10 celebrities who also raced cars
While not everyone may be aware of the celebrities that have gotten behind the wheel, Hollywood has been filled with these multi-talented stars for decades.
Celebrities – they’re good looking, talented, and rolling in cash. And while the gossip magazines would tell you they’re ‘just like us’ it is apparent that they are not like us, particularly when it comes to those who also have the skills to be a race car driver! There’s no shortage of celebrities that crave the need…the need for speed.
Steve McQueen
He was the “King of Cool” and reined Hollywood during the 1960s and 1970s, but Steve McQueen was also an avid motorcycle and racing enthusiast. Regularly doing his own stunts in movies, he wasn’t afraid to get behind the wheel when a role called for it. He competed in a number of races, including the 12 hours of Sebring, and even came in third in the 1961 British Touring Car Championship driving a BMC Mini at Brands Hatch.
McQueen, who was once famously quoted saying “I’m not sure whether I am an actor who races or a racer who acts”, was also a competitor in a number of off-road motorcycle races, including the prestigious 1964 6-Day International Motorcycle Enduro in East Germany, the Baja 1000, and Mint 400.
Rowan Atkinson
Yes that’s right, Mr. Bean himself is a SERIOUS car lover. An avid collector and driver, the British comedian regularly shows up to participate at the Goodwood Historic races, as well as other enthusiast events around the UK.
In the 80s, he raced a Renault 5 Turbo in a manufacturer spec series, however his driving life hasn’t been without its fair share of unfortunate crashes, including wrecking his very rare, very expensive McLaren F1 not just once, but twice.
Caitlyn Jenner
Try and Keep Up with Caitlyn on the racetrack! The Olympic gold medalist isn’t just a champion when it comes to the decathlon, but also when she gets behind the wheel!
As well as owning her fair share of classic cars, in the 1980s, Jenner also competed with Roush Racing in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring. In the mid-80s, she won her class at Sebring, and finished fifth overall.
Patrick Dempsey
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Dr. McDreamy is also a speed demon! The former Grey’s Anatomy actor has 68 races to his name, which includes four starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the World Endurance Championship, Grand-Am, ALMS, and its successor, the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
During his time behind the wheel, Dempsey won nine podiums, in races like the 24 Hours of Daytona, the Sebring 12 Hours, and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Although he has stepped away from driving, he still runs his own Dempsey-Proton team.
James Dean
He was the original ‘Rebel Without A Cause’, and although his career was cut-short by a tragic racing incident, Dean showed great potential when it came to racing. He placed first in his class at his first-ever pro event, and second overall.
A month later he came first in his class again, and third overall. His dream was to compete in the Indianapolis 500, but his busy acting career was first priority, with studios banning him from racing while filming a movie.
Michelle Rodriguez
She may star in the Fast and the Furious franchise, but the actress is also known for her real life love of racing!
Rodriguez is known for getting behind the wheel on track days, high-performance driving experience programs, and doing fast laps in a Ferrari 488 GTB, spinning around in a MINI Cooper and flooring it in a Jaguar. No wonder she has so much inspiration!
Jason Priestley
He was the heartthrob in 90210 that every 90s girl dreamt of, and while they pined for him, in the mid-90s Priestley raced a Toyota Celica ST185 in the SCCA Pro Rally Series. Once he had transitioned to circuit racing, he competed in Ford Mustangs, and the Motorola Cup, as well as Firestone Indy Lights.
A near-fatal racing accident in 2002 left him with serious injuries and saw him move away from racing, however he has been a co-owner of an IndyCar team.
Eric Bana
Australia’s very own in Hollywood is a Ford man, and has been involved in racecar and rally driving for as long as he’s been acting and has been racing Porsche Cup cars for some time.
In the film Love The Beast he documents rebuilding his ‘74 Ford XB Falcon, and then proceeding to crash it during the Targa Tasmania Rally.
Paul Newman
Hands down quite possibly the best celeb driver of all time. He competed in countless SCCA races, and won a total of four national championships, as well as at Le Mans in 1979, where he placed first in his class and second overall in a Porsche 935.
During the 1980s, he drove a variety of Nissans and Datsuns for Bob Sharpe Racing in Trans Am and started a Can-Am team, which gained success. It seems “age is nothing but a number” for Newman, having won in his class at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona at the age of 70 (which made him the oldest person to win the event!). 10 years later, in 2005 he raced Daytona again, and at the age of 81 and took the pole at his last professional race. Impressive!
Frankie Muniz
If you’ve been wondering what Malcolm in the Middle has been doing lately, look no further than the racetrack. Muniz first raced in 2001 at the Daytona 500 pace car, although his racing career didn’t really start until the 2004 Toyota Pro/Celebrity race in Long Beach.
He returned to the race a year later in 2005, taking out 3rd spot on the podium, before signing a two-year contract as a driver for Jensen Motorsport but unfortunately failed to score any points during the entire 2006 season. He moved up to the Champ Car Atlantic Series in 2007 and kept racing until 2009.
2011 was his comeback to the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, he started the race in 15th place and managed to cross the finish line in 4th.
