Vukovich was named the
1968 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, a result of his seventh-place finish. Vukovich raced in the 1965–1982 seasons, with 158 combined career starts, including the
Indianapolis 500 in 1968–1977, 1979–1980. He finished in the top-ten 85 times, with one victory in 1973 at
Michigan. His best finish at the Indianapolis 500 came in
1973, where he finished second in a rain-shortened, tragedy-marred event. Vukovich also had 23 National
midget car victories in his career, and drove for part of his career in
J. C. Agajanian's midget car. ==Personal life and death==