¿Por qué toma leche el ganador del Indy 500?

Es una extraña pero perfectamente entendible pregunta que muchos tienen de Indianápolis 500: ¿Por qué toma leche el ganador? Simplemente, es la tradición. Y en la Indy 500 todo es acerca de la tradición. Después de la bandera a cuadros en el …

Es una extraña pero perfectamente entendible pregunta que muchos tienen de Indianápolis 500: ¿Por qué toma leche el ganador?

Simplemente, es la tradición. Y en la Indy 500 todo es acerca de la tradición.

Después de la bandera a cuadros en el Indianápolis Motor Speedway en una de las carreras más grandes en el mundo, el ganador es cubierto por una enorme guirnalda de flores y le dan una botella de leche fría. El ganador típicamente le da un par de tragos, posa para algunas fotos y después procede a tirarse la leche que sobra sobre la cabeza — en ocasiones lo hacen también sobre los que están cerca.

Traducción.- He soñado con este momento toa mi vida, tomar leche en #Indy500. ¡Gracias @Team_Penske y @IMS! ¡Los sueños si se convierten en realidad!

Todo este proceso da como resultado fotos espectaculares pero ¿cómo y cuándo comenzó esta extraña tradición? En gran medida es gracias a Louis Meyer en los 1930s.

De acuerdo al Indianápolis Motor Speedway:

El tres veces ganador de Indianápolis 500 regularmente bebía suero de leche para refrescarse en día caliente y resultó que lo estaba haciendo en Victory Lane como de costumbre después de la carrera de 1936. Un ejecutivo de lo que entonces era la Milk Foundation estaba tan contento cuando vio el momento en una fotografía en la sección de deportes del periódico que juró asegurarse que se repetiría en años siguientes. Hubo un periodo entre 1947-55 cuando se dejó de ofrecer leche, pero la practica revivió en 1956 y ha sido una tradición desde entonces.

Así que si no se les antoja una botella de leche en un típico día caluroso en Indiana después de varias horas de intensa carrera, culpen a Meyer.

Y aunque él tomaba suero de leche, esa ya no es una de las opciones para los pilotos.

La American Dairy Association Indiana es la encargada de entregar la botella al ganador, y antes de cada Indy 500, hace una encuesta entre los pilotos para saber el tipo de leche de celebración que van a querer. Las opciones son sencillas. Entera, 2 por ciento o sin grasa.

(The American Dairy Association Indiana)

Sin embargo, siempre hay opción de anotar cuando los pilotos pueda que quieran leche de chocolate, fresa o incluso suero de leche.

Cuando acaba la carrera, las personas de la leche – sí, así se llaman –  consultan las encuestas para saber qué tipo de leche quiere el ganador. Van por una de las tres botellas desde un refrigerador cercano y continúa la tradición de la leche.

¿Y qué pasa si el piloto ganador de Indy 500 es intolerante a la lactosa? Le preguntamos al legendario Mario Andretti en el 2017, y nos explicó:

“Es una tradición. No a todos les gusta la leche pero simplemente debido a lo que está pasando en ese momento y lo que significa, de repente la leche sabe muy bien, incluso si eres intolerante a la lactosa.”

Sin embargo, la American Dairy Association Indiana  si tiene una opción secreta deslactosada por si la solicita un piloto.

En el Indy 500 del 2022, la mayoría de los pilotos eligieron leche entera, lo que es normal, y nadie eligió sin grasa. Pero Ed Carpenter y Felix Rosenqvist pidieron suero de leche mientras que Juan Pablo Montoya, Graham Rahal, Colton Herta y Devlin DeFrancesco escribieron chocolate.

Racing, NASCAR worlds wish Jimmie Johnson good luck in first Indy 500: ‘You know what to do’

NASCAR drivers and other racers are very excited for Indy 500 rookie Jimmie Johnson.

The Indianapolis 500 is always a huge deal as one of the biggest races in the world and on the single greatest motor sports day in the world.

Sunday, in addition to the Indy 500 (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC), there’s also Formula 1’s Monaco Grand Prix and NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600. So race car drivers around the world have been super busy lately, but many in racing still found time to wish Jimmie Johnson good luck for his big day.

Johnson — a seven-time NASCAR champ turned IndyCar driver — will make his Indy 500 debut Sunday, living out a childhood dream of his. When For The Win recently asked Johnson if he thinks NASCAR drivers might be envious of his Indy 500 opportunity, he said it probably goes beyond stock car racing:

“Oh, I think so. I think all drivers want to race in all marquee events. Everybody wants a shot at it. Hopefully, my time here will inspire others to come do it because I know there’s a lot of great talent in all forms of racing that would really enjoy this experience.”

So ahead of one of the biggest Sunday’s of Johnson’s extensive racing career, his racing pals, especially in NASCAR, shared sweet messages and wished their former competitor good luck in his Indy 500 debut.

In addition to those at Hendrick Motorsports, Johnson’s former NASCAR team, including former crew chiefs Chad Knaus and Cliff Daniels, racing stars like Mario Andretti and Tony Stewart shared their excitement and encouragement:

Mario Andretti expects Jimmie Johnson to be ‘a force to be reckoned with’ in first Indy 500

Racing legend Mario Andretti will surely have his eye on Jimmie Johnson in the 2022 Indy 500.

Like so many curious racing fans, motor sports legend Mario Andretti will surely have his eye on Jimmie Johnson when he takes his first shot at the Indianapolis 500 later this month.

And Andretti has a feeling the NASCAR turned IndyCar driver will “be a force to be reckoned with” at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The anticipation for Johnson’s first Indy 500 has been growing since he announced his plans to retire from the NASCAR Cup Series as a seven-time champion at the end of the 2020 season and make the jump to open-wheeled racing in the IndyCar Series, still behind the wheel of the No. 48 car.

It subsided a little during Johnson’s 2021 rookie IndyCar season with Chip Ganassi Racing, during which he only raced on the street and road courses — not the ovals, like Indianapolis Motor Speedway — because of safety concerns with a faster car that was new to him.

Now, Johnson is in the middle of a full IndyCar season with Ganassi, and that means he’ll run his first Indy 500 on May 29 at the iconic Brickyard.

And after his strong sixth-place finish in March at Texas Motor Speedway — his first IndyCar oval race and his best IndyCar finish to date — the hype over his first Indy 500 began building again. (Johnson won seven races at Texas in NASCAR.)

Though Johnson finished inside the top-20 drivers just once in IndyCar’s other three races so far this season, his performance at Texas, in part, led 82-year-old Andretti to praise the NASCAR turned IndyCar driver’s improvements and potential in oval races.

Andretti, one of the greatest racers of all time, told NBC Sports:

“I’m a big fan. I just — I’m watching it as close as obviously [I] can, and he has progressed tremendously this year. I think there are a few glitches for road courses yet. But come the [Indy] 500, he’s gonna be a force to be reckoned with.

“I think he’s shown that during the [Indy 500] test and what I saw at Texas in Jimmie, he felt right at home at that point. He knows enough about the car, and yeah, he’s definitely a dark horse.”

And, as NBC Sports noted, only Andretti and A.J. Foyt have won both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500. Johnson already has two Daytona 500 victories (2006, 2013), and there’s still a (perhaps long-shot) chance he could join that exclusive club.

However, Andretti clearly recognizes that Johnson’s chances of winning the Indy 500 are likely slim with so many experienced Indy 500 drivers in the field, including several previous champions. But he also likes what he sees from Johnson so far on the ovals.

This isn’t the first time Andretti has expressed his faith in Johnson, who’s still relatively new to open-wheeled racing.

In 2020 after Johnson’s IndyCar plans became public, Andretti praised Johnson’s bold discipline switch and said:

“He will slide in there just like a natural — I assure you — because he’ll be with a top team, so immediately, he’ll have the confidence.”

While many of Johnson’s road course races haven’t appeared particularly easy for the 46-year-old racer, he did look far more natural on his way to a sixth-place performance at Texas. So maybe the same will be true at the Indy 500 in a couple weeks.

The 2022 Indy 500 is Sunday, May 29 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

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Mario Andretti says Jimmie Johnson will be a ‘natural’ in IndyCar

Jimmie Johnson plans to run 12 IndyCar races next year after retiring from NASCAR.

Jimmie Johnson has big plans after he retires from NASCAR at the end of the 2020 season, and it’s not a true retirement. The seven-time champion is stepping away from full-time NASCAR racing, and he’s planning on giving the open-wheeled IndyCar Series a shot.

In an announcement Wednesday, Johnson told the racing world he’s teamed up with Chip Ganassi Racing — which has both NASCAR and IndyCar programs — to run a 12-race IndyCar schedule in 2021 that focuses on the road and street courses and not oval tracks. With one of the top IndyCar teams, Johnson and Ganassi still need to finalize sponsorship, but that shouldn’t be too hard with their combined resumes.

While Johnson is a racing GOAT in his own right, another legend, Mario Andretti, has plenty of confidence in the almost-45-year-old driver’s ability to transition from NASCAR to IndyCar. And Andretti would know as one of the few people to win in both disciplines.

In an interview with NBC Sports, former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty asked Andretti how he expects Johnson to handle this crossover to another style of racing, and Andretti said:

“I think it’s wonderful that he’s doing that, and it’s great news for the sport. And he will slide in there just like a natural — I assure you — because he’ll be with a top team, so immediately, he’ll have the confidence.”

Assuming they can secure sponsorship, Johnson would become teammates with five-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, who worked with Johnson when he tested a Ganassi car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. In his 19th season with Ganassi, Dixon has four wins in 2020 and leads the IndyCar standings with five races remaining.

Andretti noted that being in top equipment will aid Johnson’s transition to IndyCar. He also speculated that Johnson “got the bug” to race open-wheeled rides after his Formula 1 car swap with two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso in 2018.

But Johnson has also repeatedly said that he’s realizing lifelong dreams.

Looking at Johnson’s future, Andretti continued:

“Now, he did another test in Indiana with an Indy car, and I think he did some competitive times. And again, the bug just grew bigger. And now that they’re making this commitment, it’s awesome. It’s wonderful for the sport. I love to see that. He’s got a lot of racing in, and he’s with a Chip Ganassi team, and so you know he’s going to have top equipment. All the power to him. He’s ready.”

For now, Johnson has nine races remaining in his final full-time NASCAR season. He didn’t make the cut for the 16-driver playoffs and will retire in a three-way tie for a record number of titles with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr.

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See 3 Andretti family generations lead 2020 Indy 500 field to green

A special moment for the Andretti family.

The Andretti family is racing royalty, and the latest piece of Indianapolis 500 history a member of it made was last weekend when Marco Andretti won the pole for Sunday’s race at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This marked the first time in 33 years that a member of the Andretti family won the Indy 500 pole, dating back to legendary racer Mario Andretti’s 1987 pole.

But with 33-year-old Marco out front ahead of the rest of the 2020 Indy 500 field, Mario, his grandfather, and Michael, his father and Andretti Autosport team owner, joined him before the green flag.

This awesome moment celebrating the family and its impact on Indy 500 history was the first time three generations of the Andretti family turned laps together around the 2.5-mile track. And 80-year-old Mario drove the two-seater ride, while Michael was in the backseat.

Via IndyCar:

“I’m one of the few that can say I’ve been teammates with both my father and my son – and now to have the opportunity for all three of us to be on track together, on Race Day at IMS, is really special,” Michael Andretti said. “Dad and I are really excited to do this together, but we’re still fighting about who’s going to drive.”

And, as Mario noted before race day, he was not about to let 57-year-old Michael drive.

Since Mario won the 1969 Indy 500, no member of the Andretti family has returned to Victory Lane in one of the greatest motor sports events in the world. Michael had 42 wins in his career behind the wheel, but never won the Indy 500, despite leading 431 total laps — more than any other Indy 500 participant without ultimately winning it.

Marco nearly won the 2006 Indy 500 as 19-year-old rookie, but at the last second, Sam Hornish Jr. passed him and took the checkered flag. Most recently, he had a poor performance in the 2019 Indy 500 and finished 26th.

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Marco Andretti talks winning Indy 500 pole, family history and if the Andretti Curse is real

“In 15 years, this might be my best shot” at winning the Indy 500, Marco Andretti told For The Win.

The Indianapolis 500 isn’t until Sunday, but Marco Andretti is already making race history — and family history too.

After a strong performance this weekend during the initial qualifying session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for one of the biggest races in the world, Andretti won the Fast Nine Shootout for the prestigious pole position to lead the field to green.

And that means the 104th Indy 500 will mark the first time since 1987 that a member of the Andretti family will start on the pole. And Marco, looking to follow his grandfather, legendary racer Mario Andretti, could be the first Andretti in more than five decades to win it all.

Monday, For The Win spoke with Marco — who drives the No. 98 Honda for his father Michael’s team, Andretti Autosport — about winning the pole, his chances of winning the Indy 500 (1 p.m. ET, NBC) and whether or not the Andretti Curse, supposedly precluding the family from winning the race, is real.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

(Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

You were the last driver to hit the track in the Fast Nine Shootout for the Indy 500 pole. What went through your mind as you climbed into the car to get ready?

I tried to clear my mind because there are so many things that we have to think about, and I just was so focused on the task at hand. Instead of thinking of the what-ifs, it was just: Execute. It was windy, so inside the car, I was very busy on the cockpit tools.

It came down to a gear shift, doing it just perfectly from first to second yesterday. We were so close so I just knew that if we nailed it and did everything right that we’d be on pole, and we did.

With such a storied family history in racing and your grandfather, Mario Andretti, winning the 1969 Indy 500 and three Indy poles, what does it mean to you to be the first Andretti to start this race on the pole in 33 years?

It’s pretty cool. I was two months old, and I was probably here, actually. I was born in March, so yeah, May 33 years ago. That’s crazy. They told me that stat yesterday, and it’s super special. Hopefully, I can be the first one in 51 years to win.

Who was more excited for you or your grandfather?

Maybe him, to be honest. It was awesome. I come here to win the race, but yesterday did feel like a win to me regardless. The support’s been crazy. I think the whirlwind that comes with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in combination with my family has just been incredible with the support — even with my peers and competitors.

I haven’t talked to him yet, but I saw an interview that he did. He said he jumped so high he hit the ceiling. You know, my grandfather, I don’t think he’s that tall, so I don’t know. He must have been pretty excited.

Marco and Mario Andretti before qualifying for the 2015 Indianapolis 500. (AP Photo/Sam Riche)

So is the Andretti Curse real?

I keep saying: Not in August, it’s not. So far, it’s just been incredible. Every time we go out on the track, we’ve been the quickest. So I’m trying not to assess it very much. I’m trying to just keep it going. I think our family plays with it with the media because it’s a huge story, but when we really talk internally, we’re really a blessed family. We’re unscathed. This is a very dangerous sport, and we’ve been able to do it and not get hurt. So I think we’re pretty lucky.

You said you haven’t talked with your grandfather, Mario, yet, but what did your dad, Michael, have to say after you won the pole?

We didn’t really have to say much to each other. I think the pair of us both knew. We hugged each other, but I think we both were just in such a sigh of relief because we knew how much I needed that, and it was right on time. The way this season’s gone, we’ve been super fast, but there’s been so much stuff go wrong that it’s just been like, “What’s going to happen next?”

But thank God for yesterday. It really lit a fire and ignited the team again. You could see the pep in their step, and that’s what we needed because now, I think we’re going to be tough to beat.

Have people outside of the racing world reached out to congratulate you? I saw Ice-T gave you a shoutout on Twitter.

Yeah, I have a lot of really cool friends, and the support has just been incredible. I was at dinner last night, and I left dinner and got in bed with 500 text messages, and I’m like, “Alright, I’ll answer a few.” And then I ended up getting through them all, and I’m like, “Oh my god, it’s three in the morning.”

How would you compare your chance to win this year from the pole with past years?

I was talking to Dad about this. In 15 years, this might be my best shot at it, and in 15 years, I was close to winning the race maybe four times. But I think as far as dominance goes, this has got to be No. 1. It’s been incredible. Every time we go out, it’s just been quick.

Speed is the No. 1 hurdle when you get to the speedway. It’s just the horsepower. Are we going to be fast? And we have that. So now, it’s about executing everything in our power, and then if the stars align, we win the race. So we’ll see. We’re just going to try to do our job.

Have you decided what kind of milk you’ll drink if you win?

Whole milk. Originally, I said buttermilk because Louis Meyer did it, and then my friend gave me some. I’m not drinking that after a hot race. Man, it’s gross.

Did you happen to see the video of Team Penske drivers cheering you on and celebrating your pole?

I was just so humbled to see that. It was so cool. Those guys are goofs. They’re so funny. And then when they stopped celebrating, they were like, “Wait, why are we celebrating?” It was so funny to see.

I think a lot of my friends and peers — they’ve seen a lot of heartbreak that I’ve gone through in this sport and been so close on so many wins and races and come up short. So it felt really good to me to see that.

What do you think that says about the IndyCar community when your competitors in one of the biggest races in the world are cheering for you to start out front?

I think it’s a community, but I think it’s that I have some pretty cool friends. I think that’s what it means because you don’t see that very often.

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Legendary racer Mario Andretti had the sweetest reaction to grandson Marco winning 2020 Indy 500 pole

Mario Andretti was ecstatic when his grandson, Marco Andretti, won the Indy 500 pole.

After a 33-year wait, a member of the storied Andretti family will once again start on the pole and lead the Indianapolis 500 field to green. And although he wasn’t the one behind the wheel, no one seemed more excited about that than the family patriarch, Mario Andretti, who won the 1969 Indy 500 and was last on the pole in 1987.

It was Mario’s grandson, 33-year-old Marco Andretti, who won the 2020 Indy 500 pole Sunday during the Fast Nine Shootout, thanks to his four-lap run of two minutes, 35.7985 seconds, averaging 231.068 miles per hour. Driving for Andretti Autosport, his father Michael Andretti’s team, Marco edged Scott Dixon — the five-time IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner — by .017 miles per hour, which, by speed, is the third-smallest margin in the race’s history, according to the series.

Mario — the only driver to win the Indy 500, NASCAR’s Daytona 500 and a Formula 1 world championship — was not at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch Marco qualify in person, but he was ecstatic.

“I’m happier now than I’ve ever been all during my days at Indy, believe it or not,” 80-year-old Mario told NBC Sports after Marco won the pole. “When he crossed that line and he was on pole, I jumped so high that I hit my head on the ceiling, and it’s a nine-foot ceiling.”

When asked where Marco’s Indy 500 pole ranks in his mind, Mario said:

“I don’t know how to to explain it as far as the excitement because, you know, you’re here biting your fingernails. You know, usually, you’re nervous and so forth, but you know you have control of your own situation when you’re doing it yourself. But sitting here and watching it and being so helpless, I was never so nervous in my life because I felt he had a shot at it.”

Marco nearly won the 2006 Indy 500 as 19-year-old rookie, but at the last second, Sam Hornish Jr. passed him and took the checkered flag. And most recently, he had a poor performance in the 2019 Indy 500 and finished 26th.

While winning the Indy 500 is a massive accomplishment for any driver, it might mean a bit more for Marco, who has two career wins but hasn’t won a race since the 2011 season. This was also his first race pole since 2018 and sixth overall, and going back to the 2016 season, Marco has recorded just three top-5 finishes.

Marco was only a couple months old the last time a member of his family started the Indy 500 on the pole, and his grandfather was beaming with pride. More of Mario Andretti’s reaction, via The Athletic:

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to happen so badly. And he did it in championship fashion under not-the-best conditions, but he overcame them somehow. He showed confidence in the car and the team gave him what he needed, so I’m very, very proud.

“I was happier for Marco than I’ve ever been for anything I’ve done myself. What a great moment for him. He earned it, earned it, earned it. What a fabulous job he did.”

The 104th running of the Indy 500 is Sunday, August 23 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC.

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