Click to Skip Ahead
If you’re welcoming a new dog into your home soon, you are probably overwhelmed with the process of naming them. One stream of name inspiration we always recommend new dog owners consider is naming their pet after something that interests them. If you are into Greek mythology, you can name your pup Athena or Ajax. If you’re a bookworm, Atticus or Gatsby are great options. But what about if you’re really into NASCAR?
Read on to find over 135 awesome NASCAR-inspired names for your new addition.
How to Pick the Best NASCAR Dog Name
Choosing the best NASCAR name for your pup could be as simple as picking the name of your favorite driver. For example, if you’ve always been a die-hard Dale Earnhardt fan, naming your dog after him would be a great way to honor his legacy. However, if your favorite driver’s name doesn’t roll off your tongue, you probably should steer clear of it.
The best dog names are those that are short, punchy, and easy to pronounce. Dogs tend to respond better to names with one or two syllables as longer ones can be difficult for them to recognize, not to mention harder for you to say when you need to get your dog’s attention quickly. Short names like Dega (after the Talladega Superspeedway or the 2006 NASCAR-focused Will Ferrell film Talladega Nights) or Kit (after a turbo or nitrous kit in drag racing) are short, powerful, and easy for your pup to recognize.
Names with hard consonants, like “c” or “k”, can be easier for dogs to recognize as they produce sharper sounds. Long vowel sounds, like “ay” or “ee”, at the end of a name can help grab your pup’s attention quicker, too. Names like Buddy (after Buddy Baker, the American professional stock car racing driver), Davey (after Davey Allison, the NASCAR driver), or Chrissy (after Chrissy Wallace, an American stock car racing driver) all follow these consonant rules.
Another factor to consider is the uniqueness of your dog’s name. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when naming your pet, but if you plan on taking them to the dog park, common names can be a disaster. There are probably two or three (or more!) Maxes and Bellas at the park at any given time and trying to call your pup’s attention when there are multiple dogs there with that name can be challenging. So, while Buddy is an adorable name for your dog and a nod to Buddy Baker, the pro stock car racing driver, it’s not the most unique option.
Male Names Inspired by NASCAR Drivers
- Benny (Parsons)
- Blaney (Ryan)
- Bobby (Allison)
- Buck (Baker)
- Buddy (Baker)
- Busch (Kurt and Kyle)
- Cale (Yarbrough)
- Chase (Elliot)
- Cotton (Owens)
- Davey (Allison)
- Earnhardt (Dale)
- Jeff (Gordon)
- Jimmie (Johnson)
- LeeRoy (Yarbrough)
- Rex (White)
- Rusty (Wallace)
- Sterling (Martin)
- Terry (Labonte)
- Tony (Stewart)
Female Names Inspired by NASCAR Drivers
- Amber (Cope)
- Chrissy (Wallace)
- Danica (Patrick)
- Erin (Crocker)
- Ethel (Mobley)
- Fifi (Scott)
- Hailie (Deegan)
- Janet (Guthrie)
- Julia (Landauer)
- Lella (Lombardi)
- Mara (Reyes)
- Maryeve (Dufault)
- Patty (Moise)
- Robin (Dallenbach)
- Sara (Christian)
- Shawna (Robinson)
- Toni (Breidinger)
Names Inspired by Racing Terminology
- Apex – part of a corner nearest the inside bend
- Banks – part of the track where the turn has an elevation change
- Buschwhacker – a top-level NASCAR Cup Series driver that makes appearances in second-tier NASCAR series
- Camber – the angle at which a tire contacts the track surface
- Chassis – the race car shell
- Digger – a non-bodied dragster
- Drag – the resistance a car experiences when it passes through air at high speeds
- T. – elapsed time
- Fuel – what provides power to the race cars
- Hanford – a spoiler attached to the rear wing
- Hans – head and neck support device, a mandatory neck restraint
- Kit – refers to a turbo or nitrous kit in drag racing
- Marbles – small rubber bits that come off the race car’s tires
- Marshal – the individual responsible for signaling track conditions to the drivers
- Pit – the lanes where the teams work on the racing cars
- Roost – accelerating quickly in a corner to kick up dirt and rocks
- Rumble – a ripple strip to deter drivers from cutting corners
- Scuffs – tires that have been used but aren’t worn out
- Slick – a tire with no tread pattern
- Splitter – an aerodynamic device found on the nose of some touring cars
- T-Bone – a type of collision
- Victory – after Victory Lane, where the winner of the race goes to celebrate
Names Inspired by NASCAR Drivers’ Pets
- Badin (Chris Buescher’s cat)
- Blue (Chase Briscoe’s Great Dane)
- Callie (Chase Briscoe’s French Bulldog)
- Charlie Brown (Darrell Waltrip’s Basset Hound)
- Cooper (Chris Buescher’s Golden Retriever)
- Dallas (Danica Patrick’s Siberian Husky)
- Dozer (Chris Buescher’s Terrier Mini Poodle mix)
- Ella (Danica Patrick’s Belgian Malinois)
- Emma (Daniel Suárez’s Chihuahua)
- Flo (Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s bison)
- Gus (Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Irish Setter)
- Jimbo (Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Pomeranian)
- Lucy (Kyle Busch’s Yorkie-Pom mix)
- Tickles (AJ Allmendinger’s cat)
- Oscar (Erik Jones’s German Shepherd)
- Pork Chop (Tony Stewart’s pig)
- Remi (Harrison Burton’s Golden Retriever)
- Roscoe (Alex Bowman’s Rottweiler German Shepherd mix)
- Ruby (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Goldendoodle)
- Sissy (Austin Dillon’s French Bulldog)
- Sturgill (Ryan Blaney’s Labrador German Shepherd mix)
- Trip (Clint Bowyer’s Australian Shepherd)
Names Inspired by NASCAR Tracks & Their Cities
- Austin
- Bristol
- Brooklyn
- Darlington
- Daytona
- Dega (Talladega)
- Dover
- Eldora
- Indy
- Lincoln
- Loudon
- Madison
- Newton
- Sonoma
- Watkins
Names Inspired by NASCAR Sponsors & Partners
- Ally
- Budweiser
- Busch
- Cabo Wabo
- Chevy
- Cola
- DeWalt
- DuPont
- Elgin
- Geico
- Leidos
- Mack
- Monster
- Napa
- Sunoco
- Whelen
Names Inspired by Sports Cars
- Alfa
- Alpine
- Ariel
- Aston
- Bentley
- Benz
- Bugatti
- Caterham
- Ferrari
- Gordon
- Jaguar
- Lambo
- Lamborghini
- Lotus
- Maserati
- McLaren
- Mercedes
- Morgan
- Mustang
- Noble
- Porsche
- Rimac
- Romeo
Final Thoughts
There are so many fantastic NASCAR-inspired names you can choose for your pup. You don’t have to select your favorite driver’s name if you want your new pet to have something a little more unique. Something like Scuffs or T-Bone is less in-your-face NASCAR themed, but we bet your local veterinary clinic hasn’t encountered many of them!
Related Reads:
Featured Image Credit: Linn Currie, Shutterstock
