(WTAJ) — The sport NASCAR features drivers and owners from across the country but there’s a select few who are from Pennsylvania.

With the sport of NASCAR originating in the southeastern U.S., many notable drivers emerged such as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as well as owners like Richard Childress and Rick Hendrick. In recent years, the geographic landscape of the sport has expanded out of the South with current drivers like Daniel Suarez hailing from Monterrey, Mexico.

However, there may be some notable names race fans may not have known are from the Keystone State. Here are five remarkable NASCAR drivers and owners from Pennsylvania:

1. Mario Andretti

Mario Andretti is a legend in the world of motorsports. Winning both the Daytona 500 and Indy 500 in the late 1960s and becoming a four-time IndyCar champion, his extensive resume and reputation proceed him.

While he’s competed in hundreds of races in the U.S. and abroad during his career spanning multiple decades, some may be surprised to know that he resides in east Pennsylvania.

60 miles south of Scranton is the borough of Nazareth in Northampton County. Andretti was not born in Nazareth but in the small village of Motovun, Croatia. He and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1955 where they settled in Nazareth, according to ESPN.

Nazareth used to host NASCAR and other racing series at the now-abandoned Nazareth Speedway which held its last races in 2004. Andretti won at the track in 1969 during a USAC Champ Car race.

While Andretti is not commonly thought of as a NASCAR driver, he competed in 14 Grand National races between 1966 and 1969 driving for four different owners, one of which is included later in this list.

Andretti won his only Daytona 500 in 1967 driving a Ford for Holman-Moody Racing.

2. Jimmy Spencer

Nicknamed “Mr. Excitement” for his aggressive driving style, Jimmy Spencer is pretty well known not only in NASCAR but among race fans in Pennsylvania.

Spencer was born in Berwick, PA, located 28 miles southwest of Wilkes-Barre. His first victory in racing came in 1976 when he won at Port Royal Speedway in Juniata County driving in the Late Model division.

He began his NASCAR career in 1985 when he competed in his first race with the Busch Grand National Series, now called Xfinity Series.

In 1989, Spencer entered his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway. He continued to race at NASCAR’s highest level until 2006 when he competed at Pocono Raceway in his final two races.

During his 18-year career in the NASCAR Cup Series, he only won two races; both of which came in 1994 at Daytona and Talladega.

3. Chip Ganassi

When it comes to having a successful career in auto racing, Pennsylvania native Chip Ganassi is arguably the most successful owner in the industry.

Owning multiple teams in multiple series, he’s accumulated over 20 championships and over 200 victories. His resume also includes an astounding five Indianapolis 500 wins, eight Rolex 24 at Daytona wins and winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Before building his racing empire, Ganassi grew up in the Steel City of Pittsburgh. According to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Ganassi’s passion for racing began when his father Floyd brought home a film of the 1963 Indy 500.

Ganassi became a team owner in NASCAR in 2001. From 2001 to 2021, his NASCAR teams won 44 races.

Ganassi made history in 2010 when his teams achieved victories in the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis. This was the only time in history a team owner won three crown jewel races in the same year.

4. Blaise Alexander

Blaise Alexander was like most up-and-coming drivers in NASCAR who were trying to reach the Cup Series. However, his life was tragically cut short when he was killed in a crash during a race in 2001.

The then 25-year-old of Montoursville began his stock car racing career in 1995 when he competed in five ARCA Series races. He eventually started competing in NASCAR in 1997 and even attempted to qualify in two Cup Series races in 2000.

On Oct. 4, 2001, Alexander was driving in an ARCA race at Charlotte Motor Speedway when he crashed while battling for the lead with Kerry Earnhardt. His car crashed head-on into the outside wall and suffered a fatal head injury.

According to NBC Sports, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson became close friends with Alexander when they raced in the Busch Series, now called Xfinity Series. Following Alexander’s death, Johnson carried Alexander’s initials on the front left bumper of his cars.

During his career, Alexander won three ARCA races including a race at Pocono Raceway in 1999.

5. Smokey Yunick

Throughout the history of NASCAR, there have been numerous stories of drivers and teams bending the rule book and finding innovative ways to make their race cars faster. However, none were more prominent than Smokey Yunick.

The legendary car owner and mechanic spent most of his life in Daytona Beach, Florida where he called home. However, it is not commonly known that Yunick was not born in Florida but in Pennsylvania.

According to his autobiography, he grew up on a farm in the community of Neshaminy, roughly 30 miles outside of Philadelphia. It was previously believed Yunick was originally from Tennessee but that was later found to be incorrect.

Yunick served in the Army Air Force during World War II before moving to Daytona Beach and opening an auto-repair shop called “Smokey’s Best Damn Garage in Town.”

He began fielding cars in NASCAR in the early 1950s and won various races including the last race on the Daytona Beach and Road Course in 1958 and the 1961 Daytona 500 with driver Marvin Panch. Several different drivers drove for Yunick including Mario Andretti when they entered the 1966 Daytona 500.

On May 9, 2001, Yunick died of leukemia at the age of 77.