The following is an overview of the events of 1938 in motorsport including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people.
The calendar includes only annual major non-championship events or annual events that had own significance separate from the championship. For the dates of the championship events see related season articles.
| Date | Event | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3–4 April | 12th Mille Miglia | [1] | |
| 22 May | 29th Targa Florio | [2] | |
| 30 May | 26th Indianapolis 500 | [3] | |
| 13–17 June | 27th Isle of Man TT | [4] | |
| 17–18 June | 15th 24 Hours of Le Mans | [5] | |
| 9–10 July | 12th 24 Hours of Spa | [6] |
| Date | Month | Name | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | January | Swedish | Rally driver | 1975 Safari Rally winner. | [7] | ||
| 12 | March | Johnny Rutherford | American | Racing driver | Indianapolis 500 winner (1974, 1976, 1980). | [8] |
| Date | Month | Name | Age | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | September 1938 | John Stuart Hindmarsh | 30 | British | Racing driver | 24 Hours of Le Mans winner . | [9] | |
| 2 | October | André Lagache | 53 | French | Racing driver | Winner of the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans | [10] |