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The world's three biggest motorsport categories—IndyCar, F1, and NASCAR—witness the best racing drivers go head-to-head in adrenaline-packed races. Each category has that one generational talent who becomes the face of their respective racing series and its promotional efforts.
In the current generation, those names would be Alex Palou in IndyCar, Max Verstappen in F1, and Joey Logano in NASCAR. But rarely have global motorsport fans witnessed drivers from different disciplines battle it out head-to-head. As a result, it is difficult to name a G.O.A.T. in racing despite the sport being as performance-driven as any other.
But in motorsport's history, there have been only been a few versatile drivers who have raced across all three categories. Here's a look at three such drivers:
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#3 Jacques Villeneuve
Being born to the late F1 legend Gilles Villeneuve, Jacques Villeneuve was destined for success. His interest in karting developed at the young age of five but his father's death at the 1982 Belgian GP Qualifying instilled a fear of the track.
However, as time passed, he let his racing talent channel itself, rising through the ranks in Formula 4, stints in the Italian and Japanese Formula 3 championships, and Endurance championships. Villeneuve's first major leap came to the CART series (now IndyCar) in 1994, where he won Rookie of the Year, finishing sixth in the standings with one victory at the Texaco/Havoline 200.
In 1995, he upped his game, floored his rivals, and won the championship with 172 points, six pole positions (including the iconic Indy 500), and four victories. This is when F1 came calling. He joined the Williams squad in 1996, finishing runner-up to Damon Hill in his rookie year.
In 1997, he triumphed big with Williams to become the first Canadian F1 world champion, beating Michael Schumacher to the title. However, the years to come were marred by subpar results, leading to his exit from F1 in 2006.
In 2007, he began his journey to succeed in yet another discipline - NASCAR. Villeneuve competed in the stock car series across many seasons but took 14 years before tasting victory in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series at Autodromo di Vallelunga in Italy. In 2022, when he returned to the NASCAR Cup Series, he declared it as his favorite racing category:
"The most fun I've had racing has been in NASCAR... wheel to wheel and fender to fender, you can't beat the feeling in NASCAR."
#2 Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya was born into a middle-class family. Unlike Jacques Villeneuve, his exposure to the racing world was relatively limited. However, his father's passion for racing landed him in his first go-kart at age five.
In 1999, CART's Chip Ganassi Racing saw the potential Montoya possessed and gave him a three-year contract. The rookie was on the money in his first year, outclassing future four-time IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti to win the championship as its youngest-ever champion and the first rookie after Nigel Mansell to do so. In 2000, the Colombian driver also won the Indy 500 before taking his talents to F1 in 2001.
During his five-year F1 career, Montoya won seven races - four for Williams and three for McLaren. Surprisingly, owing to friction with McLaren, he left the pinnacle of motorsport midway through 2006 to race in NASCAR. He competed in the stock car series for eight years in over 250 races. Montoya recorded 24 Top 5 finishes, including two victories.
Interestingly, in 2014, he returned to IndyCar to drive for Team Penske, with whom he won his second Indy 500 in 2015. After Montoya ended his second IndyCar stint in 2022, motorsport legend Mario Andretti was full of praise for him.
"He taught us all with his versatility. He has won in Formula 1, he has won in sports cars, he has won in Indy, he has also triumphed in NASCAR… so I think he has triumphed in all the great disciplines," Mario Andretti said via Colombian newspaper El Tiempo (as quoted by Speedwaymedia).
"There is no doubt that he loves the sport very much. Other racers decide to specialize in only one area of motorsports, but he has shown his talent in the various categories. He is a very complete driver. I always enjoyed following his career. He is a great guy," he added.
#1 Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti's achievements in motorsport have been beyond exceptional. To think that his interest in cars developed while going "vroom, vroom" around the kitchen with pot lids is quite unbelievable.
Unlike Villeneuve and Montoya, Andretti raced simultaneously in NASCAR and IndyCar. Starting in 1964, he competed in the USAC stock car series. However, he tasted victories quite late, winning three races on road car courses in 1974, followed by four more in 1975.
In 1964, he also joined IndyCar and soon became the driver to beat, winning two consecutive championships in 1965 and 1966, followed by another in 1969. During this period, he also won NASCAR's Daytona 500 in 1967 with Holman Moody.
From 1968 onwards, the Italy-born driver also occasionally raced in F1, winning two races with Ferrari in 1971 despite not having a full-time contract. Fast forward to 1978, Andretti won his maiden F1 championship with Lotus.
In 1982, he returned to IndyCar and won his fourth championship in 1984, cementing him as one of America's greatest racers ever.
