Bill Holland (December 18, 1907 - May 19, 1984) 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.

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.

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. He won the first ever automobile race at Selinsgrove Speedway (Selinsgrove, PA) on July 20, 1946.

Holland died from complications of Alzheimer's disease, and was survived by his wife Myra.

He was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2005.

Indy 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.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]