Hoosier Dairy Farmers Toast Fastest Rookie Rossi

Alexander Rossi sports the NAPA colors during practice at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. [Andy Clary Photo]

by Allan Brewer

Andretti/Herta Autosport driver Alexander Rossi will receive the Indiana dairy farmers’ highest award on Tuesday in honor of his “Fastest Rookie” qualifying time for the 100th Indianapolis 500.

Rossi toured the famous oval in Speedway, Indiana at an average speed of 228.473 mph to win a spot in the middle of the fourth of eleven rows of 33 starters of the 500-mile race. He beat out four other first-year drivers for the cash prize of $5000 and a placque recognizing his accomplishment. The other drivers competing for the honor this year were Max Chilton, Spencer Pigot, Stefan Wilson and Matthew Brabham.

This is the 42nd year the American Dairy Association Indiana has presented the Fastest Rookie of the Year Award since it assumed sponsorship for the prize in 1975. The list of previous winners of the ADAI award includes many notable Indy 500 racers, such as current defending champion Juan Pablo Montoya, retired four-time race-winner Rick Mears, plus previous champions Eddie Cheever Jr., Jacques Villeneuve, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. Tony Stewart, Chip Ganassi, Michael Andretti, Marco Andretti, Carlos Munoz, Danica Patrick, JR Hildebrand, and Josef Newgarden also won the honor in their respective rookie years. Last year’s recipient was Gabby Chavez, who qualified twenty-first for the 2016 race on May 29th at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The event this year also features a look-back tribute to Anton “Tony” Hulman, the Terre Haute industrialist and tireless promoter who purchased the Speedway in 1945 and brought The Greatest Spectacle in Racing into the modern age. Ironically, the ritual bottle of milk presented to the winner of the race predates even Hulman: it has been practiced for nearly 80 years – 61 of which have been consecutive. Three-time Indy 500 champion Louis Meyer is credited with the origin of the post-race toast of milk when he requested a cold drink of buttermilk – his favorite beverage – following his victory at Indianapolis in 1933.

In celebration of this long-running rite the ADAI plans to distribute 100,000 bottles of milk to fans seated along the main front straight of Indianapolis Motor Speedway on race day next Sunday, in order to fete the winner with a long, cool drink of milk of their own. Specially branded “100th Running” bottles of milk also are available for purchase in Indianapolis area grocery and convenience stores so that fans at home can join in the end-of-race festivities as well.