Against the wall

Bill Vukovich (1918-1955), an American racing driver of Serbian descent, led 150 laps of the 1952 Indy 500, but with 9 laps to go, he broke a steering linkage while leading and brushed the wall (picture above).

He nursed his car to a stop against the outside wall, preventing other cars from getting involved in the incident. Bill later won the 1953 and 1954 edition of the Indy 500, but sadly died in an accident while leading, one last time, the 1955 Indianapolis 500.

Troy Ruttman (1930-1997) won these 1952 Indianapolis 500 (picture below). Aged 22 years and 80 days, he set the record for the youngest 500 winner in history, a record that still stands. It was also the last dirt track car to win at Indy. At the time, the Indy 500 were part of the F1 Championship calendar.