About: Bill Vukovich   Sponge Permalink

An Entity of Type : dbkwik:resource/mTqOWKaYytkFnwEXyrPwUw==, within Data Space : 134.155.108.49:8890 associated with source dataset(s)

William John "Bill" Vukovich, Sr. (VOO-koh-VITCH; born Vaso Vukovich on December 13, 1918 in Alameda, California, United States – died on May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana, United States) was an American racing driver who won two Indianapolis 500s in the mid-1950s and was tragically killed on his way to what would have been a third consecutive victory.

AttributesValues
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Bill Vukovich
rdfs:comment
  • William John "Bill" Vukovich, Sr. (VOO-koh-VITCH; born Vaso Vukovich on December 13, 1918 in Alameda, California, United States – died on May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana, United States) was an American racing driver who won two Indianapolis 500s in the mid-1950s and was tragically killed on his way to what would have been a third consecutive victory.
sameAs
dcterms:subject
frontrows
  • 1(xsd:integer)
lapsraced
  • 676(xsd:integer)
kmsraced
  • 2720(xsd:integer)
racesled
  • 4(xsd:integer)
dbkwik:f1/property/wikiPageUsesTemplate
Birthplace
  • Alameda, California, USA
Birth Date
  • 1918-12-13(xsd:date)
Status
  • Deceased
firstwin
  • 1953(xsd:integer)
Name
  • Bill Vukovich
lastrace
  • 1955(xsd:integer)
lastwin
  • 1954(xsd:integer)
PlaceOfDeath
  • Speedway, Indiana, USA
death date
  • 1955-05-30(xsd:date)
firstrace
  • 1950(xsd:integer)
Years
  • –
doubles
  • 1(xsd:integer)
kmsled
  • 1951(xsd:integer)
lapsled
  • 485(xsd:integer)
hattricks
  • 1(xsd:integer)
abstract
  • William John "Bill" Vukovich, Sr. (VOO-koh-VITCH; born Vaso Vukovich on December 13, 1918 in Alameda, California, United States – died on May 30, 1955 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway, Indiana, United States) was an American racing driver who won two Indianapolis 500s in the mid-1950s and was tragically killed on his way to what would have been a third consecutive victory. He was nicknamed "Vuky" (VOO-kee), "The Mad Russian" (despite having Serbian ancestry) for his driving style, and "The Silent Serb" for his demeanor. 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. Vukovich made his first forays into top-level American motorsport in 1950, making his first attempt at the 1950 Indianapolis 500, which was a round of the first season of Formula One. He failed to qualify neither his Maserati or his Rounds Rocket. Come 1951, Vukovich, in his Trevis made the race, but retired early with a broken fuel tank. Driving a Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser in 1952, Vukovich started eighth but pulled out a dominant performance to lead 150 laps, before crashing out in the lead on lap 192 with steering failure. Undeterred, he took pole in 1953 and led 195 laps en route to his first victory at the Speedway, with a three-minute gap to second-placed Art Cross. Starting a lowly 19th in 1954, Vukovich pulled off a stunning performance to lead 90 laps and win by over a minute. A third successive victory looked on the cards in 1955, when, on lap 57, 17 seconds clear of second place, Vukovich got caught up in a three-car incident involving Rodger Ward, Al Keller and Johnny Boyd. Vukovich's car became airborne, went over the catch fencing, and landed upside down, killing Vukovich instantly. His son, Bill Vukovich II, and his grandson, Billy Vukovich III, both competed at the Indy 500. His son was 1968's Rookie of the Year and finished second in 1973; his grandson was the first third-generation driver to compete at Indy as he took Rookie of the Year, in 1988.
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