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American open-wheel car racing is the highest form of professional formula racing for open-wheel single-seater cars in North America.[1] The sport was administered by the American Automobile Association (AAA) in 1905 until 1955 when the United States Auto Club (USAC) ran open-wheel racing starting from 1956 after the AAA dissolved its Contest Board in the wake of the 1955 Le Mans disaster and the fatal accident of driver Bill Vukovich.[2][3] USAC remained the sole governing body until 1979 when a group of disenchanted race team owners established the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series, which would later become the dominant American open wheel series by 1982. Despite this however, USAC would still sanction the Indy 500 until 1997, and would hold races outside the Indy 500 under the USAC Gold Crown championship from the 1981-82 season until the 1983-84 season, after which the USAC Gold Crown would consist of only the Indy 500 from the 1984-85 season until the 1994-95 season when the USAC Gold Crown was discontinued following the formation of the IRL as USAC would sanction the IRL until they were removed from their position by the IRL following a scoring error at the 1997 True Value 500. After which they would not sanction any American Open-wheel races again. As a result the Indy 500 winner was also the USAC Gold Crown champion during those seasons.[4] A disagreement between CART and Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony George resulted in the establishment of the Indy Racing League (IRL) in 1996 and the series rivalled CART before the latter went bankrupt in 2003 and was renamed the Champ Car World Series (CCWS) in 2004.[5][6] The CCWS and the IRL merged in February 2008 to unify American open-wheel car racing and the merged body has run the sport under the IndyCar Series name since then.[7][8]
The season consists of a series of races held variously on permanent road courses, closed city streets and oval tracks, usually in the United States and in a few cases abroad.[5][9] The Drivers' Championship is presented to the most successful open-wheel driver over the course of the season through a points system based on individual race results.[5][10] The Drivers' Championship is won when it is no longer mathematically possible for another competitor to overtake their points total regardless of the outcome of the remaining races, although is not officially awarded until the Victory Lap Celebration banquet that takes place after the season has ended.[11] The winning driver and team owner are presented with a replica of the sterling silver Astor Cup and the driver's name is laser-etched into three black granite bases that support the permanent trophy on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.[12]
As of 2024[update], 67 drivers from 11 different countries have won a national American open-wheel championship.[a][15] The first national American open-wheel champion was Barney Oldfield in the 1905 AAA Championship Car season, and the current national title holder is Álex Palou in the 2024 IndyCar Series. A. J. Foyt holds the record for the most Drivers' Championships, having won the title on seven occasions. Scott Dixon is second with six titles, and Mario Andretti, Sébastien Bourdais, and Dario Franchitti are joint third with four titles each.[15] Bourdais also holds the record for the most consecutive Drivers' Championships with four CCWS championships won between the 2004 and 2007 seasons,[16] which is also the record for the most overall CART/CCWS titles.[17] Louis Meyer and Ted Horn hold the record for the most AAA titles, having won the sanctioning body's championship three times. Foyt was the most successful competitor of the USAC era with seven series titles.[18] Dixon is the most successful driver in the IndyCar Series with six series championships.[19]
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|
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| † | Indicates driver won the USAC Gold Crown Championship |
|---|---|
Drivers in bold are entered in the 2023 IndyCar Series.
| Country | Total | Drivers |
|---|---|---|
 United States |
83 | 48 |
 United Kingdom |
7 | 4 |
 France |
5 | 2 |
 New Zealand |
6 | 1 |
 Brazil |
5 | 4 |
 Spain |
3 | 1 |
 Italy |
2 | 1 |
 Canada |
2 | 2 |
 Australia |
2 | 1 |
 Sweden |
1 | 1 |
 Colombia |
1 | 1 |
There have been 16 drivers who have won consecutive National Championships. Only A. J. Foyt has achieved the feat on two separate occasions.[3]
| Row wins | Driver | Seasons | Sanctioning body |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Sébastien Bourdais | 2004–2007 | CCWS |
| 3 | Ted Horn | 1946–1948 | AAA |
| Dario Franchitti | 2009–2011 | IRL (2), INDY (1) | |
| 2 | Louis Meyer | 1928–1929 | AAA |
| Rex Mays | 1940–1941 | AAA | |
| Jimmy Bryan | 1956–1957 | USAC | |
| A. J. Foyt | 1960–1961 | USAC | |
| A. J. Foyt | 1963–1964 | USAC | |
| Mario Andretti | 1965–1966 | USAC | |
| Joe Leonard | 1971–1972 | USAC | |
| Tom Sneva | 1977–1978 | USAC | |
| Rick Mears | 1981–1982 | CART | |
| Bobby Rahal | 1986–1987 | CART | |
| Alex Zanardi | 1997–1998 | CART | |
| Gil de Ferran | 2000–2001 | CART | |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | 2001–2002 | IRL | |
| Álex Palou | 2023–2024 | INDY |
Drivers in bold were entered in the 2024 IndyCar Series.
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