When it comes to the history of world motorsport, many names have been written in gold letters, but one name in the United States evokes special respect, awe, and sorrow. That name is Bill Vukovich, a man whom fellow drivers without hesitation called “the greatest we have ever known.”
However, what few people around the world know — and what Serbia should be proud of — is the fact that Bill was actually Vaso Vucurović, the child of Serbian emigrants, whose life story is worthy of a Hollywood film — from picking cotton and extreme poverty to the throne at the legendary “Indianapolis 500.”
Vaso was born in 1918 in California as the fifth of eight children of Jovan and Milica Vucurović. His parents, searching for a better life, arrived from Yugoslavia, and shortened their surname to Vukovich so Americans could more easily pronounce their name.
His childhood was harsh. The Great Depression was in full swing, and the family survived by working on farms.
Tragedy struck the family in 1932 in the cruelest possible way. On Vaso’s 14th birthday, his father Jovan, crushed by debt and unable to provide for his children, took his own life. That moment forever changed the young Serb. He had to leave school and become the head of the family. While chasing rabbits across fields in his father’s old Model T, he discovered the gift that would lead him to legend — speed.
Vukovich began racing purely to survive. The first 15 dollars he earned from racing felt like a fortune. He was a master mechanic, a man who felt every change in his car, but what set him apart was his incredible physical conditioning. At a time when drivers drank and smoked, Vaso never touched alcohol or cigarettes, and rode a bicycle and ran every day.
He earned the nickname “Silent Serb” because of his cold-blooded demeanor, while his aggressive driving style also earned him the nickname “Mad Russian” (although everyone knew his true origins). His philosophy was simple and terrifying: “The only way to win here is to keep your foot on the gas and turn left!”
He dominated in 1953 and 1954, becoming a national hero. But in 1955, fate decided to present him with its most expensive bill. A week before the 1955 race, Vukovich quietly told friends: “I don’t think I’ll finish this race.”
On race day, May 30, he did something he had never done before — he called his wife Esther on the phone. He asked her when she would arrive at the track and waved to her from the starting position, as if saying goodbye.
On lap 57, while holding a commanding lead and charging toward a third consecutive title (something no one had achieved before), a chain-reaction crash occurred ahead of him. Vaso had nowhere to go. His car flew over the safety wall, flipped several times, and caught fire. Before the flames even reached him, the legendary Serb was already dead — the force of the impact fractured the base of his skull. He was only 36 years old.
The tragic fate of the Vukovich family did not end there. Bill’s passion for speed was passed on to his son, and then to his grandson. His son, Bill Vukovich II, was a successful driver, but true tragedy struck the family again in 1990.
The grandson of the legendary champion, Bill Vukovich III, who was named Indianapolis Rookie of the Year in 1988, was killed in a crash in a nearly identical manner to his grandfather. He lost his life in a horrific accident during practice in Bakersfield, California.
Today, the name Bill Vukovich (Vaso Vucurović) stands in the Motorsports Hall of Fame. He is remembered as a man who was never afraid of death, who proudly carried his heritage, and who set standards that remain difficult to reach even decades later.
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Source: Telegraf; Foto: Printscreen YouTube