Hoosier farmer to serve Indy 500 milk

INDIANAPOLIS — Dairy farmer Tim Haynes of Garrett will present the winner of the Indianapolis 500 with a bottle of ice cold milk this year.

Haynes’ grandfather started Superior Dairy in the 1940s, and the tradition of milking cows has continued to today.

The family use technology to create a comfortable environment for their cows. Robots help milk, clean and feed the cows.

In their “smart barn,” the temperature can be regulated by automatic fans, sprinklers and curtains.

Cows choose when they want to get milked and spend the rest of the day lounging in sand beds with access to ample food and water.

Kerry Estes was named the 2022 Rookie Milk Man. He will spend the year in training, delivering bottles of milk to the winning chief mechanic and team owner.

Estes is a first-generation dairy farmer from southeast of Indianapolis. Next year, he will be the official Milk Person at the Indy 500.

He and his wife, Christiana, began farming in 2005 after deciding they wanted to work more closely with their four children. Dairy farming provided the perfect opportunity to do so.

About The Tradition

Racers are given the choice of which milk they’d like if they win. This year, the Indy 500 milk preference poll showed that 25 drivers prefer whole milk, six prefer 2% milk and one person had no preference.

The tradition started at the Indy 500 by driver Louis Meyer requesting buttermilk to quench his thirst after the 1936 race.

According to American Dairy Association Indiana, the tradition has since evolved from a thirst-satisfying beverage to a ceremonial hand-off with an Indiana dairy farmer giving the iconic, glass bottle of milk to the winner.

The 106th Indy 500 is set for May 29 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.