# 1936 Vanderbilt Cup

The 1936 Vanderbilt Cup (formally known as I George Vanderbilt Cup) was a Championship Car race that was held on October 12, 1936 at Roosevelt Raceway near Westbury, New York. It was the fourth and final race of the 1936 AAA Championship Car season, not counting the non-championship events. The race, contested over 75 laps of 6.39 km (3.97 mi), was won by Tazio Nuvolari driving an Alfa Romeo 12C-36 from eighth starting position.

## Background

For the history of the Vanderbilt Cup: see Vanderbilt Cup
This was the first time that the Vanderbilt Cup was held since 1916. George Washington Vanderbilt III, the nephew of the founder of the Vanderbilt Cup, William Kissam Vanderbilt II, sponsored a 300-mile race (480 km) in 1936 at Roosevelt Raceway. Just as in the original races, European drivers were enticed by the substantial prize money - Scuderia Ferrari entered three Alfa Romeo racers. However, because of little American competition and an unexciting course layout, the race was organized for only two years. Both races were won by Europeans. After 1937, the Vanderbilt Cup would not be raced until 1960, and in a far less prestigious form.

## Entries

| No. | Driver | Car | Note |
| 2 | Bill Cummings | Miller-Offenhauser | |
| 3 | Wilbur Shaw | Shaw-Offenhauser | |
| 4 | Emil Andres | Stevens-Offenhauser | |
| 5 | Shorty Cantlon | Miller | |
| 6 | Chuck Tabor | Duesenberg-Offenhauser | |
| 6 | Chet Gardner | Duesenberg-Offenhauser | DNS - Tabor drove the #6 car |
| 7 | Billy Winn | Miller | |
| 8 | Tazio Nuvolari | Alfa Romeo 12C-36 | |
| 9 | Antonio Brivio | Alfa Romeo 12C-36 | |
| 10 | Nino Farina | Alfa Romeo 12C-36 | |
| 12 | Frederick McEvoy | Maserati 4CM | |
| 12 | Carlo Felice Trossi | Maserati 4CM | |
| 14 | Frank Brisko | Miller-Brisko | |
| 15 | Deacon Litz | Miller | |
| 15 | Tony Willman | Miller | |
| 16 | Raymond Sommer | Alfa Romeo Tipo B | |
| 17 | Chet Gardner | Miller | |
| 17 | Frank Beeder | Miller | DNS - Gardner drove the #17 car |
| 18 | Jean-Pierre Wimille | Bugatti T59 | |
| 19 | Zeke Meyer | ?-Offenhauser | DNQ - no qualifying attempt |
| 21 | Babe Stapp | Shaw-Offenhauser | |
| 22 | Ted Horn | Wetteroth-Miller | |
| 23 | Russ Snowberger | ?-Offenhauser | |
| 24 | Philippe Étancelin | Maserati V8RI | |
| 25 | Floyd Davis | ?-Offenhauser | |
| 26 | Phil Shafer | Miller | |
| 27 | George Connor | Weil-Miller | |
| 28 | Dave Evans | Bugatti T51 | |
| 29 | "Raph" | Maserati V8RI | |
| 32 | Mauri Rose | Miller-Offenhauser | |
| 33 | Rex Mays | Adams-Sparks | DNS - crash in practice |
| 34 | Al Putnam | Studebaker | |
| 35 | Freddie Winnai | Mercedes | DNA |
| 36 | Chet Miller | Rigling-Carew | |
| 37 | Brian Lewis | ERA B-Type | |
| 37 | Sidney Cotton | ERA B-Type | DNS - Lewis drove the #37 car |
| 38 | Joel Thorne | ?-Miller | |
| 39 | Frank McGurk | ? | DNS - crash in practice |
| 42 | Tony Willman | Stevens-Miller | |
| 43 | Jimmy Snyder | Stevens-Offenhauser | |
| 44 | Tony Gulotta | Stevens-Miller | |
| 45 | Earl Howe | ERA B-Type | |
| 46 | Pat Fairfield | ERA B-Type | |
| 47 | Brian Lewis | Bugatti | DNS - cracked cylinder head in practice |
| 48 | Teddy Rayson | Maserati 4CM | |
| 48 | Goldie Gardner | Maserati 4CM | DNS - Rayson drove the #48 car |
| 49 | Overton Phillips | Bugatti | |
| 51 | Bob Swanson | Miller-Offenhauser | |
| 51 | Billy Devore | Miller-Offenhauser | DNS - Swanson drove the #51 car |
| 52 | Lewis Balus | Duesenberg | |
| 53 | Louis Tomei | ?-Offenhauser | |
| 53 | Bob Swanson | ?-Offenhauser | DNS - Tomei drove the #53 car |
| 56 | Ben Brandfon | Duesenberg | DNS |
| 57 | Ted Chamberlain | Duesenberg-Miller | |
| 57 | George Wingerter | Duesenberg-Miller | DNS - Chamberlain drove the #57 car |
| 59 | Rick Decker | Duesenberg-Miller | |
| 61 | John Cebula | Duesenberg-Miller | DNQ |
| 62 | Milt Marion | ?-Miller | |
| 63 | Frank Wearne | Miller | DNA |
| 64 | Mike Caruso | Mercedes-Ford | DNQ |
| 64 | Bob Sall | Mercedes-Ford | DNS - Caruso drove the #64 car |
| 65 | Henry Banks | Miller | |
| 66 | Gus Zarka | Ambler | |
| 66 | Chuck Tabor | Ambler | DNS - Zarka drove the #66 car |
| 67 | Roy Lake | Ambler | |
| 68 | Lem Ladd | ? | DNA |
| 73 | John Moretti | ? | DNA |
| 74 | Don Moore | ? | DNA |
| ? | Louis Meyer | Bugatti Type 59 | DNS - crash in practice |
| ? | Attilio Marinoni | Alfa Romeo | DNS - drove only in practice |
* DNA = Did not arrive
* DNS = Did not start
* DNQ = Did not qualify
Sources: ChampCarStats.com - 1936 George Vanderbilt Cup The Golden Era of Grand prix Racing - I George Vanderbilt Cup Race Archived 2017-05-12 at the Wayback Machine

## Grid positions

| Pos | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Row 1 | Brivio 17:54.15 | Winn 18:01.77 | Shaw 18:13.92 |
| Row 2 | Connor 18:23.22 | Litz 19:26.86 | Putnam 19:28.17 |
| Row 3 | Shafer 20:16.09 | Nuvolari 17:09.62 | Farina 17:24.40 |
| Row 4 | Swanson 18:05.54 | Cantlon 18:08.96 | Tabor 18:12.20 |
| Row 5 | C. Gardner 18:27.07 | Wimille 18:28.02 | Willman 18:32.92 |
| Row 6 | "Raph" 18:41.80 | Zarka 18:42.93 | Snyder 18:46.62 |
| Row 7 | Sommer 18:49.10 | Marion 18:50.04 | Horn 18:50.24 |
| Row 8 | Decker 18:53.45 | Fairfield 19:02.53 | Rose 19:04.15 |
| Row 9 | Tomei 19:15.81 | Cummings 19:28.11 | Andres 19:34.34 |
| Row 10 | Stapp 19:50.03 | Davis 19:50.34 | McEvoy 19:51.50 |
| Row 11 | Lake 19:53.94 | Étancelin 19:55.97 | Miller 19:56.88 |
| Row 12 | Evans 20:01.61 | Banks 20:05.61 | Rayson 20:06.40 |
| Row 13 | Brisko 20:06.43 | Snowberger 20:07.93 | Thorne 20:24.88 |
| Row 14 | Chamberlain 20:36.37 | Howe 20:35.63 | Lewis 20:46.53 |
| Row 15 | Gulotta 20:54.31 | Phillips 21:00.13 | Balus 21:13.08 |
Sources: ChampCarStats.com - 1936 George Vanderbilt Cup Vanderbilt Cup Races - Starting Lineup for the 1936 Vanderbilt Cup Race The Golden Era of Grand Prix Racing - I George Vanderbilt Cup Race Archived 2017-05-12 at the Wayback Machine

## Race results

Twelve of the forty-five drivers that started the race were Europeans driving an English ERA, a French Bugatti or an Italian Alfa Romeo or Maserati. The rest of the field was made up of Americans in dirt track cars with two-speed gearboxes. Although the course contained only one long straight, and the European drivers had to get used to the loose dirt track surface, the Americans were no contest for the Grand Prix cars. For example, even with Nuvolari's V12 Alfa Romeo running on eleven cylinders, he won by eight minutes on Wimille. The best American driver was Cummings finishing seventh almost twenty-five minutes behind the winner.
| Pos. | Driver | Car Constructor | Time (Status) |
| 1 | Nuvolari | Alfa Romeo | 4:32:44.0 |
| 2 | Wimille | Bugatti | 4:40:55.9 |
| 3 | Brivio | Alfa Romeo | 4:45:44.4 |
| 4 | Sommer | Alfa Romeo | 4:46:59.51 |
| 5 | Fairfield | ERA | 4:56:48.5 |
| 6 | McEvoy | Maserati | 4:57:24.8 |
| 7 | Cummings | Miller | 4:57:43.11 |
| 8 | Rose | Miller | 4:57:47.2 |
| 9 | Étancelin | Maserati | 4:59:43.11 |
| 10 | Litz | Miller | 5:01:05.82 |
| 11 | Tabor | Duesenberg | 5:04:06.6 |
| 12 | Andres | Stevens | 5:05:54.9 |
| 13 | Howe | ERA | 5:06:11.75 |
| 14 | Evans | Bugatti | 5:07:42.5 |
| 15 | Lewis | ERA | 5:08:17.27 |
| 16 | Decker | Duesenburg | 5:08:18.63 |
| 17 | Putnam | Studebaker | +1 lap |
| 18 | Rayson | Maserati | +1 lap |
| 19 | Lake | Ambler | +2 laps |
| 20 | Banks | Miller | +3 laps |
| 21 | Gardner | Miller | +3 laps |
| 22 | Zarka | Ambler | +4 laps |
| 23 | Swanson | Miller | +4 laps |
| 24 | Gulotta | Stevens | +6 laps |
| 25 | Shafer | Miller | +6 laps |
| 26 | Miller | Rigling | +10 laps |
| 27 | Brisko | Miller | +10 laps |
| 28 | Balus | Duesenberg | +10 laps |
| 29 | Chamberlain | Duesenberg | +10 laps |
| 30 | Tomei | | +10 laps |
| 31 | Connor | Weil | +3 laps (DNF - engine) |
| 32 | Winn | Miller | +11 laps (DNF - rear gear) |
| 33 | Snowberger | | +14 laps (DNF - brakes) |
| 34 | Thorne | | +26 laps (DNF - universal joint) |
| 35 | Stapp | Shaw | +27 laps (DNF - fuel tank) |
| 36 | Horn | Wetteroth | +30 laps (DNF - stalled) |
| 37 | Snyder | Stevens | +35 laps (DNF - rear axle gear) |
| 38 | Cantlon | Miller | +40 laps (DNF - valves) |
| 39 | Davis | | +45 laps (DSQ - car towed) |
| 40 | Willman | Stevens | +54 laps (DNF - steering gear) |
| 41 | Farina | Alfa Romeo | +58 laps (DNF - steering arm) |
| 42 | "Raph" | Maserati | +66 laps (DSQ - push start) |
| 43 | Phillips | Bugatti | +67 laps (DNF - connecting rod) |
| 44 | Marion | | +72 laps (DNF - clutch shaft) |
| 45 | Shaw | Shaw | +73 laps (DNF - crash) |
* DNF = Did Not Finish
* DSQ = Disqualified
Sources: see Entries