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Bill Vukovich II
William John Vukovich Jr. (March 29, 1944 – August 20, 2023) was an American driver in the championship car division of USAC and the CART series. Career Vukovich was named the 1968 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, a result of his seventh-place finish. Vukovich raced in the 1965–1982 seasons, with 158 combined career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1968–1977, 1979–1980. He finished in the top ten 85 times, with one victory in 1973 at Michigan. His best finish at the Indianapolis 500 came in 1973, where he finished second in a rain-shortened, tragedy-marred event. Vukovich also had 23 National midget car victories in his career, and drove for part of his career in J. C. Agajanian's midget car. Personal life and death Bill Vukovich II was the son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich and the father of Billy Vukovich III, both of whom were killed in racing accidents. Vukovich and his wife, Joyce, were married for 60 years. Vukovich ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. Early life Childhood 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Indianapolis Star
} ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianapolis News'' ceased publication. It won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2021 and the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting twice, in 1975 and 1991. It is currently owned by Gannett. History ''The Indianapolis Star'' was founded on June 6, 1903, by Muncie, Indiana, Muncie industrialist George F. McCulloch as competition to two other Indianapolis dailies, the ''Indianapolis Journal'' and the ''Indianapolis Sentinel''. It acquired the ''Journal'' a year and two days later, and bought the ''Sentinel'' in 1906. Daniel G. Reid purchased the ''Star'' in 1904 and hired John Shaffer as publisher, later replacing him. In the ensuing court proceedings, Shaffer emerged as the majority owner of the paper in 1911 and s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis Raceway Park
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (formerly Indianapolis Raceway Park, O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, and Lucas Oil Raceway) is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a oval track, a road course (which has fallen into disrepair and is no longer used), and a drag strip which is among the premier drag racing venues in the world. The complex receives about 500,000 visitors annually. History In 1958, 15 Indianapolis-area businessmen and racing professionals led by Tom Binford, Frank Dickie, Rodger Ward, and Howard Fieber invested $5,000 each to fund the development of a farm tract into a recreational sporting complex that would focus on auto racing. The original intention was to create a 15-turn, road course, but as an insurance measure against economic problems, the investment group decided to incorporate a quarter-mile drag strip into the long straightaway of the road course design. Constructed with ass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile Hillclimbing, hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. The track measures and has over 156 turns, climbing from the start at mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway, to the finish at , on grades averaging 7.2%. It used to consist of both gravel and paved sections, but as of August 2011, the highway is fully paved; as a result, all subsequent events will be run on asphalt from start to finish. The race is self-sanctioned and has taken place since 1916. It is currently contested by a variety of vehicle classes. The PPIHC operates as the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum to organize the annual motorsports event. History Early history The first Pikes Peak Hill Climb was promoted by Spencer Penrose, who had converted the narrow carriage road into the much wider Pikes Peak Highway. The first Penrose Trophy was awarded in 1916 to Rea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Langhorne Speedway
Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. According to the book ''Langhorne! No Man's Land'' by L. Spencer Riggs: "With all other courses up to that time being fairground horse tracks, Langhorne was the first ne-ile dirt track built specifically for cars". High-profile American racing clubs like the American Motorcyclist Association ( AMA), American Automobile Association ( AAA), and United States Auto Club ( USAC) made Langhorne one of the stops on their national circuits. These events included AMA-sanctioned National Championship Motorcycle races between 1935 and 1956, AAA-sanctioned Championship Car races between 1930 and 1955, and USAC-sanctioned Championship Car races from 1956 to 1970. The USAC races featured (and were won by) notable racers such as A. J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Gordon Johncock, Lloyd Ruby, and Eddie Sachs. Lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milwaukee 225
The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wisconsin has hosted American open-wheel car racing events dating back to 1937. The AAA Contest Board, USAC, CART, Champ Car World Series, and the IndyCar Series have all sanctioned races at the facility. The Milwaukee Mile has a long history of Championship/Indy car racing, and for many years, traditionally held a race the weekend after the Indianapolis 500. The NTT IndyCar Series first held events at Milwaukee from 2004 to 2009, and again from 2011 to 2015. After an eight-year hiatus, the IndyCar Series returned for a doubleheader in 2024. The race is currently known as the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250. History Open wheel racing at the track dates back to 1937. AAA sanctioned races in 1937–1939, 1941, and 1946–1955. The track was paved in 1954. For most years starting in 1949, Milwaukee traditionally hosted the first race following the Indianapolis 500. From 1947 to 1982, Milwaukee normally hosted two races, the first race right after Indy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1965 Indianapolis 500
The 49th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Monday, May 31, 1965. The five-year-old "British Invasion" of Indy racing by rear engine cars (actually mid engine), which preceded the 1964 British Invasion by the Beatles, finally broke through as Team Lotus, Jim Clark and Colin Chapman triumphed in dominating fashion with the first rear-engined Indy-winning car, a Lotus 38 powered by the DOHC Ford Indy V8 engine. With only six of the 33 cars in the field still having front engines, it was the first 500 in history to have a majority of cars as rear-engined machines. Clark, of Scotland, had won the pole position in 1964, again started from the front row, and led 190 laps, the most since Bill Vukovich (195) in 1953. He became the first foreign-born winner of the Indianapolis 500 since 1920 when French-born Gaston Chevrolet won. Clark would go on to win the 1965 World Championship (which Indianapolis was not par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trenton Speedway
Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway. Racing history The first race at the Fairgrounds was held on September 24, 1900, but there was no further racing there until 1907. Regular racing began in 1912 and continued until 1941. A new dirt oval was opened in 1946. In 1957 the track was paved. It operated in that configuration until 1968 when the track was expanded to and a "kidney bean" shape with a 20° right-hand dogleg on the back stretch and a wider turn 3 & 4 complex than turns 1 & 2. The track closed in 1980 and the Fairgrounds itself closed 3 years later. The former site of the speedway is now occupied by the Grounds for Sculpture, a UPS shipping facility, and the housing development known as "Hamilton Lakes". Championship cars Trenton was a long-time stop for the AAA and USAC Champi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
XM Satellite Radio Indy 200
The Jimmy Bryan Memorial was an IndyCar Series race held at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, United States. USAC moved the fall race and added a spring race to the newly built Phoenix International Raceway in 1964. The race became a CART event in 1979, and joined the Indy Racing League in 1996. It was held continuously through 2005. After a hiatus of eleven years, the race was revived by the IndyCar Series in 2016. It was held on Saturday night under the lights. Long considered a popular Indy car track, Phoenix saw the final career victory for Mario Andretti (1993). History During its time on the USAC Championship Car circuit, Phoenix International Raceway typically held two races annually, one in the spring, and one in the fall. During the CART years, two races were scheduled through the mid-1980s, but the track dropped down to one race per year starting in 1987. In many years, Phoenix served as the CART season opener. After a feud between the track ownership and CART s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Vukovich III
William John Vukovich III (August 31, 1963 – November 25, 1990) was an American race car driver. He was a three-time starter of the Indianapolis 500. The grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich and the son of Bill Vukovich II, Vukovich III was the 1988 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Billy Vukovich III was killed in practice for a CRA race at Mesa Marin Raceway, in Bakersfield, California, when his throttle stuck open which caused his car to swerve into the wall. He was 27 years old. Vukovich became the first third-generation driver to qualify in Indy 500 history. His grandfather was killed while leading the 1955 Indianapolis 500 The 39th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 30, 1955. The event was race 1 of 11 of the 1955 AAA National Championship Trail and was race 3 of 7 in the 1955 World Championship of Driv .... He got his start in racing driving for the John Runjavac racing team. Moto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Midget Auto Racing Hall Of Fame
The National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame is an American Hall of Fame and museum for midget cars. The Hall of Fame is located at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and can be accessed during weekly Sunday races during the summer. Inductees are often honored with their award in January at the Chili Bowl (race), Chili Bowl at Tulsa. List of inductees There were 272 inductees after the 2024 induction ceremony. References {{authority control Midget car racing Auto racing museums and halls of fame Automobile museums in Wisconsin Sports museums in Wisconsin Halls of fame in Wisconsin, Midget Auto Museums in Dane County, Wisconsin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midget Car Racing
Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small, with a very high power-to-weight ratio, and typically use four-cylinder engines. They originated in the United States in the 1930s and are raced on most continents. There is a worldwide tour and national midget tours in the United States, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand. Cars Typically, these four-cylinder-engine cars have to and weigh . The high power and small size of the cars combine to make midget racing quite dangerous; for this reason, modern midget cars are fully equipped with roll cages and other safety features. Some early major midget car manufacturers include Kurtis Kraft (1930s to 1950s) and Solar Midget, Solar (1944–46). Midgets are intended to be driven for races of relatively short distances, usually 2.5 to 25 miles (4 to 40 km). Some events are staged inside arenas, like the Chili Bowl (race), Chili Bowl held in early January at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
