We’re less than a week away from the 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500!
One of the biggest traditions leading up to “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is the annual Fastest Rookie Luncheon presented by American Dairy Association Indiana.
This year’s “Fastest Rookie of the Year” is Robert Shwartzman with Prema Racing. He’s also the winning Pole Sitter, which is the first time a rookie has won the pole since Tao Fabi in 1983.
Shwartzman shared with Hoosier Ag Today the whirlwind of emotions he’s experienced since winning the Pole last Sunday.
“This feeling is something unforgettable,” he says. “It’s something that I would never expect, honestly, coming one week ago here, I would not even believe it. If you would have told me [I would win the pole], I would’ve said, ‘Come on, you’re just fantasizing things. It’s not going to be like that,’ but it is.”
As part of the annual tradition with the Fastest Rookie Luncheon, each of the rookie drivers are also asked to “milk” a dairy cow that’s been brought to the track from Purdue University’s Dairy Club.
This year, the Purdue Dairy Club brought a cow named Indy!
Alexander Rossi “milked” one of the cows as rookie before being honored at the luncheon in 2016. Rossi would win the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 several days later.
Shwartzman says that milking a cow is another new experience for him at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It was actually quite simple. They explained how to do it, and I managed to do it quite easily,” says Shwartzman. “She was really calm, because I was a bit afraid that maybe she was going to be a bit nervous, but she was having a good time.”
Shwartzman also knows that being handed an ice-cold glass bottle of milk at the end of the Indy 500 means being a winner!
“When you drink milk, it means that I have won the Indy 500. What else can you dream about more than that in motorsports?” says Shwartzman.
Another Indianapolis 500 rookie who was honored during the Fastest Rookie Luncheon was Nolan Segal with Arrow McLaren Racing. He is starting 24th in Row 8.
He says that winning the Indianapolis 500 and celebrating with an ice-cold glass bottle of milk in Victory Circle would be a dream come true.
“It would be amazing. It’s a great tradition, and I’ve seen so many amazing drivers and amazing people get to participate in that. To be added to that list would be a dream come true for me,” says Segal.
Before the race, each of the 33 drivers is asked whether they would like to celebrate with a bottle of whole milk, two-percent, or skim milk. Which one did Nolan Segal choose?
“I chose whole milk because I think it’s the going-all-out option,” he says.
The third and final rookie is Louis Foster, who is driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan. He is starting 20th in Row 7.
Among the drivers who have been honored by American Dairy Association Indiana as the “Fastest Rookie of the Year” include:
- Kyle Larson (2024)
- Alexander Rossi (2016)
- Josef Newgarden (2012)
- Marco Andretti (2006)
- Danica Patrick (2005)
- Scott Dixon (2003)
- Tony Kanaan (2002)
- Juan Pablo Montoya (2000)
- Tony Stewart (1996)
- Michael Andretti (1984)
- Chip Ganassi (1982)
- Rick Mears (1978)
The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 is Sunday, May 25. The race is scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m. Eastern time.
For more information about American Dairy Association Indiana, visit WinnersDrinkMilk.com!
CLICK BELOW for Hoosier Ag Today’s radio news report:
