List of American open-wheel racing national champions

Various organizations have awarded a season-long, points-based National Championship of open-wheel racing in the United States, first in 1905, and consistently since 1946. As of 2020, the top-level American open wheel racing championship is the IndyCar Series.

Scott Dixon, the six-time and current National Champion.

By season

AAA (1905–1955)
Further information: AAA Contest Board
Season Driver
1905 Barney Oldfield
1906–1915: No championships
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 Peter DePaolo
1926 Harry Hartz
1927 Peter 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 (1956–1978)
Further information: United States Auto Club

AAA ceased participation in auto racing at the end of the 1955 season. It cited a series of high-profile fatal accidents, namely Bill Vukovich at Indianapolis, and the Le Mans disaster.[1] The national championship was taken over by the United States Auto Club (USAC), a new sanctioning body formed by the then-owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tony Hulman.

Season Driver Team
1956 Jimmy BryanDean Van Lines Racing
1957 Jimmy BryanDean Van Lines Racing
1958 Tony BettenhausenWiggers/Wright Racing,
John Zink Racing
1959 Rodger WardLeader Card Racers
1960 A. J. FoytGeorge Bignotti Racing
1961 A. J. FoytGeorge Bignotti Racing
1962 Rodger WardLeader Card Racers
1963 A. J. FoytAnsted-Thompson Racing
1964 A. J. FoytAnsted-Thompson Racing
1965 Mario AndrettiDean Van Lines Racing
1966 Mario AndrettiDean Van Lines Racing
1967 A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt Enterprises
1968 Bobby UnserLeader Card Racers
1969 Mario AndrettiAndy Granatelli Racing
1970 Al UnserVel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1971 Joe LeonardVel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1972 Joe LeonardVel's Parnelli Jones Racing
1973 Roger McCluskeyLindsey Hopkins Racing
1974 Bobby UnserAll American Racers
1975 A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt Enterprises
1976 Gordon JohncockPatrick Racing
1977 Tom SnevaTeam Penske
1978 Tom SnevaTeam Penske

USAC/CART (1979–1995)
Further information: Championship Auto Racing Teams
Further information: USAC Gold Crown Championship

From 1979 to 1995 the Indianapolis 500 and the national championship were sanctioned by separate organizations, USAC and CART, respectively. USAC continued to sanction their own national championship series until 1981, when they formed the USAC Gold Crown Championship. From 1985 to 1995 the USAC Gold Crown Championship consisted solely of the Indianapolis 500, thus making such championship winners indistinguishable from Indianapolis winners. IndyCar does not recognize winners of the USAC Gold Crown Championship as full season champions.[2]

USAC CART
Season Driver Team Season Driver Team
1979 A. J. Foyt Gilmore Racing 1979 Rick Mears Team Penske
1980 Johnny Rutherford Chaparral Cars 1980 Johnny Rutherford Chaparral Cars
1981–82 George Snider Gilmore Racing 1981 Rick Mears Team Penske
1982 Rick Mears Team Penske
1982–83 Tom Sneva Bignotti-Cotter Racing 1983 Al Unser Team Penske
1983–84 Rick Mears Team Penske 1984 Mario Andretti Newman/Haas Racing
1985 Danny Sullivan Team Penske 1985 Al Unser Team Penske
1986 Bobby Rahal Truesports 1986 Bobby Rahal Truesports
1987 Al Unser Team Penske 1987 Bobby Rahal Truesports
1988 Rick Mears Team Penske 1988 Danny Sullivan Team Penske
1989 Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing 1989 Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing
1990 Arie Luyendyk Doug Shierson Racing 1990 Al Unser, Jr. Galles-Kraco Racing
1991 Rick Mears Marlboro Team Penske 1991 Michael Andretti Newman/Haas Racing
1992 Al Unser, Jr. Galles-Kraco Racing 1992 Bobby Rahal Rahal-Hogan Racing
1993 Emerson Fittipaldi Team Penske 1993 Nigel Mansell Newman/Haas Racing
1994 Al Unser, Jr. Marlboro Team Penske 1994 Al Unser, Jr. Marlboro Team Penske
1995 Jacques Villeneuve Team Green 1995 Jacques Villeneuve Team Green
  Not recognized as national champion

The Split (IRL/CART, 1996–2007)
Further information: IndyCar § Split with CART
Further information: Champ Car World Series

The Indy Racing League (IRL), founded in 1994 by Tony George, broke away from CART in 1996. George planned the IRL as a lower-cost, oval-focused alternative to CART, which had become technology-driven and dominated by a few wealthy multi-car teams. The IRL resumed using the IndyCar name in 2003, after a settlement with CART prohibiting its use had expired. CART declared bankruptcy in the same year, after the defection of a number of teams and engine manufacturers to the IRL, with its assets subsequently purchased and continuing as Champ Car in 2004.

IRL CART
Season Driver Team Chassis Engine Tires Season Driver Team Chassis Engine Tires
1996 Buzz Calkins
Scott Sharp		 Bradley Motorsports
A. J. Foyt Enterprises		 Reynard
Lola		 Ford–Cosworth
Ford–Cosworth		 F
G		 1996 Jimmy Vasser Target Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda F
1996–97 Tony Stewart Team Menard G-Force Oldsmobile F 1997 Alex Zanardi Target Chip Ganassi Reynard Honda F
1998 Kenny Bräck A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Oldsmobile G 1998 Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda F
1999 Greg Ray Team Menard Dallara Oldsmobile F 1999 Juan Pablo Montoya Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda F
2000 Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn Racing Dallara Oldsmobile F 2000 Gil de Ferran Team Penske Reynard Honda F
2001 Sam Hornish, Jr. Panther Racing Dallara Oldsmobile F 2001 Gil de Ferran Team Penske Reynard Honda F
2002 Sam Hornish, Jr. Panther Racing Dallara Chevrolet F 2002 Cristiano da Matta Newman/Haas Racing Reynard Honda B
2003 Scott Dixon Ganassi Racing G-Force Toyota F 2003 Paul Tracy Team Player's Lola Ford–Cosworth B
2004 Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda F 2004 Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing Lola Ford–Cosworth B
2005 Dan Wheldon Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda F 2005 Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing Lola Ford–Cosworth B
2006 Sam Hornish, Jr. Team Penske Dallara Honda F 2006 Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas Racing Lola Ford–Cosworth B
2007 Dario Franchitti Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda F 2007 Sébastien Bourdais Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Panoz Cosworth B

Reunification (IndyCar, 2008–present)
Further information: IndyCar Series

IndyCar and Champ Car entered into merger negotiations in 2008, as both series worried they did not have enough participating cars to maintain their TV and sanctioning contract minimums. The two series came to an agreement in February 2008, with Champ Car declaring bankruptcy in order to facilitate the merger. IndyCar then purchased Champ Car's assets at auction, officially merging the two series and their respective histories.

Season Driver Team Chassis Engine Tires
2008 Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F
2009 Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F
2010 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F
2011 Dario Franchitti Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F
2012 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Dallara Chevrolet F
2013 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F
2014 Will Power Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet F
2015 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Chevrolet F
2016 Simon Pagenaud Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet F
2017 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet F
2018 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F
2019 Josef Newgarden Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet F
2020 Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda F

By driver

This list includes winners of all titles listed above, excluding the USAC Gold Crown Championship. Consequently, some years are listed twice.[3][4]

Driver Total Season(s)
A. J. Foyt 7 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1975, 1979
Scott Dixon 6 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020
Mario Andretti 4 1965, 1966, 1969, 1984
Sébastien Bourdais 4 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Dario Franchitti 4 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
Louis Meyer 3 1928, 1929, 1933
Ted Horn 3 1946, 1947, 1948
Jimmy Bryan 3 1954, 1956, 1957
Rick Mears1 3 1979, 1981, 1982
Al Unser2 3 1970, 1983, 1985
Bobby Rahal3 3 1986, 1987, 1992
Sam Hornish, Jr. 3 2001, 2002, 2006
Jimmy Murphy 2 1922, 1924
Peter DePaolo 2 1925, 1927
Wilbur Shaw 2 1937, 1939
Rex Mays 2 1940, 1941
Tony Bettenhausen 2 1951, 1958
Rodger Ward 2 1959, 1962
Joe Leonard 2 1971, 1972
Bobby Unser 2 1968, 1974
Tom Sneva 2 1977, 1978
Johnny Rutherford 2 1980, 1980
Al Unser, Jr.4 2 1990, 1994
Alex Zanardi 2 1997, 1998
Gil de Ferran 2 2000, 2001
Josef Newgarden 2 2017, 2019
Barney Oldfield 1 1905
Dario Resta 1 1916
Gaston Chevrolet 1 1920
Tommy Milton 1 1921
Eddie Hearne 1 1923
Harry Hartz 1 1926
Billy Arnold 1 1930
Louis Schneider 1 1931
Bob Carey 1 1932
Bill Cummings 1 1935
Kelly Petillo 1 1935
Mauri Rose 1 1936
Floyd Roberts 1 1938
Johnnie Parsons 1 1949
Henry Banks 1 1950
Chuck Stevenson 1 1952
Sam Hanks 1 1953
Bob Sweikert 1 1955
Roger McCluskey 1 1973
Gordon Johncock 1 1976
Danny Sullivan 1 1988
Emerson Fittipaldi 1 1989
Michael Andretti 1 1991
Nigel Mansell 1 1993
Jacques Villeneuve 1 1995
Buzz Calkins 1 1996
Scott Sharp 1 1996
Jimmy Vasser 1 1996
Tony Stewart 1 1996–97
Kenny Bräck 1 1998
Juan Pablo Montoya 1 1999
Greg Ray 1 1999
Buddy Lazier 1 2000
Cristiano da Matta 1 2002
Paul Tracy 1 2003
Tony Kanaan 1 2004
Dan Wheldon 1 2005
Ryan Hunter-Reay 1 2012
Will Power 1 2014
Simon Pagenaud 1 2016

Drivers in bold are entered in the 2020 IndyCar Series.

  1. ^ Rick Mears also won three USAC Gold Crown Championships (1983–84, 1988, 1991).
  2. ^ Al Unser also won the 1987 USAC Gold Crown Championship.
  3. ^ Bobby Rahal also won the 1986 USAC Gold Crown Championship.
  4. ^ Al Unser, Jr. also won two USAC Gold Crown Championships (1992 and 1994).

By nationality
Country Total Drivers
 United States 82 47
 United Kingdom 7 4
 France 6 3
 New Zealand 6 1
 Brazil 5 4
 Italy 2 1
 Canada 2 2
 Sweden 1 1
 Colombia 1 1
 Australia 1 1

Records

Consecutive championships

15 drivers have won consecutive National Championships. Only A.J. Foyt has repeated the feat.

Championships Driver Seasons Sanctioning body
4 Sébastien Bourdais 2004–2007 Champ Car
3 Ted Horn 1946–1948 AAA
Dario Franchitti 2009–2011 IRL (2), IndyCar (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

Drivers in bold are entered in the 2020 IndyCar Series.

References
  1. "AAA Cuts Ties With U.S. Auto Racing". The Michigan Daily. Ann Arbor, MI. AP. August 4, 1955. p. 3. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  2. https://www.indycar.com/-/media/Files/2014/News/IndyCar_Historical_Record_Book_2015-All-Time-Champions.pdf?la=en
  3. "Through The Years". Champ Car Stats. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  4. http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf
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