While Palou stayed dry, Indy 500 fans brought the milk mayhem

For the 76th time in its storied history, and the 69th consecutive year, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 received a cold bottle of milk from an Indiana dairy farm in Victory Circle. This time, however, there was a twist: 2025 champion Alex Palou didn’t pour the milk over his head.



The milk tradition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway dates back to 1936, when three-time winner Louis Meyer requested buttermilk after his victory. A photographer captured the moment, and it quickly became iconic. Since then, with support from the American Dairy Association Indiana, the ceremonial milk has become one of motorsports’ most recognizable post-race rituals.

Winners are offered their choice of whole, 2 percent, or skim milk — though this year, 29 of the 33 drivers chose whole milk. The chilled bottle is handed to the winner, team owner, and chief mechanic following the checkered flag.

Palou’s choice? He drank the milk — but resisted the traditional dousing. He admitted the restraint came after advice from fans and even his own crew chief. “I was close,” Palou said after the race, “but then I thought, ‘Oh man, I’m going to be with the milk all over me for like the next five, six hours.’” Instead, he opted for a sip and described it as “the best milk I’ve ever had.”

While Palou showed restraint, fans across the country showed anything but.

At Fenway Park, during a Boston Red Sox game just hours before the green flag dropped in Indianapolis, a fan in the bleachers went viral for dousing themselves with a full gallon of milk after a home run.

Wearing a green Indianapolis 500 shirt, the fan hoisted the jug and dumped it over their head in spectacular fashion as rain fell and cameras rolled. Only a small amount actually made it into their mouth; the rest soaked their clothes and splashed nearby seats.

@mlbonfox Baseball fans everywhere are doing the #Indy500 milk celebration for tomorrow! @INDYCAR on FOX #mlb #baseball ♬ original sound – MLBonFOX

The moment was captured on the live broadcast, and it wasn’t an isolated incident. Across social media, videos of other fans were shared. 

However, the Fenway stunt in particular raised eyebrows. Awful Announcing suggests it may not have been an entirely spontaneous act. Online speculation and a few unconfirmed reports hinted that the moment could have been a paid promotional effort — possibly tied to the dairy industry or race sponsors — to drum up interest in the Indy 500’s most iconic tradition.

In the days leading up to the race, Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward also got his chance to partake in an Indy 500 rookie ritual he missed during the pandemic: milking a cow.

O’Ward, known for his charisma and sense of humor, mentioned earlier in the week that he’d never had the chance to complete the long-standing “milk a cow before you drink the milk” rookie custom due to COVID-19 restrictions during his 2020 debut.

Indiana’s dairy association and his team stepped up to make it right. Early Friday morning, they brought a cow named Rihanna to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Silverstone Farms in Greenfield. O’Ward got his hands dirty — and his spirits lifted. “Woke up for some morning milking, and it was a really cool experience,” he told The Associated Press. “Very warm. You know, gotta warm her up. Yeah, she was fabulous.”