2026 Indy 500 Milk Selections: What Will the Winner Drink in Victory Lane?

Looking at the Indy 500 milk selections for all 33 drivers in the field ahead of the 2026 Indianapolis 500 this weekend.

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One of the most unique traditions in all of sports takes place in Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s victory lane every Memorial Day Weekend. After 500 miles of racing, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 is handed a cold bottle of milk. 

This is one of many iconic Indy 500 traditions and dates back to 1936 when three-time winner Louis Meyer requested buttermilk after claiming victory. It did not become an official permanent fixture until 1956, when dairy executives recognized the advertising opportunity and got formally involved.

Since then, every Indy 500 winner has taken a drink of milk in Victory Lane — with one infamous exception. In 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi opted for orange juice instead, and the reception from fans was about as cold as the milk he declined!

2026 Indy 500 Milk Selections for Every Driver

In the modern era, drivers select their Indy 500 milk of choice well in advance of the race. Should they find themselves in Victory Lane on Sunday, their preferred variety will be waiting for them. For the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, the breakdown among the 33-car field is as follows: 25 drivers chose whole milk, seven chose 2%, and one — Romain Grosjean — went with skim.

It is worth noting that the last four Indianapolis 500 winners have all chosen whole milk, including defending champion Alex Palou. Whether that means anything is up for debate, but it is a fun data point heading into Sunday’s race.

A few notable choices from the field: Helio Castroneves, seeking a record fifth victory, goes with 2% as he did when he won in 2021. Two-time Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato also chose 2% as he seeks his third triumph. Conor Daly, the Noblesville, Indiana, native racing in front of a home state crowd, is a whole milk man. As for an interesting organizational trend that deviates from the widely preferred whole milk — the entire Arrow McLaren contingent chose 2%.

I would also like to propose that some sportsbook out there get with the program and add a “Which type of milk will the winner drink?” market to their menu of Indy 500 betting props. How fun would that be? It’s right up there with the color of gatorade that the Super Bowl-winning head coach gets doused with. 

What’s more, the odds could be very realistic given that drivers declare their milk choice days in advance of the race itself! For this year, whatever Grosjean’s odds are to win the race would clearly equate to the probability that skim milk will be guzzled down in victory lane. You get the idea. Whole milk would certainly be a hefty favorite, but there are some dangerous drivers in the 2% camp as well!

The table below has the full breakdown of every driver’s 2026 Indy 500 milk choice.