Bill Vukovich

William Vukovich (born Vaso Vukovich, December 13, 1918 – May 30, 1955) was an American racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500s, 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. 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 Indianapolis 500s.

William Vukovich was born in Alameda, near Oakland, California. He was the fifth of eight children and the youngest of three sons born to John Vucurovich, a carpenter and police officer, and Mildred (née Syerković). Vukovich's parents emigrated from Serbia, and Anglicized their surname from "Vucurović" to Vucurovich to aid its pronunciation. Later, upon suggestion of the judge presiding over their naturalization, the couple adopted the spelling Vukovich, using it for their children. Vukovich was christened with the given name Vaso, not adopting the English variant William until entering public school.

Not long after Vukovich's birth, his family relocated to a 40-acre farm in Kerman, near Fresno, where his father worked as a sharecropper. The family earned a modest living, and on one occasion Vukovich was hired out as a cotton picker to supplement the family income. Later, his family moved to Sanger, where they made a down-payment on a 20-acre muscat grape vineyard. The move took place against the wishes of Vukovich's mother, who was concerned about the age of the vines. In December 1932, after a poor harvest and struggling to complete the final payments for their property, they were issued a foreclosure notice. Unable to deal with the situation, John Vacurovich committed suicide, dying December 11, 1932, two days before Vukovich's 14th birthday.

The death of Vukovich's father increased the family's financial difficulties, and they were forced to leave the property a few days after the funeral. A neighbor helped them locate a house to rent, the owner of which allowed the family to keep any profits they made from harvesting peach trees which grew on the rental's property. Vukovich's three eldest siblings had already grown up and left for independent lives, leaving Vukovich and his elder brother, Eli, as the new providers for the family. The two brothers worked various jobs harvesting and tilling crops, and driving trucks, sometimes joined by their older brother, Mike.

Vukovich enjoyed attending school, doing well in industrial arts courses. A sophomore at the time of his father's death, Vukovich attempted to balance his education with his increased familial responsibilities, but was soon forced to drop out. Vukovich was known as a taciturn child. After the death of his father, however, he became even more withdrawn. By the time Vukovich reached age 15, Eli had moved out, after which Vukovich assumed a paternal role in the lives of his two younger sisters, Ann and Florence.

Vukovich continued in this role after the early beginnings of his racing career. By the late 1930s, Vukovich's mother was often ill, suffering from painful swelling which required frequent visits for medical care. While his earnings from racing helped augment the family's financial situation, his mother's difficulties with English required significant assistance from Vukovich in completing the paperwork required for free care. Eventually, his mother's illness required around the clock care at the hospital. Vukovich's schedule saw him work on farms during the day, travel to the hospital - often spending evenings conversing with his mother in Serbian until visiting hours were up - then spend his late night hours working on his race car. Mildred Vukovich died aged 51, on March 26, 1939, by which time Ann and Florence had moved out.

Vukovich displayed an interest in speed from an early age. He and his brothers were known to frequently arrive at school with their four-wheeled, horse-drawn cart on two wheels, leading to their father building a two-wheeled cart. The family owned a Ford Model T, and on Sundays when their parents left to go into town the brothers would race it around the yard, using a rake to clear their tracks. They eventually rolled the automobile, badly damaging the collapsible top, which the brothers concealed for a time by forcing it down and covering the automobile with hay from the barn in which it was stored. The activity was ended when Vukovich suffered a sprained wrist after reaching out in an attempt to prevent another roll-over.