The AAA first sanctioned automobile motorsport events in 1902, initially using the rules of the Automobile Club of America before forming its own rules in 1903. The first official track season championship was introduced in 1905, with Barney Oldfield as the first champion. No official season championship was recognised from 1906 to 1915, though many races were held during that period. The official records regard 1916 as the next contested championship season. Retroactive titles were later named back to 1902, but the post-factum seasons covering 1902–1904, 1906–1915, and 1917–1919 are considered unofficial and revisionist history by accredited historians.
Racing did not cease in the United States during World War I, but the official national championship was suspended. The Indianapolis 500 was voluntarily suspended for 1917–1918 due to the war. The championship officially resumed in 1920 and ran continuously throughout the Depression despite difficult economic conditions. Through 1922 and again from 1930 to 1937 it was commonplace for the cars to be two-seaters, with the driver accompanied by a riding mechanic.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, all auto racing in the United States was suspended. From 1942 to 1945 no events were contested, banned by the US government primarily on account of rationing. Racing resumed fully in 1946. The 1946 season was unique in including six Champ Car events and 71 "Big Car" races, as organisers were initially uncertain about the availability of cars and participation.
The AAA ceased participation in auto racing at the end of the 1955 season, citing a series of high-profile fatal accidents: the death of Bill Vukovich during the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 Le Mans disaster. Tony Bettenhausen is credited with the most AAA championship race wins, with 19.
Sanctioning was taken over in 1956 by the United States Auto Club (USAC), a new body formed by Tony Hulman, then-owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The championship would eventually pass through further sanctioning changes — Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) from 1979, the Indy Racing League (IRL) from 1996, and a reunified IndyCar Series from 2008. In 2020 IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and associated holdings were purchased by Penske Entertainment Corp., owned by Roger Penske.
Jimmy Murphy, champion in 1922 and 1924, died after crashing at the Syracuse Mile in September 1924. Ted Horn, champion in 1946, 1947, and 1948, died after crashing at the DuQuoin dirt track in late 1948. Defending Indianapolis 500 winner Floyd Roberts was killed during the 1939 race.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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