Drinking orange juice before milk cost Indianapolis 500 champion Emerson Fittipaldi some cash.
Tradition at the speedway calls for the winner to take a swig from a bottle of milk right after the race. But Fittipaldi, a millionaire businessman whose holdings include a 500,000-acre orange tree plantation in Brazil, chose to drink orange juice first after winning Sunday's race.The break with tradition cost him $5,000 when the American Dairy Association of Indiana withdrew the prize it usually presents to the winner. A $500 prize that goes to the winning car's chief mechanic also was withheld.
The missing money wasn't mentioned as car owner Roger Penske, Fittipaldi and their team were honored at Monday's victory dinner.
"It was one of the toughest races I ever raced," said Fittipaldi, who finished 2.862 seconds ahead of 1990 Indy champion Arie Luyendyk after taking the lead for good on the 185th lap when he raced past third-place finisher Nigel Mansell at the end of a caution period.
"I was at the right place, at the right time, driving the right car," Fittipaldi said.
Fittipaldi moved into second place on the all-time list for career earnings at Indianapolis with he picked up $1,155,304 from a record $7,681,300 purse distributed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In 10 races on the 21/2-mile oval, the 46-year-old Brazilian has earned $3,744,604.
Only four-time Indy champion Rick Mears, who retired from racing in December, has earned more at the speedway with $4,299,392.
Luyendyk, who won the pole position on the opening day of time trials, received $681,303 - a record for the runner-up. The previous mark was $609.333 by Scott Goodyear last year. Luyendyk's check moved him past four-time champion A.J. Foyt into fifth place on the all-time earnings list.
"This is probably the only list I'll ever pass A.J. on at this place," Luyendyk said. "He's one of the greatest ever in racing, and it's only because the payoffs are higher that I've caught him."
Mansell, who finished third in his first race on an oval, received $391,203 - including $10,000 for being voted rookie of the year.
"I'm relieved," said the Englishman, who is the first Formula One champion to join the Indy circuit the following year. "Whether you're a world champion or not, to come to a superspeedway of this nature and be on your first oval . . . I don't feel bad about winning it (the rookie honor). I think it's a compliment. I think it's a great achievement for anybody."