1915 AAA Championship Car season
| 1915 AAA Championship Car season | |
|---|---|
| AAA National Championship Trail | |
| Season | |
| Races | 27 |
| Start date | January 9 |
| End date | November 25 |
| Awards | |
| National champion | none declared |
| Indianapolis 500 winner |  Ralph DePalma |
The 1915 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 27 races, beginning in San Diego, California on January 9 and concluding in San Francisco, California on November 25. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1915 season, and did not declare a National Champion.[1] Ralph DePalma was the winner of the Indianapolis 500.
The de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Earl Cooper. Points were not awarded by the AAA Contest Board during the 1915 season. 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
[edit]| Date | Race Name Distance (miles) |
Track | Location | Type | Notes | Pole position | Winning driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 9 | San Diego Exposition Road Race (305) | Point Loma Road Race Course | San Diego, California | 5.982 mile road course | Earl Cooper | ||
| February 3 | Tropico Road Race (101) | Tropico Road | Tropico, California | 1.906 mile road course | Eddie O'Donnell | ||
| February 7 | Ascot Race (100) | Ascot Speedway | South Los Angeles, California | 1 mile dirt oval | Jack Callaghan fatally injured[2][3] | Eddie O'Donnell | |
| February 27 | American Grand Prize (406) | Panama–Pacific International Exposition | San Francisco, California | 3.905 mile road course | ACA sanction | Earl Cooper | Dario Resta |
| March 6 | William K. Vanderbilt Cup (301) | 3.849 mile road course | 600 cu in. | Barney Oldfield | Dario Resta | ||
| March 17 | Venice Race (301) | Venice Road Race Course | Venice, California | 3.105 mile road course | Cliff Durant | Barney Oldfield | |
| March 20 | Tucson Race (103) | Tucson Road Race Course | Tucson, Arizona | 4.298 mile road course | Barney Oldfield | ||
| April 29 | Southern Sweepstakes Road Race (200) | Oklahoma City Road Race Course | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 2.404 mile road course | John Raimey | Bob Burman | |
| May 31 | International 500 Mile Sweepstakes | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | 2.5 mile brick oval | 24-car field | Howdy Wilcox | Ralph DePalma |
| June 9 | Galesburg Race (100) | Galesburg District Fairgrounds | Galesburg, Illinois | 1 mile dirt oval | Tom Alley | Eddie O'Donnell | |
| June 26 | Chicago Race (500) | Speedway Park | Maywood, Illinois | 2 mile board oval | Dario Resta | Dario Resta | |
| July 3 | Sioux City Race (300) | Sioux City Speedway | North Sioux City, South Dakota | 2 mile dirt oval | 450 cu in.; C. C. Cox fatally injured[4] | Eddie Rickenbacker | |
| July 4 | Montamarathon Trophy Race (250) | Pacific Coast Speedway | Tacoma, Washington | 2 mile board oval | 650 cu in.; Billy Carlson and his riding mechanic Paul Franzen fatally injured[5][6] | Glover Ruckstell | |
| July 5 | Golden Potlach Trophy Race (200) | Eddie Pullen | |||||
| July 5 | Omaha Race (300) | Omaha Speedway | Omaha, Nebraska | 1.25 mile board oval | Eddie O'Donnell | Eddie Rickenbacker | |
| July 9 | Burlington Race (100) | Tri-State Fair Grounds | Burlington, Iowa | 0.5 mile dirt oval | Bob Burman | ||
| August 7 | Des Moines Race (300) | Des Moines Speedway | Valley Junction, Iowa | 1 mile board oval | 300 cu in.; Joe Cooper and Maurice Keeler, riding mechanic for Billy Chandler, fatally injured[7] | Ralph Mulford | |
| August 7 | Challenge Cup Match Race (100) | Speedway Park | Maywood, Illinois | 2 mile board oval | 600 cu in. | Barney Oldfield | Dario Resta |
| August 20 | Chicago Auto Club Trophy Race (300) | Elgin Road Race Course | Elgin, Illinois | 8.384 mile road course | 300 cu in. | Earl Cooper | |
| August 21 | Elgin National Trophy Race (300) | 450 cu in. | Gil Andersen | ||||
| August 28 | Kalamazoo Race (100) | Recreation Park | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 1 mile dirt oval | Free-for-all | Ralph DePalma | |
| September 4 | Minneapolis Race (500) | Twin City Motor Speedway | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 2 mile concrete oval | 300 cu in. | Dario Resta | Earl Cooper/Johnny Aitken |
| September 18 | Providence Race (100) | Narragansett Park Speedway | Cranston, Rhode Island | 1 mile concrete oval | Eddie Rickenbacker | ||
| October 9 | Astor Cup (350) | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Sheepshead Bay, New York | 2 mile board oval | 300 cu in.; Harry Grant fatally injured in practice[8][9] | Dario Resta | Gil Andersen |
| November 2 | Harkness Gold Medal Race (100) | Ralph DePalma | Dario Resta | ||||
| November 20 | Phoenix Race (109) | Arizona State Fairgrounds | Phoenix, Arizona | 1 mile dirt oval | Scheduled for 150 miles; ended early due to darkness.[10] | Earl Cooper | |
| November 25 | San Francisco Race 3 (100) | Panama–Pacific International Exposition | San Francisco, California | 1 mile dirt oval | Earl Cooper |
Leading National Championship standings
[edit]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 | 3780 |
| 2 | Dario Resta | Peugeot | 3320 |
| 3 | Gil Andersen | Stutz | 2590 |
| 4 | Eddie O'Donnell | Duesenberg | 2285 |
| 5 | Eddie Rickenbacker | Maxwell | 1765 |
References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ "Callaghan badly hurt in Los Angeles race". The Milwaukee Sentinel. February 8, 1915.
- ^ "Jack Callaghan dies; was hurt on Sunday". The Milwaukee Sentinel. February 9, 1915.
- ^ "Cincinnati driver meets death in auto race at Sioux City". The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 4, 1915. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018.
- ^ "Franzen killed in race" (PDF). The New York Times. July 5, 1915. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
- ^ "Auto driver dies" (PDF). The New York Times. July 6, 1915. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
- ^ "Joe Cooper and a mechanician killed in race". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 8, 1915.
- ^ "Auto driver Grant severely burned" (PDF). The New York Times. September 28, 1915. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
- ^ "Harry Grant dies of burns" (PDF). The New York Times. October 8, 1915. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2018.
- ^ "Earl Cooper Wins Race at Phoenix". San Francisco Chronicle. November 21, 1915. p. 43. Retrieved May 30, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
General references
[edit]- http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1915.htm accessed 8/21/15
- http://www.teamdan.com/archive/gen/indycar/1915.html accessed 8/21/15