Udderly cool experience: Pato O'Ward milks cow on Carb Day, hoping for Indy 500 luck
INDIANAPOLIS -- Midway through Thursday afternoon's Indianapolis 500 media day press conference with his front row compatriots, Pato O'Ward realized how jealous he was of polesitter -- and more importantly, rookie -- Robert Shwartzman.
The Prema Racing driver was asked about his experience with one of the Indy 500's most sacred, quirky traditions: the race rookies milking a cow on race week. It's a nod to the race and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's partnership with the American Dairy Association of Indiana and one of the race's most sacred traditions of the winner drinking (and then dousing themselves) in milk.
And before Shwartzman could respond, the bubbly Arrow McLaren driver chimed in: "I'm jealous. I wanted to do that. I've never milked a cow." After not making the race on his first attempt in 2019, O'Ward made his rookie Indy 500 debut in 2020, but the tradition was skipped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joked Shwartzman in response to the driver who's finished runner-up in two of the last three 500s: "That's maybe what you need to have a proper good luck for winning the Indy 500. The woman (likely a ADAI representative) came to me and said, 'The people who didn't milk the cow, they never won the Indy 500.'
"It's bad luck."
'Hand him over to the world': How Pato O'Ward became IndyCar's biggest star
After a couple social media exchanges, a cow -- Rhianna, or Ri Ri for short -- was stationed for the 26-year-old Mexican driver to try and shake his bad luck mojo off ahead of Sunday and his best 500 starting spot (3rd) at 7:45 a.m. Friday morning in the IMS Museum parking lot.
Silverstone Farm in Greenfield helped make Ri Ri available, and O'Ward was smitten when he rolled up fresh out of his motorhome on a team golf cart to get a taste of the experience.
After some quick instruction -- 'Don't put your feet under her' for one, and 'Run your hand right down through here and squeeze' among them -- and after Ri Ri settled a bit with some comforting petting from the hopeful future Indy 500 winner, O'Ward slowly bent down and went to work.
He managed to help produce some milk rather quickly on his first try.
33 things to know about Indy 500: Drivers to watch, loads of history, where Penske finishes
"Let's go! This is great, how fun. Dang, you were ready this morning, weren't you big girl? Wow," O'Ward chuckled. Perhaps the most surprising part of all for O'Ward: Learning that cows produce 6-8 gallons of milk a day. "Oh my god, oh, so I can do some more if I want?" he joked.
In reality, fellow front-row starter Takuma Sato told O'Ward on Thursday that he got out of milking a cow during his first year at the 500, and the veteran Japanese driver has managed to become a two-time 500 winner seeking No. 3 on Sunday. O'Ward's team boss, Tony Kanaan, said Friday morning he likely was at the 500 rookies milking session in 2002, but not a chance did he actually get his hands dirty.
But if O'Ward wins on Sunday, he said he'll be making a trip out to Greenfield during the Month of May part of his annual schedule.
"It would be cool if I win on Sunday, for that milk to be from Rhianna," O'Ward said, talking to the ADAI rep on-hand Friday morning, to which he was told the milk will certainly be from an Indiana dairy farm. "Okay, well maybe not from Rhianna, but maybe a sister or a cousin."
He laughed, before being asked his winner's milk preference.
"Whole! Give it to me as it comes."
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