National Champions
| Year | Champion | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA National Track Championship | |||
| 1905 | Barney Oldfield | ||
| 1906–1915: No championships | |||
| AAA National Championship | |||
| 1916 | Dario Resta | ||
| 1917–1919: No championships (World War I) | |||
| 1920 | Gaston Chevrolet | ||
| 1921 | Tommy Milton | ||
| 1922 | Jimmy Murphy | ||
| 1923 | Eddie Hearne | ||
| 1924 | Jimmy Murphy | ||
| 1925 | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 1926 | Harry Hartz | ||
| 1927 | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 1928 | Louis Meyer | ||
| 1929 | Louis Meyer | ||
| 1930 | Billy Arnold | ||
| 1931 | Louis Schneider | ||
| 1932 | Bob Carey | ||
| 1933 | Louis Meyer | ||
| 1934 | Bill Cummings | ||
| 1935 | Kelly Petillo | ||
| 1936 | Mauri Rose | ||
| 1937 | Wilbur Shaw | ||
| 1938 | Floyd Roberts | ||
| 1939 | Wilbur Shaw | ||
| 1940 | Rex Mays | ||
| 1941 | Rex Mays | ||
| 1942–1945: No championships (World War II) | |||
| 1946 | Ted Horn | ||
| 1947 | Ted Horn | ||
| 1948 | Ted Horn | ||
| 1949 | Johnnie Parsons | ||
| 1950 | Henry Banks | ||
| 1951 | Tony Bettenhausen | ||
| 1952 | Chuck Stevenson | ||
| 1953 | Sam Hanks | ||
| 1954 | Jimmy Bryan | ||
| 1955 | Bob Sweikert | ||
| USAC National Championship | |||
| 1956 | Jimmy Bryan | ||
| 1957 | Jimmy Bryan | ||
| 1958 | Tony Bettenhausen | ||
| 1959 | Rodger Ward | ||
| 1960 | A. J. Foyt | ||
| 1961 | A. J. Foyt | ||
| 1962 | Rodger Ward | ||
| 1963 | A. J. Foyt | ||
| 1964 | A. J. Foyt | ||
| 1965 | Mario Andretti | ||
| 1966 | Mario Andretti | ||
| 1967 | A. J. Foyt | ||
| 1968 | Bobby Unser | ||
| 1969 | Mario Andretti | ||
| 1970 | Al Unser | ||
| 1971 | Joe Leonard | ||
| 1972 | Joe Leonard | ||
| 1973 | Roger McCluskey | ||
| 1974 | Bobby Unser | ||
| 1975 | A. J. Foyt | ||
| 1976 | Gordon Johncock | ||
| 1977 | Tom Sneva | ||
| 1978 | Tom Sneva | ||
| Year | SCCA/CART Series | Year | USAC Championship |
| 1979 | Rick Mears | 1979 | A. J. Foyt |
| Year | CART Indy Car World Series | Year | USAC Gold Crown ChampionshipAB |
| 1980 | Johnny Rutherford | 1980 | Johnny RutherfordA |
| 1981 | Rick Mears | 1981–82 | George SniderA |
| 1982 | Rick Mears | ||
| 1983 | Al Unser | 1982–83 | Tom SnevaA |
| 1984 | Mario Andretti | 1983–84 | Rick MearsA |
| 1985 | Al Unser | 1984–85 | Danny SullivanB |
| 1986 | Bobby Rahal | 1985–86 | Bobby RahalB |
| 1987 | Bobby Rahal | 1986–87 | Al UnserB |
| 1988 | Danny Sullivan | 1987–88 | Rick MearsB |
| 1989 | Emerson Fittipaldi | 1988–89 | Emerson FittipaldiB |
| 1990 | Al Unser, Jr. | 1989–90 | Arie LuyendykB |
| 1991 | Michael Andretti | 1990–91 | Rick MearsB |
| 1992 | Bobby Rahal | 1991–92 | Al Unser, Jr.B |
| 1993 | Nigel Mansell | 1992–93 | Emerson FittipaldiB |
| 1994 | Al Unser, Jr. | 1993–94 | Al Unser, Jr.B |
| 1995 | Jacques Villeneuve | 1994–95 | Jacques VilleneuveB |
| 1996 | Jimmy Vasser | Year | Indy Racing League |
| 1996 | Scott Sharp & Buzz Calkins | ||
| Year | CART Championship Series | 1996–97 | Tony Stewart |
| 1997 | Alex Zanardi | ||
| 1998 | Alex Zanardi | 1998 | Kenny Bräck |
| 1999 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 1999 | Greg Ray |
| 2000 | Gil de Ferran | 2000 | Buddy Lazier |
| 2001 | Gil de Ferran | 2001 | Sam Hornish, Jr. |
| 2002 | Cristiano da Matta | 2002 | Sam Hornish, Jr. |
| 2003 | Paul Tracy | Year | IRL IndyCar Series |
| Year | Champ Car World Series | 2003 | Scott Dixon |
| 2004 | Sébastien Bourdais | 2004 | Tony Kanaan |
| 2005 | Sébastien Bourdais | 2005 | Dan Wheldon |
| 2006 | Sébastien Bourdais | 2006 | Sam Hornish, Jr. |
| 2007 | Sébastien Bourdais | 2007 | Dario Franchitti |
| Year | INDYCAR | ||
| 2008 | Scott Dixon | ||
| 2009 | Dario Franchitti | ||
| 2010 | Dario Franchitti | ||
| 2011 | Dario Franchitti | ||
| 2012 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | ||
- ^A From 1979 to 1995, the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the American Open Wheel National Championship were sanctioned by separate organizations, USAC and CART, respectively, with the former running a multi-race championship series, the USAC Gold Crown Championship, independent of the latter from 1979 to 1984.
- ^B From 1984 to 1995, while winners of the USAC Gold Crown Championship continued to be officially declared, such championship, officially beginning just after the previous year's race, then consisted solely of the "season-ending" race at Indianapolis, thus making such winners indistinguishable from Indianapolis winners in the respective years of such championships' conclusions.
Read more about this topic: American Championship Car Racing
Famous quotes containing the words national and/or champions:
“The cinema is going to form the mind of England. The national conscience, the national ideals and tests of conduct, will be those of the film.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men’s reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of “the rat race” is not yet final.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)