Triple Crown of Motorsport
The Triple Crown of Motorsport is an unofficial motorsport achievement, often regarded as associated with the three most important achievements of a driver in motorsport, inspired by the triple crown of thoroughbred racing.
The earliest version of the Triple Crown requires that the driver wins the:
- Indianapolis 500
- 24 Hours of Le Mans
- World Drivers' Championship of Formula One
Graham Hill is the only driver to have completed the Triple Crown by either its World Drivers' Championship or Monaco Grand Prix definition. Among currently active drivers Jacques Villeneuve and Juan-Pablo Montoya have won two of three events in one version of the crown, Villeneuve having won the Indianapolis 500 & 1997 World Drivers Championship and Montoya the 2000 Indianapolis 500 and 2003 Monaco Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso however is the only active driver to have won two of three events in both versions of the crown, having won the 2018 and 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 2005 and 2006 World Drivers Championships, and the 2006 and 2007 editions of the Monaco Grand Prix. The Indianapolis 500 and Monaco Grand Prix themselves have been parts of the World Drivers Championship during various periods: the Indy 500 from 1950 to 1960, and the Monaco Grand Prix from 1950 to present.
McLaren is the only racing team to have completed the Crown, along with several manufacturers whose equipment won the component races. Equivalent concepts also exist within specific disciplines of motor racing.
Other definitions
Endurance racing
The Triple Crown of endurance racing features Le Mans and has added the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. This crown has been won by several drivers, namely Phil Hill, A. J. Foyt, Hans Herrmann, Jackie Oliver, Al Holbert, Hurley Haywood, Mauro Baldi, Andy Wallace, Marco Werner, Timo Bernhard and Nick Tandy. Many drivers have come close to winning the crown with second-place finishes in the third event, such as Ken Miles, Mario Andretti and Allan McNish.IndyCar racing
In the period of 1971–1989, Indy car racing contested their own Triple Crown. From 1971 to 1980 it consisted of the three 500-mile events on the calendar: the Indianapolis 500, Pocono 500, and California 500. Ontario Motor Speedway was closed in 1980, and the California 500 was replaced with the Michigan 500. The triple crown continued through 1989, after which the Pocono race was discontinued. No driver won all three events during the 1980s.The IndyCar Triple Crown was revived in 2013, with the 1971–80 format of the Indianapolis 500, Pocono 500, and the MAVTV 500. A $1 million bonus prize was offered for any driver to win all three races.
For 2014, Pocono returned to the 500-mile format, Fontana was moved to the season ending race in August and all three events awarded double championship points. Since the California 500's return under IndyCar sanction, it has been a night race.
In 2015, Fontana moved to July, while Pocono was the penultimate race of the season in August. Fontana was removed from the IndyCar calendar after 2015, and Pocono was removed from the IndyCar calendar after 2019
Of all variations of the IndyCar Triple Crown, only six drivers have achieved the feat over their career, namely Bobby Unser, A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Johnny Rutherford, Danny Sullivan and Rick Mears, with Al Unser the only one to achieve it in a single season, 1978.
NASCAR
The Triple Crown of NASCAR includes the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500. This crown has been won by several drivers, namely Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, David Pearson, Dale Earnhardt, Denny Hamlin, and Kevin Harvick. Many drivers have come close to winning the crown with second-place finishes in the third event, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, Mark Martin, and Bill Elliott.NHRA
The term is often used during the season in the National Hot Rod Association to refer to its three most prestigious races, the Winternationals, the U.S. Nationals, and the Finals. The Winternationals is the event that kicks off the NHRA season, held during the second weekend in February, the U.S. Nationals is often called "The oldest, richest, and most prestigious race in the NHRA," and carries the largest purse of any event on the schedule, and the Auto Club Finals at Pomona are held to mark the end of the NHRA season.Both the Winternationals, and the Auto Club Finals are held on the same track, Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, while the U.S. Nationals has been held at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis since 1961. By far, the person with the most Triple Crown wins in his division is 16-time funny car champion John Force.
American motorsport
A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti are the only drivers to have won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. Both drivers also won the Rolex 24 at Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Foyt won four editions of the Indianapolis 500, and collected seven open-wheel titles and a 24 Hours of Le Mans win. Andretti won three editions of the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 1969 Indianapolis 500, and also won four open-wheel titles, a Formula One world championship, and a class win and second overall finish at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans.Australian motorsport
In Australia, a driver is said to have achieved the "Triple Crown" if they win the Sandown 500, the Bathurst 1000 and the Supercars Championship in the same year. Only two drivers have achieved this feat: Peter Brock in 1978 and 1980 and Craig Lowndes in 1996.Japanese motorsport
The Japanese Triple Crown is achieved by winning titles in Japanese Formula 3, Super Formula, and Super GT. The only driver to have completed the feat is current Formula E driver Nick Cassidy.Active competitors who have completed two legs of the Triple Crown
, the only active drivers who have won two legs of the traditional Triple Crown are Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso. Both have won the Monaco Grand Prix, while Montoya has won the Indianapolis 500 twice and Alonso has two overall wins for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.For the alternative Triple Crown, the only active drivers who have won two legs are Jacques Villeneuve and Fernando Alonso. Villeneuve won the Indianapolis 500 in 1995 and was the F1 World Champion for 1997. Alonso was the F1 World Champion for 2005 and 2006, as well as the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 and 2019.
Villeneuve has competed in the leading class at Le Mans twice with Peugeot in 2007 and 2008, his car retiring with mechanical failure in 2007 and finishing runner-up a year later. Montoya raced at Le Mans in 2018, 2020 and 2021 but only in the privateer LMP2 class, which is not expected to challenge for an overall win. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, competed at the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, 2019 and 2020, his best position being 21st in 2020.
List of Triple Crown winners
Individuals
Events which make up the traditional and the alternative definitions are included below.| Driver | Indianapolis 500 winner | 24 Hours of Le Mans winner | Monaco Grand Prix winner | F1 World Champion | |
 f1|1962f1|1968Teams and manufacturersListed below are the teams and manufacturers to have completed the Triple Crown. Though the achievement is typically used to refer to an individual driver's achievements, some organisations have also been credited for their wins across multiple drivers., only three entities have completed the Triple Crown:
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