List of American Championship Car Winners - Sanctioning Bodies

Sanctioning Bodies

Further information: American Championship Car Racing

AAA Contest Board began sanctioning races as early as 1904, but 1905 and 1916 are the only two years early on where an official national championship was awarded. Races from 1905-1919 are included in the table below, as they are individually recognized.

The national championship was instated for 1920 and beyond. Retroactively awarded titles for the other years were later researched, although most historians consider them to be revisionist, and do not deem them as suitable for official record. All racing was suspended from 1942 to 1945, due to WWII. The 1946 season also is a source of statistical controversy, after the AAA Contest Board initially included "Big Car" races in the championship, but later may or may not have excluded them from record.

During the period from 1979 to 2008, American open wheel racing was contested under two sanctioning bodies, operating parallel, and at certain times, concurrently.

Note that victories in the Indianapolis 500 from 1979 to 1995 are listed under the heading of USAC. While CART sanctioned the primary year-long season of races, the Indianapolis 500 itself remained under the sanctioning of USAC. From 1979 to 1982, CART teams participated in the Indianapolis 500, but earned no points towards the CART championship. From 1983 to 1995, even though the Indianapolis 500 was still sanctioned by USAC, CART began awarding points for the race towards their championship.

For 1996–1997, victories in the Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League are listed solely under the heading of IZOD IndyCar Series. For the first nine races of its existence (five in 1996 and four in 1997), the Indy Racing League fell under the sanctioning umbrella of USAC. After two controversial races in early 1997, sanctioning abruptly switched to in-house oversight by the IRL. In 2010, the series obtained a title sponsor (Izod), and retired the term "IRL" in favor of "IndyCar."

After the open wheel unification in early 2008, all events are listed under the heading of Indy Racing League. Due to a scheduling conflict, the 2008 Long Beach Grand Prix was contested with former Champ Car teams and chassis, and it uniquely regarded as the "final" Champ Car race. However, it was officially contested under IRL sanction, using a Champ Car style rules package.

Non-points races such as the Race of Two Worlds, Marlboro Challenge all-star race, and the 2008 Nikon Indy 300 are not reflected in the totals below. In addition, the 1946 AAA "Big Car" races (71 total) are not reflected in the totals.