Bill (William John) Vukovich

Date of birth:	December 13, 1918
Place of birth:	Alameda, California
Died:	May 30, 1955
Place of death:	Indianapolis
Races entered:	25
Wins:	6
Podiums:	8
Pole positions:	4
Fastest laps:	2
Race win percentage:	24%
(the above statistics are a summary of the data currently available on the Career details page.)

He was killed in a chain-reaction crash while holding a 17-second lead on the 57th lap of the 1955 Indianapolis 500. Vukovich was exiting the second turn, trailing three slower cars — driven by Rodger Ward, Al Keller, and Johnny Boyd — when Ward’s car swerved as the result of a strong gust of wind. 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 oncoming path. Vukovich’s car struck Boyd’s, became airborne, and landed upside down after going over the outside backstretch retaining wall and somersaulting several times, killing him. Vukovich was the second of two not only former winners but also defending champions of the race to have died in competition, following Floyd Roberts in 1939, and the only former winner to have been killed while leading. Coincidentally, Roberts’ car was also thrown over the backstretch fence after exiting the second turn during his fatal accident.