1916 AAA Championship Car season

1916 AAA Championship Car season
1916 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races	15
Start date	May 13
End date	November 30
Awards
National champion	Dario Resta
Indianapolis 500 winner	Dario Resta
	← 1915 1917 →

Last updated January 08, 2024

The 1916 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 15 races, beginning in Brooklyn, New York on May 13 and concluding in Los Angeles, California on November 30. There were also 12 non-championship races. For the first time since the 1905 season, the AAA awarded points towards a National Championship.^[1] The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Dario Resta.

Schedule and results

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Length	Track	Location	Type	Pole Position	Winning Driver
NC	April 8	Corona Race	301.712 mi (485.558 km)	Grand Boulevard	Corona, California	Road	—	Eddie O'Donnell
NC	April 29	Raisin Classic	301 mi (484 km)	Fresno Road Race Course	Fresno, California	Road	—	Eddie O'Donnell
NC	May 13	Coney Island Cup	20 mi (32 km)	Sheepshead Bay Speedway	Brooklyn, New York	Board	—	Johnny Aitken
Queens Cup	May 13	50 mi (80 km)	—	Sheepshead Bay Speedway	Brooklyn, New York	Board	Ralph Mulford
1	May 13	Metropolitan Trophy	150 mi (240 km)	Sheepshead Bay Speedway	Brooklyn, New York	Board	—	Eddie Rickenbacker
2	May 30	1916 Indianapolis 500	300 mi (480 km)^A	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Brick	Johnny Aitken	Dario Resta
3	June 11	Chicago Race	300 mi (480 km)	Speedway Park	Maywood, Illinois	Board	Ralph DePalma	Dario Resta
NC	June 24	Des Moines Sprint Race	50 mi (80 km)	Des Moines Speedway	Valley Junction, Iowa	Board	—	Eddie Rickenbacker
4	June 24	Des Moines Race	150 mi (240 km)	Des Moines Speedway	Valley Junction, Iowa	Board	Ralph DePalma	Ralph DePalma
5	July 4	Minneapolis Race	150 mi (240 km)	Twin City Motor Speedway	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Concrete	Louis Chevrolet	Ralph DePalma
NC	July 15	Omaha Sprint Race	50 mi (80 km)	Omaha Speedway	Omaha, Nebraska	Board	—	Ralph DePalma
6	July 15	Omaha Race	150 mi (240 km)	Omaha Speedway	Omaha, Nebraska	Board	Ralph Mulford	Dario Resta
NC	July 22	Kansas City Race	100 mi (160 km)	Kansas City Speedway	Kansas City, Missouri	Dirt	—	Ralph DePalma
16.875 mi (27.158 km)	July 22	Kansas City Race	—	Kansas City Speedway	Kansas City, Missouri	Dirt	W. W. Brown
7	August 5	Montamarathon/Potlach Trophy Race	288 mi (463 km)	Pacific Coast Speedway	Tacoma, Washington	Board	Sterling Price	Eddie Rickenbacker
NC	August 19	Speedway Grand Prix	50 mi (80 km)	Speedway Park	Maywood, Illinois	Board	Dario Resta	Dario Resta
8	September 4	International Sweepstakes	300 mi (480 km)	Cincinnati Motor Speedway	Sharonville, Ohio	Board	Howdy Wilcox	Johnny Aitken
NC	September 9	Harvest Auto Racing Classic	20 mi (32 km)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Brick	Louis Chevrolet	Johnny Aitken
50 mi (80 km)	September 9	Harvest Auto Racing Classic	—	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Brick	Johnny Aitken
9	September 9	Harvest Auto Racing Classic	100 mi (160 km)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Brick	—	Johnny Aitken
10	September 30	Astor Cup Race	250 mi (400 km)	Sheepshead Bay Speedway	Brooklyn, New York	Board	—	Johnny Aitken
11	October 14	Grand American Auto Race	250 mi (400 km)	Speedway Park	Maywood, Illinois	Board	Art Klein	Dario Resta
12	October 28	Harkness Trophy Race	250 mi (400 km)	Sheepshead Bay Speedway	Brooklyn, New York	Board	James Benedict	Johnny Aitken
13	November 16	William K. Vanderbilt Cup	294.595 mi (474.105 km)	Santa Monica Road Race Course	Santa Monica, California	Road	Mike Moosie	Dario Resta
14	November 18	American Grand Prize ^B	403.2 mi (648.9 km)	Santa Monica Road Race Course	Santa Monica, California	Road	Mike Moosie	Howdy Wilcox
14	November 18	American Grand Prize ^B	403.2 mi (648.9 km)	Santa Monica Road Race Course	Santa Monica, California	Road	Mike Moosie	Johnny Aitken ^C
15	November 30	Championship Award Sweepstakes	150 mi (240 km)	Ascot Speedway	South Los Angeles, California	Dirt	Eddie Rickenbacker	Eddie Rickenbacker
NC	December 2	Universal Trophy	225 mi (362 km)	Uniontown Speedway	Hopwood, Pennsylvania	Board	—	Louis Chevrolet

Concrete/Brick/Board/Dirt Oval

Road Course/Hill Climb

Non-championship race

^A Reduced from 500 to 300 miles due to the onset of World War I.

^B Sanctioned by the Automobile Club of America, AAA awarded points.

^C Shared drive.

Leading National Championship standings

#	Driver	Car	Points
1	Dario Resta	Peugeot	4100
2	Johnny Aitken	Peugeot	3440
3	Eddie Rickenbacker	Maxwell, Peugeot, Duesenberg	2910
4	Ralph DePalma	Mercedes, Peugeot	1790
5	Earl Cooper	Stutz-Wisconsin, Stutz	1405
6	Wilbur D'Alene	Duesenberg	1120
7	Tommy Milton	Duesenberg	690
8	Pete Henderson	Maxwell automobile	667
9	Frank Galvin	Sunbeam Motor Car Company	645
10	Ralph Mulford	Peugeot	620

Related Research Articles

The 1939 AAA Championship Car season consisted of three races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Syracuse, New York on September 2. There was also one non-championship event in Springfield, Illinois. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Wilbur Shaw.

The 1938 AAA Championship Car season consisted of two races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Syracuse, New York on September 10. There were also two non-championship events. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Floyd Roberts.

The 1920 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 5 races, beginning in Beverly Hills, California on February 28 and concluding in Beverly Hills on November 25. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 champion was Gaston Chevrolet. The 1920 season later became a source of confusion and misinformation for historians when in 1926 the AAA published a revisionist history, naming another driver as the season's point champion.

The 1953 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 11. There was also one non-championship event in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The AAA National Champion was Sam Hanks, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Bill Vukovich. Chet Miller died while practicing for the Indianapolis 500.

The 1952 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 11. There was also one non-championship event in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The AAA National Champion was Chuck Stevenson, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Troy Ruttman. Johnny McDowell was killed at the Milwaukee while qualifying for the Rex Mays Classic. Joe James died in the San José 100 race.

The 1951 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 15 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in San Mateo, California on November 11. There was also one non-championship event in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The AAA National Champion was Tony Bettenhausen, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Lee Wallard.

The 1950 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 13 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Darlington, South Carolina on December 10. There were also two non-championship events. The AAA National Champion was Henry Banks, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Johnnie Parsons.

The 1949 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 14 races, beginning in Arlington, Texas on April 24 and concluding in Del Mar, California on November 6. There were also two non-championship events. The AAA National Champion was Johnnie Parsons, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Bill Holland. The season was marred by George Metzler's death at Indianapolis in practice, Bill Sheffler's death at Trenton also in practice, and Rex Mays's death in the final race at Del Mar.

The 1946 AAA Championship Car season was the first season of American Championship car racing following World War II. After four years without racing in the United States, the AAA Contest Board was initially concerned about having enough races, enough entrants, and suitable equipment, for a 1946 season. Even the Indianapolis 500 was in doubt, as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had been neglected during the war.

The 1937 AAA Championship Car season consisted of three races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Syracuse, New York on September 12. There were three non-championship events. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Wilbur Shaw.

The 1935 AAA Championship Car season consisted of six races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Langhorne, Pennsylvania on October 13. There was one non-championship event. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Kelly Petillo.

The 1931 AAA Championship Car season consisted of seven races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Syracuse, New York on September 12. There was one non-championship race. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Louis Schneider.

The 1929 AAA Championship Car season consisted of five races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Tyrone, Pennsylvania on September 2. There were also three non-championship races. The AAA National Champion was Louis Meyer and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Ray Keech.

The 1928 AAA Championship Car season consisted of seven races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Salem, New Hampshire on October 12. There were also three non-championship races. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Louis Meyer.

The 1927 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 11 races, beginning in Culver City, California on March 6 and concluding in Salem, New Hampshire on October 12. There were also three non-championship races. The AAA National Champion was Peter DePaolo and the Indianapolis 500 winner was George Souders.

The 1926 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 24 races, beginning in Miami Beach, Florida on February 22 and concluding in Pineville, North Carolina on November 11. There were also 7 non-championship races. The AAA National Champion was Harry Hartz and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Frank Lockhart.

The 1925 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 11 races, beginning in Culver City, California on March 1 and concluding in the same location on November 29. There were also eight non-championship races. Peter DePaolo won the AAA National Championship, as well as the Indianapolis 500.

The 1923 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 8 races, beginning at Beverly Hills, California on February 25, 1923, and concluding at the same location on November 29, 1923. The AAA National Champion was Eddie Hearne, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Tommy Milton.

The 1922 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 18 races, beginning in Beverly Hills, California on March 5 and concluding in the same location on December 13. There were also 2 non-championship races. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Jimmy Murphy.

The 1921 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 20 races, beginning in Beverly Hills, California on February 27 and concluding in San Carlos, California on December 11. There was also one non-championship race. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Tommy Milton.

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.

General references

Åberg, Andreas. "AAA National Championship 1916". Driver Database. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
"1916 AAA National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
Harms, Phil. "1916 Championship Driver Summary" (PDF). Motorsport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2011.

v t e American Championship car racing (Indy car) seasons
AAA	1905 1906–1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
USAC	1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95
CART	1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
CCWS	2004 2005 2006 2007 ~~2008~~
IRL	1996 1996–97 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002
INDYCAR	2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Years marked in italics are not official championship years or upcoming seasons.

v t e AAA Championship Cars (1905–1955)
Seasons	1905 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
Indianapolis 500s	1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 ~~1942~~ 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955
National Champions	Billy Arnold Henry Banks Tony Bettenhausen Jimmy Bryan Bob Carey Gaston Chevrolet Bill Cummings Pete DePaolo (twice) Sam Hanks Harry Hartz Eddie Hearne Ted Horn (three times) Rex Mays (twice) Louis Meyer (three times) Tommy Milton Jimmy Murphy (twice) Barney Oldfield Johnnie Parsons Kelly Petillo Dario Resta Floyd Roberts Mauri Rose Louis Schneider Wilbur Shaw (twice) Chuck Stevenson Bob Sweikert
AAA Contest Board Years marked in italics are not official championship years.