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Billy Vukovich III | |
|---|---|
| Born | William John Vukovich III (1963-08-31)August 31, 1963 Fresno, California, United States |
| Died | November 25, 1990(1990-11-25) (aged 27) Bakersfield, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Racing accident |
| Relatives | Bill Vukovich (grandfather) Bill Vukovich II (father) |
William John Vukovich III (August 31, 1963 – November 25, 1990) was an American race car driver. He was a three-time starter of theIndianapolis 500. The grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winnerBill Vukovich and the son ofBill Vukovich II, Vukovich III was the1988 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Billy Vukovich III was killed in practice for aCRA race atMesa Marin Raceway,[1] 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 the1955 Indianapolis 500.
He got his start in racing driving for the John Runjavac racing team.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Gohr Racing | PHX 11 | LBH | INDY 14 | MIL | POR | CLE | TOR | MEA | MIS 17 | POC 9 | MDO | ROA | NAZ | LAG | MIA | 30th | 6 | [2] | |
| 1989 | Hemelgarn Racing | PHX | LBH | INDY 12 | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | MEA | TOR | MIS | POC | MDO | ROA | NAZ | LAG | 34th | 1 | [3] | |
| 1990 | Hemelgarn Racing | PHX | LBH | INDY 24 | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | MEA | TOR | MIS 13 | DEN | VAN | MDO | ROA | NAZ | LAG | 34th | 0 | [4] |
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| This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Billy Vukovich III" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(March 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year 1988 | Succeeded by |
