Greatest Auto Racing Families

SI Staff | May 24, 2006

Greatest Auto Racing Families /

Greatest Auto Racing Families

Unser

Any list of the top auto racing familes -- we're talking strictly NASCAR and Indy cars -- is fodder for debate. But it's hard to argue against the Unsers at No. 1 The Unsers have piled up nine Indy 500 wins, a staggering number. Al Unser Sr. won Indy a record four times, while brother Bobby won three times and son Al Unser Jr. won twice. Don't be surprised if Al Unser III, just 23 and moving up the ranks, adds to the total. (Pictured from left: Al Unser Jr. and Al Unser Sr.)

Petty

Lee Petty is the patriarch of this NASCAR dynasty. He won three Cup championships and the inaugural Daytona 500. Richard, Lee's son, won 200 races -- almost twice as many as any other driver in the history of NASCAR -- and seven Cup titles. Grandson Kyle has won eight Cup races, while Kyle's late son, Adam, became the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history. (Pictured from left: Adam, Lee, Richard and Kyle Petty.)

Earnhardt

All three generations of Earnhardts have been big NASCAR winners. Grandfather Ralph Earnhardt won two Sportsman titles, then father Dale Earnhardt captured seven Winston Cup championships. Both were named to the list of the top 50 drivers in NASCAR history in 1998, about the same time Dale Jr. was winning his two Busch championships. Dale Jr. then joined his father, who died in 2001 while competing at Daytona, as a winner of the Daytona 500 in 2004. (Pictured from left: Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Jr.)

Andretti

Mario Andretti is one of the most versatile drivers in the history of racing. Mario ranks second all-time in Champ Car wins, while his son, Michael, ranks third. Mario's nephew John has had success in several types of racing while his grandson, Marco, has qualified for the Indy 500 this year for the first time. (Pictured from leftt: Mario and Michael Andretti.)

Allison

A big part of the Alabama gang, the Allisons excelled in NASCAR and dabbled in the Indy 500. Brothers Donnie and Bobby each raced twice in the Indy 500, while Bobby was named one of the top drivers in NASCAR history in 1998. Bobby's son, Davey, was a Winston Cup Rookie of the Year and won a Daytona 500 like his father, but his career was cut short when he died in a helicopter crash. (Pictured from left: Bobby and Donnie Allison.)

Foyt

A.J. Foyt Jr. is the first four-time winner of the Indy and the only driver to win the Indy 500, the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of LeMans. So far he's the only big winner in the family, though his grandson, A.J. Foyt IV, has shown promise. Larry Foyt, the middle generation of the family, alas produced few successes on the track. (Pictured from left: Larry Foyt and father A.J. Foyt.)

Mears

Rick Mears won three Champ Car titles and is one of three drivers to win the Indy 500 four times. His brother, Roger Mears, raced off-road and at Indy. Casey Mears, Roger's son and Rick's nephew, is a promising youngster on the Nextel Cup circuit. (Pictured from left: Roger and Casey Mears.)

Jarrett

Ned Jarrett won 50 races and two titles on NASCAR's top circuit, then watched his two sons race Winston Cup. Dale Jarrett won the family's third title and has added three Daytona 500s to the family treasures. (Pictured from left: Dale and Ned Jarrett.)

Waltrip

Older brother Darrell is one of the best in history, winning three Winston Cup titles and a Daytona 500. Michael adds two more Daytona 500 victories to the family collection. (Pictured from left: Darrell and Michael Waltrip.)

Labonte

Terry and Bobby Labonte are the only brothers to both win Nextel Cup titles. Terry has two Cup titles, while Bobby is the only driver to win both Busch and Cup titles. Bobby won another Busch title as a car owner. (Pictured from left: Bobby and Terry Labonte.)

Baker

Buck Baker twice won Cup titles, while his son Buddy won the 1980 Daytona 500. (Pictured: Buddy Baker.)

Wallace

Rusty won a Winston Cup championship, while his brothers Mike and Kenny have been NASCAR regulars for more than a decade. (Pictured from left: Kenny and Mike Wallace.)

Busch

Kurt is only 27 and already has a Nextel Cup title on his résumé. Younger brother Kyle is just getting started and appears to have as much talent as his older brother. This family will quickly move up this list over the next few years. (Pictured from left: Kurt and Kyle Busch.)

Bettenhausen

Melvin "Tony" Bettenhausen raced in the Indianapolis 500 from 1946 to 1960, then crashed and died at the track during a practice in '61. He was a two-time USAC national champ. He had three sons who raced, with Tony Lee Bettenhausen -- who died in a plane crash in 2000 -- driving Indy cars from 1979 to 1993. (Pictured: Tony Bettenhausen Jr.)

Bodine

Geoffrey, Brett and Todd Bodine raced in NASCAR and are perhaps best known for the family feud that broke out at the first Brickyard 400. Geoffrey is by far the best of the three, having won a Daytona 500 and been named one of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history in 1998. (Pictured from left: Todd, Geoffrey, Brett and Barry Bodine.)

Lazier

Bob Lazier and his two sons, Buddy and Jaques, have all raced in the Indy 500. Buddy won the race in 1996, the first year it was an IRL event. (Pictured: Buddy Lazier.)

Luyendyk

Arie won the Indy 500 twice, while his son, Arie Jr., qualified for the 2006 race. (Pictured from left: Arie Jr. and Arie Luyendyk.)

Burton

Jeff and Ward have been solid but not spectacular Nextel Cup drivers since the early 1990s. (Pictured from left: Ward and Jeff Burton.)

Other Racing Families

Don't worry, we haven't overlooked families such as the Fabulous Flock Brothers, who won 63 races at NASCAR's top level (Tim Flock won 40 races and the 1952 championship but is probably best known for racing with a monkey as his co-pilot), or the Vukovich clan (Bill Sr. won the Indy 500 twice, while Billy Jr. and Billy III both won Rookie of the Year honors at Indy) or the DePalmas (the only family besides the Unsers with two generations of winners at the Indy 500). Alas, our family album didn't have their photos.

Published May 24, 2006

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