Bill York, who worked in and managed the media center at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for more than 50 years, died August 20 near Nashville, Tennessee. He was 91.

York, a 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.

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.

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.

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