Fast cars are fun, regardless of what type of track they run on. Here are ten of the most influential people in motorsports history.
Named Driver of the Century in 2000, Mario Andretti is one of only two drivers to have won races in Formula One, IndyCar, NASCAR and Sports Car. Mario is the only person to be named Driver of the Year in three decades.
One of the greatest Formula One drivers in history, Jim Clark won 25 Grand Prix races and two World Championships. He was the first F1 crossover to win the Indianapolis 500, which he accomplished in 1965.
A.J. Foyt is the only driver to win Indy, the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A four-time winner of the Indy 500, “Super Tex” holds the USAC career wins record with 159 victories and won a record 67 American championships.
The Last American Hero, Junior Johnson, was a moonshine runner who helped create NASCAR. Winner of 50 races as a driver and 139 as an owner, Junior invented the drafting technique in stock car racing.
One of the greatest F1 drivers in history, the mixed-race Lewis Hamilton is the Jackie Robinson of motorsports. With 61 wins and three World Championship titles, Hamilton is the most accomplished F1 driver on the circuit today.
Steve Kinser is the best dirt track racer of all time, having dominated Sprint Car for more than three decades. “The King” has also raced NASCAR and IndyCar and is a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame.
A six-time national champion in Sports Car, Bob Sharp introduced Paul Newman to racing, who drove for the Bob Sharp Racing team in the Trans-Am Series.
Founder of Chaparral Cars, some of the most innovative machines in racing, Jim Hall pioneered ground effects. The leading proponent of ground-breaking aerodynamic technology, Hall’s cars twice won the Indy 500.
Handsome and articulate, Jeff Gordon brought the good ol’ boy sport of NASCAR to the mainstream.
Considered by many the greatest driver of all time, Juan Manuel Fangio was a Formula One pioneer, winning five World Championship titles in the 1950s. “El Maestro” holds the highest winning percentage [46.15] of any F1 driver and won world championships with four different teams, a feat that has never been equaled.
