Billy Vukovich III

William John Vukovich III (August 31, 1963 – November 25, 1990) was an American race car driver. He was a three-time starter of the Indianapolis 500. The grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich and the son of Bill Vukovich II, Vukovich III was the 1988 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. Billy Vukovich III was killed in practice for a CRA race at Mesa 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.

Billy Vukovich III
Born
William John Vukovich III

(1963-08-31)August 31, 1963
Fresno, California, United States
DiedNovember 25, 1990(1990-11-25) (aged 27)
Bakersfield, California, United States
Cause of deathRacing accident
NationalityUnited States American
RelativesBill Vukovich (grandfather)
Bill Vukovich II (father)

Vukovich became the first third-generation driver to qualify in Indy 500 history. His grandfather was killed while leading the 1955 Indianapolis 500.

He got his start in racing driving for the John Runjavac racing team.

Motorsports career results

American open–wheel results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART/Indy Car
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]

Indy 500 results
Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired
1988 5623208.54520141790Flagged
1989 8130216.69813121860Flagged
1990 8131211.38932241020Engine
Totals4670
Starts 3
Poles 0
Front Row 0
Wins 0
Top 5 0
Top 10 0
Retired 1

References
  1. Glick, Shav (November 26, 1990). "Vukovich, 27, Is Killed in Crash at Bakersfield : Motor racing: Three-time Indy 500 starter and the only third-generation Indy 500 driver dies while warming up car before CRA event". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  2. "Billy Vukovich III – 1988 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  3. "Billy Vukovich III – 1989 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  4. "Billy Vukovich III – 1990 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
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