Bill Vukovich
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Bill Vukovich
William John Vukovich Sr. (; December 13, 1918 – May 30, 1955) was an American automobile racing driver of Serbian descent. He won the 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500, 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. Racer Midget car Before he began Indy racing, Vukovich drove midget cars for the Edelbrock dirt track racing team. He raced on the West Coast of the United States in the URA, and won the series' 1945 and 1946 midget car championships. Vukovich won the 1948 Turkey Night Grand Prix at Gilmore Stadium, and six of the last eight races at the stadium track before it was closed for good.Biography
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Bill Vukovich II
William John Vukovich II (born March 29, 1944 in Riverside, California) is a former driver in the championship car division of USAC and CART series. He 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 Brooklyn. He also had 23 National midget car victories in his career, and drove for part of his career in J. C. Agajanian's midget car.Biography
at the , Retrieved January 11, 2007
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Fresno, California
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, making it the fifth-most populous city in California, the most populous inland city in California, and the 34th-most populous city in the nation. The Metro population of Fresno is 1,008,654 as of 2022. Named for the abundant ash trees lining the San Joaquin River, Fresno was founded in 1872 as a railway station of the Central Pacific Railroad before it was incorporated in 1885. It has since become an economic hub of Fresno County and the San Joaquin Valley, with much of the surrounding areas in the Metropolitan Fresno region predominantly tied to large-scale agricultural production. Fresno is near the geographic center of California, approximately north of Los Angeles, south of the state capital, Sacramento, and southeast of San Franc ...
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Dirt Track Racing
Dirt track racing is a form of motorsport held on clay or dirt surfaced oval race tracks often used for thoroughbred horse racing. Dirt track racing started in the United States before World War I and became widespread during the 1920s and 1930s using both automobiles and motorcycles. Two different types of race cars dominate — open wheel racers in the Northeast and West and stock cars in the Midwest and South. While open wheel race cars are purpose-built racing vehicles, stock cars (also known as fendered cars) can be either purpose-built race cars or street vehicles that have been modified to varying degrees. There are hundreds of local and regional racetracks throughout the nation. The sport is also popular in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Racetrack A dirt track's racing surface may be composed of any soil, although most seasoned dirt racers probably consider a moist, properly-prepared clay oval their favorite dirt racing surface. Pre ...
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Ed Elisian
Ed Elisian (born Edward Gulbeng Eliseian; December 9, 1926 – August 30, 1959) was an American racecar driver, mainly competing in the National Championship. He died in a crash at the Milwaukee Mile. In the 1955 Indianapolis 500, he stopped his car in a futile attempt to help Bill Vukovich when Vukovich's car crashed and burned during the race. He is one of only two drivers in Indy 500 history to stop a non-damaged car to help another driver, the other being Gary Bettenhausen in 1971. He received a sportsmanship award for his efforts, as well as the wrath of the car owner. In June 1956, Elisian was engaging in a wheel-to-wheel duel with Bob Sweikert, who had won the race in which Vukovich was killed, in a Sprint car race at Salem Speedway when Sweikert made contact with the rail, overleapt it and rolled over outside of the track, suffering fatal skull injuries. Elisian was exonerated as no collision had taken place. In the 1958 Indianapolis 500, Dick Rathmann and Elisia ...
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Johnny Boyd
Johnny Boyd (August 19, 1926 – October 27, 2003) was an American racecar driver. Racing career Born in Fresno, California, Boyd drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series from 1954 to 1966 with 56 starts. He finished in the top ten 31 times, with his best finish in 2nd position, in 1959 at Milwaukee. Boyd qualified for the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 1955 but finished 29th after being involved in an accident that killed driver Bill Vukovich. In a dozen starts, his best race was in 1958, when he led 18 laps and finished 3rd. In total, he finished in the Top 10 at the 500 five times. After 1949 Boyd had become close friends with Bob Sweikert of Hayward, California when he met him on the California racing circuit. The two often raced together, and Boyd qualified for entry in the 1955 Indianapolis 500 when Sweikert helped him overcome mechanical handling problems in Boyd's car. Sweikert won the race that day, but was overshadowed by the death of Vukovich. Boy ...
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Al Keller
Alvah August “Al” Keller (April 11, 1920 in Alexander, New York – November 19, 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona) was an American racecar driver. NASCAR Keller participated in the NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National series from 1949 to 1956 with 29 career starts. He won two races during the 1954 season and was the first driver in the history of NASCAR's top division to have won a race in a foreign-built car. Keller won the 1954 Grand National road-race at the Linden Airport in New Jersey, driving a Jaguar owned by big band leader Paul Whiteman. He also won by a two-lap margin at Oglethorpe Speedway in 1954. IndyCar In 1954 Keller began a transition to Championship Cars. He drove in the AAA and USAC Champ Car series, racing in the 1954-1959 and 1961 seasons with 32 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 six times. He was involved in the crash that killed Bill Vukovich in 1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * Ja ...
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Rodger Ward
Rodger M. Ward (January 10, 1921 – July 5, 2004) was a World War II Lockheed_P-38_Lightning, P-38 aviator in the United States Army Air Forces, and an American race driver with 26 victories in top echelon open-wheel racing in North America, two Indianapolis 500 victories, and two United_States_Automobile_Club#USAC_Championship_Car_Series, USAC National Championships, who conceived the classic tri-oval design and layout of Pocono International Raceway, modeled after his three favorite signature turns, at Trenton_Speedway, Trenton, Indianapolis_Motor_Speedway, Indianapolis and Milwaukee_Mile, Milwaukee. Early history Ward was born in Beloit, Kansas, the son of Ralph and Geneva (née Banta) Ward. By 1930, the family had moved to California. He died in Anaheim, California. Ward's father owned an auto wrecking business in Los Angeles. Rodger was 14 years old when he built a Ford Motor Company, Ford hot rod. He was a P-38 Lightning fighter pilot in World War II. He enjoyed fly ...
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List Of Indianapolis 500 Lap Leaders
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union club Other uses * Angle of list, the leaning to either port or starboard of a ship * List (information), an ordered collection of pieces of information ** List (abstract data type), a method to organize data in computer science * List on Sylt, previously called List, the northernmost village in Germany, on the island of Sylt * ''List'', an alternative term for ''roll'' in flight dynamics * To ''list'' a building, etc., in the UK it means to designate it a listed building that may not be altered without permission * Lists (jousting), the barriers used to designate the tournament area where medieval knights jousted * ''The Book of Lists'', an American series of books with unusual lists See also * The List (other) * Listing (di ...
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Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis. The event is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series, the top level of American open-wheel car racing, a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as ''The Greatest Spectacle in Racing'', is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix, with which it typically shares a date. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity is upwards ...
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1952 Indianapolis 500
The 36th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was a motor race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 30, 1952. It was the opening race of the 1952 AAA National Championship Trail and was also race 2 of 8 in the 1952 World Championship of Drivers. Troy Ruttman won the race for car owner J. C. Agajanian. Ruttman, aged 22 years and 80 days, set the record for the youngest 500 winner in history. It was also the last dirt track car to win at Indy. Ruttman's win also saw him become the youngest winner of a World Drivers' Championship race, a record he would hold for 51 years until the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix when Spanish driver Fernando Alonso won at the age of 22 years and 26 days. Bill Vukovich led 150 laps, but with 9 laps to go, he broke a steering linkage while leading. He nursed his car to a stop against the outside wall, preventing other cars from getting involved in the incident. In the third year that the 500 was included in the World Championship, Ferrari ...
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Justice Brothers
Justice brothers (Ed, Gus and Zeke) were figures in motorsports and automotive industry. Founding a company in the oil additive industry. Youth - Paola, Kansas Edward Ray Justice, Sr. was born June 12, 1921 in Paola, Kansas. Lawrence Milton "Zeke" Justice was born March 12, 1920 in Paola. James Russell "Gus" Justice was born July 16, 1916 in Paola. The Justice brothers were associated with cars and speed since the earliest years of their life. Growing up in Paola, Kansas, they started driving before they were teenagers. Their dad, Harry Milton Justice was an auctioneer in the Horse and Mule market. He would also auction farms and other large ticket possessions. Their mother, Anna Rule Justice was the more mechanically minded of their parents and where the boys were influenced with mechanics. They had three older sisters; Elma, Alberta and Marie. The first time the brothers did business together was when Ed and Zeke started a bike rental business at their home. The hung a sig ...
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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 Angell Park Speedway has a 1/3 mile () dirt racetrack located in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The track has been run by the city's fire department since 1903. Racing occurs every Sunday approximately Memorial Day until Labor Day. Special racing ... 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 at Tulsa. List of inductees There were 254 inductees after the 2021 induction ceremony. References {{authority control Midget car racing Auto racing museums and halls of fame Automobile museums in Wisconsin Sports museums in Wisconsin Midget Auto Museums in Dane County, Wisconsin ...
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