Bill Holland
Bill Holland (December 18, 1907 – May 19, 1984[1]) was an American race car driver from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1949 and finished second in 1947, 1948 and 1950. He also was runner up in the 1947 AAA National Championship.
| Born | December 18, 1907 |
|---|---|
| Died | May 19, 1984 (aged 76) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  |
| Active years | 1950, 1953–1954 |
| Teams | Deidt, Kurtis Kraft |
| Entries | 3 (2 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 1 |
| Career points | 6 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last entry | 1954 Indianapolis 500 |
He nearly won the 1947 Indianapolis 500 as a rookie, but slowed and allowed teammate Mauri Rose to pass him seven laps from the end, mistakenly believing that Rose was a lap down. In 1949 Holland led late in the race when Rose (still teammate to Holland on Lou Moore's Blue Crown Spark Plug team) began to slowly close on Holland. Moore saw what was happening out on the track and hung out a pit board ordering both drivers to hold their respective positions to the finish. Rose picked up the pace, closing on Holland. But with 8 laps to go, Rose suffered a magneto failure and Holland cruised to the victory. When Rose returned to the pits, Moore fired Rose on the spot.
On November 14, 1951, Holland was suspended from AAA Indy Car racing for one year after competing in a three-lap Lion's Charity race at Opa-locka, Florida which was a NASCAR event. The American Automobile Association, at the time the sanctioning body for Indycar races, had a strict rule forbidding its drivers from participating in any races other than their own, and would blacklist violators.
Holland is believed to have got over 40 sprint car feature wins and 150 podiums.[2] He won the first ever automobile race at Selinsgrove Speedway[3] (Selinsgrove, PA) on July 20, 1946.
Holland died from complications of Alzheimer's disease, and was survived by his wife Myra.[4]
He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2005.
Complete AAA Championship Car results
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | INDY 2 |
MIL 1 |
LAN 1 |
ATL 2 |
BAI 2 |
MIL 18 |
GOS 14 |
MIL 8 |
PIK | SPR 9 |
ARL DNQ |
2nd | 1,610 | |||
| 1948 | ARL DNS |
INDY 2 |
MIL 9 |
LAN 11 |
MIL DNQ |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
ATL |
PIK | SPR |
DUQ |
7th | 840 | ||
| 1949 | ARL |
INDY 1 |
MIL 9 |
TRE 16 |
SPR 4 |
MIL |
DUQ 2 |
PIK | SYR DNP |
DET 7 |
SPR 12 |
LAN 9 |
SAC 13 |
DMR |
3rd | 1,420 |
| 1950 | INDY 2 |
MIL |
LAN |
SPR |
MIL |
PIK | SYR |
DET |
SPR |
SAC |
PHX |
BAY |
DAR |
13th | 552 | |
| 1953 | INDY 15 |
MIL |
SPR |
DET |
SPR DNQ |
MIL 18 |
DUQ |
PIK | SYR 5 |
ISF |
SAC |
PHX |
34th | 100 | ||
| 1954 | INDY DNQ |
MIL |
LAN |
DAR |
SPR |
MIL |
DUQ |
PIK | SYR |
ISF |
SAC |
PHX |
LVG |
- | 0 | |
Indianapolis 500 results
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Although Holland started the 1947 race from the middle of the third row, he posted the fastest qualifying time.
World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Bill Holland participated in 2 World Championship races, finishing on the podium once and scoring 6 World Championship points.
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | WDC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Deidt | Offenhauser | GBR | MON | 500 2 |
SUI | BEL | FRA | ITA | 7th | 6 | ||
| 1953 | Kurtis Kraft | Offenhauser | ARG | 500 15 |
NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | SUI | ITA | NC | 0 |