By DAVE BLOWER JR.
Farm World Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Phil Giebler, driver of the No. 31 Ethos Fuel Reformulator car in the Indianapolis 500, was the winner of this year’s Fastest Rookie Award, which is sponsored by the American Dairy Assoc. of Indiana.

Giebler, 27, of Oxnard, Calif., qualified with an average speed of 219.673 mph. He was one of only two rookies in this year’s race.

The other rookie, Milka Duno of Venezula, was the third woman to qualify for the 2007 Indy 500. Both rookies received a variety of awards from the dairy checkoff, which hosted its 33rd annual luncheon honoring the race’s rookies last week.

The dairy association’s sponsorship of the Fastest Rookie Award is the oldest existing partnership with the Indianapolis 500.

Amanda Nicodemus of Columbia City, Ind. was among those to pass out the awards to Giebler and Duno. Nicodemus is the reigning Indiana Dairy Princess. She is a junior studying nursing at the University of Evansville.

Nicodemus is one of 10 children who grew up on a northern Indiana farm. A past Indiana Holstein Princess, she is also a 10-year, 4-H member. She said many of her happiest days were showing cattle at the Indiana State Fair and other events.

“This has definitely been one of the highlights of the year,” said Nicodemus, who was named Dairy Princess in July 2006 and was active at many State Fair events last year. “For years our family has come down to Indianapolis to show at the State Fair, but this has been great – being a part of the Indianapolis 500.”

Though she is studying nursing in college, Nicodemus said she hopes to return to the farm in the future. The Nicodemus family is going through many changes. Her parents, William and Patricia Nicodemus, recently sold most of their cattle – holding on to their show animals.

The youngest of their children - twin, 18-year-old boys – will finish their 10th year in 4-H this summer.

“We’ve got grandkids who are coming up into 4-H, so we’ll still be involved in showing cattle and fairs,” William Nicodemus said.

This farm news was published in the June 2, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.