Best Race Car Drivers In The World!!!
Have you watched the movie Fast and Furious? The movie has multiple scenes featuring super sleek and fast cars.
You know what they say the first auto race was held on the day the second car was built.
The sport started way back in the August of 1867. These races were previously aimed at testing the vehicles but quickly became a way to demonstrate them.
The first race was held between Ashton Under-Lyne and Old Trafford, at a distance of 8 miles. Isaac Watt Boulton won the race with his carriage.
Nonetheless, who is the best race driver currently? We have prepared a list of the 12 best race drivers in the world.
Quick view
|
No. |
Name |
Series |
|
1. |
Lewis Hamilton |
Formula 1 |
|
2. |
Max Verstappen |
Formula 1 |
|
3. |
Valtteri Bottas |
Formula 1 |
|
4. |
Scott McLaughlin |
IndyCar Series |
|
5. |
Shane Van Gisbergen |
Supercars Championship Series |
|
6. |
Kyle Larson |
NASCAR Cup Series |
|
7. |
Kevin Harvick |
NASCAR Cup Series |
|
8. |
Michael Ammermuller |
ADAC G T Masters |
|
9. |
Jamie Whincup |
Supercars Championship Series |
|
10. |
Chase Elliott |
NASCAR Cup Series |
|
11. |
Kyle Busch |
NASCAR Cup Series |
|
12. |
Denny Hamlin |
NASCAR Cup Series |
12. Denny Hamlin
On the 12th number, we have James Dennis Alon “Denny” Hamlin. He races in the NASCAR Cup series. The racer was born in Tampa, Florida, on 18th November 1980.
Denny drives the Toyota Camry as no. 11 and the Toyota Supra as the no. 54; both for Joe Gibbs Racing.
He was interested in racing since his childhood. He began racing in 1988 by racing go-carts. By the age of 16, he had already won his first stock car race in Langley Speedway.
Hamlin then moved to Late Model Stock cars in 2000. Out of 30 Late model races, he won 25 of them!
In 2004, he signed a driver development contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which changed his life for good. The racer has competed in 746 international championships, won over 63, and has come in the top ten 407 times.
Hamlin also co-owns 23X1 Racing along with Michael Jordan. He is currently ranked as no. 7 in the Cup series standings.
- Won 44 NASCAR Cup Series races.
- The fourth person to win back-to-back seasons.
- Awarded as 2006 Nextel Cup Series Rookie of the year.
11. Kyle Busch
On number 11, we have Kyle Thomas Busch or “Rowdy Busch.” He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series as no. 18 and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity series as no. 54.
The racer drives Toyota Supra (no. 54) and Toyota Tundra (no. 5) for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
He was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. Busch started his first driving lessons at the age of six by driving go-carts.
Similarly, he began his driving career in 1998, at the age of 13. By the age of 16, Busch had already begun competing in the NASCAR Craftsman as no. 99.
He was debuted at Indianapolis Raceway Park, where he came at 9th position.
In 2002, NASCAR changed the minimum age requirement to 18 because tobacco companies were sponsoring it. The racer then switched to the American Speed Association National Tour.
Later in 2003, he signed as a development driver for Hendrick Motorsports and scored his first career win at Nashville Superspeedway. He turned 18 in May and joined NASCAR again.
Busch has won over 222 matches in his 19 years career. He came in the top ten in over 723 matches! Busch is currently ranked as 4th in Cup Series.
- Best Finish in 2019 (first).
- 1st driver to complete a Triple Threat in one week.
- 2016 ESPY Awards Best Driver.
- 2019 ESPY Awards Best Driver.
10. Chase Eliott
Next up, we have William Clyde “Chase” Elliott II. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup series as no.9 and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports as no.24.
Elliott drives the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE (no.9) and Chevrolet Comaro (no. 24). He was born in Dawsonville, Georgia, on 28th November 1995.
At 18, Elliott featured in Sports Illustrated as a potential star in its July 2009 issue.
In 2010, he raced multiple races and won 12 events, and finished on top 10 over 35 times.
In February 2011, he signed a three-year driver development contract with Hendrick Motorsports. Eliott won his first career race in K & Pro East series in 2012 at Iowa speedway.
Besides his racing career, he also has made television appearances, including in The Dude Perfect Show, and voiced Chase Racelottt in Cars 3.
In 2021, he was in a documentary called “Chase,” which tells about his racing career. He has won over 21 matches and came in the top 10 in 291 matches over 7 years of his career. Elliott is currently ranked as 5th in Cup Series.
- 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion
- 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year
- 2018-2020 NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver
9. Jamie Whincup
For number 9, we have Jamie Whincup. He competes in the Supercars Championship. Jame drives the Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering as no.88.
He was born in Melbourne, Victoria, on 6th February 1983.
In 2001, he debuted on the Australian Formula Ford Championship with a team run by his father and uncle.
He finished third in his debut year. In 2002, he moved to Sonic Motorsport and won the championship.
Jamie made his debut in Supercars in 200 as a co-driver for Garry Rogers Motorsport.
In 2003, he completed his first full-time V8 Supercars season. He joined Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2006, which changed his life. He has won over 123 races.
8. Michael Ammermüller
Next up on our list is Michael Aumermüller. He races for BWT Lechner Racing. He was born on 14th February 1986 in Pocking, Germany.
Michael drove the number three car in German Formula Renault in 2004 and competed in the Red Bull Racing Formula One team in the 2006 season.
The racer acted as a third driver for the last three Grand Prix of 2006. Later in 2007, he was signed by Red Bull as a full-time tester.
He raced at the International Formula Master series in 2008. Michael debuted in Porsche Supercup in 2012.
Similarly, he has won 11 championships and had his best finish in 2017, 2018, and 2019 when he came first.
- 2000 ADAC GT Masters champion
- 2017-2019 Porsche Supercup winner
7. Kevin Harvick
At number 7 on our list is Kevin Michael Harvick. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series as no.4 for Stewart-Haas Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as no.5.
The racer drives the Ford Mustang (no.4 and 5). He was born in Bakersfield, California, on 8th December 1975.
Similarly, he started go-karting in his childhood after his parents bought it for him as a kindergarten graduation gift.
He joined college wanting to major in architecture but dropped out later to pursue a racing career.
Harvick made his official debut in 1995 at Craftsman Truck Series at Mesa Marin Raceway in his hometown.
He finished 27th in the race with his car number 72.
He made his first NASCAR Busch Series debut in the no. 2 Chevrolet. The racer made his debut in Cup Series in 2001.
He won his first career Winston Cup race in 2001 by only six one-thousandths of a second (.006). Since then, he has won over 119 matches and came into the top 10 in over 728 matches!
He is ranked 16th in the recent Cup series.
- The Best Position in 2014 (1st)
- 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star race winner
- 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Rookie of the year
- 2015 ESPY Awards Best Driver
6. Kyle Larson
On number 6 is Kyle Miyata Larson. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup series as no. 5 and weekly in Dirt late model competitions for Rumley Motorsports as no. 6.
He drives the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE (no.5). The racer was born on 31st July 1992 in Elk Grove, California.
He attended his first race with his parents only a week after his birth! However, Larson began racing at the early age of seven in outlaw karts.
Larson won his first sprint car race at Placerville Speedway as one of the youngest contestants. In 2012, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing signed for the racing season due to his interest in IndyCar racing.
The racer joined the Cup series in August 2013, where he has participated in over 249 races. He has won over 25 matches and has come in the top 10 in 204 races. Larson is currently ranked as 1st in Cup Series.
- 2020 Pennysilvania Speedweeks winner
- 2021 Coca-Cola 600 winner
- 2020 Hoosier Hundred winner
5. Shane Van Gisbergen
Next up, we have Shane Robert van Gisbergen. He competes in the Repco Supercars Championship.
He drives Holden ZB Commodore for Triple Eight Race Engineering as no.97. The racer was born on 9 May 1989 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Since childhood, he has had a pure interest in racing and has always wanted to know more about cars.
Gisbergen competed in Motocross, Quarter Midgets, and Karts from 1998 to 2004. He raced in Formula 1 in New Zealand and won the Rookie of the Year award for 2004/2005.
The racer went to Triple Eight Race Engineering Team in 2016.
- 2005/6 New Zealand Formula Ford Championship
- 2005/6 Rookie of the Year
- 2004/5 Rookie of the Year
4. Scott McLaughlin
On number 4, we have Scott Thomas McLaughlin. He competes in the IndyCar Series. The racer drives Dallara-Chevrolet for team Penske as no.3. He was born on 10th June 1933 in Hamilton, New Zealand.
McLaughlin was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia’s Gold Coast at nine years. He loved cars since his childhood and was fascinated by car racing. He began racing karts in 1999.
The player was with SBR in 2011 and scored the first podium of his career. In 2012, he made his debut in the Supercars Championship at the Sandown.
After supercars, he started racing in the IndyCar series review in 2020.
- The Driver’s Title in 2018, 2019 and 2020
- 17 pole positions
3. Valtteri Bottas
Next up on our list is Valettri Victor Bottas. He competes in formula 1 as no.77 from Mercedes.
He had previously driven for Williams in 2016. The racer was born on 28th August 1989 in Nastola, Finland.
In 2005, he finished eighth in the Karting World cup for P.D.B. Racing Team.
The racer moved to Formula 3 in the 2009 season. He won the 2009 Masters of Formula 3 by setting the fastest lap of the race.
He was assigned as test driver for the William Formula Three team from 2011 to 2012. Bottas joined Formula 1 in 2013, where he ranked in 8th position.
He has over 9 wins and 62 podiums with 169 entries.
- 17 pole positions
- 17 fastest laps
- 2008 Formula Renault Eurocup
- 1620 career points
2. Max Verstappen
On the 2nd of our lists, we have Max Emilian Verstappen. The racer competes in Formula 1. He drives the Red Bull Racing Honda as no.33. He was born in Hasselt, Belgium, on 30th September 1997.
The racer started karting at the young age of four. As a child, he competed in the Mini Junior championship of Belgium.
When Verstappen was 17 years, 166 days, he became the youngest driver in formula one.
He joined the Red Bull Junior Team in August 2014. Later in 2015, he became the youngest driver to take part in a Grand Prix weekend. The racer joined Honda in 2019.
Verstappen has won over 16 games and has 51 podiums.
- 14 fastest laps
- 1361.5 career points
- FIA Action of the Year 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019
- 2015 FIA Rookie of the Year
- 2016 Lorenzo Bandini Trophy
1. Lewis Hamilton
On the top of our list, we have Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton. The racer competes for Mercedes in Formula 1 with car no.44.
He drove for McLaren from 2007 to 2012. In Formula 1, he holds the records for the most wins (99), pole positions (101), and podium finishes (174)
He was born on 7th January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. The racer began karting in 1993 and very soon began winning races and championships.
He quickly became the youngest driver at the age of 10 to win the British Cadet Karting Championship.
During the initial years of his Formula 1 career, he partnered with Fernando Alonso. He is the first and only black driver to race in the series. He signed with Mercedes in 2013.
- World Driver’s Championship titles
- most wins
- most pole positions
- 1st position in 2020
- 3980.5 career points
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