1946 AAA Championship Car season

The 1946 AAA Championship Car season was the first season of American Championship car racing following World War II. After four years without automobile racing in the United States, the AAA Contest Board was initially concerned about having enough races, enough entrants, and suitable equipment, to contest season on such short notice for 1946. Even the Indianapolis 500 was in doubt, as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had been fallen into a terrible state of neglect during the war years.

1946 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races77
Start dateApril 14
End dateNovember 10
Awards
National championUnited States Ted Horn
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States George Robson
← 1941
1947 →

Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Eddie Rickenbacker sold the track to Tony Hulman in November 1945, by which time it had fallen into a dilapidated state of disrepair.[1] As the season progressed, it proved to be a success, and marked a triumphant return of the National Championship. Hulman's swift and herculean efforts to renovate Indianapolis in just six months allowed for the 1946 Indianapolis 500 to be run as scheduled on May 30, and it was won by George Robson.

George Robson and George Barringer were killed at Atlanta during the race. Al Putnam died at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Speedway during qualifying.

Background

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Previously, only races of over 100 miles (160 km) in length on tracks that were one mile (1.6 km) or longer were permitted to host National Championship events. Due to the concerns about the car counts and participation, the AAA Contest Board included a substantial number of "Big Car" races (today known as Sprint Cars) as part of the championship. The season officially consisted of 77 races (6 Championship Car races and 71 Big Car races), beginning at Mechanicsburg on April 14 and concluding at Richmond on November 10.[2] Two non-points, exhibition races were also part of the calendar season.

After car counts and participation was better than expected, some confusion arose over as to whether the 71 Big Car events still counted towards the National Championship. Some news publications of the time erroneously reported the points totals from only the six Champ Car events, implying - or incorrectly assuming - that the Big Car races had been, or would be, dropped.[3] Nevertheless, despite all of the second-guessing and speculation, a full 77-race season was completed.

The Contest Board met after the season, and it was not until then which they declared the Big Car races would be dropped from the National Championship - effective for 1947.[2][4] The ruling cemented the notion that the 71 Big Car races were indeed recognized as part of the official 1946 season. Furthermore, the prize money and 1947 car number assignments are consistent with the final points standings reflecting the full 77-race schedule.[2][5][6][7]

Despite later publications suggesting the season was only six races (including official statistical publications released by the league decades later), historians firmly contend that the 1946 season should be recognized as the full 77-race schedule.

The AAA National Champion was Ted Horn, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was George Robson. Incidentally, based on his points totals, Horn would have been declared the champion with or without the 71 "Big Car" races included. This oddity has help contribute to the illusion of a six-race season.

Schedule and results

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  Non-championship race
Rnd Date Race Name Length Track Location Type Class Winning Driver
NC March 31 Mike Benton Sweepstakes 20 mi (32 km) Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Big Car Jimmy Wilburn
1 April 14 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Walt Ader
2 April 28 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
3 May 5 Eastern Inaugural Trophy Sweepstakes 20 mi (32 km) Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
4 May 19 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
5 May 26 Inaugural Sam Nunis Trophy Sweepstakes 12.5 mi (20.1 km) Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Reading, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Walt Ader
6 May 26 Winchester Race 15 mi (24 km) Winchester Speedway Winchester, Indiana Dirt Oval Big Car Bus Wilbert
7 May 30 Altamont Race 15 mi (24 km) Altamont Speedway Altamont, New York Dirt Oval Big Car Bumpy Bumpus
8 May 30 International 500 Mile Sweepstakes 500 mi (800 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved Oval Champ Car George Robson
9 May 30 Trenton Race 20 mi (32 km) Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Dirt Oval Big Car Johnny Shackleford
10 June 2 Lakewood Race 25 mi (40 km) Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
11 June 9 Thompson Race 15 mi (24 km) Thompson International Speedway Thompson, Connecticut Paved Oval Big Car Oscar Ridlon
12 June 9 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
13 June 9 Winchester Race 15 mi (24 km) Winchester Speedway Winchester, Indiana Dirt Oval Big Car Bus Wilbert
14 June 16 Flemington Race 12.5 mi (20.1 km) Flemington Speedway Flemington, New Jersey Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
15 June 23 Dayton Race 15 mi (24 km) Dayton Speedway Dayton, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car Elbert Booker
16 June 23 Greensboro Race 12.5 mi (20.1 km) Greensboro Agricultural Fairgrounds Greensboro, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
17 June 23 Thompson Race 15 mi (24 km) Thompson International Speedway Thompson, Connecticut Paved Oval Big Car Oscar Ridlon
18 June 29 Dayton Race 10 mi (16 km) Dayton Speedway Dayton, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car Bus Wilbert
19 June 30 Langhorne 100 100 mi (160 km) Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Champ Car Rex Mays
20 June 30 Powell Race 7.5 mi (12.1 km) Powell Motor Speedway Powell, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
21 June 30 Thompson Race 12.5 mi (20.1 km) Thompson International Speedway Thompson, Connecticut Paved Oval Big Car Joe Verebly
22 July 4 Lakewood Race 20 mi (32 km) Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
23 July 7 Lakewood Race 50 mi (80 km) Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
24 July 7 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Johnny Shackleford
25 July 14 Inaugural Nunis Sweepstakes 17.5 mi (28.2 km) Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Reading, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
26 July 20 DuBois Race 10 mi (16 km) DuBois Fairgrounds DuBois, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
27 July 20 Selinsgrove Race 10 mi (16 km) Selinsgrove Speedway Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
28 July 21 Dayton Race 10 mi (16 km) Dayton Speedway Dayton, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car George Connor
29 July 21 Langhorne Race 20 mi (32 km) Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car George Robson
30 July 21 Selinsgrove Race 10 mi (16 km) Selinsgrove Speedway Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
31 July 27 Harrington Race 10 mi (16 km) Delaware State Fairgrounds Harrington, Delaware Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
32 July 28 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
33 August 3 Washington Race 10 mi (16 km) Arden Downs Washington, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
34 August 4 Powell Race 7.5 mi (12.1 km) Powell Motor Speedway Powell, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car George Robson
35 August 10 Batavia Race 10 mi (16 km) Batavia Fairgrounds Batavia, New York Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
36 August 11 Bedford Race 10 mi (16 km) Bedford Speedway Bedford, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
37 August 11 Langhorne Race 20 mi (32 km) Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car George Robson
38 August 11 Winchester Race 10 mi (16 km) Winchester Speedway Winchester, Indiana Dirt Oval Big Car Elbert Booker
39 August 18 Skowhegan Race 10 mi (16 km) Skowhegan Fairgrounds Skowhegan, Maine Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
40 August 18 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car George Robson
41 August 24 Hamburg Race 10 mi (16 km) Hamburg Fairgrounds Hamburg, New York Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
42 August 25 Dayton Race 10 mi (16 km) Dayton Speedway Dayton, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car George Robson
43 August 25 Uniontown Race 10 mi (16 km) Uniontown Speedway Uniontown, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
44 August 30 Essex Junction Race 10 mi (16 km) Essex Junction Fairgrounds Essex Junction, Vermont Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
45 August 31 Altamont Race 10 mi (16 km) Altamont Speedway Altamont, New York Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
46 August 31 Hamburg Race 10 mi (16 km) Hamburg Fairgrounds Hamburg, New York Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
47 September 1 Flemington Race 10 mi (16 km) Flemington Speedway Flemington, New Jersey Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
48 September 1 Winchester Race 10 mi (16 km) Winchester Speedway Winchester, Indiana Dirt Oval Big Car Charles Van Acker
49 September 2 Flemington Race 10 mi (16 km) Flemington Speedway Flemington, New Jersey Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
50 September 2 Atlanta 100 98 mi (158 km)A Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Champ Car George Connor
NC September 2 Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb 12.42 mi (19.99 km) Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill Climb Champ Car Louis Unser
51 September 6 Rutland Race 10 mi (16 km) Vermont State Fairgrounds Rutland, Vermont Dirt Oval Big Car Lee Wallard
52 September 7 Port Royal Race 8 mi (13 km) Port Royal Speedway Port Royal, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
53 September 8 Williams Grove Race 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
54 September 15 Indianapolis 100 100 mi (160 km) Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt Oval Champ Car Rex Mays
55 September 15 Reading Race 12.5 mi (20.1 km) Reading Fairgrounds Speedway Reading, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
56 September 21 Allentown Fair Race 10 mi (16 km) Allentown Fairgrounds Allentown, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
57 September 22 Great Barrington Race 4 mi (6.4 km) Great Barrington Race Track Great Barrington, Massachusetts Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
58 September 22 Milwaukee 100 100 mi (160 km) Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin Dirt Oval Champ Car Rex Mays
59 September 22 Powell Race 5 mi (8.0 km) Powell Motor Speedway Powell, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
60 September 28 Bloomsburg Race 10 mi (16 km) Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
61 September 28 Lakewood Race 20 mi (32 km) Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
62 September 28 Shelby Race 10 mi (16 km) Shelby Motor Speedway Shelby, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Walt Ader
63 September 29 Trenton Race 20 mi (32 km) Trenton International Speedway Trenton, New Jersey Dirt Oval Big Car Joie Chitwood
64 October 5 Lakewood Race 20 mi (32 km) Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
65 October 5 Winston-Salem Race 10 mi (16 km) Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Winston-Salem, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Tommy Hinnershitz
66 October 6 Dayton Race 10 mi (16 km) Dayton Speedway Dayton, Ohio Dirt Oval Big Car Hal Robson
67 October 6 George Robson Memorial 100 mi (160 km) Good Time Park Goshen, New York Dirt Oval Champ Car Tony Bettenhausen
68 October 6 Greensboro Race 10 mi (16 km) Greensboro Agricultural Fairgrounds Greensboro, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
69 October 6 George Robson Memorial 15 mi (24 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Lucky Lux
70 October 12 Charlotte Race 10 mi (16 km) Charlotte Fairgrounds Charlotte, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
71 October 12 Atlantic Rural Exposition 10 mi (16 km) Strawberry Hill Raceway Richmond, Virginia Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
72 October 12 Greensboro Race 7.5 mi (12.1 km) Greensboro Agricultural Fairgrounds Greensboro, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
73 October 19 Raleigh Race 10 mi (16 km) State Fair Speedway Raleigh, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Walt Ader
74 October 26 Charlotte Race 10 mi (16 km) Charlotte Fairgrounds Charlotte, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Hank Rogers
75 October 26 National Championship Trophy Race 25 mi (40 km) Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt Oval Big Car Bill Holland
76 November 9 Shelby Race 15 mi (24 km) Shelby Motor Speedway Shelby, North Carolina Dirt Oval Big Car Ted Horn
77 November 10 Richmond Race 12.5 mi (20.1 km) Strawberry Hill Raceway Richmond, Virginia Dirt Oval Big Car Tommy Hinnershitz

^A Scheduled for 100 miles, stopped early due to fatal accident involving George Robson and George Barringer. Ted Horn was leading at the time of the accident, but after a protest, was found to have been involved in the accident and had his win stripped.

Note: Bill Holland started on the pole position in the Lakewood Race on July 4 and Ted Horn started on the pole position in the DuBois Race on July 20.

Leading National Championship standings

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 #  Driver Team Points
1 Ted Horn Ted Horn Engineering, Boyle, Peters 2448
2 George Robson Thorne Engineering, Christie, Weirick 1544
3 Emil Andres Elgin Piston Pin, Riverside Tire, Nyquist 1348
4 Bill Holland Malamud 1280
5 Tommy Hinnershitz Ted Horn Engineering 896.8

† Robson was killed in the race at Lakewood Speedway on September 2

Points system

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Position/
Miles
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
4 8 6 4 3
5 10 8 6 4
7.5 15 12 9 6
8 16 13 10 6
10 20 16 12 8 4 2
12.5 25 20 15 10 5 2.5
15 30 24 18 12 6 3
17.5 35 28 21 14 9 5.5
20 40 32 24 16 12 8
25 50 40 30 25 20 10 5
50 100 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5
100 200 160 140 120 100 80 60 50 40 30 20 10
500 1000 800 700 600 500 400 300 250 200 150 100 50

Alternate schedule and results

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The official IndyCar Series Historical Record Book (2011) listed only the six "Champ Car" in the schedule. (page 72)

Rnd Date Race Name Length Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 May 30   International 500 Mile Sweepstakes 500 mi (800 km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved   Cliff Bergere   George Robson
2 June 30   Langhorne 100 100 mi (160 km) Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt   Ted Horn   Rex Mays
3 September 2   Atlanta 100 98 mi (158 km)A Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt   Rex Mays   George Connor
NC September 2   Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb 12.42 mi (19.99 km) Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill   Louis UnserB   Louis Unser
4 September 15   Indianapolis 100 100 mi (160 km) Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt   Rex Mays   Rex Mays
5 September 22   Milwaukee 100 100 mi (160 km) Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin Dirt   Rex Mays   Rex Mays
6 October 6   George Robson Memorial 100 mi (160 km) Good Time Park Goshen, New York Dirt   Emil Andres   Tony Bettenhausen
  Paved/Dirt Oval
  Road Course/Hill Climb
  Non-championship race
^A Scheduled for 100 miles, stopped early due to fatal accident involving George Robson and George Barringer. Ted Horn was leading at the time of the accident, but after a protest, was found to have been involved in the accident and had his win stripped.
^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

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Pos Driver INDY
 
LAN
 
ATL
 
ISF
 
MIL
 
GOS
 
Pts
1   Ted Horn 3 3 6 4 2 2 1360
2   Emil Andres 4 4 3 3 3 4 1260
3   George Robson 1 2 7 1220
4   Jimmy Jackson  RY  2 800
5   Rex Mays 30 1 11 1 1 DNQ 620
6   Louis Durant 6 DNS 400
7   Joie Chitwood 5 DNP 372
8   George Connor 24 9 1 7 10 9 370
9   Tony Bettenhausen 20 DNP 5 9 1 340
10   Duke Dinsmore  R  17 10 11 4 3 310
11   Luigi Villoresi  R  7 300
12   Billy Devore 10 5 9 290
13   Frank Wearne 8 250
14   Mauri Rose 23 12 2 6 DNP 240
15   Steve Truchan  R  DNQ DNP 2 9 200
16   Charlie Rogers  R  DNS 5 5 200
17   Bill Sheffler  R  9 DNP 200
18   Bud Bardowski  R  DNS 4 13 12 10 160
19   Joe Langley  R  DNQ 5 14 100
20   Mel Hansen 11 DNP 100
21   Buddy Rusch  R  DNQ 6 80
22   Floyd Davis 6 80
23   Eddie Casterline 6 80
24   Spider Webb 10 8 DNP 80
25   Elbert Booker  R  DNP 12 7 DNP 70
26   George Metzler  R  11 8 70
27   Walt Brown 7 60
28   Fred Carpenter  R  7 60
29   Al Miller DNQ 8 14 DNP 50
30   Hal Robson 25 8 50
31   George Barringer 29 DNP 8 50
32   Russ Snowberger 12 DNP DNS DNP 39
33   Danny Goss  R  10 30
-   Lee Wallard 11 0
-   Harry McQuinn 13 0
-   Walt Ader  R  13 0
-   Ralph Hepburn 14 0
-   Al Putnam 15 DNQ 0
-   Cliff Bergere 16 0
-   Chet Miller 18 0
-   Jimmy Wilburn  R  19 0
-   Danny Kladis  R  21 0
-   Duke Nalon 22 DNP 0
-   Louis Tomei 26 0
-   Henry Banks 27 DNS 0
-   Shorty Cantlon 28 0
-   Sam Hanks 31 0
-   Hal Cole  R  32 0
-   Paul Russo 33 0
-   Eddie Zalucki  R  DNS 0
-   Zora Arkus-Duntov DNQ DNQ 0
-   Charles Van Acker DNQ DNP 0
-   Robert Arbuthnot DNQ 0
-   Harold Bailey DNQ 0
-   Gerald Brisko DNQ 0
-   Jim Brubaker DNQ 0
-   Arvol Brunmeier DNQ 0
-   Rudolf Caracciola DNQ 0
-   Bruce Denslow DNQ 0
-   Louis Gérard DNQ 0
-   Tommy Hinnershitz DNQ 0
-   Wally Mitchell DNQ 0
-   Frank McGurk DNQ 0
-   Ray Richards DNQ 0
-   Bud Rose DNQ 0
-   Harry Schell DNQ 0
-   Joel Thorne DNQ 0
-   Achille Varzi DNQ 0
-   Bus Wilbert DNQ 0
-   Doc Williams DNQ 0
-   Freddie Winnai DNQ 0
-   Charles Crawford DNP 0
-   Dioscoride Lanza DNP 0
-   Joe Silvia DNP 0
-   Raphaël Bethenod DNP 0
Pos Driver INDY
 
LAN
 
ATL
 
ISF
 
MIL
 
GOS
 
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

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)

References

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  • Åberg, Andreas. "AAA National Championship 1946". Driver Database. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  • "1946 AAA National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  • Harms, Phil. "1946 Championship Driver Summary" (PDF). Motorsport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  • http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 72, 315–316)

Notes

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  1. ^ Printz, John G.; Ken M. McMaken. The 1946 AAA National Championship.
  2. ^ a b c Capps, H. Donald (October 2009). "The Curious Case of the 1946 Season: An Inconvenient Championship" (PDF). Rear View Mirror. 8W / FORIX. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  3. ^ "14 Auto Racing Stars Meet at Goshen Today". The New York Times. October 6, 1946.
  4. ^ "Official Bulletin AAA Contest Board". December 18, 1946. p. 3.
  5. ^ "Distribution of National Prize Fund for 1946 to the Drivers and Car Owners Holding Ten Highest Places in the National Point Standing". AAA Records Resume.
  6. ^ "By Their Numbers You Shall Know Them". Speed Age. 1 (1): 30. May 1947.
  7. ^ National Speed Sport News: 112 & 163. January 1947.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)

See also

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