It has since develop into a extremely prestigious race forming part of the elusive motorsport triple crown, which is awarded to any driver who wins the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans 24 Hours and Indy 500 of their profession. Thus far solely two-time Method 1 world champion Graham Hill has achieved mentioned feat, although many extra have tried.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has subsequently performed host to many iconic moments, whether or not it’s Al Unser Jr successful the closest Indy 500 in historical past by 0.043 seconds in 1992, Dan Wheldon rising victorious within the centenary anniversary of the race, or Helio Castroneves lastly standing on the highest step for a record-equalling fourth time in 2021.
However with a race so historic additionally comes a whole lot of traditions and even superstitions, so what are a few of them?
Indy 500 winner drinks milk
Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images
The Indy 500 winner consuming milk post-race is the occasion’s most well-known custom. It started in 1936, when race winner Louis Meyer drank buttermilk in Victory Lane as a result of he’d allegedly been taught about its refreshing qualities. This brought about a advertising and marketing man within the dairy business to inquire in regards to the Indy 500 victor consuming milk from there on.
Nevertheless it took 20 years for the notion to stay, as prize cash was all of the sudden provided to the victor for consuming it – so, since then the Indy 500 winner has nearly all the time drunk milk in Victory Lane. The exception was Emerson Fittipaldi, who sparked outrage in 1993 when he drank orange juice after successful his second Indy 500. That was as a result of the double F1 world champion was selling the Brazilian citrus drink business, however it grew to become the last word PR blunder as the gang jeered him for it and no driver has since dared to go towards custom.
The custom is now so huge that earlier than every Indy 500, each driver is requested for his or her milk of alternative ought to they emerge victorious however the choices are fairly easy: complete, two-percent, or fat-free. Many drivers need buttermilk as an choice although, as a result of that’s what Meyer drank in 1936. However IndyCar says the modern-day buttermilk is made otherwise to the way it was within the Thirties, so will solely contemplate making it an choice ought to they see opponents drink it pre-race as a result of then they’ll know for certain that it’s truly one thing drivers get pleasure from.
The Indy 500 winner receiving the Borg-Warner Trophy
Photograph by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images
The 1936 Indy 500 can also be well-known for the debut of the Borg-Warner Trophy, which has since been awarded to each winner of the race. It was unveiled at a cocktail party that yr hosted by the circuit’s then-owner Eddie Rickenbacker after automotive provider BorgWarner commissioned the trophy.
It is usually the tallest trophy in motorsport standing at a staggering 5ft 4.75in and was designed by Robert J. Hill and Spaulding-Gorham, Inc. The Borg-Warner Trophy additionally has some distinct options like its wing-shaped handles, a person waving a chequered flag on the high, or its giant base which at the moment has sufficient area to final till 2033.
However its most original half is the facade, which has the faces of every Indy 500 winner sculpted onto the trophy. The winner doesn’t get to maintain it although, because the Indy 500 victors as an alternative obtain a reproduction which is usually often known as ‘Child Borg’ with the official trophy being stored on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
The Indy 500 winner kissing the bricks
Photograph by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is usually often known as ‘the brickyard’ as a result of the circuit’s authentic floor was paved with bricks. Though the monitor nearly solely consists of asphalt now, a one-yard strip of bricks covers the start-finish line, paving the best way for one more Indy 500 custom – kissing of the bricks.
It started in 1996 when NASCAR’s Dale Jarrett and his crew chief Todd Parrott kneeled to kiss the bricks after his Brickyard 400 victory. The celebration then translated throughout to the Indy 500 in 2003 when Gil de Ferran kissed the bricks to commemorate his maiden victory and kickstart a practice which has remained ever since.
The Indy 500 all the time falling on Memorial Day weekend
The Indy 500 has all the time been scheduled along with Memorial Day. This dates again to the circuit’s early years when it held races on Ornament Day (often known as Memorial Day from 1967), Fourth of July and Labor Day, but attendance figures decreased all through the season so organisers opted to concentrate on operating only a single occasion which was to be often known as the Indy 500.
Organisers later determined to run that occasion on Ornament Day as a result of native farmers took a break from working in late Could. So from 1911 to 1970, the Indy 500 was all the time scheduled for the 30 Could except it fell on a Sunday during which case it was run on the Monday due to circuit coverage.
In 1971 the Uniform Monday Vacation Act then got here into impact and formally declared Memorial Day as a federal vacation, that means a three-day weekend culminating with the final Monday of Could was created.
So from 1971 to 1973, the race was held on both the Saturday or Monday of Memorial Day weekend, however it was then determined in 1974 to all the time maintain the Indy 500 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The custom has remained ever since, with only some exceptions on account of rain delays (1986 and 1997) or the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
Month of Could on the Indy 500
The Month of Could is a practice that dates again to the inaugural Indy 500 and it refers back to the weeks main as much as the race. Traditionally the monitor opened for observe on 1 Could, though because the years glided by some groups would arrive on the circuit even earlier in April.
It might sound unusual for groups to wish a lot observe for one race, however the Indy 500 is a big occasion and one which often options a number of one-off entries so a whole lot of monitor time is important. Qualifying for the Indy 500 can also be an enormous occasion in itself, being run over two days, so groups have to observe for that earlier than switching its focus to the race.
The five hundred Pageant Parade
The five hundred Pageant Parade is the most important occasion in downtown Indianapolis every year, as roughly 200,000 folks collect collectively the day earlier than the Indy 500 to have a good time the Month of Could festivities. It was first held in 1957 as a part of an effort to additional join the town with the world-famous race and it proved to be an enormous hit inflicting one other annual custom to emerge.
Each driver competing in that yr’s Indy 500 is current on the parade, in addition to enormous helium balloons, marching bands, army models and entertainers, whereas round 800 folks volunteer to make the day successful. The five hundred Pageant Parade tends to have a theme as properly and in 2023 it was ‘Fuelling Could’, which celebrated the whole lot that helps make the month an enormous spectacle within the metropolis of Indianapolis every year.
Indy 500’s Final Row Get together
Photograph by: Brett Farmer / Motorsport Images
The Final Row Get together has taken place yearly on the Thursday or Friday night earlier than the Indy 500 since 1972. Being held in help of charity, it’s successfully a cocktail party to have a good time – and roast – the three drivers who will begin on the again row for the Indy 500, as a approach of giving them some highlight earlier than the front-runners inevitably take it on race day.
It’s held on the trackside Hulman Terrace Membership and tickets can be found for followers, who later have an autograph session with the drivers being celebrated. The Final Row Get together is much like Mr Irrelevant, which is a time period given to the participant picked final within the annual NFL Draft who will then obtain numerous presents like a trophy and a visit to Disneyland California in consequence.
The meals that followers eat on the Indy 500
A breaded pork tenderloin sandwich is historically eaten by followers on the Indy 500, as it’s a fashionable creation from the Midwestern United States which is the area that the Indiana state belongs to. It’s believed that the custom began within the Nineties and the $10 sandwich has since develop into an Indy staple, however there are some meals that followers is not going to contact.
Peanuts, for instance, have been thought of unhealthy luck on the Indy 500 because the Nineteen Forties as a result of they have been allegedly discovered within the cockpit of a automotive that crashed. The speedway refused to promote peanuts for a number of years in consequence, however since 2009 the parable has considerably handed and peanuts are as soon as once more being bought on the venue.
Drivers not utilizing automotive quantity 13 on the Indy 500
Triskaidekaphobia – excessive superstition concerning the quantity 13 – is robust on the Indy 500, as drivers have been formally banned from utilizing it for his or her automotive between 1926 and 2002. This comes after the driving force utilizing it in 1911 didn’t make the race whereas in 1914, George Mason drove automotive 13 however completed twenty third.
Solely three drivers have used automotive 13 since, with Gray Ray ending eighth in 2003, whereas E.J. Viso and Danica Patrick each retired from the races in 2009 and 2018 respectively. There may be additionally a superstition towards utilizing a inexperienced automotive as a result of it’s believed that the 1920 Indy 500 champion Gaston Chevrolet was driving a inexperienced automotive when he died in a crash on the Beverly Hills Speedway six months after his victory in Indianapolis.