The 1927 AAA National Championship (also known as the AAA Championship Car season) consisted of 11 official championship races held between March 6 and October 12, 1927, across a variety of high‑speed oval circuits in the United States. Many of the races were run on wooden board tracks — a defining feature of American racing in the 1920s — including events at Atlantic City Speedway in New Jersey and Rockingham Park in New Hampshire, both of which were steeply banked board ovals designed for high‑speed competition. Other championship rounds took place on board surfaces at Culver City Speedway in California, Altoona Speedway in Pennsylvania, and Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina, as well as the brick surface of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Indianapolis 500, while non‑championship races occurred on dirt tracks such as Detroit and Syracuse.
Over the season, Peter “Pete” DePaolo demonstrated remarkable consistency and success on these varied surfaces to secure the AAA National Championship title, edging out strong competition from drivers like Frank Lockhart and George Souders in the final points standings. The championship included the prestigious Indianapolis 500, held May 30, 1927, which was won by George Souders driving a Duesenberg Special, and which contributed valuable points toward the season championship. DePaolo’s championship reflected both his skill and the era’s rapid technical progression, particularly on wooden board circuits where sustained high‑speed racing was both thrilling and dangerous.
The 1927 season stands as a strong example of the wooden board track era in American motorsports, when drivers regularly lapped at high speeds on 1‑ to 1.5‑mile banked ovals before that format began to decline later in the decade due to cost, safety concerns, and track deterioration.
May 30, 1927
March 6, 1927
September 3, 1927
