Bill Vukovich

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Bill Vukovich
Vukovich, circa 1951
BornWilliam John Vukovich
(1918-12-13)December 13, 1918
Oakland, California, U.S.
DiedMay 30, 1955(1955-05-30) (aged 36)
Speedway, Indiana, U.S.
Championship titles
AAA National Midget Car (1950)
Major victories
Indianapolis 500 (1953, 1954)
Champ Car career
22 races run over 6 years
Best finish3rd (1953)
First race1951 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Last race1955 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
First win1952 Detroit 100 (Detroit)
Last win1954 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis)
Wins Podiums Poles
4 6 3
Formula One World Championship career
Active years1950 – 1955
TeamsMaserati, Trevis, Kurtis Kraft
Entries6 (5 starts)
Championships0
Wins2
Podiums2
Career points19
Pole positions1
Fastest laps3
First entry1950 Indianapolis 500
First win1953 Indianapolis 500
Last win1954 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1955 Indianapolis 500

William John "Bill" Vukovich (/ˈvjuːkəvɪtʃ/; December 13, 1918 – May 30, 1955) was an American racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500, plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races, and died while leading the 1955 Indianapolis 500.

Several drivers of his generation have referred to Vukovich as the greatest ever in American motorsport.[1] He is generally considered one of the best racing drivers of his generation, and is the only driver to lead the most laps in three consecutive Indy 500s.

Driving career[edit]

Midget car career[edit]

Before he began Indy racing, Vukovich drove midget cars for the Edelbrock dirt track racing team. He raced on the West Coast of the United States in the URA, and won the series' 1945 and 1946 midget car championships. Vukovich won the 1948 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Gilmore Stadium, and six of the last eight races at the stadium track before it was closed for good.[2] He won the 1950 AAA National Midget championship. Vukovich was known for racing midgets powered by Drake engines. The Drake was a Harley V-twin with specially built Drake water cooled heads. His last Drake powered midget was a Kurtis-Kraft that was built by Ed and Zeke Justice, the Justice Brothers, in their shop in Glendale from a Kurtis kit. Previous to this car Vukovich drove a "Frame Rail" midget that was also powered by a Drake engine.

Indianapolis 500[edit]

Vukovich's winning car from the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500s

In 1952, his second year in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's 500-Mile Race, he quickly moved up from his starting position in the middle of the third row to take the lead, and led 150 laps in dominant fashion before suffering steering failure on the 192nd of the 200 laps. He returned to win the race in consecutive years, 1953 and 1954. He led an astounding 71.7% of laps that he drove in competition at the track, and remains the only driver ever to lead the most laps in the race three consecutive years.[2]

World Drivers' Championship career[edit]

The AAA/USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the AAA/USAC National Championship.

Vukovich participated in five World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He started on the pole once, won twice, recorded three fastest laps, and accumulated 19 World Drivers' Championship points.

Death at Indianapolis[edit]

Vukovich was killed in a chain-reaction crash while holding a 17-second lead on the 57th lap of the 1955 Indianapolis 500. He was exiting the second turn, trailing three slower cars—driven by Rodger Ward, Al Keller, and Johnny Boyd—when Ward's car hit the backstretch outer wall and flipped, resting in the middle of the track as a result of a broken axle. Keller, swerving into the infield to avoid Ward, lost control and slid back onto the track, striking Boyd's car and pushing it into Vukovich's path. After his car went over the outside wall and become airborne, it cartwheeled through the air multiple times landing on top of a group of parked cars before coming to rest upside down and bursting into flames. Boyd's car also flipped over and landed upside down as well. As the car burned, Ed Elisian stopped his undamaged car and raced towards Vukovich in an attempt to save him. It did not matter; Vukovich had perished instantly. Two spectators were also injured when Vukovich's car landed on their Jeep.[3]

Vukovich was the second defending Indy 500 champion to die during the race, following Floyd Roberts in 1939, and the only former winner to have been killed while leading. Roberts' car was also thrown over the backstretch fence after exiting the second turn in his fatal accident. Since the 1955 race was counted as part of the Formula One World Championship, Vukovich is also the first driver to be killed during a World Championship race.[4]

Family[edit]

His son, Bill Vukovich II, and his grandson, Bill Vukovich III, also competed in the Indianapolis 500, with Vukovich II taking second in 1973, and Vukovich III being named Rookie of the Year in 1988. Vukovich III died on November 25, 1990, in a crash during practice for a CRA race at Mesa Marin Raceway,[5] in Bakersfield, California.

Awards and honors[edit]

Vukovich has been inducted into the following halls of fame:

Motorsports career results[edit]

AAA Championship Car results[edit]

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Points
1950 INDY
DNQ 		MIL LAN SPR MIL PIK SYR DET SPR SAC
DNQ 		PHX BAY DAR - 0
1951 INDY
29 		MIL
DNQ 		LAN
14 		DAR
26 		SPR
15 		MIL
21 		DUQ
7 		DUQ
DNQ 		PIK
 SYR
3 		DET
7 		DNC
11 		SJS
18 		PHX
 BAY
DNQ 		23rd 291.8
1952 INDY
17 		MIL
DNQ 		RAL
24 		SPR
DNQ 		MIL
 DET
1 		DUQ
3 		PIK SYR
14 		DNC
1 		SJS
14 		PHX
8 		12th 590
1953 INDY
1 		MIL
 SPR
 DET
 SPR
 MIL
 DUQ
 PIK SYR
 ISF
 SAC
DNQ 		PHX
 3rd 1,000
1954 INDY
1 		MIL
22 		LAN
 DAR
 SPR
 MIL
 DUQ
 PIK SYR ISF
 SAC
 PHX
 LVG
 4th 1,000
1955 INDY
25 		MIL LAN SPR MIL DUQ PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX
 - 0

Indianapolis 500 results[edit]

Year[12] Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1950 10 – – – – – – Did not qualify
1951 81 20 133.725 16 29 29 Oil tank
1952 26 8 138.212 2 17 191 150 Steering
1953 14 1 138.392 1 1st 200 195 Running
1954 14 19 138.478 15 1st 200 90 Running
1955 4 5 141.071 3 25 56 50 Fatal accident
Totals 676 485
Starts 5
Poles 1
Front Row 1
Wins 2
Top 5 2
Top 10 2
Retired 3

FIA World Drivers' Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Pts
1950 Indianapolis Race Cars Maserati 8CTF Maserati 3.0 L8s GBR MON 500
DNQ 		SUI BEL FRA ITA NC 0
1951 Central Excavating Trevis Offenhauser 4.5 L4 SUI 500
29 		BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP NC 0
1952 Fuel Injection Kurtis Kraft KK500A Offenhauser 4.5 L4 SUI 500
17 		BEL FRA GBR GER NED ITA 22nd 1
1953 Fuel Injection Kurtis Kraft KK500A Offenhauser 4.5 L4 ARG 500
1 		NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA 7th 9
1954 Fuel Injection Kurtis Kraft KK500A Offenhauser 4.5 L4 ARG 500
1 		BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP 6th 8
1955 Hopkins Kurtis Kraft KK500C Offenhauser 4.5 L4 ARG MON 500
25 		BEL NED GBR ITA 25th 1
Source:[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ESPN Classic - Vukovich was a fearless racing legend". www.espn.com. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b Biography Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, Retrieved January 4, 2007
  3. ^ "Sarasota Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  4. ^ Williamson, Martin. "Deaths in Formula One". ESPN UK. Archived from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  5. ^ Glick, Shav (26 November 1990). "Vukovich, 27, Is Killed in Crash at Bakersfield : Motor racing: Three-time Indy 500 starter and the only third-generation Indy 500 driver dies while warming up car before CRA event". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame". www.fresnoahof.org. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  7. ^ "Bill Vukovich". IMS Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  8. ^ "Bill Vukovich". 2012-02-05. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2023-10-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Bill Vukovich". International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  10. ^ "Bill Vukovich". www.mshf.com. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  11. ^ "Hall of Fame – West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame". Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  12. ^ Bill Vukovich Indy 500 Race Stats Archived May 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Bill Vukovich – Involvement". StatsF1. Retrieved April 20, 2019.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bill Vukovich.
Preceded by Indianapolis 500 Winner
1953-1954 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Formula One fatal accidents
May 30, 1955 		Succeeded by
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