| 1912 AAA Championship Car season | |
|---|---|
| AAA National Championship Trail | |
| Season | |
| Races | 18 |
| Start date | May 4 |
| End date | November 5 |
| Awards | |
| National champion | none declared |
| Indianapolis 500 winner |
Joe Dawson |
The 1912 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 18 races, beginning in Santa Monica, California on May 4 and concluding in Brooklyn, New York on November 5. There was also one non-championship event at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1912 season, and did not declare a National Champion. [1] Joe Dawson was the winner of the Indianapolis 500.
The de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Ralph DePalma. Points were not awarded by the AAA Contest Board during the 1912 season. DePalma 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 Distance (miles) |
Track | Location | Type | Notes | Pole position | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4 | Chanslor & Lyon Trophy Race* (101) | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Santa Monica, California | 8.417 mile road course | Stock chassis, 230 cu in. | Roscoe Anthony | George Joerimann |
| Jepsen Trophy Race* (152) | 231–300 cu in. | Earl Devore | Ralph DePalma | ||||
| Dick Ferris Trophy Race* (303) | Free-for-all | Dave Lewis | Teddy Tetzlaff | ||||
| May 30 | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | 2.5 mile brick oval | Qualifications based upon demonstrated 75 mph single-lap speed, 24-car field; Ralph DePalma pushes car across finish line | Gil Andersen | Joe Dawson |
| July 5 | First Montamara Fiesta Race (150) | Tacoma Road Race Course | Tacoma, Washington | 5 mile road course | 231-300 cu in. | Eddie Pullen | |
| Tacoma Race 2 (150) | 301-450 cu in. | Earl Cooper | |||||
| Tacoma Race 3 (200) | Free-for-all | Earl Cooper | Teddy Tetzlaff | ||||
| July 6 | Montamarathon Trophy Race (250) | Free-for-all | Hughie Hughes | Teddy Tetzlaff | |||
| August 25 | Columbus Race (200) | Driving Park | Columbus, Ohio | 1 mile dirt oval | Free-for-all | Charles Elliott | Spencer Wishart |
| August 30 | Aurora Trophy Race (152) | Elgin Road Race Course | Elgin, Illinois | 8.47 mile road course | 300 cu in. | Eddie Pullen | Hughie Hughes |
| Illinois Trophy Race (203) | 450 cu in. | Charles Merz | |||||
| Jencks Trophy Race (101) | 600 cu in. | Harry Endicott | Harry Endicott | ||||
| August 31 | Elgin Race 4* (254) | Ralph DePalma | |||||
| Elgin National Trophy Race* (305) | Free-for-all | Ralph DePalma | |||||
| October 2 | William K. Vanderbilt Cup (299) | Wauwatosa Road Race Course | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 7.88 mile road course | 301-600 cu in. | Ralph DePalma | Ralph DePalma |
| October 5 | Wisconsin Challenge Trophy Race* (173) | 161-230 cu in. | Ray Snyder | Harry Endicott | |||
| Pabst Blue Ribbon Trophy Race* (220) | 231-300 cu in. | Louis Nikrent | Mortimer Roberts | ||||
| American Grand Prize (410) | ACA sanction; non-championship event; David Bruce-Brown and his riding mechanic Tony Scudellari fatally injured in practice, [2] [3] Ralph DePalma seriously injured in race [4] [5] | Bob Burman | Caleb Bragg | ||||
| November 5 | Brighton Beach Race (100) | Brighton Beach Dirt Track | Brooklyn, New York | 1 mile dirt oval | Free-for-all | Neil Whalen | Ralph Mulford |
* Events on same date were run simultaneously.
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.
| # | Driver | Sponsor | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph DePalma | Mercedes | 2000 |
| 2 | Teddy Tetzlaff | Fiat | 1900 |
| 3 | Joe Dawson | National | 1000 |
| 4 | Hughie Hughes | Mercer | 890 |
| 5 | Ralph Mulford | Knox | 870 |
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 during speed trial". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. October 2, 1912.
- ^ "Tony Scudellari yields to death". The Chicago Daily Tribune. October 9, 1912.
- ^ Ward, Harry (October 6, 1912). "Young millionaire racing driver is winner of classic". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Caleb Bragg wins Grand Prize race" (PDF). The New York Times. October 6, 1912. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
General references
- http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1912.htm accessed 8/21/15
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/indycar/1912.html accessed 8/21/15