A Report On The Accident That Killed Bill
Vukovich In The 1955 Indianapolis 500-Mile-Race
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A Report On The Accident That Killed Bill Vukovich In The 1955 Indianapolis 500-Mile-Race
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Bill Vukovich -- A Celebration In the early 1980s Californian and Fresno Native Jack Roger Carey published an excellent collectors book to Vukovich and wrote this tribute article. By Jack Roger Carey He was born with a true, competitive spirit that most racing drivers take years to develop. Erroneously labeled "the Mad Russian," by the West Coast Racing Press, he was neither mad, nor was he Russian. What he was, however, was an artful, daring, and on more than one occasion, absolutely brilliant racing driver. His career in midget racing is still the subject of many a fondly remembered story, and his exploits with brother Eli are northing short of legendary. Entire stadiums would be packed to overflowing when it was announced that the two brothers would be in the field. Starting his career in 1938, he became known as a pilot who could take second-rate machinery and lead races with it. More often than not, the rides would give out under the pressure inflicted on them by Bill's unique driving style. Only Bill knew exactly what his style demanded from a car, and it is therefore not surprising that he started to win when he began to perform his own mechanical work. It was soon known that any car that Bill wrenched was a winner,. His dynamic driving style gave the Racing Press their best excuse in years for sensationalizing a racer's exploits. He was soon labeled "a driver who gives no quarter" among other terms that were indicative of the exploitive jounalistic style of the late forties and early fifties. Preferring dirt tracks with heavy surfaces, he developed the unique style of diving into the pole and drifting out into the turn, setting the car up for the following straight. Drivers who didn't know Bill all that well found themselves, at the very least, intimidated. however, once again the press reported that Bill was a "Rim-Rider"; and disliked the use of brakes, Bill Vukovich used the total car to an optimum level. The steering, chassis, throttle, as well as the brakes, were all used to their maximum. All mechanical potential was realized. Bill won the Pacific Coast Midget Title in both 1946 and 1947, and in 1950 captured the coveted A.A.A. National Midget Championship, edging out Henry Banks by 50 points. In May of that same year he passed his rookie test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the then vacated Wilber Shaw-Ted Horn Maserati, which was a feat in itself as the car was grossly obsolete compared to the vast majority of the other entires. May of 1951 found Bill back at the Speedway in the Number 81 Central Excavating Special. Bill referred to the car as the "Prince Albert Can Special," as in fact it was a less than competitive ride. Undaunted, he qualified in the middle of the seventh row at a speed of 133.725. The first 75 miles of the race were run at an incredibly fast pace, and Bill's mount paid the price, falling out of competition while in tenth place with a broken oil line at 11:39 am. The 1952 Indianapolis "500" witnessed Bill behind the wheel of the Howard Keck Fuel Injection Special. Unconventional in design, construction of the car had barely been finished six weeks prior to qualifying, Built by Kurtis-Kraft, it was considerably simpler then older models and its performance, when driven by Bill, was outstanding. The car's chief mechanics were Jim Travers and Frank Coon, and based on the car's performance, they were promptly labeled "The Whiz Kids." The team of Vukovich, Keck, Coon, and Travers seemed at the very least threatening, and at best unbeatable. Qualifying in the middle of the third row at the speed of 138:212, Bill served notice that the unorthodox Number 26 was going to justify the remaining entry's worst fears. Simply stated, Bill Vukovich wanted to win, and he had the machine that would allow him to do it. On Friday, May 30th, Bill led the majority of the race surpassing the performance of anyone on the track. Yet, with only eight laps to go and with a 22-second lead over Troy Ruttman, he crashed into the northeast retaining wall, the victim of a broken steering idler pin. The incident has gone down in speedway history as a disappointmet equal to that of Ralph DePalmas in 1912. The 1953 Memorial Day Classic proved that Bill's brilliant performance the previous year was no fluke. Vukovich qualified on the pole at 138:392, almost a full mile-an-hour faster than the second fastest qualifier,. Fred Agabashian. The entire month of May was a nerve-wrenching experience, not without its share of tragedy. World Grand Prix Champion Alberto Ascari had his Ferrari withdrawn by the factory under mysterious circumstances disappointing a multitude of race fans, and ending whatever international flavor the race may had had. Driver Cliff Griffith crashed his beautiful new $35,000.00 Bardahl Special on the morning of May 9th, destroying the car. Since he had chosen to drive in street clothes, forsaking a regulation driver's uniform, Cliff suffered second and third degree burns. Worst of all, veteran Chet Miller lost control of Number 15 Novi in turn one. Hitting the wall head on twice, he was killed outright. The race itself was a desperate struggle against human fatigue. The track temperature was 130 degrees plus, and was aggravated by fumes from the burning nitro-methane fuel. In fact, the track's conditions were so severe that one driver, Carl Scarbarough, succumbed to heat prostration. There were eighty-five pit stops and sixteen drivers sought relief. Tires weren't changed one, but four at a time, All but ignoring the critical track conditions, Bill smashed almost all existing track records from 1 to 425 miles, the cleanest sweep ever recorded by the statistic department. Mechanic Jim Travers had announced to the press before the race that he "was going to make this thing stick together this time." Jim's prediction was correct, and Bill Vukovich won the 1953 Indianapolis "500" in 3 hours, 53 minutes, and 1 second at an average speed of 128:740 m.p.h. In 1954, Bill qualified in nineteenth starting position due to countless mechanical problems,. The entire month had been plagued by cracked blacks, ring troubles, and just about every other mechanical woe imaginable. The wizened railbirds forecast that it would be virtually impossible for Bill to repeat his success at the Brickyard from so far back in the field. The race, nonetheless, was to prove quite a different story. At 11:00 am on the morning of May 30th the green flag was dropped and Jack McGrath took the lead, followed by Johnny Thomson. By the third lap, Bill had driven from nineteenth to eighth. Sixteen minutes into the race McGrath was setting new lap records, as were Sam Hanks and Bill, who by this time were involved in a turbulent duel for position. In what is one of the finest drives ever witnessed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bill moved through the field with the finesse of a talented surgeon and took the lead at 12:05 P.M. Exactly three minutes later he entered the pits for fresh tires and fuel. He returned to the track in third, trailing Jim Bryan and McGrath. With Bill back in the picture, new track records were immediately set by three full miles-an-hour over the previous year. Shortly, Bill was leading the event once again, and within fifteen minutes had a full lap lead over second place. During this second pit stop he was passed by Bryan, and by the time Bill reentered traffic, Jim enjoyed a three-quarter of a lap lead but his tires were starting to show cord. Bryan's pit stop took 45 seconds and Bill regained first position. At 400 miles he lad Bryan by 36 second; however, Bill had only made two pit stops to Bryan's three and was given the "E-Z" signal by his crew. Bill promptly incrreased his lead by an additional 13 seconds in true Vukovich style. A few minutes later the race was history when Bill lapped Jim Bryan and took the checkered flag simultaneously. He had won the Indianapolis "500" for the second consecutive year, and in a word, floored the world of automobile racing. Bill Vukovich had joined the ranks of the legendary Mauri Rose and Wilber Shaw who were the only other drivers to win back to back "500s." It should be noted that 70 percent of Bill's total time on the track at Indianapolis was spent in the lead. This record has never even remotely been approached. If Bill's win in 1953 is considered one of the gutsiest drives ever witnessed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his victory in 1954 must be considered nothing less than brilliant. The spender of his Speedway conquests and his mastery of the Brickyard itself will live as long as men race cars. After all, it is a thoroughbred blood sport. It is a celebration of man and machine. A celebration of determination and risk. And odds.
That is why we are here, to celebrate. Because fo those who really love racing, Everything before and after is, Just waiting |
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