The Astor Cup Story

By Sigur Whitaker
 
The winner of the IndyCar drivers' championship has been presented with the Astor Cup since 2011. This cup has ties to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway through Carl Fisher, one of the cofounders.
 
William Vincent Astor, the son of John Jacob Astor IV, donated the silver Astor Challenge Cup for the 1915 Astor Cup Race at Sheepshead Bay Speedway in what is now Brooklyn, New York. The cup has an old racer on it. At the time of his death on the Titanic, John Jacob Astor IV was the richest man on earth. Vincent Astor also gave $10,000 for the winning purse.
 
Sheepshead Bay was named for the sheepshead, an edible fish found in the bay. In 1880, the Sheepshead Bay Race Track opened in the neighborhood for horse racing. When betting on horses became a criminal offense in New York in 1910, the racetrack ceased to operate.
 
In April 1915, a consortium of investors including aviator and auto racer Harry Harkness of Cleveland and Carl Fisher acquired the two-mile track from the Coney Island Jockey Club and built a two-mile board track.
 
The first auto race was held on October 9, 1915. The 350-mile race was won by Gil Andersen in a Stutz with an average speed of 102.59 mph. It took him three hours, twenty-four minutes and forty-two seconds.  A second race was run on October 30, 1916, with Johnny Aitken winning while driving a Peugeot. Aitken set a new speed record of 104.484 mph. The Cup was returned to Carl Fisher. The track hosted other automobile races including the Harkness Trophy Race until 1919 when Harry Harkness, who operated the track, died. The property was sold and became a residential neighborhood.
 
When American open-wheel racing was reunified in February 2008, Tony George, the president of IMS and the Indy Racing League wanted to do something. Two options were considered and rejected because both were tied to one of the two racing leagues. A silver Indy Racing League Cup was given to the winner of IRL and the Vanderbilt Cup was given to the winner of  the CART series. In 2011, IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard announced the Astor Cup would become the new series championship trophy, which IMS already owned.
 
When on display, the Astor Cup sits on three cylindrical granite bases which have been engraved with the AAA, USAC, CART, and IRL champion’s name going back to 1909. It is not attached to the base and is presented at the final race of the season.
 
Team Penske drivers Will Power won the Cup in 2014 and 2022, Simon Pagenaud in 2016, Josef Newgarden in 2017 and 2019. Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing won this year. Each driver receives a replica of the Cup.
 
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 3, 2023. The Society of Automotive Historians’ Author’s Signing event will be held in conjunction with the AACA Library Yard Sale under the tents in AACA HQ & Library parking lot in Hershey, Pennsylvania. I will be participating in the SAH book signing from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. The AACA Library Yard sale is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
 
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