United States Auto Club
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is a major auto racing sanctioning body in the United States. It was founded in 1955 after the American Automobile Association stopped organizing races and is based in Speedway, Indiana. USAC sets the rules, approves car designs, and oversees many racing series across the country, including open-wheel racing, stock-car style events, and other formats.
USAC runs national championships in three main open-wheel categories: sprint cars, midgets, and the Silver Crown cars. It also sanctions other series such as the Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, and several regional sprint car and midget series on dirt tracks. In recent years, USAC has expanded to development programs for young drivers and ladder-style racing, including the USF Juniors and related series.
A well-known goal in USAC racing is the “triple crown”—winning all three national championships in the same season. Only Tony Stewart (1995) and J. J. Yeley (2003) have achieved this in one year; many drivers have won the three championships at different times in their careers.
USAC played a central role in the Indianapolis 500, sanctioning the race from 1956 through 1997. After that, the Indy 500 moved to other governing bodies as open-wheel racing in the U.S. evolved.
In 1978, eight USAC officials and a pilot were killed in a plane crash returning from a race, a tragic moment in the sport’s history.
Today, USAC continues to run a broad lineup of series, promoting competitive racing, driver development, and fan-friendly events across the United States.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:49 (CET).