1909 AAA Championship Car season


The 1909 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 24 races, beginning in Portland, Oregon on June 12 and concluding with a point-to-point race from Los Angeles, California to Phoenix, Arizona on November 6. There were three events sanctioned by the Automobile Club of America in Lowell, Massachusetts. AAA did not award points towards a National Championship during the 1909 season, and did not declare a National Champion.

Schedule and results

DateRace name
Distance 		TrackLocationTypeNotesPole positionWinning driver
June 12Portland Race 1 Portland Road Race CoursePortland, Oregon14.6 mile road courseStock class, costing $1600 or underHoward Covey
June 12Portland Race 2 Portland Road Race CoursePortland, Oregon14.6 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis of less than $3000Charlie Arnold
June 12Wemme Cup Race Portland Road Race CoursePortland, Oregon14.6 mile road courseFree-For-All class.Bert Dingley
June 18Indiana Trophy Race Crown Point Road Race CircuitCrown Point, Indiana23.27 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis of maximum of 300 ciJoe Matson
June 19Cobe Trophy Race Crown Point Road Race CircuitCrown Point, Indiana23.27 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis of over 300 ciLouis Chevrolet
July 5Denver Trophy Race Brighton Road Race CourseDenver, Colorado14.5 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, Open engineEaton McMillan
July 10Dick Ferris Trophy Race Santa Monica Road Race CourseSanta Monica, California8.417 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, light carsHarris HanshueHarris Hanshue
July 10Leon Shettler Trophy Race Santa Monica Road Race CourseSanta Monica, California8.417 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, heavy carsBert Dingley
August 19Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIndianapolis, Indiana2.5 mile dirt ovalStock chassis, 301–450 ci; William Bourque and his riding mechanic Harry Holcomb fatally injuredBob Burman
August 20G & J Trophy Race Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIndianapolis, Indiana2.5 mile dirt ovalStock chassis.Lewis Strang
August 21Wheeler-Schebler Trophy Race* Indianapolis Motor SpeedwayIndianapolis, Indiana2.5 mile dirt ovalLimited to stock chassis; Charles Merz broke through the outer fence, crashed into a crowd, and rolled over; his mechanician Claude Kellum was thrown out and died along with two spectators, Howard Jolliff and James West; others were injuredLeigh Lynch
September 6Vesper Club Trophy Race** Merrimack Valley CourseLowell, Massachusetts10.6 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, 301–450 ciLee LorimerBob Burman
September 6Yorick Club Trophy Race** Merrimack Valley CourseLowell, Massachusetts10.6 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, 231–300 ci,John CoffeyLouis Chevrolet
September 6Merrimack Valley Trophy Race** Merrimack Valley CourseLowell, Massachusetts10.6 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, 161–230 ci; Arthur Otis, a passer-by, who had entered the foggy race track, fatally struck by Joe Matson's car in practiceJoseph GrinnonBilly Knipper
September 8Lowell Trophy Race** Merrimack Valley CourseLowell, Massachusetts10.6 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, 451–600 ciGeorge Robertson
September 29Long Island Stock Car Derby A*** Riverhead Road Race CourseRiverhead, New York22.75 mile road course$4001 and over; James Bates, riding mechanic for Herbert Lytle, fatally injuredRalph DePalma
September 29Long Island Stock Car Derby Class B*** Riverhead Road Race CourseRiverhead, New York22.75 mile road course$3001–4000Frank Lescault
September 29Long Island Stock Car Derby Class C*** Riverhead Road Race CourseRiverhead, New York22.75 mile road course$2001–3000William Sharp
September 29Long Island Stock Car Derby Class D*** Riverhead Road Race CourseRiverhead, New York22.75 mile road course$1251–2000Louis Chevrolet
September 29Long Island Stock Car Derby Class E*** Riverhead Road Race CourseRiverhead, New York22.75 mile road course$851–1250Arthur See
October 9Founder's Week Trophy Race Fairmount ParkPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania8 mile road courseStock ChassisGeorge Robertson
October 23Portola Festival Race Portola Road Race CircuitSan Leandro, California21.18 mile road courseA tire which had flown off Howard Hall's car knocked down a spectator, Peter McKiterick, who later succumbed to his injuries.Jack Fleming
October 30William K. Vanderbilt Cup Long Island Motor ParkwayLong Island, New York12.64 mile road courseLimited to stock chassis, 301–600 ciLewis StrangHarry Grant
November 6Cactus Derby Los Angeles to PhoenixCalifornia to PhoenixPoint to PointLimited to stock chassisJoe Nikrent
Louis Nikrent

* Race halted at 235 miles due to track breaking up. AAA report states that race was halted at 245 miles.
** Event sanctioned by Automobile Club of America, 301–450, 231–300 & 161–230 run simultaneously.
*** All classes run simultaneously.

Unofficial, retroactive, and revisionist champions

The contemporary de facto National Champion as polled by the American automobile journal Motor Age, was Bert Dingley. Dingley was named the champion by Chris G. Sinsabaugh, an editor at Motor Age, based upon merit and on track performance.
In 1927, the AAA Contest Board retroactively applied the 1920 points table to the 1909 through 1915 and 1917 through 1919 seasons, scoring Dingley as champion. In 1951, well-published sportswriter Russ Catlin decided to revise these retroactive standings. Catlin attempted to strip Dingley of the title, awarding it instead to George Robertson. In the 1980s, it was recognized by historians that these retroactive championship revisions should not be considered official.

General references

  • http://www.champcarstats.com/year/1909.htm accessed September 16, 2010
  • accessed September 16, 2010
  • https://web.archive.org/web/20111226011449/http://www.motorsport.com/stats/champ/byyear.asp?Y=1909 accessed September 16, 2010