By: Spencer Neff
August 21, 2023

Former INDYCAR driver Bill “Billy” Vukovich II passed away Sunday, age 79. Vukovich, the son of 1953 and 1954 Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich, began his USAC Championship Car career in 1967. He would finish 23rd in his debut at Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Speedway.

In 1968, he made his first start at the Indianapolis 500, 13 years after his father was fatally injured while competing for an unprecedented third consecutive Indianapolis 500 victory.

The Riverside, California-born driver started 23rd and finished seventh. The effort earned him Rookie of the Year honors, beating out Mike Mosley, Sammy Sessions, Ronnie Bucknum, Jim Malloy and Gary Bettenhausen.

Vukovich, who earned twenty-three midget car victories during his career, won both of his career poles on the dirt oval at Nazareth Speedway in 1968 and 1969.

During his career, Vukovich made 16 attempts to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, making the race 12 times. In 1973, he finished a career-best second to Gordon Johncock in a race shortened to 133 laps by rain.

Later that season, he would earn his only career victory at the first 125-mile event of a doubleheader held at Michigan international Speedway. In 1984, he would fail to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, his last attempt to run an IndyCar race.

His son, Bill Vukovich III, became the first third-generation driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 and won Rookie of the Year honors in 1988, 20 years after his father accomplished the same. In 1990, Vukovich III was killed in a sprint car accident at Mesa Marin Speedway in Bakersfield, California.

IndyCar1909 thanks the Vukovich family for their contributions to IndyCar and the sport of car racing. We offer condolences to Bill’s friends and family on his passing.

Header Image By INDYCAR