Bill Vukovich Jr.

29/3/1944

Record updated

The son of Hall of Fame member and two time winner of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race received his training in midgets and scored 23 National Midget Championship victories during his career. He was the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race 'Rookie of the Year' in 1968 and finished second to Gordon Johncock in the rain-shortened 1973 500. His twelve starts at Indy produced six top ten finishes (7th in 1968, 5th in 71, 2nd in 73, 3rd in 74 6th in 75 and 8th in 79). One of his famous midget rides was the J.C. Agajanian Number 98 which is featured along with his father and the Vukovich 'Shaker' on the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame logo. The Vukovich families contributions to auto racing came at a high price for Bill, Jr. His father Bill Vukovich Sr, won the Indy 500 in 1953 and 1954 and was killed while leading in the 1955 race and his son, who was also 'Rookie of the Year' at Indy in 1988, lost his life at Bakersfield, California in 1990 after his sprint car slammed into a wall during practice laps at Mesa Marin Speedway.