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From the TV and film stars of the 1950s to today, these are the celebrities who got behind the wheel and hit the track!
Even Celebrities Have a Need for Speed
They’ve got millions of dollars, big houses, and a lot of fame, but even celebrities need hobbies. Well, for many of them, racing is the hobby. Whether they’re putting the pedal to the metal for a movie, racing in their free time, hosting automotive reality TV shows, narrating documentaries, or trying to make a career out of competition, these celebrities are speed enthusiasts through and through.
NASCAR, rally cars, dirt bikes, Baja bugs, and motorcycles. These celebrities have driven them all! There are some undercover celebrity car enthusiasts out there, too, so some of the names on this list may surprise you. Take a look.
James Dean
James Dean may be the original celebrity racer. He does have one of the earliest races on this entire list, first competing in the Palm Springs Road Races in March 1955. A month later he raced in Bakersfield, coming in first in his class and third overall. Then, in May 1955, he competed in Santa Barbara, but didn’t finish due to mechanical issues. Dean drove several vehicles before the age of 24, but he seemed to definitely favor certain brands, including the Triumph Tiger T110 and TR5 Trophy motorcycles and Porsches like the Porsche 356 and Porsche Super Speedster.
Of course, Dean tragically died in a car accident on September 30, 1955, just before he was scheduled to race in Salinas, California. The Porsche 550 Spyder that Dean intended to drive in the Salinas Road Race didn’t yet have enough miles to qualify, so Dean decided to drive it from Los Angeles to Salinas. It was during that trip that Dean collided with the driver of a 1950 Ford Tudor that was turning left onto the highway. Now we can only speculate as to what could have been if things had been different and James Dean continued on with racing cars.
Paul Walker
If you’ve seen the Fast and the Furious, then you already know who Paul Walker is. He owned a couple dozen cars in his lifetime that included a lot of JDMs. He owned a Toyota Supra, a Toyota Celica, and a Nissan 370Z. Walker also had Chevy Nova, a Ford Bronco, and several BMW M3s in his car collection. Walker wasn’t the only one in his family with a love for cars and racing. One of his grandfathers raced factory cars for Ford in the 1960s.
Walker went to drag races growing up and ended up doing a couple of stunts in the Fast and the Furious movies. After the franchise gained steam, Walker became even more inspired to try racing, particularly circuit races. After co-founding the AE Performance Team, Walker drove a BMW E92 M3 in the Redline Time Attack racing series in 2010. Unfortunately, Walker ended up dying from a crash in 2013, but his racing legacy (even if it’s fictional) lives on through the Fast and the Furious movies.
Paul Newman
Another actor from the earlier days of Hollywood who turned to racing was Paul Newman. His interest started while filming the movie Winning in 1969. It was, appropriately enough, a movie about a racecar driver hoping to win the Indianapolis 500. Before filming, Newman trained at the Watkins Glen Racing School. From there, Newman hosted a TV special on the history of racing. In 1972, Newman raced under the name “P.L. Newman” at the Thompson International Speedway.
Newman didn’t stop at one race, though. He went on to compete in several Sports Car Club of America events and drove a Porsche 935 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979. Newman took home second place. Over the next couple of decades, Newman raced a lot of Datsuns (and then, later, Nissans) for the Bob Sharp Racing Team. Newman even set a record in 1995’s 24 Hours of Daytona, becoming the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race. Newman was 70 years old at the time of that race. He entered the race again four years later in 2005.
Newman also took part in the Baja 1000 a year earlier, in 2004, but his last race was at Watkins Glen International in 2007. To honor Newman and his history in automotive racing, he was inducted into the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame in 2009, a year after he passed away.
Frankie Muniz
Many people saw Frankie Muniz grow from boy to man over the course of his hit TV Show, Malcolm in the Middle, which lasted for seven seasons on Fox. He dabbled in acting since then, making a few movies over the years, but now he truly is making a second career out of auto racing. He’s been a longtime fan, first driving the Daytona 500 pace car in 2001, meeting Dale Earnhardt Sr. in the process. Muniz started off with the 2004 Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, finishing in seventh place. He thought about joining a team as an owner, but instead signed a two-year deal with Jensen Motorsport. He wasn’t an owner. He was behind the wheel!
Muniz started off with the Formula BMW World Final, competed in another Toyota Pro/Celebrity race, moved into the Champ Car Atlantic Series, placed second at the 2007 Sebring Winter National, and then joined a few more teams in the process. One season was cut short due to wrist surgery and then Muniz had a series of migraines and epileptic seizure issues.
Muniz wasn’t done with racing though. He took up stock car racing in October 2021 at the Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, California. By January 2022, Muniz was participating in the Automobile Racing Club of America Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway. He started racing full-time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023 and was leading in the standings at one point. Muniz continues on with racing, hoping to one day make it to the Cup Series. At 37-years-old, he’s still got some time to make it there.
Michelle Rodriguez
Paul Walker isn’t the only Fast and the Furious star on this list. No, Michelle Rodriguez, who is Lenny in the popular film franchise, also races in real life. She may not race competitively, but she does it for fun. Like Idris Elba, and others on this list, Rodriguez also mixes her automotive interests with her career decisions. The actress hosts Getaway Driver, a reality show that has a high-speed chase concept throughout a series of abandoned properties around the world.
Rodriguez hopped in the passenger seat for a lap with Lando Norris around the track at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. She also took rapper Cardi B out on the track for a few laps as part of Cardi’s Facebook reality show. Rodriguez visits different tracks several times a year just for fun, driving cars like a Ferrari 488 GTB, a Mini Cooper, and a Jaguar F-Type SVR. She reached 201 mph in the Jaguar!
Walter Cronkite
Although Walter Cronkite is known for sitting behind a news desk, he once sat behind the wheel of a racecar. Well, not just once, but several times, in fact! Cronkite was an aficionado who took his love to the races. Before he even started with CBS in 1950, Cronkite was racing as early as 1949. A lot of these races weren’t well-documented, but it’s said that Cronkite spent time racing at Bridgehampton, Lime Rock, and Watkins Glen.
He drove winning cars for Art Riley Motors at Lime Rock Park three separate times. The first time was with a Volvo PV444 in 1957. The second time was in 1958 and then again, a few years later, in 1961. Cronkite came in 40th in a Lancia in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1959. He was also the Grand Marshall for the 1959 Firecracker 250, a Daytona summer event. Eventually, from 1962 to 1981, Cronkite served as the main anchor at CBS News. Since he was the new face of the station, CBS essentially didn’t allow Cronkite to race anymore. Over the course of his racing years, however, Cronkite drove Volvo PV444, a Lotus, and a Lancia Appia Zagato. He also partook in races in other ways, like driving the pace car for the 1962 Daytona 500.
Rowan Atkinson
Does the name Rowan Atkinson seem obscure? How about Mr. Bean? Yep, the British comedy stalwart is actually an avid racer. He’s integrated his love of automobiles into his body of work, too. In 1991, Atkinson starred in a series of sketches focused on an obsession with cars. He also starred in Full Throttle in 1995. It’s not just movie work that Atkinson does. He’s been in a couple of races, too. Atkinson raced a Renault 5GT Turbo for two seasons, he drove Toyota’s H2 Yaris concept rally car at the Festival of Speed, and then drove his Aston Martin V8 Zagato in a competition for the Aston Martin Owners Club. That event actually ended up in a crash, but Atkinson wasn’t injured.
Beyond a few racing competitions, Atkinson simply drives a lot of really cool, really fast cars. Some of them (most of which he owned) include a McLaren F1, a Honda NSX, a Škoda Superb, an Audi R8, a 1939 BMW 328 Roadster, a 1989 Lancia Therma, and a Honda Civic Hybrid. Atkinson is an actor. He’s not making racing anything more than a hobby, but with cars like that in his personal collection, and the opportunity to hit the track every so often, it’s the best kind of hobby you can ask for.
Steve McQueen
We can’t talk about celebrities who raced without talking about Steve McQueen! Of course, there’s the epic car chase in Bullitt, which we covered in detail. He was considering being a racecar driver long before the movie, though. Seven years before Bullitt came out, McQueen was competing in the 1961 British Touring Car Championship. He drove a BMC Mini for that and finished third. Then Bullitt came out and the racing opportunities expanded.
McQueen (with a cast on his left foot) drove a Porsche 908 with Peter Revson in the 1970 12 Hours of Sebring race. Not only did they race, but they won, beating Mario Andretti’s team by 21.1 seconds! After that success, McQueen planned to drive the same Porsche in the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans. McQueen didn’t, though, because film executives deemed it too risky and threatened to pull their financial backing from the movie Le Mans if McQueen raced.
It wasn’t just cars that McQueen liked to drive. Motorcycle racing was another of his hobbies. He raced in off-roading competitions with a BSA Hornet. McQueen was part of the U.S. team for the International Six Days Trial, an obstacle-laden cross-country event in Germany. Many of the riders crashed a number of times in that race which caused some permanent damage. McQueen wasn’t done with motorcycles yet, though.
When several scenes in Bullitt called for riding a Triumph, McQueen readily hopped on to ride the bike himself. In fact, McQueen was going to ride a Triumph 2500 PI in the 1970 London-Mexico rally, but film commitments forced him to pull out. His schedule did allow him to take part in other races over that time period, including the 1969 Baja 1000, the 1969 Mint 400, and the 1971 Lake Elsinore Grand Prix. In 1971, McQueen funded a motorcycle documentary called On Any Sunday.
After accomplishing what he did, McQueen moved on. The wear and tear from so many crashes over the years probably didn’t help, but McQueen’s son said that’s how his dad was. When he checked something off the list, that was it. McQueen’s many efforts in motorsports, and off-roading, did get him an induction into the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978.
Tom Cruise
Another actor known for doing a lot of his own stunts is Tom Cruise, so it’s probably no surprise that he also took to racing in his free time. His interest in racing coincided with his work in 1990 when Cruise starred as a stock car driver in the movie Days of Thunder. NASCAR veteran Hut Stricklin worked as a stunt driver on the film and taught Tom some driving techniques.
A friend of Paul Newman, Cruise dabbled in driving, but he didn’t excel at it. Still, he had a passion for it. The problem was the risk that it entailed. Just like Cronkite and CBS, Tom Cruise ran into the same issue with the movie studios. Cruise was too risky to insure, so Tom had to give up a lot of his racing aspirations. As you’ve probably seen from movies like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise still gets to spend at least some time on motorcycles and in fast, fancy cars.
Idris Elba
Idris Elba is well-known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he’s also been involved in several car-related projects. There was Idris Elba: King of Speed in 2013. Then, Idris Elba: No Limits in 2015. Three episodes in King of Speed cover the history of racing cars, from NASCAR to rallying to drifting. Of course, Elba got behind the wheel of some of these cars while filming, too. In the No Limits series, Elba takes on different challenges with a Ford Fiesta R1, a dragster, and a Bentley Continental.
It was in that Bentley that Elba broke the United Kingdom flying mile speed record by driving an average 180 miles per hour. His top speed reached 186 mph as he traveled the mile-long route at Pendine Sands in Wales. In 2020, Elba took on rally driver Ken Block for a series called Elba vs. Block. The two went head-to-head in a variety of automotive stunts to prove who had the better vehicle and who was the better driver. Next up, Idris will take on Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in a rally across the Saudia Arabian desert. Though he’s never placed in a race, Elba gets to live his best motorhead life. That doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon.
Gene Hackman
Whether he was playing a villainous Sheriff in Unforgiven, a determined basketball coach in Hoosiers, or a criminal mastermind as Lex Luthor in Superman, Gene Hackman has delivered some memorable performances on the big screen. In racing? Not as much. Hackman clearly has a love for racing. After all, he raced in several races over the span of a couple of decades. First, there were the SCCA races in the late 1970s. He was driving an open-wheeled Formula Ford for those races. He also made four starts in endurance races during two seasons in the IMSA GTU Championship in 1983 and 1984.
From there, Hackman’s attempts to take part in Daytona races became a little bit spotty. He was set to drive a Ferrari 308 GTB in the Daytona 24 Hour 1978 race, but he didn’t end up participating. The same thing happened a few years later with the 1981 Daytona 6 Hours race, where Hackman was supposed to drive a Mazda RX-3. Hackman did end up making his Daytona 24 Hour debut in February 1983, though, driving a Toyota Celica. He drove a Mazda RX-7 in the 12 Hours of Sebring race in 1984, but his team didn’t finish the race.
Then, after being listed for the Daytona 24 Hours in 1985 and 1987, Hackman didn’t race. In April 1987, Hackman did win the Long Beach Grand Prix Celebrity Race, which was his last race. While Hackman didn’t become a legendary racer, he did try his hand at it and seemingly enjoyed it. Plus, he left us with an exciting cinematic car chase in The French Connection.
Michael Fassbender
This X-Men actor is also a racing enthusiast. He’s actually got quite a little resume going so far. There was the Circuit of the America in Austin, Texas, where Fassbender got behind the wheel of a Ferrari 488. He took a kart out on the tracks at the Kartodromo Pista Azzurra in Jesolo, Italy. Fassbender took up a Mk2 Ford Escort for the Rally of the Lakes in Ireland. Most recently, in 2023, he also raced in the 24 of Le Mans with a Porsche 911 RSR-19. That wasn’t his first time in Le Mans, either. He competed in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 in the European Le Mans series. He first tackled the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022.
Fassbender is quoted as saying he knows he’ll never be a professional racer, but that he’s, “super passionate about it.” That much is obvious after competing in several races already. Just how did Fassbender get started with the Porsche team? Well, it helps to know people. One introduction led to a full-on racing journey. In fact, it was a fellow actor (the next one on this list, actually) who made that initial introduction.
Patrick Dempsey
Racing isn’t just a bucket list item for Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey. The Grey’s Anatomy TV star said he’d walk away from acting just to focus on driving if he could. He raced in his spare time for several years, racking up at least some results while competing in nearly two dozen races.
They include the Rolex Sports Car Series, the Baja 1000, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Before getting behind the wheel of a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 2013, Dempsey drove a Ferrari F430 GT in the GT class in 2009 (and finished ninth) and he raced a Porsche 997 GT3-RSR in 2013. He’s also raced using a Mazda RX-8 and an Aston martin Vantage GT4 in the 2012 Grand-Am Continental Sports Car Challenge.
Dempsey hasn’t quit acting yet, which may be for the best. It takes money to compete in all those races! Not only does Dempsey race, but he also started a foundation called Dempsey Racing. The goal is to work with racing legends in order to nurture new talent to new levels of competition.
Jason Priestley
Before there was a McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy, there was Jason Priestley on the FOX drama Beverly Hills, 90210. Jason was a fan of racing from early on and being a teen idol on a successful cable television show gave him the opportunity to turn his automotive interests into racing reality. Priestley rallied a Toyota Celica All-Trac ST185 in the SCCA Pro Rally Series in the mid-90s. After that, in 1996, Priestley moved into circuit racing, driving Ford Mustangs in a few competitions, including the Motorola Cup. In 1999, Priestley was behind the wheel of a Lotus Esprit V8 during the Gumball 3000 rally.
Racing isn’t without risk, of course. Priestley learned that first-hand in August 2002 when he was injured during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway. While trying to avoid another car, he crashed his car into a wall going nearly 180 mph! With serious facial injuries, a broken back, and broken feet, it was a long road to recovery.
Just a few years later, however, in 2008 Priestley announced that he was becoming a part owner in a new IndyCar Series team called the Rubicon Race Team. He was also a part-owner of the FAZZT Race Team for the 2010 IndyCar Series. Even though he quit racing after the August 2002 accident, Priestley is still a fan of it, most recently linked to a 2019 project focusing on racing. The project was in development but hasn’t made it to air at this point.
James Garner
Like other actors on this list, James Garner developed a strong interest in car racing after making a movie about racing. The 1966 movie Grand Prix had an ensemble cast that included Garner in the role of racecar driver Pete Aron (a role originally supposed to go to Steve McQueen). As part of the filming process, Garner was placed in a two-seater version of a Formula 1 car and taken on laps reaching 149 mph. Though the movie didn’t do well financially, it gave Garner a brand-new passion in life.
Not even a year after the movie was released and Garner was already an owner in the American International Racers team. He also signed on for a 1970 documentary called The Racing Scene. After signing a three-year sponsorship with American Motors Corporation, shops owned by Garner helped prepare vehicles for the Baja 500 race. Eventually, this interest led to Garner taking part in competitions himself, including the Baja 1000 in 1969. His vehicle of choice? An Oldsmobile 442 4×4 that was built by Vic Hickey.
Garner didn’t race too many times, but he did perform his own vehicle stunts in the NBC hit show, The Rockford Files. The most famous vehicle on that show was the Pontiac Firebird Esprit, but plenty of other classics can be seen throughout the series. Garner also got to drive the Indy 500 pace car three times, first in 1975, then again in 1977, and a final time in 1985. He ended up being one of the inaugural inductees to the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978, but his involvement in racing continued on, forming a racing team to compete in the 1988 IndyCar season. The lofty plans didn’t end up moving forward, but his long-standing automotive hobby certainly kept him fulfilled.
Eric Bana
Some may know him as the original big screen version of Marvel’s Incredible Hulk. Others may know him for his roles in Black Hawk Down, Troy, or 2009’s Star Trek. Something else he’s known for is his love of racing. Bana didn’t develop this passion on the set of a movie. He actually wanted to leave school at the age of 14 so he could focus on becoming a mechanic. His father convinced him to stay in school and make racing his hobby. Since then, the Australian has entered over a dozen races, most of them taking place in his home country.
Bana purchased a 1974 XB Ford Falcon coupe as a teenager and eventually entered that same car into the 1996 Targa Tasmania, a week-long race around Tasmania. Driving a Porsche 944, Bana competed in a couple of challenges in 2004. He finished in seventh place at a Sandown Raceway event in Springvale, Australia. Bana ended up finishing in the top 10 of the 2004 season. He finished in 25th, 39th, 27th, 11th, 6th, 8th, 32nd, 9th, and 10th places during subsequent races through 2010. In 2007, Bana crashed that Falcon coupe during another Targa Tasmania event. The car was a bit banged up, but Bana wasn’t seriously injured.
Bana is now in his 50s, but he’s maintained a presence in the automotive world in other ways. In November 2009, he was a guest star on Top Gear in a segment where celebrities raced “reasonably priced cars.” There was also Love the Beast, a 2009 a documentary about Bana entering his car in the Targa Tasmania rally. When he’s not working, he’s always got his extensive car collection to drive around as well. Some of the cars parked in his garage include a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a 1958 Porsche 356 A Speedster, a 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB 4 Daytona, and, of course, that ‘74 Ford Falcon.
