Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

Now that CCWS has gone bankrupt and sold its assets(if you can call them that) off to Tony George, is it possible for the Silver Crown division to get their name back for good?

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

champ dirt cars, championship cars. old school still call them that. i'm not sure usac ever had a copyright on that name that cart used. i remember the first IRL show in Disney they called the Indycars championship cars.

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

Sure they were. They were dirt cars on the championship circuit, hence the name Dirt Champ Cars. They were that way until 1971 if I remember correctly. I still call them that. I wish dirt was part of a "Championship Circuit" today.

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

I think they were still called Championship dirt cars well after the 1971 separation. IIRC they changed it in the early or mid 80's when USAC made some champ dirt races like Indy, Duquoin, and Springfield count toward the "Gold Crown Championship" which also included the Indy 500. The remaining champ dirt races were then named the "Silver Crown" division. After a while the 500 was the only Gold Crown race left. Eventually Gold Crown went away after a few years and that just left Silver Crown.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Mark Alderson had a lead in the Gold Crown points one year and needed a ride at the 500 to secure the championship and couldn't find one.

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

Originally Posted by aussiemidgetfan:
My understanding is that the IRL owns all intellectual rights of the former CCWS. I would therefore expect that they own the term champ car which is just a contraction of the term "Championship Car."

USAC owning it would serve no purpose anyway. Around the world, Indycars not used at Indianapolis are known as Champ Cars. Start throwing the term Champ Car around for the Silver Crown class (which never were Champ Cars) and you will confuse one hell of a lot of people.

As anyone with even the slightest knowledge of racing will tell you, "champ car" has been a very common term for Indy cars (and champ dirt cars) throughout history. (Please reference the text below as an example). It wasn't until CART started "throwing around" the term champ car, that the average joe fan (such as yourself) became confused. Just one of thousands of moronic decisions made by the now defunct formula 1 feeder series. Don't fret aussie, we are always glad to educate you. I'll bet Graham Rahal and the gang are glad that nightmare is over! :rolling
David.

Former Indy car owner John Zink Jr. dies at 75
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Former car owner John Zink Jr., whose 13 champ car victories included the 1955 Indianapolis 500 with driver Bob Sweikert and the 1956 Indy race with Pat Flaherty, has died at 75.

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

Originally Posted by SpfldMile:
Sure they were. They were dirt cars on the championship circuit, hence the name Dirt Champ Cars. They were that way until 1971 if I remember correctly. I still call them that. I wish dirt was part of a "Championship Circuit" today.

What was the year that A.J. led most of the Milwaukee race in a "Dirt Car" . He was killing all of those new fangled rear engine things, until his tires wore down, and then I think Ward won, and I believe Foyt finished 2nd in a Dirt Car!

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

Originally Posted by Al Consoli:
What was the year that A.J. led most of the Milwaukee race in a "Dirt Car" . He was killing all of those new fangled rear engine things, until his tires wore down, and then I think Ward won, and I believe Foyt finished 2nd in a Dirt Car!

'64? '65?

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

Originally Posted by aussiemidgetfan:
USAC owning it would serve no purpose anyway. Around the world, Indycars not used at Indianapolis are known as Champ Cars. Start throwing the term Champ Car around for the Silver Crown class (which never were Champ Cars) and you will confuse one hell of a lot of people.

In a friendly effort to further educate you, please find below, a paragraph from a great article by automotive historian Dean Case. I've included the link to the entire article, if you actually want to know what you're talking about. :thumb
David.

"In the two decades since WWII, the engine of choice at Indy, and for all of AAA/USAC "Champ Car" (Note: The terms "Champ Car", "Indycar", and "Big Car" have all been used somewhat interchangeably to describe the cars that raced at the Indianapolis 500."

http://www.allamericanracers.com/dino/case.html

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

I knew that!!:rolling You did say anyone with the "slightest knowledge" would.:D

Re: Can USAC Copyright "Champ Car"?
 

In 1971 the dirt cars, until then part of the "Championship Trail", were called the National Dirt Car Championship. In 1981 that changed to the Silver Crown division.