"That sucks": IndyCar ROTY Louis Foster jokingly asks for change to 114-year-old Indy 500 tradition

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Louis Foster appeared on the IndyCar’s official YouTube channel as he sat with Dave Furst for a post-season interview, and reflected on his rookie campaign in the American open wheel racing series. While reviewing the Indy 500 weekend, Foster made the request to change the 114-year-old tradition.

Louis Foster won the 2024 Indy NXT championship dominantly and was promoted to the IndyCar series for the 2025 season, signing with RLL and teaming up with the veteran Graham Rahal. The 109th running of the Indy 500 was the first one ever for the British driver, and he looked back on the same in the interview with Furst.

109th Running Of The Indianapolis 500 - Practice and Previews - Source: Getty

As Louis Foster was questioned about his experience at the IMS ahead of the Indy 500, the RLL driver revealed the worst part of the raceday and asked for the Cannon ritual to be changed. He said,

“The race day is insane. The worst part about the raceday is the cannon at 6 or 5 am. That sucks, that's awful. I get it’s a tradition, let’s change it. It’s not great. It wakes you up earlier than you want to be woken up. I think Kathy gave me a warning about that one, which I was glad to know otherwise I'd have been shot out of bed wondering what was going on.” (11:00 onwards)

The Indy 500 is one of the oldest motorsport events in the world, with the first one taking place in 1911. Over a century of history and tradition have become a part of the event now, which includes the race winner kissing the bricks and drinking milk instead of champagne.

One such tradition is the Cannon blast tradition, where a Cannon is set off early in the morning when the gates for the iconic race open up. Back in the day, the Cannon was first set at the gate opening, followed by reducing intervals until the race began. However, now just a single cannon blast is there.

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Droplight signed a multi-year deal with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing for Louis Foster’s #45 entry

NTT Indy Car Series Bommarito Automotive Group 500 - Source: Getty

Droplight first featured on the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing car at the 2025 Indy 500 in the form of its tequila venture Desnuda. The relationship soon grew, and the company has now signed a multi-year deal with RLL as sponsor on Louis Foster’s #45 Honda entry.

“From our very first meeting, it was clear that Droplight would bring value well beyond the racetrack. This long-term commitment solidifies a partnership built on creativity, performance, and shared ambition. We're thrilled to keep building the future together,” said Bobby Rahal about the partnership extension.

Louis Foster won the 2025 IndyCar rookie of the year as he finished P23 in the standings.

Edited by Pranay Bhagi