1953 AAA Championship Car season
AAA National Championship Trail
Season
Races	12
Start date	May 30
End date	November 11
Awards
National champion	Sam Hanks
Indianapolis 500 winner	Bill Vukovich
← 1952 1954 →

The 1953 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Speedway, Indiana on May 30 and concluding in Phoenix, Arizona on November 11. There was also one non-championship event in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The AAA National Champion was Sam Hanks, and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Bill Vukovich. Chet Miller died while practicing for the Indianapolis 500.

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Type	Pole Position	Winning Driver
1	May 30	International 500 Mile SweepstakesA	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Paved	Bill Vukovich	Bill Vukovich
2	June 7	Rex Mays Classic	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Dirt	Manny Ayulo	Jack McGrath
3	June 21	Springfield 100	Illinois State Fairgrounds	Springfield, Illinois	Dirt	Don Freeland	Rodger Ward
4	July 4	Detroit 100B	Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway	Detroit, Michigan	Dirt	Duane Carter	Rodger Ward
NC	July 26	Indianapolis Sweepstakes	Williams Grove Speedway	Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania	Dirt	Duane Carter	Jimmy Davies
5	August 22	Springfield 100	Illinois State Fairgrounds	Springfield, Illinois	Dirt	Chuck Stevenson	Sam Hanks
6	August 30	Milwaukee 200	Wisconsin State Fair Park Speedway	West Allis, Wisconsin	Dirt	Jack McGrath	Chuck Stevenson
7	September 7	Ted Horn Memorial	DuQuoin State Fairgrounds	Du Quoin, Illinois	Dirt	Mike Nazaruk	Sam Hanks
8	September 7	Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb	Pikes Peak Highway	Pikes Peak, Colorado	Hill	Bob FinneyC	Louis Unser
9	September 12	Syracuse 100	New York State Fairgrounds	Syracuse, New York	Dirt	Bob Sweikert	Tony Bettenhausen
10	September 26	Hoosier Hundred	Indiana State Fairgrounds	Indianapolis, Indiana	Dirt	Manny Ayulo	Bob Sweikert
11	October 25	Golden State 100	California State Fairgrounds	Sacramento, California	Dirt	Mike Nazaruk	Jimmy Bryan
12	November 11	Phoenix 100	Arizona State Fairgrounds	Phoenix, Arizona	Dirt	Tony Bettenhausen	Tony Bettenhausen

^A The Indianapolis 500 was AAA-sanctioned and counted towards the 1953 World Championship of Drivers.

^B 73 laps were completed. Race stopped due to flipped car. Final standings reverted to 51 laps because of red flag and work done on cars. Half points awarded.

^C 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.

Note1: The points became the car, when not only one driver led the car, the relieved driver became small part of the points. Points for driver method: (the points for the finish place) / (number the lap when completed the car) * (number the lap when completed the driver)

Note2: Bob Scott was running at the finish of two races after taking over mid-event as a relief driver.

Pos Driver INDY MIL1 SPR1 DET SPR2 MIL2 DQSF PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX Pts 1 Sam Hanks 3 10 2 4 1 22 1 4 5 3 3 1659.5 2 Jack McGrath 5 1 4 16 13 4 4 9 DNQ 10 13 1250 3 Bill Vukovich 1 DNQ 1000 4 Manuel Ayulo 13 14 DNQ 17 2 2 2 10 2 12 4 960 5 Paul Russo 25 4 DNQ 13 6 3 14 13 12 6 17 855 6 Art Cross 2 800 7 Don Freeland 27 16 3 DNQ 7 5 12 3 4 17 6 750 8 Chuck Stevenson 29 15 6 DNQ 3 1 9 18 DNQ 9 745 9 Jimmy Bryan 14 2 8 3 15 10 7 17 11 1 15 621.4 10 Tony Bettenhausen 9 DNS 18 1 6 1 596 11 Rodger Ward 16 18 1 1 17 6 DNQ 7 8 13 18 540.2 12 Jimmy Davies 10 8 15 16 12 5 16 DNS 4 7 494.2 13 Johnnie Parsons 26 DNQ 8 4 21 3 12 3 15 16 435.5 14 Duane Carter 24 9 DNQ 7 DNQ 17 DNQ 10 Wth 2 428.6 15 Bob Sweikert 20 17 DNQ 13 17 8 1 2 12 420 16 Ernie McCoy  R  8 5 17 5 DNQ DNS DNS 401 17 Jimmy Daywalt 6 DNQ DNQ 400 18 Bob Scott 31 DNS 9 DNQ DNS DNQ 5 5 328 19 Fred Agabashian 4 315 20 Cal Niday 30 6 7 9 5 19 8 DNQ DNS Wth 310.4 21 Jerry Hoyt 23 3 14 DNQ 20 DNQ 6 DNQ 8 9 310 22 Andy Linden 33 7 5 10 DNQ 8 11 DNQ 16 DNQ 10 263.3 23 Jimmy Reece DNS 18 8 7 DNQ DNQ DNQ 7 14 245.8 24 Mike Nazaruk 21 11 6 DNQ 16 13 2 15 14 205 25 Louis Unser 1 200 26 Jim Rathmann 7 169.5 27 Keith Andrews 2 160 28 Walt Faulkner 17 DNQ 9 DNQ 18 DNS 6 DNQ DNQ DNP 158.4 29 Al Rogers 3 140 30 Eddie Johnson DNS DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 130.5 31 Bob Finney 4 120 32 Pat O'Connor DNQ DNQ DNQ 7 8 110 33 Eddie Russo DNQ 11 10 11 15 11 DNQ 100.2 34 Bill Holland 15 DNQ 18 5 100 35 Hugh Thomas 5 100 36 Duke Nalon 11 100 37 Allen Heath DNQ DNQ 15 2 81.6 38 Tommy Hinnershitz 10 12 9 DNQ 14 81.6 39 Walt Killinger 6 80 40 Potsy Goacher DNQ DNQ DNS DNQ DNQ 62 41 Shelby Hill 7 60 42 Herb Bryers 8 50 43 Gene Hartley 28 DNQ 14 DNS DNQ 17 44.8 44 Ed Elisian  R  DNQ 9 40 45 Pete Pusede  R  9 40 46 Chuck Weyant DNQ 10 DNQ 14 30 47 Pete Woods 10 30 48 Rex Easton DNQ DNQ DNQ 13 DNQ 11 20 49 Danny Oakes DNQ DNQ 11 14 DNS DNQ 20 50 Buzz Barton DNQ DNQ 11 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNS 20 51 Charles Lowderman  R  11 20 52 Carl Scarborough 12 17.5 53 Frank Armi DNQ DNS 14.6 54 Bill Homeier  R  DNQ DNS 12 DNQ DNQ DNQ 14.5 55 Paul Kleinschmidt 12 10 56 Vic Carter 12 5.5 57 Edgar Elder  R  DNQ 11 DNQ 5.4 58 Duke Dinsmore DNS DNQ 12 15 DNQ 5.1 - Johnny Thomson R  32 13 0 - Chuck Marshall  R  DNQ 13 DNQ DNQ 0 - Malcolm Brazier 13 0 - Johnny Fedricks DNQ DNQ DNQ 18 14 DNQ DNQ 15 DNQ 0 - Jimmy Good 14 0 - Chuck Hulse  R  15 0 - Spider Webb 19 16 DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNS DNP 0 - Johnny Roberts  R  DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 16 DNQ DNQ 0 - Don Olds  R  16 DNQ 0 - Norman Robinson 16 0 - Charles Bryant 17 0 - Eddie Sachs  R  DNQ DNQ DNQ 18 DNQ 0 - Leroy Warriner  R  DNQ 18 0 - Marshall Teague  R  18 0 - George Hammond 18 0 - Joe Garson 19 0 - Don Carlson  R  20 0 - Pat Flaherty 22 0 - Johnny Mantz DNS 0 - Jackie Holmes DNS 0 - George Tichenor DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - George Wilson DNQ DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Johnny Key DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Johnny Tolan DNQ DNQ DNQ 0 - Bill Doster DNQ DNQ 0 - Ralph Pratt DNQ DNQ 0 - Joe Barzda DNQ DNQ 0 - Len Duncan DNQ DNQ 0 - Ottis Stine DNQ DNQ 0 - Gene Force DNQ DNQ 0 - Bill Taylor DNQ DNQ 0 - Henry Banks DNQ Wth 0 - Bill Boyd DNQ 0 - Billy Cantrell DNQ 0 - Neal Carter DNQ 0 - George Connor DNQ 0 - Ray Crawford DNQ 0 - Jorge Daponte DNQ 0 - John Fitch DNQ 0 - George Fonder DNQ 0 - Cliff Griffith DNQ 0 - Red Hamilton DNQ 0 - Al Herman DNQ 0 - Johnny Kay DNQ 0 - Jud Larson DNQ 0 - Jim Mayes DNQ 0 - Chet Miller DNQ 0 - Roy Newman DNQ 0 - Hal Robson DNQ 0 - Wayne Selser DNQ 0 - Joe Sostilio DNQ 0 - Harry Stockman DNQ 0 - J. Chaplin DNQ 0 - Gays Biro DNQ 0 - Paul Howe DNQ 0 - Johnny Hobel DNQ 0 - Don Daly DNQ 0 - R. Manual DNQ 0 - Bill Milliken DNQ 0 - Wayne Sankey DNQ 0 - Phil Shafer DNQ 0 - Art McKee DSQ 0 - Troy Ruttman Wth 0 - Ebe Yoder Wth 0 - Alberto Ascari DNP 0 - Johnny Mauro DNP 0 Pos Driver INDY MIL1 SPR1 DET SPR2 MIL2 DQSF PIK SYR ISF SAC PHX Pts

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 In-line notation Bold Pole position Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps  RY  Rookie of the Year  R  Rookie

• Åberg, Andreas. "AAA National Championship 1953". Driver Database. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
• "1953 AAA National Championship Trail". ChampCarStats.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
• Harms, Phil. "1953 Championship Driver Summary" (PDF). Motorsport.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2011.
• http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 291-294)

• 1953 Indianapolis 500