He was the fifth of eight children and the youngest of three sons born to John Vukovich, a carpenter mill hand, and Mildred (née Syerkovic).

"[4] Not long after Vukovich's birth, his family relocated to a 40-acre farm in Kerman, near Fresno, cultivating grapes and figs.

In 1932, after several years of heavy frosts and struggling to complete the final payments for their property, John Vukovich committed suicide.

[8] The family owned a Ford Model T, and on Sundays when their parents left to go into town the brothers would race it around the farm, using a rake to clear their tracks.

They overturned the car so often that eventually its top needed to be left down permanently, and on one occasion Vukovich suffered a sprained wrist after attempting to prevent a tip.

The two brothers shared a bicycle, and sometimes arrived to races several days in advance in order to locate trees from which they could watch for free.

[7] At age 17 Vukovich began driving a Chevrolet-powered roadster owned by Fred Gerhardt, finishing third in his first race.

He started on the pole once, won twice, recorded three fastest laps, and accumulated 19 World Drivers' Championship points.

Keller, swerving into the infield to avoid Ward, lost control and slid back onto the track, striking Boyd's car and pushing it into Vukovich's path.

[13] Vukovich was the second defending Indy 500 champion to die during the race, following Floyd Roberts in 1939, and the only former winner to have been killed while leading.

The fund was directed to the Fresno State College and was open to young men interested in preparing themselves to teach automotive mechanics in high schools.

[16] Vukovich was shy, and the couple's early courtship saw him use Esther's younger sister as a go-between when setting up dates.

Vukovich III died on November 25, 1990, in a crash during practice for a CRA race at Mesa Marin Raceway,[17] in Bakersfield, California.