Famous American Race Car Drivers

Race-car driver Jimmie Johnson is associated with IndyCar Series. He is a seven-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and is the first and only NASCAR driver with five consecutive championship wins. In 2009, he became the first race-car driver to earn the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year honor.

Professional racer, TV personality and metal fabricator, Jessi Combs, is remembered for setting a women's land speed class record (four wheels) in 2013. She was known as "the fastest woman on four wheels.” As a TV presenter, she co-hosted over 90 episodes of the Spike TV show, Xtreme 4x4. She died in a car crash while racing in 2019. 

Motorsports competitor and stunt artist Travis Pastrana has won several X Games gold medals, in categories such as motocross, supercross, and freestyle motocross. He launched a reality show called Nitro Circus, which later became a media company. He also hosts and extreme sports event and has been part of NASCAR.

Born in the Netherlands, to 2-time Indianapolis 500 champion Arie Luyendyk, Arie Luyendyk Jr. moved to the US with his family at age 3. He followed in his father’s footsteps to enter the arena of auto racing. He later gained fame with his appearance on The Bachelorette and his romance with Lauren Burnham.

Kyle Larson had started racing at the tender age of 7. The NASCAR Cup Series driver, also known in the circuit as Yung Money, was in the news for using a racial slur during a live iRacing telecast, which eventually got him suspended by NASCAR and lose all his sponsorships.

The first racing driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times, A.J Foytm appeared in the event for 35 consecutive years, winning the race in 1961, 1964, 1967 and 1977. Inheriting his love for racing from his auto mechanic father, he dropped out of  school to become professional racing driver, eventually founding a successful racing team, A. J. Foyt Enterprises.

An amateur drag racer in his youth, American racing driver Dan Gurney began his professional career in 1959, quickly becoming one of the most popular international racing stars of his era. Also a prominent race car constructor and the founder of All American Racers, he is known as much for his engineering acumen as for his quest for innovative solutions.

Apart from being a 16-time Funny Car Champion, drag racer John Force has also scripted more NHRA all-time records. Known as Brute Force in the racing circuit, for his 10 back-to-back NHRA championships, he belongs to The First Family of Drag Racing, with his daughters and son-in-law.

Eddie Rickenbacker was an American fighter pilot who played an important role in World War I. With 26 aerial victories under his belt, Rickenbacker was the most decorated and most successful US flying ace of the First World War. A multi-talented personality, Eddie Rickenbacker was also an automotive designer and race car driver.

Part of the Joe Gibbs Racing team of the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin boasts of 17 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and two in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. While he began racing go-karts at age 7, he began racing mini stocks by age 16.

One of the most sought-after names in the open-wheel car racing circuit, Michael Andretti is the son of former Formula 1 world champion Mario Andretti. He owns Andretti Green Racing and the Indianapolis-based team Andretti Autosport, which has been represented in series such as IndyCar and Australian V8 Supercars.

The first USA-born race car driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, Phil Hill began racing as a mechanic before becoming a professional racer. A disciplined perfectionist in car preparation, he achieved several career victories including two Italian Grand Prix (1960 and 1961) and one Belgium Grand Prix (1961)

The founder-chairman of the transportation company Penske Corporation, Roger Penske, apart from being an entrepreneur, is also a former race-car driver. The self-made auto magnate was also named to the Forbes Billionaires 2021 list and owns auto-racing companies such as Team Penske, IndyCar, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Cup Series racing driver Brad Keselowski, the son of former race driver Bob Keselowski, once also owned Brad Keselowski Racing. His non-profit Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation, which he runs with his wife, funds organization to help with the treatments of war veterans and first responders.

Born to NASCAR champion and commentator Darrell Waltrip, Michael Waltrip was destined to be part of the racing world. The NASCAR Cup Series driver is a two-time DAYTONA 500 champion and has also been a broadcaster with Speedvision and FOX Sports. He also penned the bestseller In the Blink of an Eye.

 Italian-born American former racing driver, Mario Andrett,i is the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, and the Formula One World Championship. He is considered one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport.  Over the course of his long career, he has is the only person to be named United States Driver of the Year in three decades (1967, 1978, and 1984). 

Billed as the winningest short track driver in history of American car racing, Dick Trickle is believed to have won 1,200 events out of an estimated appearance of 2,200 featured races.  Considered a legend in short track racing community and nicknamed the White Knight, he competed in most major races including ASA, ARTGO, ARCA, All Pro, IMCA, NASCAR, and USAC.

The first American racing driver to exceed 400 mph, Mickey Thompson was also an important auto racing builder and promoter, known for forming sanctioning bodies like SCORE International and Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group. A hot rodder from the very beginning, he won many track and dragster championships, later establishing Mickey Thompson Equipment Co. to manufacture high performance equipment for racers.

The eldest son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, race car driver Kerry Earnhardt had begun his career driving street stocks against his half-brother, Dale Jr. A high-school drop-out, he initially also took up multiple odd jobs to tend to his family, including that of a Pizza Hut worker.

One of the pioneering Black drivers of NASCAR, Wendell Scott rose to be a NASCAR Cup Series winner. He has been named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, too. Initially an auto mechanic, he also owned his own auto repair shop. He had also been a cab driver.

Apart from being the son of NASCAR racer Richard Petty, third-generation Petty family member racer Kyle Petty made his major league debut at age 18. He has also had a brief stint as a country musician. He lost his son, racer Adam Petty, in a race car practice accident.

The son of IndyCar champion Michael Andretti, Marco Andretti too followed in his father’s footsteps and stepped into the racing arena. He has been winning races even before passing high school and scored his first SRX Series victory in 2021. He has also raced in Formula One and the American Le Mans series.

Apart from winning 18 NASCAR Cup Series titles, Kasey Kahne also owns a racing team and is associated with significant charity work, too. He once granted a wish to a 12-year-old fan with Noonan syndrome. A health enthusiast, too, he has often been featured on health magazines.

An automobile designer known for his involvement with the AC Shelby Cobra and Ford Mustang, Carroll Shelby was also a well-known racing driver, and a successful entrepreneur, who established Shelby American after a heart ailment put an end to his racing career.  Meanwhile, he also ran a a high-performance driving school and published a memoir entitled The Carroll Shelby Story.

Alexander Rossi is an American racing driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2016 as a rookie. The following year, he registered another win at Watkins Glen International. Alexander Rossi currently competes in the IndyCar Series, representing the popular racing team Andretti Autosport.

Ashley Force Hood is a former Top Fuel Funny Car (TF/FC) drag racer associated with John Force Racing. She is the daughter of  John Force, who is a 16-time NHRA Top Fuel Funny Car national champion. She and her father raced together in April 2007. She became the president of John Force Entertainment in 2012. 

Willy T. Ribbs is a retired race car driver and racing owner. He is known for being the first African-American man to have tested a Formula One car. Throughout his career, he competed in many forms of auto racing, including the Trans-Am Series, IMSA, IndyCar, Champ Car, and the NASCAR Cup Series. He has been featured in a Netflix documentary. 

Jamie McMurray is a former professional stock car racing driver. He is currently an analyst for Fox NASCAR. Beginning his career in the late 1990s, he raced in the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis from 2003 to 2018. He won the 2010 Daytona 500 for Chip Ganassi Racing. He has an active interest in running and cycling. 

Bobby Rahal former auto racing driver. He won three championships and 24 races in the CART open-wheel series, including the 1986 Indianapolis 500, during his driving career. Following his retirement, he held managerial positions with the Jaguar Formula 1 team. At present, he runs the Bobby Rahal Automotive Group. Racecar driver Graham Rahal is his son. 

Born into the First Family of American auto racing, Bobby Unser had begun racing at age 15. He, his brother Al, and his nephew Al Jr., made racing history by winning a record nine Indianapolis 500 races together. He was trapped in a blizzard in New Mexico once and was almost killed.

Born to Rick Hendrick, the founder of the NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports, Ricky Hendrick had begun racing at age 15. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series winner died in a horrific plane crash that killed all 10 people aboard the plane at the tender age of 24.

Scott Speed is a race car driver who made his debut at the 2006 Bahrain Grand Prix for Scuderia Toro Rosso. He has competed in open-wheel, stock car, and rallycross racing. He has driven for Team Red Bull, Whitney Motorsports, and Leavine Family Racing in the Sprint Cup Series. He is currently associated with the Subaru Rally Team USA. 

Enzo Fittipaldi is a Brazilian-American racing driver. He is the grandson of two-time Formula 1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. He currently drives for Charouz Racing System in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and was previously associated with FIA Formula 3 Championship. He was one of the five drivers invited to join the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2016. 

Paul Menard is a semi-retired professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and drives the No. 66 Toyota Tundra for ThorSport Racing. He was previously a full-time competitor in the  NASCAR Cup Series from 2007 to 2019. He was the winner of the 2011 Brickyard 400. 

Also known by monikers such as Captain Nice, Mark Donohue was not just a skilled race-car driver but also a qualified engineer. A major force behind the Penske Racing team during he 1960s and the 1970s, he is remembered for his win at the Indianapolis 500 event.

Known as the Big Daddy of drag racing, Don Garlits was not just a race-car driver but also a qualified automotive engineer. After his right foot was severed in a major car explosion, he perfected the safety standards of racing, creating the first fire-resistant bodysuit and the Top Fuel dragster rear engine.