Kyle Larson was not the first driver to take part in both the Cup Series and IndyCar and he’s not going to be the last. However, only a select few have achieved success in both competitions. Winning in a stock car race and an open-wheel race requires versatility of a different level. It’s no surprise that racers who have won races in both races are considered to be some of the greatest motorsports athletes of all time. Here’s a look at five of the very best from that pool.
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5. AJ Allmendinger – The veteran race car driver has achieved several race victories in open-wheel racing but perhaps his most impressive run came in the Champ Car World Series in 2006. He won five races that year driving for Forsythe Championship Racing. He also has a P7 finish in the 2013 Indy 500. In the Cup Series, Allmendinger has three wins, the most recent one coming at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2023 for Kaulig Racing.
4. Juan Pablo Montoya – Montoya is renowned the world over for his run in Formula One but he was also a prolific race car driver in both NASCAR and IndyCar. He won five times in Indy, including at his debut race in the competition, the 2000 Indy 500. In NASCAR, the Columbian-born racecar driver picked up two victories at Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
3. Mario Andretti – Perhaps the greatest motorsports legend the United States has ever produced, Andretti is in a league of his own. He is a Formula One world champion, Indy 500 winner, and Daytona 500 winner among other things. He won at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1969 and at the Daytona International Speedway in 1967. He is also a USAC National Dirt Championship winner, making him one of the most complete drivers in the history of motorsports.
2. AJ Foyt – Foyt is considered by many as the greatest IndyCar driver of all time. After all, he has won more races than anyone with 67. He also has four Indy 500 wins. Foyt only ran part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series but still managed to win seven races, including the 1972 Daytona 500. The 89-year-old tried his luck in F1 as well but without any success.
1. Tony Stewart – There cannot be a conversation about drivers successful in NASCAR and IndyCar without the great Tony Stewart. He won the Indy Racing League in the 1996-97 season and has three wins in the competition. Smoke has won the Cup Series three times in his career and has amassed 49 wins. None of them were the Daytona 500, unfortunately.
