1954 AAA Championship Car season

The 1954 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 13 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 14. There was also one non-championship event in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The AAA National Champion was Jimmy Bryan, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Bill Vukovich. Bob Scott was killed in the Independence Day Sweepstakes race at Darlington.

1954 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races	13
Start date	May 30
End date	November 14
Awards
National champion	Jimmy Bryan
Indianapolis 500 winner	Bill Vukovich

Schedule and results

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Type	Pole Position	Winning Driver
1	May 30	International 500 Mile SweepstakesA	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Paved	Jack McGrath	Bill Vukovich
2	June 6	Rex Mays Classic	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	Bill Vukovich	Chuck Stevenson
3	June 20	Langhorne 100	Langhorne Speedway	Langhorne, Pennsylvania	Dirt	Joe Sostilio	Jimmy Bryan
4	July 5	Independence Day Sweepstakes	Darlington Raceway	Darlington, South Carolina	Paved	Chuck Stevenson	Manny Ayulo
NC	July 25	Indianapolis Sweepstakes	Williams Grove Speedway	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Dirt	Jimmy Davies	Jimmy Davies
5	August 21	Springfield 100	Illinois State Fairgrounds	Springfield, Illinois	Dirt	Jiggs Peters	Jimmy Davies
6	August 29	Milwaukee 200	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	Sam Hanks	Manny Ayulo
7	September 6	Ted Horn Memorial	DuQuoin State Fairgrounds	Du Quoin, Illinois	Dirt	Don Freeland	Sam Hanks
8	September 6	Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb	Pikes Peak Highway	Pikes Peak, Colorado	Hill	Larry CrockettB	Keith Andrews
9	September 11	Syracuse 100	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, New York	Dirt	Don Freeland	Bob Sweikert
10	September 18	Hoosier Hundred	Indiana State Fairgrounds	Indianapolis, Indiana	Dirt	Manny Ayulo	Jimmy Bryan
11	October 17	Golden State 100	California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento, California	Dirt	Jack McGrath	Jimmy Bryan
12	November 7–8 C	Bobby Ball Memorial	Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix, Arizona	Dirt	Shorty Templeman	Jimmy Bryan
13	November 14	Silver State Century	Las Vegas Park Speedway	Las Vegas, Nevada	Dirt	Jimmy Bryan	Jimmy Bryan

  Paved/Dirt Oval

  Road Course/Hill Climb

  Non-championship race

^A Indianapolis 500 was USAC-sanctioned and counted towards the 1954 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.

^C Final 65 laps completed on November 8 due to heavy dust and the rough condition of the track

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)

Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems

Pos Driver INDY MIL1 LAN DAR SPR MIL2 DQSF PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX LVG Pts 1 Jimmy Bryan 2 DNS 1 3 12 3 3 4 1 1 1 1 2630 2 Manuel Ayulo 13 2 1 DNQ 1 DNQ DNQ 15 12 2 2 1290 3 Jack McGrath 3 4 DNQ 21 8 DNQ 9 10 4 2 DNQ 1220 4 Bill Vukovich 1 22 1000 5 Jimmy Reece 17 3 2 2 DNQ 20 5 6 5 5 17 Wth 1000 6 Bob Sweikert 14 11 4 22 4 22 8 1 2 3 3 14 950 7 Chuck Stevenson 12 1 29 2 2 2 861.5 8 Sam Hanks 20 DNQ 3 8 7 6 1 3 15 5 DNQ 858.5 9 Mike Nazaruk 5 15 13 25 9 4 10 17 DNQ 810 10 Don Freeland 7 9 9 18 3 9 17 2 DNQ DNS DNQ DNQ 760 11 Larry Crockett  R  9 20 8 11 6 8 4 13 DNQ 15 10 620 12 Jimmy Davies DNS 17 28 1 23 4 11 DNQ 4 DNQ 3 614.5 13 Johnny Tolan DNQ 12 4 10 25 DNQ 3 8 9 18 12 520 14 Fred Agabashian 6 10 460 15 Troy Ruttman 4 7 15 447 16 Andy Linden 25 21 14 26 DNS 6 7 DNQ 7 4 5 428 17 Art Cross 11 6 DNQ 5 419.5 18 Cal Niday 10 DNQ 16 DNQ 7 16 11 6 6 16 390 19 Jerry Hoyt 26 DNS 5 DNQ DNQ DNQ 10 16 11 DNQ 312.5 20 Duane Carter 15 19 9 DNQ 13 18 DNQ DNQ DNQ 293 21 Keith Andrews 1 10 230 22 Ed Elisian 18 14 12 DNS 13 11 DNQ 5 6 230 23 Rodger Ward 22 10 16 DNQ 15 26 11 18 9 13 DNQ 4 210 24 Gene Hartley 23 6 DNQ 7 12 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 210 25 Pat O'Connor 21 5 DNQ 10 DNQ 19 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 9 200 26 Paul Russo 8 187.5 27 Jiggs Peters  R  5 17 16 DNQ 18 8 10 DNQ 180 28 Hugh Thomas 2 160 29 Eddie Sachs DNQ DNQ 5 16 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 7 160 30 Joe Sostilio  R  DNQ 13 7 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 159.6 31 Bob Finney 3 140 32 Tommy Hinnershitz DNS 19 DNQ 15 7 13 6 140 33 Johnnie Parsons 32 16 30 DNQ 7 8 16 DNQ DNQ DNQ 122.5 34 Johnny Boyd  R  DNQ 6 14 DNS 16 DNQ 12 DNQ 11 12 13 120 35 Chuck Weyant DNQ DNQ 11 14 DNQ 17 9 8 110 36 Paul Kleinschmidt 5 100 37 Herb Bryers 6 80 38 Walt Faulkner DNS 8 13 78.5 39 Rex Easton 17 24 DNQ 12 7 70 40 Shorty Templeman DNQ 8 DNQ 50 41 Al Rogers 8 50 42 Len Duncan 31 DNS 47 43 Johnny Thomson 24 DNS DNQ 9 40 44 Chuck Hulse 9 40 45 Bob Scott DNS 18 10 20 30 46 Joe Garson 10 30 47 Ernie McCoy 16 DNS DNS 20.4 48 Eddie Russo DNQ DNQ 11 17 DNQ DNQ DNQ 20 49 Ted Foltz  R  11 20 50 Roy Prosser 11 20 51 Pat Flaherty DNS 12 DNQ DNQ 20 52 Gene Force 12 20 53 Shelby Hill 12 10 - Bob Carroll  R  DNS 14 13 14 DNQ 15 0 - Danny Kladis DNS 18 13 DNQ 0 - Pete Woods 13 0 - Ray Crawford  R  DNQ DNQ 18 15 14 DNQ 14 0 - Danny Oakes DNQ 14 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 18 0 - Al Keller  R  14 DNQ 0 - Pete Pusede 14 0 - Bill Homeier 33 15 DNQ DNQ DNQ 17 DNQ DNQ 0 - Wally Campbell  R  DNQ 15 24 0 - T. E. Russell 15 0 - Tony Bettenhausen 29 DNQ 16 17 0 - Malcolm Brazier 16 0 - Frank Armi 19 DNQ 17 0 - Johnny Mauro 17 0 - Edgar Elder 18 DNQ 0 - Louis Unser 18 0 - Jimmy Daywalt 27 23 21 0 - Jim Rathmann 28 27 0 - Spider Webb 30 0 - Marshall Teague DNS DNQ Wth 0 - Cliff Griffith DNQ DNS 0 - George Fonder DNS 0 - Jimmy Jackson DNS 0 - Eddie Johnson DNS 0 - Jimmy Good DNS 0 - Slim Roberts DNS 0 - Duke Nalon DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - George Wilson DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Leroy Warriner Wth DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Curly Boyd DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Paul Howe DNQ DNQ 0 - Al Herman DNQ DNQ 0 - Colby Scroggin DNQ DNQ 0 - Frank Mundy DNQ DNP 0 - Jack Bates DNP DNQ 0 - Henry Banks DNQ 0 - Bob Christie DNQ 0 - George Connor DNQ 0 - Billy Devore DNQ 0 - Duke Dinsmore DNQ 0 - Potsy Goacher DNQ 0 - Bill Holland DNQ 0 - George Tichenor DNQ 0 - Lee Wallard DNQ 0 - Bill Boyd DNQ 0 - Johnny Fedricks DNQ 0 - George Lynch DNQ 0 - Lloyd Axel DNQ 0 - Roy Bowe DNQ 0 - Berton Groves DNQ 0 - George Hammond DNQ 0 - Charles Lowderman DNQ 0 - Wayne Sankey DNQ 0 - Jimmy Thompson DNQ 0 - Elmer George DNQ 0 - Don Olds DNQ 0 Pos Driver INDY MIL1 LAN DAR SPR MIL2 DQSF PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX LVG 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

General references

• Åberg, Andreas. "AAA National Championship 1954". Driver Database. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
• "1954 AAA National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
• Harms, Phil. "1954 Championship Driver Summary" (PDF). Motorsport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
• http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 287-290)

See also

• 1954 Indianapolis 500