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 .
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
Date
Race Name
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
The 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.
References
^ 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 Associated Press . March 16, 1919.^ "3 die in auto race at Indianapolis" (PDF) . The New York Times 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
