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1956 USAC Championship Car season

Sports 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. Pat was unable to race after the Springfield race as he was severely injured in a crash during the race which essentiallyended his full time racing career. This was the first year that the National Championship was sanctioned by the USAC, after the withdrawal of the AAA from all forms of racing after the 1955 season.

The defending series champion Bob Sweikert was killed on June 17th during a Sprint Car race at Salem Speedway that was not part of the national championship.

Schedule and results

Rnd	Date	Race name	Track	Location	Type	Pole position
May 30	US [International 500 Mile Sweepstakes](1956-indianapolis-500)	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Paved	US Pat Flaherty	US Pat Flaherty
June 10	US Rex Mays Classic	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	US Johnny Boyd	US Pat Flaherty
June 24	US Langhorne 100	Langhorne Speedway	Langhorne, Pennsylvania	Dirt	US Billy Garrett	US George Amick
July 4	US Pee Dee 200	Darlington Raceway	Darlington, South Carolina	Paved	US Andy Linden	US Pat O'Connor
July 4	US Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb	Pikes Peak Highway	Pikes Peak, Colorado	Hill	US Slim Roberts	US Bobby Unser
July 14	US Atlanta 100	Lakewood Speedway	Atlanta, Georgia	Dirt	US Bob Veith	US Eddie Sachs
July 22	US Indianapolis Sweepstakes	Williams Grove Speedway	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Dirt	US Ed Elisian	US Jimmy Bryan
August 12	US Dayton 25	Dayton Speedway	Dayton, Ohio	Paved	US Pat O'Connor	US Ed Elisian
August 19	US Springfield 100	Illinois State Fairgrounds	Springfield, Illinois	Dirt	US Rex Easton	US Jimmy Bryan
August 26	US Milwaukee 250	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Paved	US Johnny Boyd	US Jimmy Bryan
September 3	US Ted Horn Memorial 100	DuQuoin State Fairgrounds	Du Quoin, Illinois	Dirt	US Johnny Thomson	US Jimmy Bryan
September 8	US Syracuse 100	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, New York	Dirt	US Earl Motter	US Tony Bettenhausen
September 15	US Hoosier Hundred	Indiana State Fairgrounds	Indianapolis, Indiana	Dirt	US Jud Larson	US Jimmy Bryan
October 21	US Golden State 100	California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento, California	Dirt	US Jud Larson	US Jud Larson
November 12	US Bobby Ball Memorial	Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix, Arizona	Dirt	US George Amick	US George Amick

: Indianapolis 500 was USAC-sanctioned and counted towards the 1956 FIA World Championship of Drivers title. : 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

Pos	Driver	[INDY](1956-indianapolis-500)
US	MIL1
US	LAN
US	DAR
US	ATL
US	SPR
US	MIL2
US	DQSF
US	SYR
US	ISF
US	SAC
US	PHX
US	Pts	1	1860	2	1500	3	1280	4	1050	5	1040	6	980	7	903	8	862	9	800	10	710	11	680	12	650	13	650	14	585	15	540	16	540	17	500	18	420	19	410	20	410	21	400	22	320	23	300	24	290	25	205	26	200	27	150	28	130	29	90	30	60	31	50	32	50	33	30	34	10	35	10	36	10	37	10	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	–	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	-	0	Pos	Driver	[INDY](1956-indianapolis-500)
US	MIL1
US	LAN
US	DAR
US	ATL
US	SPR
US	MIL2
US	DQSF
US	SYR
US	ISF
US	SAC
US	PHX
US	Pts
US Jimmy Bryan	19	4	6	8		1	1	1	2	1	3	2
US Pat Flaherty	1	1	14	5	5	18
US Don Freeland	3	6	7	10		2	24	17	11	9	2	13
US George Amick	DNP	DNQ	1	4	13	DNQ	6	5	5	12	13	1
US Jimmy Reece	9	7	9	12	7		2	9	DNQ	DNQ	6	3
US Johnny Boyd	30	5		3		7	5	11	4	11	8	6
US Bob Veith	7	10	10	DNS	6	15	8	4	17	7	4	8
US Rodger Ward	8	DNP	DNS	19	16	6	3	DNQ	10	3	16	19
US Sam Hanks	2
US Johnny Thomson	32	2	18	9	3	10	14	2	3	16	DNP
US Pat O'Connor	18	11	DNQ	1	17	5	21	DNQ	13	2	15	DNQ
US Eddie Sachs	DNQ			21	1	3	4	DNQ	12	DNQ		DNQ
US Johnnie Parsons	4	17					11	DNQ	DNP		DNQ
US Al Keller	14	9	3	DNS	2	4	12		16	5
US Bob Sweikert	6	3
US Dick Rathmann	5	21	15	15		DNQ	25		DNQ	DNQ	9	DNQ
US Jack Turner	25	13	11	2	20	17	7	12	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
US Ed Elisian	23	DNQ	4	6	18	DNQ	22	13	6	DNQ	7	16
US Gene Hartley	11	8	2	22	11		16	DNQ	DNP	6
US Elmer George		18	8	7	19	DNQ	20	6	18	14	5	7
US Andy Linden	27	DNQ	12	13	8	8	23	7	9	8	11	4
US Jud Larson										4	1	DNQ
US Jim Rathmann	20	19		11	4	DNQ	15	3	DNQ	15
US Tony Bettenhausen	22					DNS	DNS	8	1	18	14	9
US Johnnie Tolan	21	DNQ					10	DNQ			10	5
US Earl Motter	DNQ			17	9	DNQ	9	14	7	13
US Cliff Griffith	10	DNQ					13
US Mike Magill	DNQ		5			DNQ				10
US Billy Garrett	16	14	13	23	10	12	17	DNQ	8	DNQ	DNQ
US Jim McWithey	DNQ	DNQ	16		15	9	DNQ	DNQ		DNQ	DNQ	11
US Don Branson						11	26	10	15	DNQ
US Fred Agabashian	12
US Art Bisch											17	10
US Bill Cheesbourg	DNQ		DNQ	14		16	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	12	14
US Keith Andrews	26	12
US Dempsey Wilson	DNQ										DNQ	12
US Bob Carpenter					12
US Rex Easton		15				13		DNQ
US Bob Christie	13
US Jimmy Daywalt	24					DNQ		15	14	DNQ
US Eddie Russo	DNS		17	18	14				DNQ
US Roy Graham						14			DNQ
US Eddie Johnson	15	DNQ
US Mel McGaughy											DNQ	15
US Shorty Templeman	DNQ	16					19	DNQ
US Ken Gottschalk		DNQ	DNQ	16		DNQ			DNP	DNQ
US Charles Musselman			DNQ					16	DNQ
US Tommy Hinnershitz									DNQ	17		17
US Duke Dinsmore	17			DNQ			18		DNP
US Van Johnson								DNQ	DNQ	DNP		18
US Jimmy Davies	DNQ							18		DNQ
US Len Sutton	DNQ										18
US Troy Ruttman	31	20		DNS
US Gene Force				20
US Danny Kladis		22
US Al Herman	28	DNQ	DNQ						DNS
US Ray Crawford	29									DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
US Paul Russo	33
US Chuck Weyant	DNQ					DNQ	DNQ			DNQ
US Johnny Kay	DNQ	DNQ						DNQ
US Leroy Warriner	DNQ						DNQ			DNQ
US Marvin Pifer	DNQ									DNQ
US Bud Randall						DNQ						DNQ
US Jay Abney	DNQ
US Johnny Baldwin	DNQ
US Tony Bonadies	DNQ
US Buddy Cagle	DNQ
US Len Duncan	DNQ
US Edgar Elder	DNQ
Italy Giuseppe Farina	DNQ
US Ernie McCoy	DNQ
US Roy Newman	DNQ
US Cal Niday	DNQ
US Dickie Reese	DNQ
US Gig Stephens	DNQ
US Marshall Teague	DNQ
US Dick Fraizer			DNQ
US Paul Howe						DNQ
US Chuck Rodee								DNQ
US Speed McFee									DNQ
US Roger McCluskey											DNQ

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

|- |

Rookie

|} |}

References

General references

http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 282-283)

References

(March 8, 1956). "USAC takes over AAA's place". [[The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
(August 4, 1955). "AAA cuts ties with U.S. auto racing". [[The Michigan Daily]].

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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