International drivers to compete in the Cup Series

As the NASCAR Cup Series gears up for its first international points-paying race since 1958 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, take a look at some notable international drivers who have tried their hand at NASCAR's highest level. 

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Daniel Suárez

Birth place: Monterrey, Mexico

Notable numbers: 302 starts, 2 wins, 23 top fives, 71 tops 10s, 3 poles

Driver insight: Suárez started his NASCAR career in the Mexico Series from 2011 to 2014, where he won 10 races. He then jumped to the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 and the series championship a year later. He's been racing full-time in the Cup Series since 2017 and became the first Mexican-born driver to win at the highest level in 2022 at Sonoma Raceway, driving the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Two years later, Suárez produced another memorable moment when he edged out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in Atlanta for his second Cup win.  

Pedro Rodriguez

Birth place: Mexico City, Mexico

Notable numbers: 6 starts, 1 top five, 2 top 10s

Driver insight: Way before Suárez, Rodriguez became the first Mexican-born driver to start a Cup Series race in 1959 at Trenton Speedway. He recorded his first top five in the World 600 at Charlotte six years later and made three more starts during the 1971 season. 

Shane van Gisbergen

Birth place: Auckland, New Zealand

Notable numbers: 29 starts, 1 win, 2 top fives, 5 top 10s, 2 poles

Driver insight: No driver had a better welcome to NASCAR than van Gisbergen. In his Cup Series debut, partnering with Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 program, the Kiwi driver stunned everyone when he charged his way to victory in the inagural Chicago Street Race. The win led to van Gisbergen becoming a full-time driver with Trackhouse in 2025 after a successful three-win rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 

Marcos Ambrose

Birth place: Launceston, Austrailia 

Notable numbers: 227 starts, two wins, 18 top fives, 46 top 10s, 2 poles

Driver insight: Hailing from Australian V8 Supercars, where he was a two-time champion, Ambrose spent six full-time seasons from 2009 to 2014 at the Cup Series level. In 2011, driving for Richard Petty Motorsports, he became the first Australian-born driver to win at NASCAR's highest level at Watkins Glen International. A year later, Ambrose successfully defended his win by beating out Brad Keselowski in an action-packed final dash to the checkered. 

Juan Pablo Montoya

Birth place: Bogotá, Colombia 

Notable numbers: 256 starts, two wins, 24 top fives, 59 top 10s, 9 poles

Driver insight: Montoya has had success in Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR, including two Indianapolis 500 triumphs. From 2007-2013 he competed full-time in the Cup Series winning two road course races, Sonoma (2007) and Watkins Glen (2010). In 2009, he qualified for Cup Series Playoffs and finished eighth in the final standings. During the 2024 season, Montoya partnered with 23XI Racing for a one-off start at Watkins Glen. 

Earl Ross

Birth place: Fortune Bridge, Canada

Notable numbers: 26 starts, one win, five top fives, 10 top 10s

Driver insight: While there have been plenty of Canadian drivers to make starts in the Cup Series since 1952, only one has gone to Victory Lane. Ross did that during the 1974 season at Martinsville Speedway driving for Junior Johnson. While he ran 21 out of the 30 points-paying races that season, Ross finished the season eighth in the driver standings.  

Mario Andretti

Birth place: Montona, Kingdom of Italy (present day Motovun, Croatia)

Notable numbers: 14 starts, one win, one top five, three top 10s 

Driver insight: A name synonymous with motorsport. Andretti became the first driver born outside of the United States to win a Cup Series race, and he did it in the 1967 Daytona 500 to boot. Though he only made 14 starts in the Cup Series, Andretti's other two top 10s came weeks prior to his crown-jewel win at Riverside and Daytona. 

Mike Rockenfeller

Birth place: Neuwied, Germany

Notable numbers: Five starts

Driver insight: Scoring championship titles across four different series, 'Rocky' first made his apperance in the Cup Series back in 2022 with Spire Motorsports at two road-course races (Watkins Glen and the Roval). He returned for three more starts the next season with Legacy Motor Club -- adding in the Indianpolis Grand Prix. As former overall winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rockenfeller was also tapped by Hendrick Motorsports to join forces with Jensen Button and seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson to help make history with the Garage 56 entry at the 100th running of the iconic race. 

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Jensen Button

Birthplace: Frome, United Kingdom

Notable numbers: Three starts

Driver insight: The 15-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner and 2009 F1 champion made three starts with Rick Ware Racing in 2023 (Circuit of The Americas, Chicago Street Race and Indianapolis Grand Prix).  Button was a part of the aforementioned Garage 56 driver trio that logged 285 laps around the 8.5 mile track and finished 39th overall in a field of 62 entries. 

Kimi Räikkönnen

Birthplace: Espoo, Finland 

Notable numbers: Two starts 

Driver insight: The 2007 Formula 1 champion teamed up with Trackhouse Racing to become the first driver to be featured in Project 91 -- the team's gateway to field elite motorsports competitors outside the stock-car world in a unchartered entry. The 21-time Grand Prix winner made starts at Watkins Glen (2022) and Circuit of The Americas (2023). Back in 2011, "The Iceman" competed in a double-duty weekend at Charlotte in the Xfinity and Truck Series. 

Kamui Kobayashi

Birthplace: Amagasaki, Japan

Notable numbers: Two starts

Driver insight: Kobayashi spent most of career competing in Formula 1 and the FIA World Endurance Championship. He made two starts with 23XI Racing -- Indianapolis Grand Prix (2023) and Ciruit of The Americas (2024). 

Hélio Castroneves

Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil

Notable numbers: One start 

Driver insight: A decorated IndyCar driver with 31 series wins and 50 poles who has also climbed the fences at the Brickyard in four Indianapolis 500 triumphs (2001, '02, '09 and '21), Castroneves became the latest driver to hop in the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and make his debut in the Cup Series by running the 2025 Daytona 500.

Katherine Legge

Birthplace: Guildford, United Kingdom

Notable numbers: One start

Driver insight: Legge is the most recent international driver to compete the Cup Series, competeing at Phoenix this season. She has raced in the Indianapolis 500 multiple times, including the 2023 race, where she set the record for the fastest qualifying time by a woman. Legge also has four class wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. She will make her next Cup start at Mexico City this Sunday. 

Other international drivers to make one or more start in the Cup Series: 

- Danill Kvyatt from Ufa, Russia (pictured)
- Will Brown from Toowoomba, Australia
- Jacques Villeneuve from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada
- Loris Hezemans from Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Alon Day from Ashdod, Israel
- Max Papis from Como, Italy
- Dario Franchitti from Scotland, United Kingdom 
- Mattias Eksrtom from Falun, Sweden
- Marc Goossens from Geel, Belgium