1953 Indy 500 Winner

Still feeling a little somber today, so I thought it worth going back to look at the life of another great Indy 500 champion gone too soon, Bill Vukovich. This model is built from a Bill Jorgensen kit and represents his 1953 victory. It's painted with Testors gloss navy grey and finished with Indycals.

Vukovich is arguably the greatest driver in Indy history. In just his second 500 in 1952, he led the most laps and was well on his way to victory when a steering component failed with eight laps to go. He went on to win in 1953 and 1954, then was leading the race again in 1955 when caught up in an accident that resulted in his death. In his five years, he led 77.7 percent of the laps he ran at the Speedway, a mind-boggling stat almost as hard to believe as how close he was to four in a row.