1956 USAC Championship Car season

The 1956 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana, on May 30 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 12. There were also three non-championship events. The USAC National Champion was Jimmy Bryan and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Pat Flaherty. This was the first year that the National Championship was sanctioned by the USAC,[1] after the withdrawal of the AAA from all forms of racing after the 1955 season.[2]

1956 USAC Championship Car season
USAC National Championship Trail
Season
Races12
Start dateMay 30
End dateNovember 12
Awards
National championUnited States Jimmy Bryan
Indianapolis 500 winnerUnited States Pat Flaherty
← 1955 (AAA)
1957 →

Schedule and results

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Rnd Date Race Name Track Location Type Pole Position Winning Driver
1 May 30   International 500 Mile SweepstakesA Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana Paved   Pat Flaherty   Pat Flaherty
2 June 10   Rex Mays Classic Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin Paved   Johnny Boyd   Pat Flaherty
3 June 24   Langhorne 100 Langhorne Speedway Langhorne, Pennsylvania Dirt   Billy Garrett   George Amick
4 July 4   Pee Dee 200 Darlington Raceway Darlington, South Carolina Paved   Andy Linden   Pat O'Connor
NC July 4   Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Pikes Peak Highway Pikes Peak, Colorado Hill   Slim RobertsB   Bobby Unser
5 July 14   Atlanta 100 Lakewood Speedway Atlanta, Georgia Dirt   Bob Veith   Eddie Sachs
NC July 22   Indianapolis Sweepstakes Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Dirt   Ed Elisian   Jimmy Bryan
NC August 12   Dayton 25 Dayton Speedway Dayton, Ohio Paved   Pat O'Connor   Ed Elisian
6 August 19   Springfield 100 Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield, Illinois Dirt   Rex Easton   Jimmy Bryan
7 August 26   Milwaukee 250 Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway West Allis, Wisconsin Paved   Johnny Boyd   Jimmy Bryan
8 September 3   Ted Horn Memorial 100 DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Du Quoin, Illinois Dirt   Johnny Thomson   Jimmy Bryan
9 September 8   Syracuse 100 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse, New York Dirt   Earl Motter   Tony Bettenhausen
10 September 15   Hoosier Hundred Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, Indiana Dirt   Jud Larson   Jimmy Bryan
11 October 21   Golden State 100 California State Fairgrounds Sacramento, California Dirt   Jud Larson   Jud Larson
12 November 12   Bobby Ball Memorial Arizona State Fairgrounds Phoenix, Arizona Dirt   George Amick   George Amick
  Paved/Dirt Oval
  Road Course/Hill Climb
  Non-championship race
^A Indianapolis 500 was USAC-sanctioned and counted towards the 1956 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

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Pos Driver INDY
 
MIL1
 
LAN
 
DAR
 
ATL
 
SPR
 
MIL2
 
DQSF
 
SYR
 
ISF
 
SAC
 
PHX
 
Pts
1   Jimmy Bryan 19 4 6 8 1 1 1 2 1 3 2 1860
2   Pat Flaherty 1 1 14 5 5 18 1500
3   Don Freeland 3 6 7 10 2 24 17 11 9 2 13 1280
4   George Amick DNP DNQ 1 4 13 DNQ 6 5 5 12 13 1 1050
5   Jimmy Reece 9 7 9 12 7 2 9 DNQ DNQ 6 3 1040
6   Johnny Boyd 30 5 3 7 5 11 4 11 8 6 980
7   Bob Veith 7 10 10 DNS 6 15 8 4 17 7 4 8 903
8   Rodger Ward 8 DNP DNS 19 16 6 3 DNQ 10 3 16 19 862
9   Sam Hanks 2 800
10   Johnny Thomson 32 2 18 9 3 10 14 2 3 16 DNP 710
11   Pat O'Connor 18 11 DNQ 1 17 5 21 DNQ 13 2 15 DNQ 680
12   Eddie Sachs DNQ 21 1 3 4 DNQ 12 DNQ DNQ 650
13   Johnnie Parsons 4 17 11 DNQ DNP DNQ 650
14   Al Keller 14 9 3 DNS 2 4 12 16 5 585
15   Bob Sweikert 6 3 540
16   Dick Rathmann 5 21 15 15 DNQ 25 DNQ DNQ 9 DNQ 540
17   Jack Turner 25 13 11 2 20 17 7 12 DNQ DNQ DNQ 500
18   Ed Elisian 23 DNQ 4 6 18 DNQ 22 13 6 DNQ 7 16 420
19   Gene Hartley 11 8 2 22 11 16 DNQ DNP 6 410
20   Elmer George 18 8 7 19 DNQ 20 6 18 14 5 7 410
21   Andy Linden 27 DNQ 12 13 8 8 23 7 9 8 11 4 400
22   Jud Larson  RY  4 1 DNQ 320
23   Jim Rathmann 20 19 11 4 DNQ 15 3 DNQ 15 300
24   Tony Bettenhausen 22 DNS DNS 8 1 18 14 9 290
25   Johnny Tolan 21 DNQ 10 DNQ 10 5 205
26   Earl Motter DNQ 17 9 DNQ 9 14 7 13 200
27   Cliff Griffith 10 DNQ 13 150
28   Mike Magill DNQ 5 DNQ 10 130
29   Billy Garrett  R  16 14 13 23 10 12 17 DNQ 8 DNQ DNQ 90
30   Jim McWithey  R  DNQ DNQ 16 15 9 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 11 60
31   Don Branson  R  11 26 10 15 DNQ 50
32   Fred Agabashian 12 50
33   Art Bisch  R  17 10 30
34   Bill Cheesbourg  R  DNQ DNQ 14 16 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 12 14 10
35   Keith Andrews 26 12 10
36   Dempsey Wilson  R  DNQ DNQ 12 10
37   Bob Carpenter  R  12 10
-   Rex Easton 15 13 DNQ 0
-   Bob Christie  R  13 0
-   Jimmy Daywalt 24 DNQ 15 14 DNQ 0
-   Eddie Russo DNS 17 18 14 DNQ 0
-   Roy Graham  R  14 DNQ 0
-   Eddie Johnson 15 DNQ 0
-   Mel McGaughy DNQ 15 0
-   Shorty Templeman DNQ 16 19 DNQ 0
-   Ken Gottschalk  R  DNQ DNQ 16 DNQ DNP DNQ 0
-   Charles Musselman DNQ 16 DNQ 0
-   Tommy Hinnershitz DNQ 17 17 0
-   Duke Dinsmore 17 DNQ 18 DNP 0
-   Van Johnson  R  DNQ DNQ DNP 18 0
-   Jimmy Davies DNQ 18 DNQ 0
-   Len Sutton DNQ 18 0
-   Troy Ruttman 31 20 DNS 0
-   Gene Force 20 0
-   Danny Kladis 22 0
-   Al Herman 28 DNQ DNQ DNS 0
-   Ray Crawford 29 DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Paul Russo 33 0
  Chuck Weyant DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Johnny Kay DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Leroy Warriner DNQ DNQ DNQ 0
-   Marvin Pifer DNQ DNQ 0
-   Bud Randall DNQ DNQ 0
-   Jay Abney DNQ 0
-   Johnny Baldwin DNQ 0
-   Tony Bonadies DNQ 0
-   Buddy Cagle DNQ 0
-   Len Duncan DNQ 0
-   Edgar Elder DNQ 0
-   Giuseppe Farina DNQ 0
-   Ernie McCoy DNQ 0
-   Roy Newman DNQ 0
-   Cal Niday DNQ 0
-   Dickie Reese DNQ 0
-   Gig Stephens DNQ 0
-   Marshall Teague DNQ 0
-   Dick Fraizer DNQ 0
-   Paul Howe DNQ 0
-   Chuck Rodee DNQ 0
-   Speed McFee DNQ 0
-   Roger McCluskey DNQ 0
Pos Driver INDY
 
MIL1
 
LAN
 
DAR
 
ATL
 
SPR
 
MIL2
 
DQSF
 
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

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  1. ^ "USAC takes over AAA's place". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Associated Press. March 8, 1956.
  2. ^ "AAA cuts ties with U.S. auto racing". The Michigan Daily. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Associated Press. August 4, 1955.

General references

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See also

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