Along with his third profession victory on the Chicago Road Course in 2025, Shane van Gisbergen turned the winningest foreign-born driver within the historical past of the NASCAR Cup Sequence.
After all, NASCAR is a deeply American type of auto racing, so non-Individuals profitable is not precisely commonplace. Till the highest degree of the game raced in Mexico Metropolis in 2025, there hadn’t been a points-paying Cup race outdoors of the USA since 1958.
Daniel Suarez, who received the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence championship in 2016, is the one foreign-born driver to ever win a national-level title within the sport. He’s additionally the one particular person on this record to win a Cup Sequence crown jewel, claiming victory within the 67th working of the Coca-Cola 600.
However lately, NASCAR has slowly change into extra worldwide in each occasions and on-track expertise. For instance, the 2022 Cup race at Watkins Glen featured drivers from seven totally different international locations — a sequence file. And of the 11 NASCAR Cup races received by drivers born outdoors of the US, 5 of them have occurred within the final 5 years.
Drivers from seven totally different international locations have received NASCAR races on the nationwide degree, together with six within the Cup Sequence. In complete, 47 races throughout all three main divisions have been received by foreign-born drivers, with 13 coming from Canada. However this is a have a look at all of them:
Shane van Gisbergen — Auckland, New Zealand (12 wins)
Cup wins: 7 / O’Reilly wins: 5
Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos
SVG burst onto the scene in 2023 by profitable on debut with Trackhouse Racing within the inaugural working of the Chicago Road Course race. Since then, he has left behind his profession as a Supercars driver (the place he was a three-time champion) to pursue a full-time NASCAR profession. In 2025, he received 5 consecutive street/road programs in some of the spectacular rookie campaigns in NASCAR historical past, solely lacking out on the checkered flag at COTA. He continued so as to add to his win tally in 2026, profitable the COTA O’Reilly race and the Watkins Glen Cup race (once more). He additionally tried to hitch Suarez as the one foreign-born driver to win a race in all three nationwide divisions, however his finest end in Vehicles is a 3rd at Watkins Glen 2026.
Daniel Suarez — Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico (8 wins)
Cup wins: 3 / O’Reilly wins: 4 / Truck wins: 1
Daniel Suárez, Spire Motorsports
Photograph by: David Jensen / Getty Photos
Suarez, who turned a naturalized US citizen in 2024, holds the particular distinction of being the one driver born outdoors of the US to have received in all three nationwide ranges, however much more impressively, he’s the one one to change into a champion. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, he received the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Sequence championship over veteran driver Elliott Sadler. He is additionally made the playoffs twice as a Cup driver, inserting as excessive as tenth within the championship standings. Moreover, Suarez has managed to win Cup races at each a street course and on an oval, which no different driver on this record has executed. His third profession victory got here within the 2026 Coca-Cola 600, changing into the primary foreign-born driver to win any of NASCAR’s crown jewel races.
Marcos Ambrose — Launceston, Tasmania, Australia (7 wins)
Cup wins: 2 / O’Reilly wins: 5
Race winner Marcos Ambrose
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos
Ambrose is one other Supercars champion, profitable the title twice earlier than making the transfer to NASCAR. He positioned as excessive as 18th within the Cup standings throughout his profession, however managed to win a variety of street course races — particularly at Watkins Glen. He received three consecutive Xfinity races at WGI, and each of his Cup wins got here there as nicely. He was very near snagging a number of different wins, together with some oval races, but it surely by no means fairly went his means. Ambrose additionally has extra wins than some other foreign-born driver in Xfinity Sequence historical past, however each Suarez and SVG are near matching him.
Ron Fellows — Windsor, Ontario, Canada (6 wins)
O’Reilly wins: 4 / Truck wins: 2
Victory lane: race winner Ron Fellows celebrates
Photograph by: Eric Gilbert
Fellows was a real street course ringer and an completed sports activities automotive racer, displaying up every time NASCAR arrived at a street course to show inventory automotive’s finest a lesson or two. He practically received on the Cup degree as nicely, ending as excessive as second, however his true success got here within the decrease two divisions. He received 3 times at Watkins Glen within the Xfinity Sequence and twice within the Truck Sequence. He additionally earned an Xfinity win at Montreal for his closing win in 2008.
Stewart Friesen — Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada (4 wins)
Truck wins: 4
Stewart Friesen, Halmar-Friesen Racing Toyota
Photograph by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos
Friesen is a full-time driver within the NASCAR Truck Sequence with twin citizenship in each the US and Canada. Together with a powerful profession within the dust racing scene, he has began 200 Truck races, making the Championship 4 as soon as and profitable 4 races between 2019 and 2025. He’s at the moment the winningest foreign-born driver in Truck Sequence historical past.
Juan Pablo Montoya — Bogotá, Colombia (3 wins)
Cup wins: 2 / O’Reilly wins: 1
Victory lane: race winner Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet celebrates
Photograph by: Adriano Manocchia
It is no shock that some of the versatile racers on the planet has had success in inventory automotive racing. He’s a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500, a confirmed race winner in F1, in addition to an IMSA champion, however Montoya can also be a really succesful NASCAR driver. He first received at Sonoma in 2007, occurring to gather Rookie of the 12 months honors. He received once more at Watkins Glen in 2010, however he was additionally agonizingly near profitable the celebrated Brickyard 400 on multiple event. He positioned as excessive as eighth within the NASCAR Cup Sequence championships standings, which is tied for the best ever for a non-American driver.
Nelson Piquet Jr. — Brazilian however born in Heidelberg, West Germany (3 wins)
O’Reilly wins: 1 / Truck wins: 2
Victory lane: race winner Nelson Piquet Jr. celebrates
Photograph by: Motion Sports activities Images
The son of a Components 1 World Champion and an ex-F1 driver himself, Piquet managed to win two of his three races on ovals. He positioned seventh within the 2012 NASCAR Truck Sequence championship after two oval victories, however in that very same yr, he additionally received within the Xfinity Sequence at Street America. Piquet’s time in NASCAR was relatively temporary, making his closing begin when he was simply 30 years outdated.
Mario Andretti — Montona, Istria, Kingdom of Italy (1 win)
Cup wins: 1
Race Official Mario Andretti
Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz
The patriarch of probably the most legendary household in American racing initially got here from Italy. The place he was born is now a part of modern-day Croatia however he spent most of his life as an American citizen. His accomplishments are seemingly countless, profitable the whole lot from the Indianapolis 500 to the Components 1 World Championship, however in NASCAR, he solely received a single race. Nonetheless, there isn’t a greater race he may have received within the sport, as he was victorious within the 1967 working of the Daytona 500. He led over half the crown jewel occasion, beating teammate Fred Lorenzen for the win.
Earl Ross — Fortune, Prince Edward Island, Canada (1 win)
Cup wins: 1
Earl Ross
Photograph by: ISC Archives through Getty Photos
The Canadian driver received at Martinsville in 1974, driving for the legendary Junior Johnson. He beat Buddy Baker by over a lap in that race. He additionally ended the season eighth within the championship standings, which is tied with Montoya for the perfect factors end by a non-American driver in Cup Sequence historical past. And to prime all of it off, he earned Rookie of the 12 months honors in ’74 too.
Larry Pollard — Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (1 win)
Xfinity wins: 1
Photograph by: Tom Szczerbowski/NASCAR through Getty Photos
Pollard was a crew chief for among the sport’s prime drivers, but in addition a reasonably succesful driver himself. He positioned inside the highest ten within the championship standings twice as an Xfinity Sequence driver, profitable his one and solely race through the 1987 season on the Langley quick observe. He was additionally the primary foreign-born driver to ever win an Xfinity Sequence race.
Raphaël Lessard — St-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec, Canada (1 win)
Truck wins: 1
Raphael Lessard, Kyle Busch Motorsports, Toyota Tundra Canac
Photograph by: Andrew Coppley
Lessard was simply a youngster when he earned his solely victory within the NASCAR Truck Sequence. Whereas competing full-time in 2020, he led simply the ultimate lap at Talladega Superspeedway. He was side-by-side for the lead with Trevor Bayne as they battled via the ultimate set of corners, and when the race-ending warning flew, he narrowly forward and claimed the victory.
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