AAA Contest Board

The AAA Contest Board was the motorsports arm of the American Automobile Association. The contest board sanctioned automobile races from 1904 until 1955, establishing American Championship car racing. Modern-day Indy car racing traces its roots directly to these AAA events.

All of the races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during that time period were sanctioned by AAA, including the Indianapolis 500. AAA sanctioned the 1905 National Motor Car Championship, the first national championship for major auto racing. It resumed the National Championship in 1916, and again from 1920 to 1955. It also sanctioned the Vanderbilt Cup.[1]

The AAA Contest Board dissolved and decided to focus strictly on helping the automobiling public as a result of the 1955 Le Mans disaster.[2]

  1. ^ White, Gordon. The AAA Contest Board Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 2010-10-22
  2. ^ "AAA cuts ties with U.S. auto racing". The Michigan Daily. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Associated Press. August 4, 1955.