The Top 10 American Racing Drivers In History

November 15, 2018

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.

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