As Canadians, we tend to think of the Stanley Cup as the holy grail of professional sports. But the Astor Challenge Cup, presented annually to the IndyCar Series Champion, has a colourful history that deserves to be remembered.
The Astor Cup was an American automobile race (1915 – 1916) held at Sheepshead Bay Speedway a two-mile, banked-oval board-track, co-owned by Carl G. Fisher (co-founder of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway).. The 175 lap race announced to promote the new track, and Vincent Astor, a philanthropic member of aristocratic Astor family, brought extra attention by donating a silver trophy, The Astor Cup, and a $10,000 winner’s prize. The Astor Cup race only took place twice before the facility was sold and turned into a residential real estate development. The trophy retuned to the possession of Carl G. Fisher ((January 12, 1874 – July 15, 1939) and remained unused for almost a century.
Through the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, American open-wheel racing had ‘split’ into two series; IRL (Indy Racing League) and CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams). Both series struggled, and finally in 2008, the factions were unified into the IndyCar Series. The new series CEO, Randy Bernard, sought a historic trophy to recognize the lineage of American open-wheel racing which neither series could lay claim to. The IRL ‘Silver Cup’ trophy was a painful reminder of the split for many CART teams. Similarly, the ‘Vanderbilt Cup’, which CART used as its championship trophy, jut wouldn’t do either.
The historic Astor Cup was selected. In the spirit of unification, the names of all US open-wheel national champions from 1909 to 2011 were etched into the two black granite bases of the sterling silver trophy. In a 2011 motorsport.com article, Bernard struck a conciliatory tone.
“We sought to blend heritage and tradition with our future. It was very important for us to find a trophy that was a piece of art that drivers would truly be honored to win… We are recognizing every sanctioning body that has governed Indy car racing. It is a trophy that not only reminds us of our past but links our future.”
Randy Bernard, CEO of IndyCar
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