Between January 1 and June 30, 1955, auto racing killed ninety-one and injured over 100. The American Automobile Association, the sanctioning body for championship series, sprint car racing and midget racing, decided its mission of better automobile safety was inconsistent with auto racing. On August 3, 1955, AAA president Andrew J. Sortini announced they were withdrawing from the sport at the conclusion of the season.
The management of the Indianapolis 500 was caught off guard by the AAA announcement. The next day, IMS management announced that the fortieth running of the Indianapolis 500 would be held. Tony Hulman said regarding a sanctioning body, “I don’t know exactly what angle it will take but there has to be some form of organization. This will probably mean that there will just be a different sanctioning group.
Both the National Association of Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) expressed an interest in becoming the sanctioning body for the Indianapolis 500. At the time of the AAA announcement, the SCCA was the only sanctioning body in the United States that qualified for inclusion in the Federation Internationale de l’automobile (FIA), the governing body for international racing including the Indianapolis 500.
People involved in the Indianapolis racing community were concerned that Bill France, Sr., president of NASCAR, would try to take over the top drivers in the AAA contest world and the tracks. Colonel Arthur Herrington, chair of the AAA Contest Board, indicated he would contact the top officers of the SCCA to discuss the possibility of that group assuming the sanctioning responsibilities for the Indianapolis 500.
Jep Cadou, Jr., the well-respected reporter for the Indianapolis Star, predicted that the void left by the departure of the AAA Contest Board would soon be filled with leadership from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The departure of the AAA Contest Board from auto racing was the type of problem solving that Tony Hulman enjoyed and where he was effective. He immediately stepped up to fill the void. On August 5, 1955, Hulman; Bob Estes, a West Coast car owner; Tom Marchese, a Milwaukee promoter; and George Ober, a magistrate for the town of Speedway, Indiana, met at the IMS headquarters, then located at 729 North Capitol Street. At the meeting, Hulman expressed his desire that the National Championship series, including the Indianapolis 500, continue. He also felt that the establishment of a farm system to include sprint cars and midgets would help to develop drivers who would ultimately race in the Indianapolis 500. The midget and sprint car races would also provide another stream of income for the drivers.
Afterwards, Hulman arranged for a meeting to take the first steps toward creating a new sanctioning body to be held in the Indiana State Board of Health auditorium. While they did not extend a personal invitation to the meeting, Hulman expressed his hope that people from all parts of the country would attend. Two hundred sixteen people attended the organizational meeting held on August 10. A steering committee of seven individuals was selected to establish the new organization whose purpose was “to take over all rule enforcement, disciplinary action, and such control as will be necessary for an orderly and continuous transfer of these activities from the AAA Contest Board.” Joining Hulman, Estes, Marchese, and Ober were driver Duane Carter, mechanic Herb Porter, and industrialist and engineer Arthur Herrington.
The new association was named the United States Automobile Club (USAC). Donald Davidson, long-time Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian, related the story as told by John Cooper of the naming of the organization. “We went outside for a break and we stood underneath this tree next to the door. Somebody suggested that since we had been running under the title of the American Automobile Association, why not call it the United States Automobile Association. Sam Nunis, the east coast promoter, said, 'No, don’t call it an association. People will think it’s a union. We’re more of a club.' Somebody else suggested, 'Then how about the United States Auto Club?' And that’s basically how it came about. Right under that tree.”
On Friday, September 16, 1955, the United States Auto Club was incorporated as a non-profit with the Indiana Secretary of State.
John Cooper also told the story of the logo for USAC. “I was with Tony Hulman and his assistant Kenny Grimm, and we happened to notice on the wall this very attractive shield, underneath which were the words United States Tuna Team. Tony was a member of the seven-man championship team which beat Brazil in 1949. We basically copied the shield for the USAC logo.”
The offices for USAC were initially at the offices of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in downtown Indianapolis. The staffing included Duane Carter as the first director of operations, John Cooper, Lenora Adam (Duane and Arza Carter’s babysitter) and Mari Hulman (Tony Hulman’s daughter). The president of the organization was J. Morton Swango, a Terre Haute attorney. Soon after, Arthur Herrington became the president of USAC.
The 1956 Championship trail began with the Indianapolis 500 on May 30 and concluded in Phoenix, Arizona on November 12. The racers had twelve races, four of which were on paved tracks and eight on dirt tracks. They also had three races which did not count toward the championship including the Pikes’ Peak Hill Climb, a paved track race and a dirt track race. The champion was Jimmy Bryan who won four of the contests and finished second twice and third once.