For his entire life, Ed Carpenter has dreamed of chugging a cold bottle of milk in Victory Circle after winning an Indianapolis 500.
On Wednesday, he got a lesson in dairy production from the man he hopes will be handing him that bottle in May.
Carpenter was at Kelsay Farms in Whiteland to kick off the Winners Drink Milk campaign alongside Joe Kelsay, who will serve as the official Milk Man during the 101st Indianapolis 500 on May 28. After the race, Kelsay will be in Victory Circle to present the traditional bottle of milk to the winner.
Last year, Kelsay was the Rookie Milk Man, tasked with handing milk bottles to the winning team owner and chief mechanic. His late father Merrill was the Milk Man in 2007.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
Click here to purchase photos from this galleryJoe Kelsay, who works in government affairs for Dow AgroSciences, has been a member of the National Dairy Association and also has served as an advisory board member for the American Dairy Association of Indiana. He is the former director of the Indiana Department of Agriculture.
The Winners Drink Milk campaign, which asks people to share their own personal victory stories on social media for a chance to win prizes, will run through April on social media. Contest information is available at revindy.org/winnersdrinkmilk.
The American Dairy Association of Indiana will give $100 per story shared, up to $25,000, to support trauma and emergency patients at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.
