ABOVE: Jim Travers (left), chief mechanic for Indianapolis 500 winner Bill Vukovich in 1953-'54, with Bob Gates, writer of a book on Vukovich, in 2008 (IMS photo). Jim Travers, the brains behind Bill Vukovich's incredible run at Indianapolis who also figured in Roger Penske's initial victory at the Speedway, died earlier this week at the age of 95. A mechanic, engine-builder and self-taught engineer, Travers and pal Frank Coon formed a legendary partnership known as the "Whiz Kids" that racked up major successes at Indianapolis, in sports cars, sprinters and even Pikes Peak through the 1950s-'60s-'70s. Working on midgets with Coon for owner Howard Keck in the late 1940s, they...
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