page_title: United States Auto Club
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: United States Auto Club / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The trailer for sanctioning body w:United States Auto Club at the w:Traxxas TORC Series off-road racing event at w:Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
context_page_description: The United States Auto Club is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Today, USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, TORC: The Off-Road Championship, and Pirelli World Challenge.
context_section_description: When the American Automobile Association (AAA) withdrew from auto racing after the 1955 season, citing the Le Mans disaster and the death of Bill Vukovich at Indianapolis as contributing factors, both the SCCA and NASCAR were mentioned as its potential successor. Ultimately, USAC was formed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman. It became the arbiter of rules, car design, and other matters for what it termed championship auto racing, the highest level of USAC racing. For a while there was a separate series of specifications for championship cars designed to be run on dirt, rather than paved, tracks.
  USAC's long history as an open-wheel racing sanctioning body continues today with the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, National Midget Series, Ignite Ethanol Fuel Series, Quarter Midgets, and TORC Series. NASCAR drivers including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Kasey Kahne honed their skills and captured championships while competing in various USAC series.
caption: USAC trailer at a TORC event
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