Who are your top 5 favorite current race drivers

and why.

Nascar
1. Marcos Ambrose- He's never angry, he always puts on a smile for the fans
2. Tony Stewart- Doesn't take any crap from others.
3. Kevin Harvick- See #2
4. Dave Blaney- Actually preforms in moderate cars
5. Regan Smith- Got screwed out of Talladega, then comes back against the odds and wins the Southern 500 for redemtion.

Izod Indycar Series
1. Mayor Hinch- Funny Online videos, doesn't talk through his butt, done everything in racing from pit road work, to driving the pace car, and is the best driver in the Andretti Camp
2. Tony Kannan- Same reasons as Hinch, has expiernce to back him up
3. Helio Castroneves- Same as 2 above
4. Will Power- flawless on road courses, plus not a bad interviewer
5. Scott Dixon- The only Ganassi driver since 2009, with a personality

Formula 1.
1. Kimi- Obvious reasons
2. Kamui Kobyashi- Banzi master, another obvious one
3. Vitaly Petrov- He's a Russian Kobyashi, but a tad bit calmer
4. Cucumber- He is the best fail driver out their
5. Sebastien Vettel- Is the only guy to dystroy the field, and maintain a personality.

What are yours

NASCAR
Jeff Gordon
Morgan Shepherd
Norm Benning
Mike Bliss
Joe Nemechek

IndyCar
Mike Conway
Justin Wilson
James Hinchcliffe
Oriol Servia
Ana Beatriz

F1
Narain Karthikeyan
Daniel Ricciardo
Charles Pic
Pastor Maldonado
Paul Di Resta

ARCA
Darrell Basham
James Hylton
Tom Berte
Wayne Peterson
Brad Smith

Nascar
1. Ryan Newman: Always has an opinion on how the racing could improve, has a nice foundation, and could beat the crap out of people.
2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: He was my first ever favorite NASCAR driver in 2000, and it kinda stuck.
3. Tony Stewart: Like Newman, he's an Indiana native, and he makes me laugh in his interviews and at his quotes.
4. Mark Martin: I've always loved the guy's never give up personality.
5. Jeff Gordon: Another one of my original favorite drivers.

Izod Indycar Series
1. Ed Carpenter: Fellow Butler Bulldog, and Indianapolis native. I like the guy's family oriented traits as well.
2. Tony Kannan- Always positive in interviews, and he backs up what he says on the track.
3. Will Power: The guy is a classic Penske driver.
4. James Hinchcliffe: The guy has a great, funny personality, and he shows speed on the track.
5. Graham Rahal: My parents were huge Bobby Rahal fans, and that kind of rubbed off on me.

Other:
1. Scott Sharp: He was my first favorite driver in my lifetime of watching racing. I remember I liked what his paint scheme when he drove for Foyt in the 90's, and I started to like the guy's personality when I heard him talk. I miss him not being in Indycar anymore, but I like what he is doing in ALMS currently.

I'm just going to go overall for this. Mainly for the fact I feel like doing the series brake down.

1. Mark Martin.
-Yes, I know he's in a limited schedule, but I don't care. I've always kind of liked Mark. He's not had the best of luck or equipment in the last couple of years, but I've always considered him a favorite.

2. Jeff Gordon.
-4-time Champion. 3-Daytona 500 winner. I'll admit this. I was not a big fan of Gordon's when I first started watch NASCAR die-hardly about 11 years ago. But, Jeff has grown on me. One of the things I really did like and maybe what brought me to like Jeff is what he did after winning Phoenix in '07 when he brought the Earnhardt flag out. True sign of respect.

3. Brad Keselowski.
-Brad. What can I say? Yes, I didn't like Brad initially. But, he like Jeff has grown on me. He's a good driver and gets aggrestive when he needs to.

4. Will Power.
-The only non-NASCAR driver I have in my top-5. I don't really know why he's there. Maybe it's the free cookies I get from him. No, that's not it. Or maybe, it's the fact that he is one of the few drivers than can take down Dario in Indycar today. That and I like that fact he speaks in mind. *Cough* New Hampshire *Cough*.

5. Carl Edwards.
-I have to honest with this one. There are two moments in my mind that cement Carl's place on my list. 1) His first Cup victory and 2) the 2008 Kansas Chase race. And I think those who know me in here know why.

The rest of the top 10 (in particular order and no explanation given unless you want one):
6. Kyle Busch
7. Tony Stewart
8. Ken Schrader
9. Kenny Wallace
10. John Force

NASCAR

Bobby Labonte
Austin Dillon
Marcos Ambrose
Tony Stewart
Mark Martin


IndyCar

James Hinchcliffe
Takuma Sato
Scott Dixon
Tony Kanaan
Will Power


Formula One

Kimi Raikkonen
Jenson Button
Mark Webber
Sebastien Vettel
Michael Schumacher


Misc.

Marcus Grönholm
Sébastien Loeb
Allan McNish
Tom Meents (I guess he counts)
James Hylton

F1
1. Kobayashi
2. Webber
3. Ricciardo
4. Raikkonen
5. Perez

NASCAR:
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Matt Kenseth

IndyCar:
1. Scott Dixon
2. Takuma Sato
3. Ryan Briscoe
4. Rubens Barrichello
5. Justin Wilson

Formula 1:
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Jenson Button
3. Kamui Kobayashi
4. Paul Di Resta
5. Mark Webber

1. Mark Martin - Long-time favorite of mine, Respectable driver and all around nice guy. I had a big grin on my face when he was leading late at Pocono, He's still got it...He was giving R&D stuff at Hendrick.

2. Brad Keselowski - He has the Earnhardt mentality of this generation of drivers, class act, tells it likes it is, and races his absolute hardest. That run last year proved to me that BK is the next breakout driver in Nascar.

3. Marcos Ambrose - All-around nice guy and a amazing driver. Some of the moves he's pulled late in the going this season have been batshit insane.

4. Regan Smith - One of the most underrated drivers in racing and that's why i like him. He's given bottom-tier equipment and has shined in it. If he get's a ride at a big team he will be champion

5. Nelson Piquet Jr. - Who would've known the guy involved in Crashgate would do really well in Nascar. He's impressed me over this last season it will be a shame if he doesn't win this year (Although he pretty much dominated Rock)

Indycar:

1. James Hinchcliffe - Hinchcliffe impressed me in his 1st season and this season with the equipment he has become a threat for the championship with the equipment he's got, Absolutely hilarious guy and has easily filled the role with the media that Danica had.

2. Takuma Sato - Taku has really grown on me this season even if the results don't show it Sato has been killer and is putting in impressive drives.

3. Will Power - Tell's it like it is and is probably the best driver in series at this time. Power is quite the likeable Aussie.

4. Simona De Silvestro - In the Past Simona has been flat out amazing, Driving low-tier cars to impressive runs, Like Regan Smith she is one of the most underrated drivers in racing and is possibly the best female driver in racing. To bad her current ride situation doesn't allow her to show these capabilities

5. Rubens Barchiello - He's proved the critics wrong and has performed really well in American Open Wheel Racing. Hell even on the ovals he looks really good.

F1:

1. Kamui Kobayashi - Amazing driver who will give it all to perform well. He will attempt to pass you at the last possible second at make it stick.

2. Sergio Perez - That run at Malayasia was nothing short of amazing and throughout his short F1 career he has put on stellar runs that come close to this.

3. Sebastien Vettel - Vettel is a really amazing driver, Pulling some amazing drives especially back in the days when he was driving for Toro Rosso.

4. Mark Webber - The vet of the series that still has some fight left in it. Always respected Webber. Has pulled some wonderful drives off himself.

5. Roman Grosjean - I'll admit when he took over Petrov's ride i was PISSED, and though he fall out of that ride before the season was half over but he has really been impressive in his 2nd run in F1. Great runs this season. especially at Montreal.

Nascar:

1. Juan Montoya - Liked Montoya in F1, mostly because he was the one one there with a real personality, and I love his aggressive attitude towards Nascar. As he put it, he's not there "to freaking cruise"

2. Marcos Ambrose - All around amazing driver and V8 Supercars champion. Real fun loving guy, always has a bright optimistic outlook on everything

3. Mark Martin - My entire life, or at least close to it, Mark has been among the top 5 drivers in the Cup series. It's a damn shame that he'll never see a championship in his amazing career

4. Brad Keselowski - At first I thought Brad was another hot-shot Kyle type kid, but his handling of the fued with Edwards and his outright stellar driving earned my respect

5. Tony Stewart - One of the funniest guys in the garage, and one of the all around best drivers there too

IndyCar:

1. Will Power - Absolutely phenomenal driver, he should rank among the best of the best when his career is done

2. Tony Kanaan - Reminds me a lot of Tony Stewart, fun loving guy, a real "old school" racer

3. Rubens Barrichello - Same kind of thing I see in most of my favorite drivers, i.e I like to root for the underdogs. He can be great in IndyCar once he gets settled

4. Simona de Silvestro - Great driver, probably among the best female drivers in the world. Once she gets good equipment she will finally get the results she deserves

5. Graham Rahal/Marco Andretti - A tie here because I was a fan of both drivers' fathers. They're young and learning, and have the potential for greatness


Other:

1. Robby Gordon - He doesn't really qualify as Nascar anymore, but is still probably one of the best all around drivers in the world. Probably the only person who can claim wins in the 12 Hours of Sebring, Nascar, Cart, and Baja 1000

2. Kimi Raikkonen - Kimi is an amazing driver and one of the best personalities in F1. In the various media I have seen him in, he is absolutely hilarious

3. Scott Pruet - One of the best road racers in the world, first saw him when he crashed out of the 1995 Indy 500 and haven't taken my eyes off him since

4. Ashley Force Hood - I don't give a crap about drag racing, but when I do, I cheer for her

5. Evan Evans - First saw him race in CORR, and besides, who doesn't like a paraplegic who is among the best at their sport?

1. Kerry Madesn (World of Outlaws): Grew up 10 minutes away from me, starting to follow him because of my sister and father, and then he won the Australian Sprintcar Championship in 2003. When I started racing, me and him were running at the same track but in different categories, and he came over and signed a panel inside my car, which I still have on today, and that cemented my favouritism, and he's also the reason why I have the #29.
1a. Ian Madsen, Kerry's younger brother. When Kerry moved and raced in the USA, I started going for Ian back home here.

2. Marcos Ambrose (NASCAR Sprint Cup): Starting following him in 2001 when he raced the V8 Supercar Endurance races with Wayne Wakefield, who was a family friend of ours. I became a massive fan of Marcos when he won the pole for the Bathurst 1000 in he's first ever race there, and kept following him when he went over to NASCAR.

3. Craig Lowndes (V8 Supercars): Even though he's in a team I hate, he's still one of my favourites. I've followed him when I first watch V8's as a baby, and even when he has switch manufactures several times, I've still followed him.

4. Mark Webber (Formula 1): Mark was the first Australian driver that raced in Formula 1 that I could remember, so I went for him, it was such a great feeling watching Nurburgring in 2009.

5. Tony Stewart (NASCAR Sprint Cup): When I was kid, when ever NASCAR was on, I was told by my family and friends to boo and hate the rainbow car (Jeff Gordon; don't worry, I kind of like him now) and cheer and love the orange car (Tony Stewart), so I went for him before Ambrose got to Sprint Cup. He also brought his Sprintcars down to Sydney in the summer of 2009/10 and raced here.

Other drivers in my sig:
Cup:
Kevin Harvick: We both share the same number, and his take no crap attitude.
Aric Almirola: Ambrose's teammate, well like-able person.

Nationwide:
Michael Annett: Richard Petty Motorsports driver.
Johanna Long: Don't know why but I really like her, probably because she's moving up through the ranks because of her talent and not because of her vagina (*cough Danica cough*)

Trucks:
Parker Kilgerman: #29

Indycar:
Ryan Briscoe: Australian
Scott Dixon: Adopted Australian
Will Power: Australian, and not afraid to speak his mind.

Formula 1:
Daniel Riccirado: Australian

V8 Supercars:
Mark Winterbottom: Best current Ford driver, grew up 15 minutes from me, and is one of the last drivers to get the top without money.
Shane Van Gisbergan: Kamui Kobayashi of V8 Supercars.
Michael Caruso: Followed him ever since he won the Australian Formula 3 Championship.

Moto GP:
Casey Stoner: Australian.

NASCAR:
1. Jeff Gordon - My dad was a fan of his, so it continued on to me.
2. Brad Keselowski - A guy you can root for in the future for years to come.
I don't really have a favorite driver after Gordon or Kez, so here's some guys I like.
Harvick - only person who will troll Kyle Busch even though Harvick is also a whiny little child.
McMurray - nice guy who's never really caught a break besides Charlotte '02 and Daytona '10.

IndyCar

(Wheldon was my favorite but I had to change that )
1. Hinchcliffe - funny guy with a lot of speed.
2. Simona - needs something other than Slotus ASAP.
3. Paul Tracy - loved him in CART/CC, wish he would have one more ride in a competitive ride.
4. Bourdais - He drove Milka's Dale Coyne cars to top-5's, mind you.
5. Ryan Hunter-Reay - he grew up not too far from me. The high school he went to are rivals with my high school, so that's interesting as well.

F1

1. Kimi
2. Perez - this guy's going to be good.

NASCAR
1. Regan Smith- he's proven on many levels that Furniture Row racing is a competitive team, he just needs luck.

2. Marcos Ambrose- Alta already said my reason....

3. Johanna Long- she's not as talked about as Danica, and she usually keeps it off the wall or other cars, UNLIKE Danica. not to mention if she has better equipment, she could be a force to be reckoned with.

4. Tony Stewart- I first started watching him when he was in the Busch series in 1998, and it stuck ever since...

5. Bobby Labonte- I grew up watching him.

Indycar
1. James Hinchecliffe- he's proven his worth more than Danica ever could, and he has a funny personality.

2. Simona- once she gets out of that snail they call Lotus, she (like Johanna Long) could be a force to be reckoned with, but thats if she gets good equipment too.

3. Marco Andretti- can't catch a break at Indy, damn curse......

4. JR Hildebrand

5. Special Ed

Others

1. Kimi- he's going to win a F1 race this year, he also had a somewhat decent Nascar debut last year....

2. Boris Said- he doesn't always drive in Nascar, but when he does, he's good, even on the ovals.

3. Michael Schumacher- back when I watched F1 as a kid, though it was very rarely, I watched him, he could win at least one or two more if he has luck.

Indycar
1. Tony Kanaan - Great driver and a great man
2. Graham Rahal - from NE Ohio, and also has a good attitude
3. Dario Franchitti - I'm gonna get hated for this... I've always been a fan. I don't think he races dirty. He races aggressively.
4. Oriol Servià - hugely underrated and can do great things in difficult circumstances.
5. Sébastien Bourdais - does well in tough situations

Sprint Cup Series
1. Carl Edwards - been a fan since he first arrived in 2004-2005
2. Mark Martin - Hugely talented and hugely respected
3. Jeff Gordon - always been a Gordon fan.
4. Marcos Ambrose - Like his driving and his personality
5. David Gilliland - Very underrated and talented, but on an underfunded team.

Nationwide
1. Mike Bliss - Has done wonders in sub par equipment
2. Justin Allgiar - Future superstar
3. Blake Koch - Starting and parking is far below his talent level.
4. Ricky Stenhouse - Didn't use to, but now I seem to find my self rooting for e brick Stenhouse.
5. Morgan Shepard - No explanation needed.

ALMS
1. Allan McNish - the man has had some AMAZING drives
2. Wolf Henzler - Friend runs his team
3. Bryan Sellers - see above
4. Patrick Long - I'm a Porsche nut.
5. Johnny O'Connell - Despite my anti-Corvette sentiments, I like O'Connell, even if he is in the PratFrat.

Grand Am
1. Hurley Haywood - Been around forever and remains competitive
2. David Donahue - All around talent. I've met him before and he seems like a good guy
3. Wayne Taylor - I'm not related to him. But I like his never give up driving style.
4. Boris Said - says it like it is, and my father knew him in the eighties when Boris was just starting. Yep, I'm a SaidHead.
5. Andy Lally - Porsche for the win!

F1
1. Mark Webber - Phenomenal driver, great guy
2. Michael Schumacher - Greatest driver of his generation
3. Lewis Hamilton - I've liked him since 2007
4. Jenson Button - Became a fan in 2009 when he pulled the greatest upset in F1 history.
5. Vitaly Petrov - Proved everyone wrong when they said he was a slow ride buyer. And he held up Alonso. Whom I cannot stand.

DTM
1. Ralf Schumacher - Good driver that unfortunately gets lost in his brother's shadow. I was a fan when Ralf was in F1, and I'm a fan now.
2. Mike Rockenfeller - He started out as a Porsche guy in ALMS
3. Filipe Albuquerque - That Race of Champions win...
4. Dirk Werner - Did an incredible piece of driving at Mid Ohio whem I was there.
5. Timo Schnieder - I've always liked him.

V8 Supercars
1. Mark Winterbottom - Made it to the to without the big dollars.
2. Shane van Gisbergren - hard charger
3. Craig Lowdes - I'm a Ford fan, but I still like him
I don't know enough to do the rest of the Aussies

Not going to give a true top 5, Just drivers I generally like

NASCAR
Stewart
Jeff Gordan
Smith
Bkez
Mark Martin
Marcos Ambrose

Indycar
Dixon
Tony Kanaan
J.R. Hilderbrand
Alex Tag.
Helio Castroneves

F1
Jenson Button
Lewis Hamilton
Shumi

We're going overall...

1. Brad Keselowski - The guy has his head screwed on straight, and knows where his bread is buttered. He would have fit into NASCAR in earlier times.
2. Kamui Kobayashi - The guy has balls of steel, now give him a good race car.
3. Sebastian Vettel - Guy knows how to race. Can't hate him, plus I am a Red Bull fan
4. Graham Rahal - I liked his dad when he was in Indy Car, so I'll like his son.
5. Mark Martin - Only thing I never liked about him is that he is too nice a guy on the race track. Race with a little more fire, and he would have won a title or two.

Alpine, Wayne doesn't race anymore. Do you mean Jordan or Ricky?

1) Jeff Gordon - One of the most talented Cup drivers of the past twenty years.
2) Regan Smith - Started to feel for him after Yellowlinegate.
3) Aric Almirola - Becuz 43.
4) Mark Martin - Talented, respectful, and should have won more than he did.
5) Bobby Labonte - Same as Navycook.

PKligBKFan wrote:Alpine, Wayne doesn't race anymore. Do you mean Jordan or Ricky?

I meant Ricky Taylor

Cup: If *really* part-time drivers count, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte and Kenny Schrader would be my top three. But going by the normal rules, we end up with:

1. Mark Martin. I've liked Mark ever since seeing him in the ASA in the late seventies. He's been a total class act his entire career, and he's the last hope I have to see a driver older than me win a race again.

2. Jeff Burton. Half of this is due to the overall classiness of his career. The other half is because I love watching Kim Burton's reactions when he wins. If he'd stuck with Lambert, instead of going with Blikensdefer, we might have seen another win out of him.

3. Bobby Labonte. Cut from the same cloth as his brother. And gets bonus points for staring down Earnhardt in a title fight. The last three and a half years have been painful to watch, though.

4. Matt Kenseth. The Bob Newhart of racing.

5. Dave Blaney. Pure sympathy.

Nationwide: 1. Morgan Shepherd. As someone above mentioned, no explanation needed.

2. Joe Nemechek. A good solid driver who never was given the chance he deserved.

3. Mike Bliss. Few people get more out of less.

4. David Green. An old favorite.

5. Johanna Long. Same reasons as everyone else, I suppose.

Trucks: 1. James Buescher. Because I really want to find a new Texan point racer to cheer for.

2. Timothy Peters. For someone with no future, he's carving himself a very nice niche.

3. David Starr. He seems to be rising higher on this list each year.

4. Norm Benning. Just 'cause.

5. Ron Hornaday, Jr. Considerably dirtier reputation than my normal drivers, but when you're that good, I can let it slide.

Indycar:
1. Helio Castroneves. His tenure on Dancing with the Stars won me over.

2. James Hinchcliffe. A much needed breath of fresh air.

3. Simona de Silvestro. Nothing more for me to say.

4. Tony Kanaan. In terms of pure driving ability, the only one of today's drivers who I believe could have competed in the seventies.

5. Rubens Barrichello. Sentimentality on my part.

F1.
1. Jenson Button. A driver I never expected to be impressed by.

2. Michael Schumacher. I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

3. Nico Rosberg. Great to see him finally break through.

4. Fernando Alonso. Probably the best driver in F1.

5. Narian Karthikeyan. Why not?

Indycar Series
1. Rubens Barrichello-Good friend of my father, one of the nicest people in motorsport and always a great driver
2. Dario Franchitti-Due to his Italian ancestry, he became my favourite driver in his early CART days, and I liked his KOOL Green car
3. Helio Castroneves-Seems like a really nice guy, and also very consistent.
4. Will Power-Great talent
5. Jean Alesi-1 race counts, doesn't it? One of my favourite drivers of all time, but due to barely starting the Indy 500, can barely make the list


Formula 1.

1. Fernando Alonso-One of the most skilful men to ever grace the paddock, to be able to even do what he's done at Ferrari this year is incredible. 2011 was even more amazing for his win in Silverstone. Don't like his personality though.
2. Felipe Massa-Was a talented driver, and is incredibly impressive to continue his career after an incident like that. A true hero.
3. Nico Rosberg-The son of the Viking. Likely to have done really well had it not been for the unadmirable attempts of Mercedes..
4. Sebastien Vettel-The best driver in Formula 1. Due to his dominance in something that isn't a Ferrari, not my favourite, but definitely respectable. As Enzo said, "What's behind you doesn't matter"
5. Lewis Hamilton-I don't necessarily like some of the things he's said, and the attitude he has at times, but I blame that on his father. I love his aggressive style, but unfortunately; Mclaren...

Other notable:
Alex Zanardi-To lose half of your leg, and continue driving in an International championship is the bravest and most incredible thing any driver can do. Unbelievable in his CART days.

Of all time:
1. Ayrton Senna-Barely watched him live, have watched everything after his death. Unbelievable focus and commitment, a true legend.
2. Gilles Villeneuve-Long before me, but more deserving of a championship than any other driver. He had the right focus; everything for victory. And I love his quote: "I will drive flat out all the time. I love racing."
3. Riccardo Patrese-The most successful Italian since Ascari. A true Italian legend.
4. Gerhard Berger-A nice man with a sense of humour and great skill. Deserved a championship, unfortunately it never came.
5. Alonso

Moto GP:
1. The Doctor-The greatest Motorcyclist in the past 21 years.
Unfortunately, Max Biaggi, Super Sic and Giberneau no longer drive in Moto GP, and Super Sic's reasoning is quite clear, so can't really make any more judgement in this section...

Overall:
1. Fernando Alonso
2. Rubens Barrichello
3. Felipe Massa
4. Dario Franchitti
5. Alex Zanardi

Formula 1:
1. Mark Webber - great guy, likeable number 2.
2. Narain Karthikeyan - simply for his comeback at Vettel in Malaysia.
3. Kamui Kobayashi - BANZAI!!!
4. Pedro de la Rosa - he's 41, a decent bloke and helping HRT forwards.
5. Kimi Räikkönen - his interviews are pure gold.

Nascar:
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Marcos Ambrose
4. A.J Allmendinger
5. Mark Martin

Indycar
1. Will Power
2. James Hinchcliffe
3. Takuma Sato
4. Oriol Servia
5. Helio Castroneves

Formula 1
1. Nico Rosburg
2. Fernando Alonso
3. Kimi Raikkonen
4. Mark Webber
5. Romain Grosjean