Bill York. IMS photo

By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Bill York, the first “tradition” encountered by any rookie reporter covering the Indianapolis 500, died on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 near Nashville, Tenn. Mr. York was 91.

York worked in and managed the Media Center at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for more than 50 years. He was holding court in his small, glassed-in office in May 1980 when this reporter, representing the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, walked into the former gray, cinderblock building that housed the press corps. Stationed at the front of the room, York oversaw four long rows of crowded working space where reporters tapped out their copy shoulder-to-shoulder.

Among York’s duties was assigning seats. In ‘80 I had the good fortune of being shoe-horned into a space Bill created among a group that included beat writer Shav Glick and columnist Jim Murray, both of the Los Angeles Times, Gary Long of the Miami Herald, Cooper Rollow of the Chicago Tribune, Mike Griffith of the Bakersfield Californian and Skip Bayless, columnist of the Dallas Morning News.

Mike Harris, award-winning motorsports beat writer of The Associated Press, and his crew enjoyed the privacy of their own room to the left of York’s office _ where Bill served as gatekeeper. While laptop computers of all sizes were fast becoming the favorite tool of most reporters, a manual typewriter marked the work space of Chris Economaki, legendary founder and editor of National Speed Sport News.

A proud native of Peru, Ind., York served and befriended journalists from around the globe as well as drivers and team officials 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, NASCAR’s inaugural Brickyard 400, the United States Grand Prix Formula One race, Red Bull Indianapolis GP MotoGP race and more.

The colorful, genial York ran the Media Center as a benevolent dictator, mixing his no-nonsense approach and booming voice _ sans microphone _ with a hearty laugh. When chatter in the room reached what Bill considered an unacceptably high level, he would remind the assembled media they were in a working Media Center and to take their socializing outside.

York also earned the admiration and respect from the mostly home-grown IMS public relations crew, visiting journalists and officials from various sanctioning bodies.

York and longtime IMS media official Bob Laycock created handwritten Indianapolis 500 qualifying cards _ complete with driver and primary sponsor name, time and speed for each of the four laps of every qualified driver, written in color-coded markers to match sponsor colors. Those cards 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, team public relations representatives and media members often sought those qualifying cards as keepsakes _ especially the case for Indy 500 rookies.

York also was instrumental in helping to increase 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.

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 continued to serve as a Media Center liaison into the mid-2010s, often holding court with longtime friends from a table in the cafeteria. 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 fulltime passion and skill.

York also enjoyed an old Media Center “tradition” that marked the end of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and Month of May _ grabbing a cold can of beer from a cooler as it was dragged between each row by Michael Knight, longtime open-wheel public relations rep.  

York earned a variety of auto racing honors, 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 for his years of service with the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers.

York was 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.

York also led the stat crew and worked in the Media Room for the Colts following their move from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 through the 2010s, working at both their original home at the RCA Dome and their current locale, Lucas Oil Stadium.

York was predeceased by his wife, Jay, and son Rick. He is survived by a daughter, Marla.