The Top 10 American Racing Drivers In History

In the field of cars, racing is the absolute pinnacle. Whether you’re interested in cars’ mechanicals, top speeds, or the drama, it’s a field with it all. There are countless different disciplines across the world, and this article isn’t going to focus on one in particular. On this list, there are drivers from F1, drag racing, NASCAR, and more, but the one thread joining them all together is that they’re incredible drivers. Their escapades have gone down in history, marking them as some of the best to ever cross a finish line. Without any further hesitation, let’s begin.

10. Phil Hill

The only American-born racer to ever win the Formula One Drivers’ Championship, Phil Hill was a superb driver. He began work as a mechanic, before heading to the UK where he trained with Jaguar, before being signed up for Enzo Ferrari’s F1 team in 1956. He made his debut in the discipline two years later, but it wasn’t there that he started to make his name. That happened at a little circuit in northern France, the Circuit de la Sarthe, AKA, Le Mans. Paired with Belgian Olivier Gendebien, he became the first American-born winner of the 24 hour race.

Two years later, he won the 1960 Italian Grand Prix. In 1961, he trailed only his teammate, Wolfgang Von Trips, but Trips died in a tragic accident in the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, with Hill going on to win the championship in his stead. He was not a man built for racing, it must be said. A quiet, thoughtful man, Hill believed that he was in the wrong business, and after winning the Driver’s Championship, he left Ferrari, saying he was no longer willing to risk death.

9. Dale Earnhardt

One of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, what is there to say about Dale Earnhardt? He won shedloads of trophies, including seven Winston Cup championships. He won 76 Winston Cup races, including the Daytona 500, and finished fourth in the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2001. He was a highly skillful driver in every respect. He drove aggressively, earning himself the nickname of The Intimidator, and he was perfectly happy to spin out other drivers if necessary, or to settle a score. When others attempted to do this to him, he would hold on. Eddie Cheever nudged him onto the grass in the 2001 IROC event at Daytona, but he held fast.

When it comes to drivers who are fueled by a desire for glory, Earnhardt is the epitome. He won because that was what he needed to do to be satisfied. Nothing less than victory would do. His courage, intelligence, and skill mark him out as one of the best to ever race.

8. Mario Andretti

While Phil Hill may have been the only American-born driver to win the Formula One Drivers’ Championship, he wasn’t the only American. Born in Istria, then part of Italy, in 1940, Mario’s family fled in 1948. In 1964, he became an American citizen. Years later, after numerous races across several disciplines, he became a full-time Formula One driver in 1975, racing for Parnelli. He wouldn’t find his success immediately, however. Parnelli pulled out of F1 just two races into the 1976 season, and moved back to Lotus, who he had raced for part-time.

Here, after another season, he did it. In 1978, he clinched the championship at the Italian Grand Prix, allowing him to celebrate on his motherland’s turf. However, his victory, like Phil Hill’s, was tainted with tragedy. His friend and teammate, Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson, died following a crash at the race.

7. Richard Petty

There’s a reason why Richard Petty is called The King. His record of seven NASCAR championships is equaled only by Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson, while his record 200 race wins is still unbeaten to this day. He also achieved a record number of 127 poles. Until Matt Kenseth did it in 2013, he was the only driver to win his 500th race start. Before him, his father was a three-time NASCAR champion, and his son was a NASCAR driver too. It obviously runs in the family.

Petty began his NASCAR career aged just 20, racing at the CNE Stadium in Toronto. One year later, Petty won his first race in Lakewood, Georgia. It was all uphill from there. He won his first Daytona 500 in 1964, netting additional wins in 1966, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, and 1981. He raced until 1992, retiring aged 55. In what is often considered a young man’s game, he showed that experience can go a long way.

6. Don Garlits

You knew he was going to be on this list somewhere, didn’t you? The one, the only Don Garlits. The father of modern drag racing, this guy dragged the sport out of its niche and into the national mainstream, pioneering dragster design, equipment, and setting record after record. In 1954, Garlits built his very first drag car, under an oak tree at his Tampa home. Using an arc welder and a cutting torch, he modified a Model T Roadster, adding a 1948 Mercury block. With this homemade machine, he was able to smash a quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds

In the years following, he raced consistently well, but all was not rosy. Racing is dangerous, and in 1970, one of his dragsters, Swamp Rat XIII, exploded, resulting in Garlits losing part of his foot. In order to improve safety, he designed Swamp Rat XIV as a rear-engined dragster, which has gone on to become the standard in Drag Racing. As well as innovating, Garlits was good at going fast. Very fast indeed. He was the first driver to go over 170, 180, 200, 240, and 270 miles per hour in a quarter-mile, as well as being the first to top 200 over an eighth of a mile. As recently as 2014, he was setting records, going 184 mph in an electric dragster.

5. Mark Donohue

People seem to forget about Mark Donohue, and I think that’s a shame. He was a fantastic driver, but more than that, his love for cars was obvious. He was able to set up his own cars, something that most drivers would pale at doing. He studied engineering at Brown University, and joined Roger Penske’s race team in 1966, racing a Lola T70. By 1971, he had raced in pretty much every discipline going. He raced in and won the Trans-Am championship, as well as racing at Sebring, Le Mans, Watkins Glen, in the American and Canadian Grand Prix, as well as nine USAC races.

Come 1973, Donohue focused on the Can-Am championship, racing in a Porsche 917/30K, which developed over 1100 horsepower. He outgunned everyone else on the track without breaking a sweat. He achieved pole position in every race, and won the last six races in a row. At Elkhart Lake, he became the first man to achieve a sub-two minute laptime. There was no stopping him at his peak. Tragically, Donohue would meet his end at the age of 38 in the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix.

4. Shirley Muldowney

The only female driver on this list, Shirley Muldowney broke into racing and showed that it wasn’t just a boys’ club. She is known as the First Lady of Drag Racing, and with very good reason. As well as being the first woman to be licensed by the NHRA to drive a Top Fuel dragster, she also became the first person to win two, and then three Top Fuel titles, in 1977, 1980, and 1982. Due to her gender, she faced a ton of opposition from others for daring to race, with Don Garlits praising her determination and ability to go “against all odds.”

Her perseverance sprang from experience garnered over the decades. She began racing hot rods in the 1950s, with her first husband, Jack Muldowney, building the cars she raced to victory. After competing in Top Gas and Funny Car races, she raced Top Fuel in 1973, with none other than Garlits signing her application. After many, many races, she retired in 2003, and now operates a charity, Shirley’s Kids, helping children in need.

3. Steve Kinser

If you want possibly the coolest nickname ever, King of the Outlaws, you have to best Steve Kinser’s sprint car record. That’s not an easy task. Over nearly 30 years, Kinser won 20 championships. In 1987, he won a staggering 46 features, with 12 of these happening consecutively. His record of 12 Knoxville National Wins is still unbroken. Over his career, he won a total of 690 A Features.

His racing success extends beyond just World of Outlaws races though. He also raced in the 1997 Indianapolis 500, finishing 14th, aged 42. He won the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix in Sydney in 1986, and also won at Talladega in 1994 in the International Race of Champions.

2. Kenny Bernstein

Kenny Bernstein is one of the most influential drag racers since Garlits. Nicknamed the King of Speed, he was the first drag racer to break the 300 mph barrier. He established the famed NHRA team King Racing too, which achieved its first win in 1988. It almost didn’t happen that way. Bernstein’s road to racing success wasn’t exactly smooth. He began racing in 1966, quitting college in order to do so, but found little success at first. In 1973, frustrated, he decided to give up racing, opening the Chelsea Pub franchise.

However, this was not to last. In 1977, he returned to the US Nationals, and then in a Funny Car in 1978. In addition to his racing prowess, he has also been credited with attracting big businesses to drag racing, and the resulting lucrative sponsorships. His own sponsorship by Anheuser-Busch lasted for 30 years, and allowed others to follow his lead.

1. A.J. Foyt

Usually, the phrase Jack of all trades is caveated with “and master of none.” Not so in the case of Anthony Joseph Foyt. A.J. raced open-wheel cars, stock cars and sports cars, and seemed to be able to win regardless of the type of car he was behind the wheel of. First driving at the age of five, he dropped out of high school to become a mechanic, and began racing midget cars in 1953. He moved on to sprint cars, and then on to stock cars, winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1961. This alone would be enough for most racers. Not so for Foyt. In 1967, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his first (and only) attempt.

His accolades are almost too numerous to list, which is saying something. He won the Indianapolis 500 four times, the Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Daytona, as well as the 12 Hours of Sebring. He won seven NASCAR races, two IROC championships, two Australian Speedcar Grand Prix, and the only man, along with Mario Andretti, to win the Daytona and Indianapolis 500s. He’s up against some stiff competition, but that’s why he’s number one on this list.