The 1916 AAA Championship Car season consisted of 15 races, beginning in Brooklyn, New York on May 13 and concluding in Los Angeles, California on November 30. There were also 12 non-championship races. For the first time since the 1905 season, the AAA awarded points towards a National Championship.[1] The AAA National Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner was Dario Resta.
| Rnd | Date | Race Name | Length | Track | Location | Type | Pole Position | Winning Driver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | April 8 |  Corona Race | 301.712miles | Grand Boulevard | Corona, California | Road | — | Eddie O'Donnell | |
| NC | April 29 | Raisin Classic | 301miles | Fresno Road Race Course | Fresno, California | Road | — | Eddie O'Donnell | |
| NC | May 13 | Coney Island Cup | 20miles | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Brooklyn, New York | Board | — | Johnny Aitken | |
| Queens Cup | 50miles | — | Ralph Mulford | ||||||
| 1 | May 13 | Metropolitan Trophy | 150miles | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Brooklyn, New York | Board | — | Eddie Rickenbacker | |
| 2 | May 30 | 1916 Indianapolis 500 | 300miles | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | Brick | Johnny Aitken |  Dario Resta | |
| 3 | June 11 | Chicago Race | 300miles | Speedway Park | Maywood, Illinois | Board | Ralph DePalma | Dario Resta | |
| NC | June 24 | Des Moines Sprint Race | 50miles | Des Moines Speedway | Valley Junction, Iowa | Board | — | Eddie Rickenbacker | |
| 4 | June 24 | Des Moines Race | 150miles | Des Moines Speedway | Valley Junction, Iowa | Board | Ralph DePalma | Ralph DePalma | |
| 5 | July 4 | Minneapolis Race | 150miles | Twin City Motor Speedway | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Concrete | Louis Chevrolet | Ralph DePalma | |
| NC | July 15 | Omaha Sprint Race | 50miles | Omaha Speedway | Omaha, Nebraska | Board | — | Ralph DePalma | |
| 6 | July 15 | Omaha Race | 150miles | Omaha Speedway | Omaha, Nebraska | Board | Ralph Mulford | Dario Resta | |
| NC | July 22 | Kansas City Race | 100miles | Kansas City Speedway | Kansas City, Missouri | Dirt | — | Ralph DePalma | |
| 16.875miles | — | W. W. Brown | |||||||
| 7 | August 5 | Montamarathon/Potlach Trophy Race | 288miles | Pacific Coast Speedway | Tacoma, Washington | Board | Sterling Price | Eddie Rickenbacker | |
| NC | August 19 | Speedway Grand Prix | 50miles | Speedway Park | Maywood, Illinois | Board | Dario Resta | Dario Resta | |
| 8 | September 4 | International Sweepstakes | 300miles | Cincinnati Motor Speedway | Sharonville, Ohio | Board | Howdy Wilcox | Johnny Aitken | |
| NC | September 9 | Harvest Auto Racing Classic | 20miles | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | Brick | Louis Chevrolet | Johnny Aitken | |
| 50miles | — | Johnny Aitken | |||||||
| 9 | September 9 | Harvest Auto Racing Classic | 100miles | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | Brick | — | Johnny Aitken | |
| 10 | September 30 | Astor Cup Race | 250miles | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Brooklyn, New York | Board | — | Johnny Aitken | |
| 11 | October 14 | Grand American Auto Race | 250miles | Speedway Park | Maywood, Illinois | Board | Art Klein | Dario Resta | |
| 12 | October 28 | Harkness Trophy Race | 250miles | Sheepshead Bay Speedway | Brooklyn, New York | Board | James Benedict | Johnny Aitken | |
| 13 | November 16 | William K. Vanderbilt Cup | 294.595miles | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Santa Monica, California | Road | Mike Moosie | Dario Resta | |
| 14 | November 18 | American Grand Prize | 403.2miles | Santa Monica Road Race Course | Santa Monica, California | Road | Mike Moosie | Howdy Wilcox | |
| Johnny Aitken | |||||||||
| 15 | November 30 | Championship Award Sweepstakes | 150miles | Ascot Speedway | South Los Angeles, California | Dirt | Eddie Rickenbacker | Eddie Rickenbacker | |
| NC | December 2 | Universal Trophy | 225miles | Uniontown Speedway | Hopwood, Pennsylvania | Board | — | Louis Chevrolet |
Reduced from 500 to 300 miles due to the onset of World War I.
Sanctioned by the Automobile Club of America, AAA awarded points.
Shared drive.
| Driver | Car | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dario Resta | Peugeot | 4100 | |
| 2 | Johnny Aitken | Peugeot | 3440 | |
| 3 | Eddie Rickenbacker | Maxwell, Peugeot, Duesenberg | 2910 | |
| 4 | Ralph DePalma | Mercedes, Peugeot | 1790 | |
| 5 | Earl Cooper | Stutz-Wisconsin, Stutz | 1405 | |
| 6 | Wilbur D'Alene | Duesenberg | 1120 | |
| 7 | Tommy Milton | Duesenberg | 690 | |
| 8 |  Pete Henderson | Maxwell | 667 | |
| 9 | Frank Galvin | Sunbeam Motor Car Company | 645 | |
| 10 | Ralph Mulford | Peugeot | 620 |