1917 AAA Championship Car season

The 1917 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 21 races, beginning in Los Angeles, California on March 4 and concluding there on November 29. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1917 season, and did not declare a National Champion.[1]

1917 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races21
Start dateMarch 4
End dateNovember 29
Awards
National championnone declared
Indianapolis 500 winnerevent not held
← 1916
1918 →

The de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Earl Cooper. Cooper 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

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Date Race Name
Distance (miles)
Track Location Type Notes Pole position Winning driver
March 4 George Washington Sweepstakes (100) Ascot Speedway South Los Angeles, California 1 mile dirt oval Joe Boyer Earl Cooper
May 10 Universal Trophy Race (113) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1.125 mile board oval 300 cu in. Louis Chevrolet William Taylor
May 30 Sharonville Sweepstakes (250) Cincinnati Motor Speedway Sharonville, Ohio 2 mile board oval Ralph DePalma Louis Chevrolet
June 16 War Derby (250) Speedway Park Maywood, Illinois 2 mile board oval Louis Chevrolet Earl Cooper
July 4 Omaha Derby (150) Omaha Speedway Omaha, Nebraska 1.25 mile board oval Louis Chevrolet Ralph Mulford
July 14 Minneapolis Race 1 (50) Twin City Motor Speedway Minneapolis, Minnesota 2 mile concrete oval 300 cu in. Dave Lewis Earl Cooper
Minneapolis Race 2 (100) Dave Lewis Ira Vail
September 3 Army Post Sweepstakes (100) Pacific Coast Speedway Tacoma, Washington 2 mile board oval Earl Cooper
September 3 Chicago Race 2 (50) Speedway Park Maywood, Illinois 2 mile board oval Ralph DePalma
Chicago Race 3 (100) Louis Chevrolet
September 3 1st Annual Autumn Classic (113) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1.125 mile board oval Frank Elliott
September 15 Providence Race 1 (5) Narragansett Park Speedway Cranston, Rhode Island 1 mile concrete oval 300 cu in. Ralph Mulford
Providence Race 2 (25) Tommy Milton
Providence Race 3 (100) Tommy Milton
September 22 Harkness Trophy Race (100) Sheepshead Bay Speedway Sheepshead Bay, New York 2 mile board oval 300 cu in. Louis Chevrolet
October 13 Chicago Race 4 (20) Speedway Park Maywood, Illinois 2 mile board oval Tom Alley
Chicago Race 5 (50) 300 cu in. Ralph Mulford
Chicago Race 6 (50)   Pete Henderson
October 29 Uniontown Race 3 (169) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1.125 mile board oval 300 cu in. Eddie Hearne Eddie Hearne
November 29 Ascot Race 2 (10) Ascot Speedway South Los Angeles, California 1 mile dirt oval 300 cu in. Louis Chevrolet
Ascot Race 3 (50) Free formula Eddie Hearne

Leading National Championship standings

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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 Earl Cooper Stutz 1095
2 Louis Chevrolet Frontenac 1046
3 Ralph Mulford Frontenac 868
4 Eddie Hearne Duesenberg 848
5 Tommy Milton Duesenberg 771

References

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  1. ^ 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.