Superior Dairy of Garrett Provided Milk for Indy 500 Winner
Article by Jeff Jones | KPC News | June 3, 2022
GARRETT — When the checkered flag flew at the end of this year’s Indianapolis 500, all eyes were naturally on winner Marcus Ericsson, but there was a DeKalb County connection waiting for him in Victory Circle.
It was the job of Garrett farmer Tim Haynes to present Ericsson with a bottle of ice-cold milk — a race tradition that began in 1936.
While most TV viewers only got a glimpse of his arm or maybe his face during the post-race presentation, the next day, Haynes got to do something few fans get to experience — pose with the winning car.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Haynes said. “As it kept moving through the different processes and the closer you got to the race, you got more excited and more excited up until race day.
“It’s interesting the more interviews I do and the more people I talk to, this drink of milk and the tradition of it, how important it is to race fans and even non-race fans,” he said. “It’s a big deal.”
A 20-year member of the American Dairy Association of Indiana board of directors, Haynes attended the rookie luncheon the week before the race.
It’s a three-year process for an Indiana dairy farmer to be able to present the milk to the winning driver.
Haynes explained there are three levels — “rookie of the rookie,” “rookie” and “veteran milk man.”
The “rookie of the rookie” goes through media training and attends a couple of events to get a feel for the day. The “rookie” presents milk to winning car owner and head mechanic.
“I was the ‘veteran’ this year, so I gave it to the driver,” Haynes explained.
Last year, Haynes served as the “rookie.” In 2020, the pandemic caused the race to be postponed from its traditional Memorial Day weekend to August — with no spectators in the stands — and limited personnel.
“(In 2020), I was supposed to have went, but they only allowed one person in. The other person went and I didn’t get to go,” Haynes explained.
This year, the weeks leading up to the race were busy, with a number of activities.
“We had a media day and I think we did about 10 or 12 different phone calls, some podcasts and different things,” he said.
According to the American Dairy Association of Indiana website, Indy 500 drivers are asked their milk preference before the race: fat-free, 2% or whole milk, with the latter being the most popular choice.
Haynes and wife Mandy, brother David and wife Deb and their families continue to operate Superior Dairy near Garrett. Now in its fifth generation, Superior Dairy was started in the 1940s by Tim and David’s grandfather.
Haynes was appreciative of the opportunity to represent the 750 Indiana family dairy farms and to showcase the hard work they do each day.
“Dairy farming is 24/7, 365 days a year, and we wouldn’t have it any other way,” Haynes said. “It’s what dairy farmers enjoy doing.
“It was humbling and an honor and it was watched worldwide.”
Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_f4ae6475-b3af-5dca-a03f-0da73d741555.html