The 1919 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 21 races, beginning in Santa Monica, California on March 15 and concluding in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 12. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1919 season, and did not declare a National Champion.[1] Howdy Wilcox was the winner of the Indianapolis 500.
| 1919 AAA Championship Car season | |
|---|---|
| AAA National Championship Trail | |
| Season | |
| Races | 21 |
| Start date | March 15 |
| End date | October 12 |
| Awards | |
| National champion | none declared |
| Indianapolis 500 winner |  Howdy Wilcox |
The de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Howdy Wilcox. Wilcox was named the champion by Chris G. Sinsabaugh, an editor at Motor Age, based upon merit and on track performance. A points table was created retroactively in 1927. At a later point, it was recognized by historians that these championship results should be considered unofficial.
Schedule and results
edit| Date | Race Name Distance (miles) |
Track | Location | Type | Notes | Pole position | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 15 | Santa Monica Race (250) | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Santa Monica, California | 7.36 mile road course | Walter Melcher fatally injured[2] | Cliff Durant | Cliff Durant |
| March 23 | All-Star Sweepstakes (150) | Ascot Speedway | South Los Angeles, California | 1 mile dirt oval | Eddie Pullen | Roscoe Sarles | |
| May 19 | Victory Sweepstakes (112.5) | Uniontown Speedway | Uniontown, Pennsylvania | 1.125 mile board oval | Tommy Milton | ||
| May 31 | Liberty 500 Mile Sweepstakes (500) | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | 2.5 mile brick oval | 33-car field; Arthur Thurman, Louis LeCocq, and the latter's riding mechanic Robert Bandini fatally injured[3] | René Thomas | Howdy Wilcox |
| June 14 | International Sweepstakes Race 1 (10) | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Sheepshead Bay, New York | 2 mile board oval | Tommy Milton | ||
| International Sweepstakes Race 2 (10) | Ralph Mulford | ||||||
| International Sweepstakes Race 3 (30) | Ralph Mulford | ||||||
| International Sweepstakes Race Main (50) | Ralph DePalma | ||||||
| July 4 | Tacoma Race 1 (40) | Pacific Coast Speedway | Tacoma, Washington | 2 mile board oval | Ralph Mulford | ||
| Tacoma Race 2 (60) | Louis Chevrolet | ||||||
| Tacoma Race 3 (80) | Louis Chevrolet | ||||||
| July 4 | Independence Auto Derby (100) | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Sheepshead Bay, New York | 2 mile board oval | Emilio Jandelli, riding mechanic for Ray Howard, fatally injured in practice[4] | Joe Thomas | Gaston Chevrolet |
| July 19 | Uniontown Heat 1 (22.5) | Uniontown Speedway | Uniontown, Pennsylvania | 1.125 mile board oval | Tommy Milton | ||
| Uniontown Heat 2 (22.5) | Dave Lewis | ||||||
| Uniontown Heat 3 (22.5) | I. P. Fetterman | ||||||
| Uniontown Heat 4 (22.5) | Roscoe Sarles | ||||||
| Uniontown Main (22.5) | Tommy Milton | ||||||
| August 23 | Elgin National Trophy Race (302) | Elgin Road Race Course | Elgin, Illinois | 8.384 mile road course | Ralph Mulford | Tommy Milton | |
| September 1 | 3rd Annual Autumn Classic (225) | Uniontown Speedway | Uniontown, Pennsylvania | 1.125 mile board oval | Joe Boyer relieved Gaston Chevrolet on lap 118. | Gaston Chevrolet/Joe Boyer | |
| September 20 | Sheepshead Bay Race 6 (150) | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Sheepshead Bay, New York | 2 mile board oval | Gaston Chevrolet | ||
| October 12 | Cincinnati Race (250) | Cincinnati Motor Speedway | Sharonville, Ohio | 2 mile board oval | Joe Boyer |
Leading National Championship standings
editThe points paying system for the 1909–1915 and 1917–1919 season were retroactively applied in 1927 and revised in 1951 using the points system from 1920.
| # | Driver | Sponsor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Howdy Wilcox | Peugeot | 1110 |
| 2 | Eddie Hearne | Duesenberg | 1070 |
| 3 | Gaston Chevrolet | Frontenac | 980 |
| 4 | Roscoe Sarles | Barney Oldfield | 950 |
| 5 | Tommy Milton | Duesenberg | 905 |
References
edit- ^ Capps, H. Donald (February–March 2010). "John Glenn Printz and the Struggle for the Past: The A.A.A. Catastrophe - Arthur Means, Val Haresnape, Russ Catlin, and Bob Russo" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 7 (6): 21–38.
- ^ "Auto racer is killed when car upsets". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. March 16, 1919.
- ^ "3 die in auto race at Indianapolis" (PDF). The New York Times. June 1, 1919. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
- ^ "Auto racer killed at Sheepshead Bay" (PDF). The New York Times. July 4, 1919. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
General references
edit- http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1919.htm accessed 12/1/15