The March 21, 1926, AAA National Championship race at Culver City Speedway was a 250-mile event (200 laps on the 1.25-mile high-banked wooden board oval in Culver City, California. It served as the second round of the 1926 AAA Championship Car season, following the season opener in Florida.
This race marked the track’s championship debut under the new 91.5-cubic-inch (supercharged) engine formula for 1926, though some entries still ran larger engines from prior rules. Pole position went to Bob McDonogh (Miller) with a qualifying speed of over 140 mph. The event drew an estimated 40,000 spectators for intense competition among top Miller and Duesenberg entries.
Bennett Hill won in his Miller Special (car #16, Miller chassis and supercharged Miller engine), completing the distance non-stop in 1 hour, 51 minutes, and 53.8 seconds at an average speed of 130.59 mph. Hill took the lead from Peter Kreis on lap 99 and would lead the rest of the way, beating Peter DePaolo by 28 seconds. Harry Hartz would finish third followed by Eddie Hearne and Frank Elliott.
The race highlighted the speed and risks of board-track racing, with high qualifying speeds and a close early fight among the top five qualifiers. It boosted Bennett Hill’s profile early in the season and added points toward Harry Hartz’s eventual championship. Culver City Speedway hosted only this one AAA championship event in 1926, and would close after the March race in 1927.
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