When fans of Indycar racing are asked to name the driver they consider to be the greatest ever to grace the Brickyard, their suggestions are traditionally limited to a legendary shortlist including the likes of AJ Foyt, Rick Mears, Mario Andretti as well as the three members of the Unser family, but if you were to ask many of the speedways expert figures, including former winner Rodger Ward, their suggestion is a stocky, 36 year old from California who made the Speedway his own during the 1950s; Bill Vukovich.

For many Indycar aficionados, Vukovich came to represent the Indianapolis 500 driver in its purest form; whilst his contemporaries would often run other AAA and Sprint Car events away from the Brickyard ‘Vuky’ would only ever compete at the Indianapolis 500, using the remainder of the racing season mentally and phyisically preparing himself for when the Month of May next came around. Such was the level of dedication that Vuky showed to the event, that it led him to become a dominant factor in each of his 500 appearances, including two successive 500 wins as well as the prospect of more success to follow until his career and life was to be tragically cut short.

Born as one of eight children in Fresno California, Vukcovich’s first foray into the auto industry came in 1932, when he was forced to drop out of high school at the age of 14 to work alongside older brother Eli as a mechanic, developing a fascination with the technology which would soon lead to Bill competing in his first auto racing events during the middle of the decade, including finishing second in his first ever race earning a $15 of earnings in the process. After working as a jeep and truck repairman during World War II, Vuky returned to competitive action after purchasing a midget car from fellow driver Fred Gearhart in 1945., and over the next two years established himself as the dominant driver in midget racing, winning the United Racing Association’s West Coast championship handily in 1946 and 1947, before capturing the AAA National Midget crown in 1950, in the process paving his way to the American motor racing’s major league.

After failing to qualify for his first Indianapolis 500 in an aging Maserati on short notice, Vukovich made his first true attempt at the Brickyard in 1951 driving Central Excavating Special driving for Cleveland based owner Pete Salemi. After starting in the 20th spot, Vukovich had climbed his way up into tenth place by the fifteenth lap of the race only for the car to suffer a broken oil tank that would put him out of the race by the end of lap 29. Despite the disappointing result however, as well as the paltry $750 reward for his efforts, Vukovich’s performance in the 1951 race attracted the attention of millionaire sportsman Howard Keck, who was looking for a new driver to driver for his team following the imminent retirement of three time 500 champion Mauri Rose. After much deliberation over the deal, Vukovich left midget car racing at the end of 1951 to take up Keck’s offer to drive for his team. At the following year’s Indy 500, Vukovich qualified Keck’s car in the third row, and was leading the race when a quarter-inch pin on the steering arm gave out on the 192nd lap, sending his car into the wall and allowing Troy Ruttman to surge past him and towards victory.

Although officially classified 17th in the 1952 event Vukovich realized that Indy was easily within his reach. He succeeded in his quest the next year after capturing the pole position at a speed of 138.392 miles per hour. A relaxed Vukovich led 195 of the 200 laps in what was one of the hottest 500 mile races on record, going the entire distance of the race without the need of a relief driver In 1954, Vukovich was even faster. Despite starting from the 19th position, he set an Indy 500 record by averaging 130.84 mph as he became the third driver to win back-to-back Indy 500s, winning $74,934 in the process. Thanks to his 1954 victory, Vukovich became only the third man to win two Indianapolis 500s in a row after Wilbur Shaw and Mauri Rose, and heading into the 1955 race hype had begun to build over whether the not the Fresno flyer could make it a trio of victories come the Month of May. Driving for new owner Lindsey Hopkins, Vukovich qualified his #4 machine fifth on the grid, but quickly move to the front of the field to hold a lead of over 20 seconds by the time the race reached the quarter distance mark.

On lap 57 of the race however Vukovich ran into trouble with back-markers, coming out of turn two Rodger Ward lost control of his machine, causing Art Keller to slide into the path of Johnny Boyd as he attempted to take evasive accident. Approaching the incident at 150mph, Vukovich moved to the outside of the track attempting to avoid contact with the cars, only for Boyd’s machine to move into his path at the last minute, causing Vuky’s car to ride up the wall and somersault out of the confines of the circuit, coming to a rest upside down with the car aflame. Vukovich was found dead at the scene following a skull fracture, and a sombre atmosphere engulfed the speedway when the announcement of his passing was announced just over an hour later. Coming just four days after the passing of Alberto Ascari in an accident at Monza, and a few weeks prior to the Le Mans Disaster, Vukovich’s accident proved to be the middle chapter of one of the darkest years in auto racing history.

With a determined racing style and age still on his side, Vukovich had the potential to firmly establish himself as one of Indy’s all time legends had it of not been for his untimely demise,but with a commitment to the Brickyard unlike any other driver in history and two of the most dominant wins ever seen at the Speedway it is easy to understand why the Fresno Flyer is so widely admired by many in the Brickyard paddock.

In today’s video IMS historian Donald Davidson speaks about Vukovich’s legacy at the Brickyard: