Bill Vukovich
William "Bill" Vukovich ( /ˈvjuːkəvɪtʃ/; Serbian Cyrillic: Бил Вуковић; December 13, 1918 in Fresno, California – May 30, 1955 in Indianapolis, Indiana) was a Yugoslavian American automobile racing driver. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 plus two more American Automobile Association National Championship races. Several drivers of his generation have referred to Vukovich as the greatest ever encountered in American motorsport.
He was known variously as "Vuky" (/ˈvuːki/ VOO-kee) and "The Mad Russian" (though he detested that name, his ancestry being Yugoslavian) for his intense driving style, as well as the "Silent Serb" for his cool demeanor. He was also referred to as the "Fresno Flash" in Floyd Clymer's Indy yearbooks, and in an interview (available at the Vukovich Accident link below) his former mechanic Jim Travers calls him "Vuke" as in "cuke".
Read more about Bill Vukovich: Death At Indy, Lifetime Achievement Awards, Family, Complete Formula One World Championship Results, Indy 500 Results, F1 World Championship Career Summary
Famous quotes containing the word bill:
“Mildred Pierce: You look down on me because I work for a living, don’t you? You always have. All right, I work. I cook food and sell it and make a profit on it, which, I might point out, you’re not too proud to share with me.
Monte Beragon: Yes, I take money from you, Mildred. But not enough to make me like kitchens or cooks. They smell of grease.
Mildred Pierce: I don’t notice you shrinking away from a fifty- dollar bill because it smells of grease.”
—Ranald MacDougall (1915–1973)