Bill York, who worked in and managed the media center at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than 50 years, died Aug. 20 near Nashville, Tennessee. He was 91.
York, a proud native of Peru, Indiana, served and befriended journalists from around the globe and drivers and race team officials in his roles in the media center at the Racing Capital of the World from the late 1950s to the mid-2010s. His contributions spanned every event at IMS during that time, including the Indianapolis 500, Brickyard 400, United States Grand Prix Formula One race, Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race and more.
The colorful, genial York ran the IMS media center with a fair, firm hand, mixing a no-nonsense approach with a hearty laugh that earned admiration and respect from all journalists and officials.
York and longtime IMS media official Bob Laycock created handwritten Indianapolis 500 qualifying cards – complete with driver and primary sponsor name, and time and speed for each of the four laps of every qualified driver, written in color-coded markers to match sponsor colors – that became legendary fixtures on the walls of the old media center located adjacent to Gasoline Alley and the current media center adjacent to the Pagoda. Drivers often sought their qualifying cards as keepsakes, especially from their rookie year in the ‘500.’
He also was instrumental in helping to increase the recognition of the Stark & Wetzel Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Award in the 1950s when he was a sales representative for the Indianapolis-based meat company.
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York began working in the IMS press room in 1958 as a statistician, eventually taking over management duties in the media center through 2008. He then continued to serve as a media center liaison into the mid-2010s. Working at IMS was a part-time job for York – he was a very successful salesman during his professional career – but a role he fulfilled with full-time passion and skill.
He earned a variety of auto racing awards for his work, including the 2010 Bob Russo Founders Award for lifelong contributions to the sport, the 2011 Jim Chapman Award for excellence in motorsports public relations and the STP Unsung Hero Award.
While York was a renowned figure among global racing media, he also was respected and admired by National Football League and professional basketball journalists due to his longtime work in the media rooms of the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers.
York was the first leader of the statistics crew for the Pacers in 1967, a role he maintained for five decades and more than 2,000 games as the franchise moved from the American Basketball Association to the National Basketball Association. The Pacers’ media room in Gainbridge Fieldhouse is named in his honor.
He also led the stat crew and worked in the media room for the Colts from their arrival in Indianapolis in 1984 through the 2010s, working at both their original home at the RCA Dome and their current home, Lucas Oil Stadium.
York was predeceased by his wife, Jay, and son Rick. He is survived by a daughter, Marla.