A forgotten, incomplete manuscript hidden in a closet for decades, provides the deepest insight into one of the more enigmatic winners of the Indianapolis 500, Bill Vukovich. Yet, as well written as this biography is, I still don’t know him as well as I had hoped.
Vukovich, The Man Who Wouldn’t Lift is an intimate look at the two time, back-to-back winner of the 500, who came and went in the short span of five years. Much of the story is in first person, as the writer witnesses much of what occurs.
Angelo Angelopolous, sportswriter for The Indianapolis News and considered the best writer of his day, wrote the manuscript in the years following Vukovich’s death. The planned publication in the spring of 1960 never happened. The manuscript lay in Angelopolous’s nephew’s closet for decades.
Mark Montieth, a more recent sportswriter for the News, took up the task of completing the manuscript. Montieth writes the Prologue and Epilogue. Both are very well written, with added details of the aftermath of that dark Memorial Day in 1955 in the Epilogue.
Angelopolous is one of the few people Vukovich allowed to get close to him, yet there is still a distance between them. Vuky does his talking on the track, but with the exception of a select few people, he is reluctant to engage with others. The story is exceptionally well written in a mainly journalistic style.
After a brief family history, the biography concentrates on Vukovich’s six years at the Indianapolis motor Speedway from 1950-1955. I learned many details of events that I had some knowledge of, and several more items that I had not known. Several photos are new to me as well.
What comes through most of all is that Vukovich, who seems cold and uncaring to the general public, is a man with a deep caring soul, and a great sense of integrity. He gives honest answers and he doesn’t care if that is what people want to hear.
He also has a brooding and dark side, which becomes more evident in the late months of 1954 and into 1955. Some friends are concerned about his surviving the 1955 race.
There are several ironies in the tale of one of the greatest drivers in Speedway history. It appears that had he won in 1952, that win would have been the easiest of his victories. I had no idea how difficult his two wins were, especially 1954 when the team is concerned about even qualifying for the race.
This book has earned its place on my list of must-read books about the Indianapolis 500. It is up there with Gentlemen, Start Your Engines by Wilbur Shaw and Black Noon by Art Garner. All three works provide intimate looks at the history of the race, told by people who lived it.
The final sentence of Angelopolous’s story is one of the greatest lines I have ever read in any book. I will just say the story ends on lap 56 of the 1955 Indianapolis. 500.
The Pit Window by Mike Silver 