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"   Balloon Release   Since 1947, the Indy 500 has released multi-colored balloons before the start of the race. The idea was suggested by Mary Hulman, Tony&amp;#039;s wife. The release is timed to the final notes of the song &amp;quot;Back Home Again in Indiana.&amp;quot; Speaking of which, it was first sung in 1946 by James Melton of the New York Metropolitan Opera some 45 minutes before the race. It proved so popular it was moved up to just prior to the start of the race. While Jim Nabors has sung it almost every year since 1972, the song has been rendered by Mel Torm\u00E9, Vic Damone, Dinah Shore, Ed Ames, Peter Marshall and Dennis Morgan.    The Yard of Bricks    The original surface of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track was crushed rock and tar, but proved unsatisfactory after a few days&amp;#039; use. In August 1909 the surface was replaced by 3.2 million street-paving bricks. Paving over the bricks with asphalt began in 1936 to cover rough spots and by 1939, only 650 yards of the main straight remained exposed brick. In 1962, the front straight was paved leaving only a 3-ft. wide strip at the start/finish line exposed. A tradition of kissing the bricks began at NASCAR&amp;#039;s 1996 Brickyard 400 with winner Dale Jarrett and crew. Indy 500 winners picked up on the new tradition shortly thereafter.    Winner&amp;#039;s Drink of Milk    Three-time winner Louis Meyer, at his mother&amp;#039;s suggestion, routinely drank buttermilk on a hot day to refresh himself and he drank some in victory lane after his 1936 win. A dairy industry executive saw the picture and suggested the winner drink regular milk, which happened at each race from 1937-1946. The tradition disappeared from &amp;#039;47-&amp;#039;55 only to be revived in 1956 and continues to this day. In 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi created controversy by drinking orange juice (he owned orange groves in Brazil). He did, however, take a sip of milk after the cameras were off, but was criticized for his on-air break of tradition.    Winner&amp;#039;s Wreath    A fixture in Grand Prix racing, the winner&amp;#039;s wreath made its first appearance at Indy in 1960 when a wreath of exotic flowers was placed on Jim Rathmann&amp;#039;s shoulders. The next year, A.J. Foyt sported a wreath of red and white carnations. Today&amp;#039;s wreath, which was designed 30 years ago, includes 33 ivory-colored Cymbidium orchids with burgundy tips and 33 miniature checkered flags, representing the race&amp;#039;s starting grid.    Green&amp;#039;s Bad Rap    Racers are a superstitious lot and the color green has always been considered bad luck. This goes back to Gaston Chevrolet, who won the 1920 event in a green car but was killed several months later in the same vehicle at a Beverly Hills board track. That tradition held until Jim Clark&amp;#039;s Lotus won the historic race in 1965 liveried in British Racing Green. Some traditionalists stay away from the color, while others, like Danica Patrick&amp;#039;s Go Daddy-sponsored ride, embrace it. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a17353/indy-500-race-traditions/>