Pato O'Ward learned this week that it behooves Indianapolis 500 drivers to take part in the rookie tradition of milking a cow if they ever want to drink the stuff in victory lane upon winning "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
Problem is that O'Ward never got that opportunity - until Friday.
One day after lamenting that his Indy 500 debut occurred amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indiana Dairy Association and his Arrow McLaren team came through for him. The folks at Silverstone Farms in nearby Greenfield, Indiana, loaded up a cow named Rihanna and trucked her to the track on Friday, where she was waiting for O'Ward at the crack of dawn.
O'Ward, one of the most charismatic and popular drivers in the paddock, was udderly amazed.
"Woke up for some morning milking, and it was a really cool experience," he said, flashing a big smile. "Very warm. You know, gotta warm her up. Yeah, she was fabulous. Did you see a video at least? You'll see. First try."