenaud stole the lead from Rossi with a little more than a lap to go, and his masterful defense kept him out front for the win.
  • Hélio Castroneves, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2021 Indy 500 champion: Now in a four-way tie for most Indy 500 wins ever, Castroneves relied on his ample experience to get the best of Alex Palou in the 2021 race while working through traffic on the final lap. He was 26 years old when he won his first and 46 when he won his fourth.

MORE 2022 INDY 500: See the 2022 Indy 500 starting grid with Scott Dixon on the pole

These answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.