The 1940 AAA National Championship Car season was one of the shortest and most unusual in the history of American open-wheel racing. Contested on the eve of the United States’ entry into World War II, the championship consisted of just three points-paying races, reflecting both economic constraints and a shrinking national schedule. The season opened with the Indianapolis 500 on May 30, followed by championship events at the Springfield Mile and the Syracuse Mile, with a small number of additional races held as non-championship events.
The centerpiece of the season was the 1940 Indianapolis 500, won by Wilbur Shaw driving the Maserati 8CTF owned by Floyd Trevis. Shaw’s victory was historic, as it marked his third Indianapolis 500 win and his second consecutive victory in the same car. Although Shaw was the most prominent race winner of the year, it was Rex Mays whose consistency across the limited schedule earned him the AAA National Championship title. Mays’ strong performances at the dirt-track events following Indianapolis allowed him to outscore his rivals in the abbreviated points battle.
Despite its brevity, the 1940 season was marked by both achievement and tragedy. George Bailey was killed during practice for the Indianapolis 500, and later in the year Lou Webb lost his life in a crash at Syracuse, underscoring the dangers of championship car racing in that era. The 1940 AAA National Championship stands as a transitional season, bridging the late-Depression years and the wartime slowdown that would soon curtail American motorsport, while still producing memorable performances and a worthy champion in Rex Mays.
May 30, 1940
