5 great US motor racing dynasties

1. The Andrettis

The flame was lit for Mario and his identical twin Aldo when they saw Alberto Ascari racing for Ferrari at Monza. When the Andretti family emigrated to the United States in 1956, the brothers never forgot what they’d experienced in Italy as their blooming love of motorsport took root on American oval tracks in midgets and sprint cars.

Eight decades later, 86-year-old Mario is revered as one of the greatest of motorsport’s all-rounders — as comfortable (and successful) in IndyCars and Formula 1 cars as he was in sports and stock cars. He won the lot: the F1 World Championship, four IndyCar crowns, the Indy 500, the Daytona 500, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Sebring 12 Hours, the Le Mans 24 Hours (OK, that one was a class win and second overall, but he at least counts it!) and even the Pikes Peak mountain climb. But what deepens the legend is how this was a family business for the Andrettis.

While Aldo’s racing exploits were limited by injury, Mario’s son Michael (pictured above, speaking to Mario from the car) is a proper chip off the old block. A multiple IndyCar champion and decent sportscar pedaller, Michael’s reputation was burned a little by his single-season F1 stint at McLaren in 1993, but he returned home not only to win more IndyCar races but also to establish his own team. Now dubbed Andretti Global, he’s built a true empire that spans most of the major racing codes and has stepped fully from his father’s shadow.

Beyond Michael and Mario, Aldo’s son John Andretti was a serial campaigner across the codes; Michael’s younger brother Jeff campaigned in the 1990s CART era; Marco, son of Michael and grandson of Mario, came close to breaking the so-called ‘Andretti curse’ at the Indy 500, finishing second on his debut at The Brickyard in 2006; Adam, son of Aldo and younger brother of John, made sporadic appearances in NASCAR classes; and Jarett, son of John and grandson of Aldo, raced in IMSA as recently as 2024.

2. The Unsers

Surely the first family of American motorsport, given the length, breadth and sheer level of success the Unsers have achieved. Between 1968 and ’94 a driver named Unser won the Indy 500 nine times, via joint record holder Al Sr. (1970, ’71, ’78 and ’87), his brother Bobby (1965, ’75 and ’81) and Al’s son, Al Jr. (1992 and ’94).

Singularly, the trio all have their place in the pantheon of American greats; together, they are the spine of a racing dynasty like no other.

‘Uncle’ Louis Unser should be considered the patriarch of the clan that heralds from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He set the tone, with a remarkable nine victories at Pikes Peak between 1934 and ’53.

Louis’ nephew, Jerry Jr., was the first Unser to take the start at Indy in 1958, with his younger brother Bobby taking his bow at the great race in 1963. But the family dynasty stretches far beyond.

Here’s the easiest way to explain the Unsers: first there were three brothers — Jerry, Bobby and Al — each of whom had one son who followed them into racing — Johnny, Robby and Al Jr. The trio of second-generation Unsers are therefore all first cousins.

And in terms of fathers and sons racing each other, the Unsers got there before the Andrettis. At Indy in 1983, 21-year-old Al Jr. lined up against his old man, where he impressed from fifth on the grid only to drop down the order. Then at a late re-start from a caution, he passed both his father and Tom Sneva, who were battling for the win, let Al Sr. back through, though didn’t make it quite so easy for Sneva…

Now that really is keeping it in the family.

3. The Pettys

Across four generations, the Pettys will always be the first family of NASCAR.

Lee Petty set the ball rolling, winning three Grand National Championships and the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. His son then picked up that ball and ran with it in a manner no one in stock car racing had seen before or since. Richard Petty is and always will be the king of NASCAR.

While Maurice Petty stoked the flame as master engine builder and crew chief, brother Richard — with his ubiquitous cowboy hat, shades and gleaming white grin beneath neatly trimmed moustache — became an American sporting icon. No one else comes close to his record 200 wins, the next-best is David Pearson on 105, although Dale Earnhardt at least equalled his mark of seven premier-tier crowns.

Richard’s son, Kyle, never got close to living up to his old man’s success, though across more than 800 races spanning nearly 30 years he did at least win eight times. He also inspired what remains our favourite motor racing-themed rock song: simply titled ‘Kyle Petty, son of Richard’ by 1990s grunge icons Soundgarden…

Sadly, the Petty story is tarnished by tragedy. Adam Petty, son of Kyle, was killed in a Busch Series race at the New Hampshire oval in 2000. He was just 19 years old.

4. The Earnhardts

The other great NASCAR family, also tinged by the worst aspect of motor racing.

Dale Earnhardt, son of stock car racer Ralph, carried three nicknames through his illustrious career. The Intimidator, The Man in Black, Ironhead… You get the picture. This was a man who was not to be messed with.

From his starting point in the 1970s, Earnhardt emerged as Petty’s successor as NASCAR’s top dog during the following decade, and eventually matched the King’s record of seven Winston Cup titles (as the top tier was then known). But in the 1990s a new force slowed his progress.

Californian Jeff Gordon was the antithesis of the North Carolinian blue-collar hero, and a rivalry was stoked that accelerated NASCAR’s popularity around the whole country, breaking through the confines of stock car racing’s traditional heartland in the southern states. Earnhardt never did make it to eight titles, although he did finally manage to win the Daytona 500 in 1998 after years of missing out on the Big One.

But his death at Daytona in 2001, in what at first glance looked an innocuous accident, traumatised NASCAR to its core. Thereafter, his son Dale Jr. became NASCAR’s most popular driver and to his credit, delivered a degree of success on his own terms.

In one regard, Dale Jr. outstripped the old man: he won the Daytona 500 three years after his father had died at the race, then did so again in 2014.

But there’s more to the Earnhardt family dynasty. Kerry Earnhardt is Dale Sr.’s oldest son from his first marriage and also raced at NASCAR’s highest echelons; his son Jeffrey was a fourth-generation racer who competed across the top classes; then there’s Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Dale Jr.’s sister who co-owns JR Motorsports with her brother.

5. The Forces

Last, but absolutely not least in our list, is the first family of drag racing. What’s refreshing about the Force family and its motorsporting endeavours is that it’s dominated by women, in a branch of racing that for generations has been way ahead of the sporting equality game.

Patriarch John Force lives up to his name as a true force of nature. He overcame childhood polio, then a lack of budget before teaming up with crew chief Austin Coil in 1985. Together, they won ten straight national championships between 1993 and 2002. A five-time winner of the US Nationals at Indianapolis, Force claimed 16 NHRA titles and 157 wins. The biggest crash of his career, at the Virginia Nationals in 2024, left him with a traumatic brain injury. But he continues to run four race teams.

His three daughters have added so much to the drag racing canon. Oldest daughter Ashley Force Hood was the first to break through, winning the US nationals in the first all-female final against Shelly Howard in 2006. She moved to the Funny Car division a year later to race against her father, becoming the class’s first female race winner and scored back-to-back victories in the US Nationals in 2009 and ’10.

Brittany Force broke the family mould by choosing Top Fuel over Funny Cars and has the most wins of any woman in the division’s history. Rookie of the year in 2013, she was a winner by 2016, then became Top Fuel World Champion a year later — the first woman to win such a crown since Shirley Muldowney 35 years earlier. Having added a second title in 2022, she stepped down from driving last year.

Courtney Force is the youngest of the Force sisters. Rookie of the year and a race winner in 2012, she went on to capture 12 victories in the nitro Funny Car class, before stepping back to raise a family with her IndyCar driver husband Graham Rahal. When it comes to racing in a straight line, the Force family know how to keep it pinned.

Tickets for the Festival of Speed are limited. Only Thursday admission remains but hospitality packages for all four days are available. Missed out on a ticket for Friday or Saturday? Find out how you can access our sold-out days with one of our new packages.

If you’re not already part of the GRRC, joining the Fellowship means you can save ten per cent on your 2026 tickets and grandstand passes, as well as enjoy a whole host of other on-event perks.  

Main image courtesy of Getty Images.