YORKTOWN, Ind. — From the bottle of milk in victory lane, to the kissing of the bricks at the start-finish line, to the winner’s likeness being added to the Borg-Warner Trophy, there are many great traditions that are part of winning the Indianapolis 500.
But there is another long-standing tradition that is equally important and it has happened at every Indianapolis 500 since 1960. It is also the first of the many traditional honors awarded to the race winner.
It’s the winner’s wreath presented by BorgWarner.
The floral wreath weighs 30 pounds and feature 33 white Cymbidium orchids, one for each driver in the starting field. It is as much a part of the time-honored traditions as any other honor bestowed upon the winner and it’s proudly arranged in central Indiana.
Take a ride northeast from Indianapolis toward Muncie and there is the typical Hoosier community of Yorktown.
With a population of 11,548, it’s only 6.2 miles from Muncie, where Ball State University is located. Yorktown is 60 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Nestled off of Yorktown’s main street is Buck Creek in Bloom, a small floral shop operated by Julie Harman-Vance. She graduated from Yorktown High School in 1988 and attended college for commercial arts and design in Indianapolis.
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