The son of an opera singer, Dan Gurney grew up in California and began his racing career by drag racing at the local strips. He began his professional career in 1955 and worked his way to Formula 1 four years later when he raced for Ferrari. He won his first grand prix race in 1962 and was considered one of the best young American drivers as he also won races in Can-Am, NASCAR and USAC. His greatest win was at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix, when he became the only American to win a Formula 1 race in a car of his own design. After nearly winning the Indianapolis 500 as a driver, Gurney pretty much hung up his helmet and turned to race ownership where his team won the 1975 Indy 500. Gurney continued to own a racing team in the IMSA and CART Series. Gurney is considered one of the greatest American race drivers of all time.