Other Champions

The primary focus of this site is the history of the U. S. National Championship/Champ Car World Series, progressing from AAA through USAC, CART, and now CCWS.  Also included is the data from a number of other series, such as the early ACA sanctioned events, the NASCAR Speedway Division, the USAC Gold Crown, and the IRL, in an attempt to give as complete a picture of the eras as possible.  Along the way there have been other events which, while not necessarily at the level of the Champ Car World Series, are still worthy of mention.

Early National Champions

Vanderbilt Cup

Riding Mechanics

Gold and Glory Sweepstakes

American IndyCar Series

Early National Champions
While Champ Car racing didn't begin until 1909, the AAA began sanctioning races back in 1902.  There was no Champ Car division back in those days, nor was there an actual championship, there were just races.  When points were retroactively awarded for the early seasons in 1927, national champions were also created for the early AAA years prior to the Championship division being established.  There were no points standings involved here, it was a review of the racing periodicals of the time and who those publications felt were the best drivers in the U. S. that year.  Think of it like the college football media poll, only there isn't a full ranking, just a survey to determine the champion.  I've stated before that retroactively awarding points to races isn't a "genuine" championship in my opinion, and simply looking at old magazines and seeing who they felt was the best driver is even less so.  Even so, you will see these names and titles published in a number of other publications, so I've included them here with this explanation.

Vanderbilt Cup
The Vanderbilt Cup and Champ Car racing each have long and rich histories that have intertwined a number of times over the years.  The Vanderbilt Cup predates Champ Cars, with the first running held in 1904.  With the advent of the AAA National Championship Division in 1909, the Vanderbilt Cup was included in the Champ Car series until the race was discontinued after the 1916 running.  The Vanderbilt Cup was first revived in 1936 with an event run to international Grand Prix specifications.  This version of the Vanderbilt Cup only lasted two years, and the race was a part of the AAA National Championship Trail both times.  The race made a brief comeback again in 1960, this time as a Formula Junior event.  In 1996 CART commissioned a replica of the Vanderbilt Cup to be given as the prize at the inaugural U. S. 500.  This continued through 1999, after which the U. S. 500 was discontinued.  Beginning in 2000 the Vanderbilt Cup was awarded to the Champ Car series champion.

Riding Mechanics
Riding mechanics, or mechanicians as they were known at the time, are among the true unsung heroes of the sport.  They played a vital role in early Champ Car races by monitoring the car's performance and advising the driver about surrounding traffic, all the while assuming the same risks as the men behind the wheel.  Many riding mechanics became successful drivers in their own right.  Unfortunately the names of many of these people have been lost, or at the very least are buried somewhere extremely difficult to find.  There's no way to put together a complete listing of riding mechanics for each race, so many won't get the recognition they deserve, but in at least a small start here is a list of Indianapolis 500 winning mechanicians.

Gold and Glory Sweepstakes
The Gold and Glory Sweepstakes was the showcase race of the Colored Speedway Association.  Founded in 1924, the CSA was created to give black drivers, who were barred from racing in the AAA, an opportunity to race.  The 1924 Gold and Glory Sweepstakes was the inaugural race for the series, and the Sweepstakes remained the circuit's main event.  Most Sweepstakes events were held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, although it was moved a couple of times to Walnut Gardens Speedway, a 1/2 mile track about 12 miles away.  Charlie Wiggins was the series' biggest star, winning at least 17 CSA events as well as being the only multiple winner of the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes.  The series came to an end after the 1936 season, when economic issues from the Great Depression and the loss of the series two biggest stars, Wiggins and Bobby Wallace, to injury was too much to overcome.  The races should be thought of more as Formula Libre, "run what you brung" type events as opposed to proper Champ Car races, as many of the cars were home-built specials.  There were however a good number of true Champ Cars that had earlier raced in the Indianapolis 500 that made their way to the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes.

American IndyCar Series
Founded by former Champ Car driver Bill Tempero, the American IndyCar Series (AIS) made it's debut in 1988, with Buddy Lazier winning the first race as well as the first title.  The series was created as a home for older Champ Car equipment to run.  The series did achieve a certain amount of notoriety in its early days as a possible training ground for drivers.  Robby Unser got a good deal of national exposure for his 7 race winning streak in 1989.  Soon after though it became more of a club racing series for drivers with old Champ Cars.  The series did enjoy a bit of a renaissance in 1996.  With the IRL mandating chassis being at least a year old for its first season, several AIS teams popped up on IRL entry lists that first year.  The series was reorganized under new management prior to the 2001 season and renamed the United States Speedway Series (USSS).

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