Indy 500 - Pyroil (Again) - 1934

Another Pyroil ad this morning, this time an earlier one. In 1934 the company wasn't claiming to have won six of the ten Indianapolis 500 races and they didn't have a dog spokesperson. My favorite is Barney Oldfield who gained fame for driving an Allis-Chalmers tractor at over 64 mph. Sounds like he was a big hit at the La Crosse county fair!

New Yorker Louis Meyer went on to be the first ever three-time Indy 500 winner, claiming the trophy as a rookie in 1928, in 1933, and in 1936 and he's credited with starting the tradition of drinking milk in the winner's circle. Meyer also was the first winner to receive a gift of the pace car, another tradition that continues to date.

Bill Cummings was an Indianapolis native who competed in nine Indy 500's, only winning in 1934. I'm not quite sure why the geniuses at the ad agency decided not to mention that he won the actual race in '34, opting instead for the brilliant statement that he won the Pyroil trophy using Pyroil. The Borg Warner trophy was commissioned in 1935 and wouldn't be presented to the winner of the 500 until the 1936 season.

1936 Indy 500 - A Toast with Buttermilk

The month of May is coming to an end and along with it, my month of Indy 500 trivia and chaff. With the last lap fast approaching, we take on one of the 500’s long-standing traditions, milk. According to the Bleacher Report, the first appearance of milk in the victor’s circle occurred in 1936 when Louis (Lou) Meyer requested a glass of buttermilk after winning his third 500. Apparently the idea of drinking buttermilk on a hot day came from Meyer’s mother, though Bleacher Report seems to be the only online resource sighting that bit of trivia.

Meyer’s 1936 victory made him the first ever three time Indy champion, but he’d never win another 500. He passed away at the age of 91 in a Las Vegas hospital, but his contribution to the tradition of the Indy 500 goes on to this day.