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Vukovich Wins Second 500 in Row Third Speed Demon To Accomplish Feat Average of 130.840 Breaks Mark Before 150,000 Fans; Bryan Second; McGrath 3rd By KURT FREUDENTHAL United Press Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 31. Bullet Bill Vukovich thundered across the finish line in his mouse gray racer in record-breaking speed today to become the third 500-Mile Speedway driver ever to win the gruelling grind two consecutive years. jimmy Bryan and Jack McGrath, who snared the lead part of the race, finished second and third, respectively. Troy Rutt-man, the 1952 winner, was fourth, and Mike Nazaruk finished fifth before a holiday crowd of about 150,000. Vukovich, 35-year-old Fresno, Calif., leadf oot, had the lead three times. He took it for keeps after Bryan stopped for fuel and tires after 149 laps. They couldnt catch him again. Five accidents marred the 38th annual "500," but none was serious, and no driver was hurt. The weather also was on the racers side. Showers pelted the 2 mile brick and asphalt oval in the morning, but the track was clear 90 minutes before the start and a .hot sun mixed with the blistering speed. Records were set for the entire distance from 10 miles on. Vukovichs elapsed time was three hours, 49 minutes and 17.27 seconds and his speed 130.840. That shattered Ruttmans mark of 128.922. The victory should be worth about 0,-000 in total prizes for Vukovich. He led 91 laps, and the race had Jialf a dozen leaders in all. First it was pole winner and qualification recordrholder McGrath, who charged out in front for the first 44 laps. Jimmy Daywalt, who later cracked up, took: the lead when McGrath stopped for -fuel and tires. Other leaders then were Sam Hanks, Bryan and Vukovich. The first time Vukovich paced the field for only one lap, but he replaced Bryan as front-runner after 91 laps and stayed in front until he checked in for new tires and gas the second time, after 129 laps. And when Bryan made his second stop, Vukovich forged ahead again to stay. Thunder and alight drizzle threatened to cut the race short about 12 laps from the finish, but the weather cleared enough for the first 10 drivers to finish the grind. The victory was especially sweet for Vukovich, who was cheated of almost certain triumph two years ago when he smashed into the wall with a comfortable lead and only eight laps to go. He called it "rotten luck," but he made up for it last year and today. Only Wilbur Shaw, now Speedway president, in 1939 and 1940, and Mauri Rose in 1947 and 1948 won two in a row. Nineteen of the 33 starting cars were running at the finish, race officials said. The yellow caution light, signalling accidents or rain, was on. for more than 12 minutes, the longest during the race, when Daywalt lost control after 111 laps, hit the northwest wall and locked wheels with a car driven by relief pilot Pat Flaherty. That slowed the pace considerably, but Vukovich still roared on to track records. In other mishaps, Ruttman blew a tire and spun on his 57th lap; rookie Bill Homeier hit his pit wall trying to stop for luel and tires and the car was damaged; rookie Pat OConnor spun on the southeast turn after 181 laps, and Jim Rath-mann, who relieved Sam Hanks after his own car also went out of the race, hit the wall in the main straightaway before thousands of fans and spun crazily by down the track. In each case, the driver leaped from his car, unhurt. Vukovich again proved the "iron horse" of the daredevils. Like last year, when the heat reached 130 degrees on the brick, he refused to be relieved. But numerous other drivers left, their cockpits fatigued and were replaced. Vukovich will receive the Speedway guarantee of 0,000 for first place. He also gets 3,750 in lap money, and additional accessory awards were expected to swell lais take. The total pay-off Tuesday was expected to exceed 50,000 for another XC02TCl .
