Don’t be confused. This is not a list of nicknames, it’s a list of real names.  As per usual, we’ve probably made some glaring omissions here so feel free to insult us and tell us who we forgot. Here they are, 11 guys who were destined to be fast from birth.

Top 11 Greatest Ever Names of Race Car Drivers

11) Boris Said: Boris is a current race driver, an American born in California, he has had success all over the world driving all manner of equipment. He has won the 24 Hours of Daytona twice, the 12 Hours of Sebring once, and is the only American to ever win the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, a feat he accomplished in 2005. He is regularly seen in NASCAR now. Boris makes the list because when you hear the name you’re thinking he’s a German dude or a guy from some other Eastern European country. Not so. He’s from here.

10) Dick Trickle: It would be mean to include Dick Trickle on this list if he were just known for his name, but the man is an American racing legend. In his career, he competed in more than 2,200 races, turned more than 1-million laps, and was known to rip down a smoke during yellow flag laps during NASCAR races. While Trickle tasted victory a scant few times on NASCAR’s biggest stages, ht was a dominating force on short tracks in Wisconsin and other parts of the country during his era. We’re not mocking his name, we’re celebrating it!

9) Hans Stuck: Pronounced Stuchk, he’s a German driver and the son of the identically named Hans Stuck, a veritable god in the history of European racing. Jr. (born in the early ‘50s) cut his teeth training with dad on the ‘Ring and at age 19 became a champion racing on the circuit that his father had trained him on. He is still recognized as a master on that course. He races open-wheel cars, including Formula One, but his major successes came behind the week of BMWs, winning endurance races and standard-length contests with some regularity.

8.) Juan Manuel Fangio: In many eyes, Fangio is the greatest race car driver of all time. He won five of the first ten F1 championships. He won 24 of 51 races he entered in the series, a winning percentage of 47 percent! Top that. He’s on the list because when you say his name, even if you had no idea who he was, you’d be thinking that he was a racing driver. It just rolls off the tongue.

7) Twig Zigler: One of the strongest Northwest US Funny Car racers through the ‘70s, and the driver of the recently recreated Pizza Heaven Plymouth Satellite Funny Car. Remember this is not a nickname, pet name, or our imaginary friend. This is a real dude and that’s his real name. You need to be fast if you go by Twig.

6) Stirling Moss: A sporting English gentleman and one hell of a racer, Stirling Moss’ name rings of class and affluence. Moss never won a series championship, but he did win races in sports cars, Formula One, and whatever else he could get into to drive. He and Fangio were rivals back in the ‘50s on the track and close friends off of it.

5) Cotton Owens: A more perfect name for a Southern Stock Car racer (later forced into drag racing) can not be found. Owens was insanely dominant in the world of circle track Modifieds, winning more than 100 racers and back-to-back national titles in 1953 and 1954. In 1965 when NASCAR banned the Hemi, he and David Pearson went out and fielded a nitro-burning drag FX car. He ended up back in the NASCAR world and by the end of his career had racked up 41 wins at the top level of the sport combined as a driver and owner.

4) John Force: Perfect name for the guy, the type of car he drives, and his approach to life. Not much more to say.

3)  Gas Ronda: A legendary drag racer from the ‘60s whose career came to an end in 1970 due to burns sustained by what was probably the worst Funny Car fire ever to that point. He is still alive and well, but never drove again after the blaze (though we have seen him practicing at the wheel of one of the new Mustang Cobra Jet cars, which raises an eyebrow). His full name is Gaspar, but if you need to question this one you are just looking for a fight.

2) Swede Savage: Here’s a guy who partially got to drive professionally because of his name. He certainly had the chops as well, but the name got him recognized by a Ford PR executive. That connection got him hooked up with Dan Gurney, which resulted in a career that spanned from SCCA sports car racing, to Trans Am (where he raced a ‘Cuda), to NASCAR, and ultimately to Indy, where in 1973 he would suffer a horrifying wreck and die in the hospital 33 days later. If he were born today with that name, he’d probably end up a cage fighter.

1) Lake Speed: With a name like this did you expect the guy to be an accountant? Speed was a NASCAR driver who competed in more than 400 races, won a single race and had 75 top 10 finishes. More impressive were his accomplishments as a kart racer. He was the six-time champ of the International Karting Association and in 1978 he was the Karting World Championship champ. That name requires you to be fast.