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:
Under more recent definitions, the World Drivers' Championship is substituted for the Monaco Grand Prix (first held in 1929),[1] [2] [3] [4] In different periods all three races were parts of various FIA World Championships:
Graham Hill is the only driver to have completed the Triple Crown (both World Drivers' Championship and Monaco Grand Prix versions). Nineteen drivers in motorsports history have competed in all three legs of the current Triple Crown and have won at least one of the events.[5] Juan Pablo Montoya and Fernando Alonso are the only active drivers to have won two of the three events, needing to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Indianapolis 500 respectively to complete the Triple Crown. Under the original concept, Alonso and Jacques Villeneuve are the active drivers closest to completing the Crown – Villeneuve, like Montoya, would need to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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.
Triple Crown in 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 A. J. Foyt, Hans Herrmann, Jackie Oliver, Al Holbert, Hurley Haywood, Mauro Baldi, Andy Wallace, Marco Werner and Timo Bernhard. Many drivers have come close to winning the crown with second-place finishes in the third event, such as Ken Miles (1966 24 Hours of Le Mans), Mario Andretti (Le Mans 1995) and Allan McNish (Daytona 2012).
See also: Triple Crown (IndyCar). 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 (in May), Pocono 500 (in July - 400 miles the first year), and the MAVTV 500 (in October, held at Fontana). A $1 million bonus prize was offered for any driver to win all three races.[6]
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.
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 (prior to that, the race was held on a now demolished track in Detroit). By far, the person with the most Triple Crown wins in his division is 16-time funny car champion John Force.
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 24 Hours of 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. Mario 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 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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 (formerly the Australian Touring Car Championship) in the same year.[7] Only two drivers have achieved this feat: Peter Brock in 1978 and 1980 and Craig Lowndes in 1996.
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.[8]
, 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 (Montoya in 2003, Alonso in 2006 and 2007). Montoya won the Indianapolis 500 twice (2000 and 2015) while Alonso has two overall wins for the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2018 and 2019).
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 is the F1 World Champion for 1997. Alonso is the F1 World Champion for 2005 and 2006, along with winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in 2018 and 2019.
Events which make up the traditional (Indy 500 / Le Mans 24hr / Monaco GP) and the alternative (Indy 500 / Le Mans 24hr / F1 WDC) definitions are included below.
The drivers listed below have completed two of the three legs for either version of the Triple Crown.
| Driver | Indianapolis 500 winner | 24 Hours of Le Mans winner | Monaco Grand Prix winner | F1 World Champion | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tazio Nuvolari | — | 1933 | 1932 | |||
 Maurice Trintignant | — | 1954 | 1955, 1958 | — | ||
 Mike Hawthorn | — | 1955 | — | |||
 Phil Hill | — | 1958, 1961, 1962 | — | |||
| A. J. Foyt | 1961, 1964, 1967, 1977 | 1967 | — | — | ||
 Bruce McLaren | — | 1966 | 1962 | — | ||
| Jim Clark | 1965 | — | — | , | ||
 Jochen Rindt | — | 1965 | 1970 | |||
| Mario Andretti | 1969 | — | — | |||
 Emerson Fittipaldi | 1989, 1993 | — | — | , | ||
 Jacques Villeneuve | 1995 | — | — | [9] | ||
 Juan Pablo Montoya | 2000, 2015 | — | 2003 | — | ||
 Fernando Alonso | — | 2018, 2019 | 2006, 2007 | 2005, 2006 |
Listed 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.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15], only three entities have completed the Triple Crown:
Additionally, as an engine manufacturer only, Mercedes won the Indianapolis 500 in 1994, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1989 and the Monaco Grand Prix in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
| McLaren | 1972, 1974, 1976 | 1995 | ||
| Mercedes | 1915 | 1952 | 1935, 1936, 1937, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 | |
| Ford | 1965–1967, 1969–1971, 1995–1996 | 1966–1969, 1975, 1980 | 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1993, 1994 |