The 15 Best Racing Movies of All Time

Only a fistful of films person been capable to seizure the adrenaline unreserved and adventurous tone of motorsports, but those that person are thing abbreviated of a thrilling, high-octane clip astatine the cinema.

With F1 roaring into theaters, and Brad Pitt getting down the instrumentality of a Formula One contention car, we've scoured the past period for the champion racing movies of each time, and the 15 finalists present correspond a diversely entertaining postulation of quality dramas and contests of will.

Movies centered astir cars day backmost to the 1920s erstwhile the U.S. was coming into its ain arsenic a car-filled nation. Cars and car films person travel a agelong mode since then, but they're inactive arsenic adrenaline-pumping arsenic ever. Major Hollywood stars similar Tom Cruise, Steve McQueen, Chris Hemsworth, and Matt Damon person headlined racing films implicit the past century, with the play of that satellite creating a "sports film" dissimilar each the rest. The stakes tin beryllium idiosyncratic glory, technological innovation, or—you know—busting nefarious transgression syndicates, making car-racing flicks a genuinely captivating sub-genre.

Here are the 15 champion racing movies of each time!

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Considering wherever the Fast and Furious saga went, 10 films and 1 spinoff later, it's casual to hide it each started with thoroughfare racing successful 2001's The Fast and the Furious. Things yet became the A-Team with cars, past James Bond with cars, and now... Star Wars with cars?... truthful it's amusive to look backmost astatine the original, which was, er, Point Break with cars. An undercover bull (the precocious Paul Walker) becomes portion of a heist unit (led by Vin Diesel) successful bid to instrumentality down their hijacking ring. It's weird to telephone this coagulated enactment movie a "humble" beginning, but things conscionable get nuttier from here.

Fast and the Furious bloomed into an MCU-rivalling mega franchise, and its adjacent section arrives sometime successful 2026 with an untitled Fast X sequel confirmed. See our usher connected however to ticker the Fast and Furious movies successful bid to drawback up connected the bid truthful far.

Ford v. Ferrari (2019)

James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) crafted this Oscar-nominated communicative astir a squad of American and British engineers hired by Ford to physique a contention car that could decision the famed Italian racing squad of the '60s. Matt Damon and Christian Bale are astatine the apical of the measure for this one, supported by a large ensemble that includes The Punisher's Jon Bernthal, Outlander's Caitríona Balfe, and Josh Lucas. Ford v. Ferrari is simply a gripping tale, blending history, design, and character.

Days of Thunder (1990)

Tom Cruise reunited with Top Gun manager Tony Scott for this effective, pulse-pounding aboriginal "Tom Cruise movie" (i.e. Tom Cruise starts aloof and cocky, gets humbled and learns to not beryllium an a-hole). Days of Thunder besides was large for Nicole Kidman, breaking her successful with American audiences successful this flashy, fast-paced communicative of racing rivals Cruise and Michael Rooker, who find relationship and redemption aft a large accident. Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, and Cary Elwes besides star.

Speed Racer (2008)

The Wachowskis' gonzo, hyper-color large surface adaptation of 1960s anime Speed Racer lights up similar lightning, delivering a boisterous special-effects extravaganza. Emile Hirsch stars arsenic Speed Racer, a young antheral whose beingness and emotion has ever been racing. Born into the business, and astatine the helm of his Mach 5, Speed Racer turns down an connection from the caput of Royalton Industries, on the mode inadvertently uncovering a firm crippled to hole races. With Christina Ricci arsenic Trixie and Matthew Fox arsenic Racer X, this fantastical cartoon-o-lama is Formula One household fun.

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

A roadworthy movie and racing movie successful one, starring euphony prima James Taylor and Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, Two-Lane Blacktop present celebrates cult presumption decades later. This funny, poignant trek follows a mechanic and a driver, who contention and support their 1955 Chevy, traveling crossed America with nary peculiar destination successful mind. In the years since its release, the movie has besides go notable arsenic a clip capsule for U.S. Route 66 during the pre-interstate road era.

Senna (2010)

Tracking the beingness and decease of Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna, this documentary is simply a profoundly engaging look astatine the Formula One vocation of the legendary racer, putting you successful the driver's spot for some genuine thrills... and genuine heartache.

Gran Turismo: Based connected a True Story (2023)

The real-life communicative of British teen Jann Mardenborough -- a Gran Turismo subordinate who became a nonrecreational racing car operator -- made its mode to the large surface for a coagulated underdog racing movie starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom. Neill Blomkamp, replacing Joseph Kosinski (who's present directed F1), helms this heartwarming communicative with authenticity and optimism.

Cars 3 (2017)

Cars 3 -- which immoderate fans similar the champion retired of the Cars trilogy -- sees (now) seasoned racer Lightning McQueen successful information of being forced to retire, giving america a poignant communicative pulsing with dazzling animation. It's the astir Pixar-feeling of the Cars movies, filled with affectional depth, lasting arsenic a triumphant betterment implicit Cars 2.

Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman (2015)

This compelling documentary from Adam Carolla chronicles the 35-year racing vocation of iconic movie prima (and dependable of Doc Hudson successful Pixar's Cars movies) Paul Newman -- and his racing beingness arsenic some a operator and owner. It's a loving, energetic representation that shines a spotlight connected a fascinating footnote to Newman's storied vocation and legacy.

Driven (2001)

Sylvester Stallone wrote and starred successful (and astir apt shade directed) Driven, utilizing galore of his tried and existent Rocky themes successful the communicative of a seasoned contention operator coming retired of status to assistance a talented rookie triumph an car racing championship. Envisioned arsenic a Formula One movie, Stallone pivoted to CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams), which folded not agelong aft the movie opened. Despite having immoderate genuinely thrilling racing scenes, the movie was a box-office bust.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

A batch of laughs tin besides beryllium recovered connected the racetrack, arsenic demonstrated by Adam McKay's Talladega Nights, 1 of comedian Will Ferrell's magnificent, quotable "heyday" films. Ferrell stars arsenic numbskull NASCAR idol Ricky Bobby -- a simple, palmy idiot who falls from grace aft helium finds decision astatine the hands of a French Formula One champion (Sacha Baron Cohen). The film's all-star ensemble includes John C. Reilly, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan, Leslie Bibb, Jane Lynch, and Amy Adams successful 1 of the top drama movies.

Rush (2013)

The MCU's Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl prima successful this finely-tuned sports play from Oscar-winning manager Ron Howard, astir the famed rivalry betwixt James Hunt and Niki Lauda during the 1976 racing season. Strong performances and exciting, exhilarating racing scenes assistance propulsion Rush past the decorativeness line.

Check retired much Chris Hemsworth movies.

Grand Prix (1966)

Winner of 3 Academy Awards, and directed by The Manchurian Candidate's John Frankenheimer, Grand Prix includes real-life racing footage wrong its reels, adding to the authenticity of the story. Following 4 Formula One drivers -- with an planetary formed including James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, and Antonio Sabàto -- Grand Prix takes viewers done a fictionalized mentation of the 1966 Formula One season. A visually vibrant film, Grand Prix presented racing connected the surface successful a mode that had ne'er been done before.

Death Race 2000 (1975)

From the pioneering authenticity of Grand Prix to a bully ol' clip astatine the movies with Death Race 2000. David Carradine stars successful this glorious Roger Corman spectacle of schlock astir a dystopian aboriginal nine wherever a casualty-filled Transcontinental Road Race entertains the masses, becoming our caller nationalist pastime. Maligned astatine first, Death Race 2000, which besides stars Sylvester Stallone and The Karate Kid's Martin Kove, is present considered a cult classic.

Le Mans (1971)

You've seen that overmuch of this database focuses connected the '60s and '70s racing scene, with adjacent Speed Racer being based connected a racing anime from that era. Le Mans, starring Steve McQueen, is similar Grand Prix successful that it contains real-life racing footage amidst a fictionalized story, though Le Mans besides comes with supplemental viewing successful the signifier of the 2015 doc Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans, astir the actor's thrust (heh) to marque a movie astir his passion: race-car driving. Le Mans itself, too, is simply a must-watch for contention fans.

That's it for our picks of the champion racing movies of each time! Has our database revved your engine, oregon has your favourite missed a spot connected the podium? Let america cognize successful the comments.

Looking for much movies that specify their genre? Take a look astatine our picks for the champion spy movies and the champion thriller movies of each time.

New Racing Movies successful 2025

F1, starring Brad Pitt. F1 follows a operator who comes retired of status to vie alongside a rookie successful Formula One and is owed for merchandise connected June 27, 2025.

Note: This database was updated connected June 25, 2025, with adjacent much picks for the champion racing movies. It was primitively published connected May 12, 2023, arsenic a apical 10.