Looking for thrill and action with none of the risk? We’ve gathered the best racing movies of all time that you can watch from the comfort of your own home while enjoying all of the suspense and adrenaline. The first racing movie ever made was created in 1913: Race for a Life. That means racing movies have been around for over a hundred years. Given the many racing movies out there, we are giving you 20 of the best racing movies of all time that we know are worth the stream.
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What makes a great racing movie?
What makes a great racing movie is the story’s action and plot. Even if the film is filled with back-to-back action, if the plot isn’t intriguing enough to keep you interested, there isn’t a point in watching the movie. A great racing movie has action, plot, stunts, and more. It keeps you wanting more curious about what is going to happen next.
What is the most expensive car used in a racing movie?
The 1970 Porsche 917K in Le Mans is the most expensive vehicle in a racing movie. Several racing cars in that movie became some of the most expensive cars ever sold in America. For over 25 years after the film was released, the vehicle disappeared. It resurfaced and was quickly sold for $14 million at an auction.
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The Best Racing Movies of All Time
20. The Last Race (Prime Video)
The Last Race is a documentary about the 2018 Sundance Official Selection. You see the birthplace of where stock car racing comes from and where only one track remains. The property is worth millions, and this documentary shows how the town community and elderly owners keep the bulldozers away for as long as they can. Now it is time for the last race to happen on the track where people have found their passion before it gets taken down.
19. Born to Race (Tubi)
Born to Race is about Danny, who gets sent to stay with his dad when he does another illegal street race. He becomes friends with a popular girl at his new school, which creates problems with a bully of an ex. He learns about a legal drag race, where he could win a racing school scholarship as the prize. He could finally put his racing skills to good use and win something that could benefit him in the long run.
18. Days of Thunder (Paramount Plus)
Days of Thunder is about a rivalry in the NASCAR world between a rookie and a veteran racer. They both get injured during a competition, and the bitter rivals become friends while recovering. Cole is restored to race while Rowdy is still healing from injuries, so Cole decides to race Rowdy’s car against the newcomer in the Daytona 500.
17. Speed Racer (Max)
Speed Racer is about a young man who aims to win The Crucible. It is a cross-country car racing rally that took the life of his big brother Rex Racer when he was racing. With the help of his family and the high-tech Mach 5 car they have, he will stop at nothing until he wins in honor of his brother. Speed discovers that a top corporate business is fixing races and cheating to gain profits. He knows that they will do everything to make sure he loses the race, but he will not let that happen.
16. Death Race (Tubi)
Death Race is in a dystopian future where a cross-country car race has you run down innocent pedestrians to gain points. It is a requirement for each contestant to kill to get points if they want to win because that is how they tally by each kill they get from running the pedestrians over. It is a mix of action, comedy, and science fiction, which you probably have never seen before.
15. Thunderbolt (Tubi)
Thunderbolt is about Chan Foh To beating a street racer to save his sister after she was kidnapped. This street racer is a super-criminal, and Chan has to beat him. There is no losing, or he won’t ever see his sister again, but he is an expert mechanic. He can spruce up his car so he can win. Jackie Chan stars in this famous racing movie and you can see his work in an earlier film.
14. Gone in 60 Seconds (Disney Plus)
Gone in 60 Seconds is about a car thief who must steal fifty luxury cars in one night to save his brother’s life from a dangerous crime lord. He was once a successful car thief in California. He must regain his old gang to pull off this impossible mission. He must go through rival thieves and the local police to get these cars to the crime lord.
13. The Love Bug (Disney Plus)
The Love Bug is about Jim Douglas, that is down on his lucky car driver. He teams up with a VW Bug that seems to come alive and has a mind of its own. He doesn’t release Herbie’s worth, and a rival racer plots to steal Herbie and use him as their own. Jim and his team must race before his little VW Bug gets snatched right from under him.
12. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (Hulu)
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is about Ricky Bobby, who is the number one NASCAR driver. He has a great team with his best friend and teammate, but his talent and devotion are tested as a French Formula One driver makes his way up the ladder and will give him a challenge. This stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. It’s actually the first film they did together.
11. Le Mans (Prime Video)
Le Mans was filmed in the annual 24-hour endurance race Le Mans in France. It was in 1970 that follows Michael Delaney, who is haunted by a memory of an accident where a competing driver was killed. He races with his Porsche again for the champion on the world’s hardest endurance course. Will he let his haunted memory get in the way of him winning this race?
10. Super Speedway (Pluto TV)
Super Speedway is a documentary that follows two brothers, Michael, and Mario Andretti, who constructed and raced a new car. You will see the process of building, testing, and running for a season. If you enjoy documentaries, this film is for you because the process is incredible to see turning a car from a million parts put together into a vehicle they can race. It is narrated by Paul Newman, known for his work as Doc Hudson in Cars.
9. Logan Lucky (Prime Video)
Logan Lucky is about Jimmy Logan, who teams up with his brother Clyde and sister Mellie to steal money from a speedway in North Carolina. He brings Joe Band apart of the team to help them break into the track underground system. Problems arise, and the crew must pull back during a NASCAR race. They must dodge an FBI agent as they try to get themselves out.
8. Cars (Disney Plus)
Cars is a classic racing movie from Pixar where Lightning McQueen gets put on a detour when he gets stranded in Radiator Springs. It is a forgotten town on Route 66, and he gets his fast-lane life handed to him that only some things are glitz and glamour for everyone. He meets hilarious characters who help him discover himself and that there is more to life than fame. It’s an excellent movie on racing for everyone in the family.
7. The 24-Hour War (Pluto TV)
The 24-Hour War is about Henry Ford II and Enzo Ferrari in the 1960s, who go to war on the battlefield of Le Mans. It is a documentary based on true events. This epic battle is where drivers lost their lives in this war. It is a fierce rivalry that goes head-to-head in a famous battle. The history that goes with this movie makes it one of the best racing movies of all time because it something really happened.
6. Fast Five (Peacock)
Fast Five is about Domini Toretto and his crew going up against a powerful Brazilian drug lord, all while trying to stay away from a dangerous federal agent. They plan to pull off the biggest heist they have ever done to buy their freedom. The movie is filled with action and thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.
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5. Baby Driver (Apple TV)
Baby Driver is about Baby, who is an orphan and is a talented getaway driver for heist mastermind Doc. Baby loves music and has a soundtrack picked for every job he does. He isn’t in it to be a getaway driver forever. He hopes to pull one more job so he can get his girl and ride off into the sunset. It stars Ansel Elgort, who is famous for his role in The Fault in Our Stars.
4. Road (Fubo TV)
Road is about brothers who are addicted to speed. Motorcycle racing is the most dangerous of all motor sports because they don’t have something surrounding them to protect them if they get hit. This documentary shows men competing at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. The roads are lined with trees, telegraph posts, and stone walls.
3. Drive (Pluto TV)
Drive is about a stuntman for a Hollywood action film who gets into some serious trouble with gangsters. He was trying to help his neighbor’s husband rob a pawn shop and was supposed to be the getaway driver. He didn’t expect to race on the streets of Hollywood because his life depended on how well he could drive.
2. Ford v Ferrari (FXNOW)
Ford v Ferrari is about a car designer, Carroll Shelby, and a driver Ken Miles. They fight with corporate and the law of physics on how they build a groundbreaking race car if he wants to win against Ferrari. This movie is based on the 24-hour Le Man race in 1966. It is a more modern take on the story and you won’t be able to stop watching until the very end.
1. Rush (Netflix)
Rush is about James Hunt, an English playboy, and an Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda. They are rivals in Formula 1 racing and will burn the track with them on it. If they keep pushing themselves, it will lead to a breaking point of physical and mental endurance. Alongside them, their women hope they are safe as they risk death with every lap they take to win the race. The plot and action that this movie is filled with make it one of the best racing movies of all time.
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Conclusion
We consider these films the best racing movies of all time. Whether based on a true story or fiction, this intense motorsport is full of inspiring stories full of grit and overcoming obstacles. These professionals have years of practice under their belt, so we definitely don’t recommend trying anything like this out on your own. Keep the action and suspense to the big screen so you can sit back and enjoy racing from your couch.