1955 AAA Championship Car season

The 1955 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 11 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 6. There was also one non-championship event in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Bob Sweikert. Manny Ayulo was killed at Indianapolis while practicing for the 1955 Indianapolis 500,[1][2] and Bill Vukovich, the two-time defending winner, was killed in the race itself.[3] Jack McGrath, the two-time champion (1952, 1953), was killed in the final race at Phoenix on lap 85.[4] This was the last year of the AAA National Championship;[5] USAC sanctioned the series starting the next year.[6]

1955 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races	11
Start date	May 30
End date	November 6
Awards
National champion	Bob Sweikert
Indianapolis 500 winner	Bob Sweikert

Schedule and results

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Type	Pole Position	Winning Driver
1	May 30	International 500 Mile Sweepstakes^A	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Paved	Jerry Hoyt	Bob Sweikert
2	June 5	Rex Mays Classic	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	Bob Sweikert	Johnny Thomson
3	June 19	Langhorne 100	Langhorne Speedway	Langhorne, Pennsylvania	Dirt	Don Freeland	Jimmy Bryan
NC	July 31	Indianapolis Sweepstakes	Williams Grove Speedway	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Dirt	Ed Elisian	Jimmy Bryan
4	August 20	Springfield 100	Illinois State Fairgrounds	Springfield, Illinois	Dirt	Andy Linden	Jimmy Bryan
5	August 28	Milwaukee 250	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	Ed Elisian	Pat Flaherty
6	September 5	Ted Horn Memorial 100	DuQuoin State Fairgrounds	Du Quoin, Illinois	Dirt	Eddie Russo	Jimmy Bryan
7	September 5	Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb	Pikes Peak Highway	Pikes Peak, Colorado	Hill	Shelby Hill^B	Bob Finney
8	September 10	Syracuse 100	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, New York	Dirt	Bob Sweikert	Bob Sweikert
9	September 17	Hoosier Hundred	Indiana State Fairgrounds	Indianapolis, Indiana	Dirt	Bob Sweikert	Jimmy Bryan
10	October 16	Golden State 100	California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento, California	Dirt	Bob Sweikert	Jimmy Bryan
11	November 6	Bobby Ball Memorial	Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix, Arizona	Dirt	Jimmy Reece	Jimmy Bryan

  Paved/Dirt Oval

  Road Course/Hill Climb

  Non-championship race

^A Indianapolis 500 was USAC-sanctioned and counted towards the 1955 FIA World Championship of Drivers title.

^B No pole is awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, in this schedule on the pole is the driver who started first. No lap led was awarded for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, however, a lap was awarded to the drivers that completed the climb.

Final points standings

Note: The points became the car, when not only one driver led the car, the relieved driver became small part of the points. Points for driver method: (the points for the finish place) / (number the lap when completed the car) * (number the lap when completed the driver)

Pos Driver INDY MIL1 LAN SPR MIL2 DQSF PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX Pts 1 Bob Sweikert 1 2 2 2 3 4 1 17 3 18 2290 2 Jimmy Bryan 24 4 1 1 23 1 2 1 1 1 1480 3 Johnny Thomson 4 1 15 5 2 2 2 1380 4 Tony Bettenhausen 2 DNQ DNQ 2 DNQ Wth 4 9 1060 5 Andy Linden 6 6 DNQ 3 7 6 DNS 9 4 4 1047.8 6 Jimmy Davies 3 5 DNQ 9 13 14 8 DNQ DNQ DNQ 890 7 Pat O'Connor 8 18 5 DNQ 26 9 4 5 5 5 800 8 Pat Flaherty 10 3 1 DNQ 790 9 George Amick  RY  7 18 4 20 3 3 3 12 3 750 10 Walt Faulkner 5 21 16 DNQ DNS DNS 447.5 11 Al Herman  R  7 10 8 DNQ 22 380 12 Bob Veith  R  DNQ 8 5 6 13 8 355 13 Johnny Boyd 29 DNQ 5 8 16 DNQ 8 350 14 Don Freeland 15 12 3 12 18 13 6 6 16 315.2 15 Art Cross 17 4 300 16 Paul Russo DNS 300 17 Rodger Ward 28 DNQ 9 DNQ 24 DNQ 9 14 6 252.2 18 Jack McGrath 26 8 10 21 2 17 15 18 13 240 19 Jimmy Daywalt 9 14 18 13 11 DNQ DNS 226.4 20 Mike Magill  R  13 4 7 10 18 16 210 21 Bob Finney 1 200 22 Tony Bonadies  R  DNQ DNQ DNQ 6 DNQ 200 23 Jimmy Reece 33 9 14 8 14 DNQ 10 8 16 12 180 24 Eddie Russo 22 DNQ 7 13 10 12 DNQ 11 165 25 Slim Roberts 2 160 26 Ed Elisian 30 DNQ 6 18 25 DNQ DNQ 7 11 160 27 Louis J. Unser  R  3 140 28 Jerry Unser  R  4 DNQ DNQ DNQ 120 29 Duane Carter 11 DNQ 10 14 DNQ 112.9 30 Johnny Tolan Wth DNQ DNQ 11 19 DNQ DNQ DNQ 10 7 110 31 Jiggs Peters DNQ 16 DNQ 5 DNS DNS DNQ 100 32 Bobby Unser  R  5 100 33 Tommy Hinnershitz 11 6 DNQ DNS 100 34 Johnny Kay  R  DNQ DNQ 16 DNQ 7 10 90 35 Keith Andrews 20 6 15 DNQ 80 36 Edgar Elder DNQ 12 DNQ 7 12 DNQ 13 15 80 37 Elmer George  R  DNQ 7 DNQ 60 38 Charles Louderman 7 60 39 Johnny Parsons 21 9 DNQ DNQ 53.2 40 Bill Homeier DNS DNQ DNQ 17 DNS DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 52.5 41 Pete Woods 8 50 42 Shorty Templeman 18 11 DNQ DNQ 17 15 DNQ DNQ 10 50 43 Gene Hartley DNQ 19 DNQ DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ 50 44 Chuck Weyant 12 DNP DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 50 45 Eddie Sachs DNS DNQ DNQ 46.8 46 Mel McGaughy  R  9 DNQ 40 47 Paul Kleinschmidt 9 40 48 Jack Turner  R  DNQ 13 DNQ DNS DNQ DNQ DNQ 11 33.4 49 George Hammond 10 30 50 Buddy Cagle  R  11 DNQ DNQ 14 20 51 Louis Unser 11 20 52 Len Duncan DNQ DNQ DNS 17.1 53 Eddie Johnson 13 15 DNQ 16 14 12 10 54 Charles Musselman  R  12 DNQ 10 55 E. T. Cox  R  12 10 - Foster Campbell  R  13 DNQ DNQ 0 - Earl Motter  R  DNQ 15 18 14 DNQ 0 - Jim Rathmann 14 20 0 - Art Hillis 14 0 - Al Keller 27 15 17 0 - Rex Easton 17 DNQ 15 DNQ DNQ 0 - Shelby Hill 15 0 - Jerry Hoyt 31 22 16 0 - Cal Niday 16 0 - Jimmy Good 16 0 - Len Sutton  R  17 17 0 - Bob Carroll 17 DNQ DNQ 0 - Ted Foltz 17 0 - Wayne Sankey 18 0 - Sam Hanks 19 DNQ 0 - Jack Hahn  R  19 0 - Dan Morgan  R  20 0 - Ray Crawford 23 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Bill Vukovich 25 0 - Fred Agabashian 32 0 - Potsy Goacher DNS DNQ 0 - Joe Sostilio DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Russ Klar DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Ernie McCoy DNQ DNQ 0 - Leroy Warriner DNQ DNQ 0 - George Tichenor DNQ DNP 0 - Manny Ayulo DNQ 0 - Bob Christie DNQ 0 - Danny Kladis DNQ 0 - George Lynch DNQ 0 - Troy Ruttman DNQ 0 - Spider Webb DNQ 0 - Howard Kelley DNQ 0 - Colby Scroggin DNQ 0 - Malcolm Brazier DNQ 0 - Joe Garson DNQ 0 - L. J. Green DNQ 0 - Berton Groves DNQ 0 - Gordon Herring DNQ 0 - Johnny Mauro DNQ 0 - T. E. Russell DNQ 0 - Phil Shafer DNQ 0 - Tom Topping DNQ 0 - Chuck Fink DNQ 0 Pos Driver INDY MIL1 LAN SPR MIL2 DQSF PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX Pts

Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th & 5th place Light Blue 6th-10th place Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrawn (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Not competing In-line notation Bold Pole position Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps  RY  Rookie of the Year  R  Rookie

References

1. "Ayulo critically injured when car runs into wall". The Spartanburg Herald. Associated Press. May 17, 1955.
2. "Crash injuries fatal to Indianapolis racer". The Pittsburgh Press. United Press. May 17, 1955.
3. Burgess, Dale (May 31, 1955). "Bob Sweikert winner; Bill Vukovich is dead". The Florence Times. Associated Press.
4. "Veteran race driver dies". The Victoria Advocate. United Press. November 7, 1955.
5. "AAA cuts ties with U.S. auto racing". The Michigan Daily. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Associated Press. August 4, 1955.
6. "USAC takes over AAA's place". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. March 8, 1956.

General references

• Åberg, Andreas. "AAA National Championship 1955". Driver Database. Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
• "1955 AAA National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
• Harms, Phil. "1955 Championship Driver Summary" (PDF). Motorsport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-15. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
• http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 284-286)

See also

• 1955 Indianapolis 500