There are some drivers that have names that just make it sound like they belong in the sport. Like, imagine Stirling Moss. That’s a good, solid name for a British race car driver, and it just sounds like he belongs in a prestigious sport like Formula One. Or you have someone like Fireball Roberts, who just fully belongs in NASCAR. But other drivers… well… they’ve got some goofy-ass names. And today we’re going to run through some of the best.
History has forgotten Dick Seaman due to the fact that he was one of the only British drivers to ever compete for Nazi Germany in Grand Prix racing, and that’s a shame, because he could have had a long, fruitful life as a meme.
I just learned about the iconic Dick Passwater this week, and he quickly became the inspiration for this article. This man’s name is literally peepee. An icon.
Yes, yes, we have to get the dick jokes out of the way early. But Dick Trickle is one of the most iconic names in motorsport history. Unfortunately, his life story is a little sobering.
Believe it or not, Hollingsworth “Worth” McMillion was a NASCAR driver, not the very obvious villain in a kid’s show about the evils of capitalism. A bold name for a man whose best finish was 30th.
I’m trying to imagine what it was like to grow up as open-wheel feeder series racer Sting Ray Robb. Did he just go by Sting? Did his friends insist upon calling him Sting Ray? I need to know more, because this is one of those names that just doesn’t seem like it can exist on anything but a full name basis.
Does Lawless Alan have a normal person’s name hiding somewhere in the distance? I have no idea. But this NASCAR Truck Series driver should be winning races based solely on the fact that his name would look great on a trophy.
Coy Beard is one of those names that I want someone to draw. A shy, flirty beard. Someone, make this happen.
I simply cannot imagine a cooler surname than “Dragon.” Late-model racer Scott Dragon is one lucky, lucky man.
This one is mostly just funny if you know that ‘fuoco’ means ‘fire’ in Italian. If I were Antonio Fuoco, I’d start going by Tony Fire at every possible opportunity — but that’s just me.
Man, is there a cooler name than Swede Savage? Some Viking-ass, badass name? I can’t imagine that there is.
You ever hear a name where you’re like, “God, I wish that were me”? That’s how I feel about SCCA racer Gordon “Duck” Waddle. What an adorable, adorable name.
Poor Boomer Morris. He probably went most of his life without a problem, and now I can only imagine how many people respond to everything he says with, “okay, Boomer.” That’s quite the burden to bear.
Back when I was a wee teen just getting into racing, I refused to believe that Scott Speed was an actual race car driver’s actual name. Several years later, a friend painted his name on a flag and supported him at the first-ever Long Beach ePrix. It’s a wild world.
The best thing about IndyCar driver Will Power is that he totally leans into his name. His autobiography, titled The Sheer Force of Will Power, is probably the best example.