1918 AAA Championship Car season

The 1918 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 16 races, beginning in Uniontown, Pennsylvania on May 16 and concluding there on September 2. There were also 3 non-championship races. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1918 season, and did not declare a National Champion.[1]

1918 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races16
Start dateMay 16
End dateSeptember 2
Awards
National championnone declared
Indianapolis 500 winnerevent not held
← 1917
1919 →

The de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Ralph Mulford. Mulford 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
May 16 Liberty Sweepstakes Heat 1 (27) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1.125 mile board oval Tommy Milton
Liberty Sweepstakes Heat 2 (27) Ralph Mulford
Liberty Sweepstakes Heat 3 (27) Eddie Hearne
Liberty Sweepstakes Heat 4 (27) Louis Chevrolet
Liberty Sweepstakes Main (27) Ralph Mulford
June 1 Harkness Handicap (100) Sheepshead Bay Speedway Sheepshead Bay, New York 2 mile board oval Non-championship event Ralph DePalma
June 22 Chicago 100 (100) Speedway Park Maywood, Illinois 2 mile board oval Non-championship event Louis Chevrolet
July 4 Liberty Handicap (100) Cincinnati Motor Speedway Sharonville, Ohio 2 mile board oval Non-championship event Ralph DePalma
July 4 Tacoma Race 1 (24) Pacific Coast Speedway Tacoma, Washington 2 mile board oval Cliff Durant
Tacoma Race 2 (50) Cliff Durant
Tacoma Race 3 (75) Eddie Hearne
July 18 Independence Auto Derby (112.5) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1.125 mile board oval Louis Chevrolet
July 28 Chicago Race 1 (10) Speedway Park Maywood, Illinois 2 mile board oval Ralph DePalma
Chicago Race 2 (20) Ralph DePalma
Chicago Race 3 (30) Ralph DePalma
August 17 International Sweepstakes Race 1 (20) Sheepshead Bay Speedway Sheepshead Bay, New York 2 mile board oval Ralph DePalma
International Sweepstakes Race 2 (30) Ralph DePalma
International Sweepstakes Race 3 (50) Ralph DePalma
September 2 Liberty Sweepstakes (112.5) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania 1.125 mile board oval Ralph Mulford

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 Ralph Mulford Frontenac 515
2 Louis Chevrolet Frontenac 485
3 Eddie Hearne Duesenberg 350
4 Ralph DePalma Packard 320
5 Cliff Durant Chevrolet 230

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.