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<\/p>\nImagine the scenes of a Formula 1 legend roaring down a NASCAR superspeedway and winning. It happened in 1967 when Mario Andretti jumped behind the wheel of a NASCAR Ford at Daytona and defeated NASCAR\u2019s best drivers in a straight fight to win the Daytona 500. Likewise, F1 champion Nigel Mansell was famously courted by stock-car great Dale Earnhardt, who quipped during a 1993 meeting, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you take another pay cut and come race with us next season?\u201d But one such star, Max Verstappen, despite his dominance in F1, has shown a surprising spark of curiosity for stockcar racing, not as a career pivot, but as a bucket-list challenge.<\/p>\n
The four-time Formula 1 World Champion has often spoken candidly about sim racing and even NASCAR through the lens of respect and realism. In a 2021 interview, he said, \u201cI would like to try NASCAR one day\u2026 it would be a fun challenge.\u201d Then, in a 2022 interview, he admitted competing in NASCAR-style stock cars on his simulator but cautioned that \u201cto get good\u2026will take quite a bit of time,\u201d emphasizing that mastering such a distinct discipline requires long immersion. He added, \u201cit\u2019s not easy\u2026you need to really grow up with it,\u201d highlighting the deep learning curve between F1 and stock-car racing, confessing that he \u201cstruggled to watch\u201d\u00a0NASCAR live, not from disinterest but due to time zone challenges, as most races start around midnight, making them hard to fit into his schedule.<\/p>\n
But now the time has come again for speculations to arise from Verstappen\u2019s recent comments. One Reddit forum posted a picture of Verstappen wearing his Red Bull gear and saying, \u201cI mean, I would like to do it,\u201d\u00a0with the intention of racing in NASCAR. Such off-the-cuff enthusiasm thrilled fans, but it\u2019s not just talk; it follows a real precedent. F1 veterans like Juan Pablo Montoya, an Indy 500 winner and two-time F1 Grand Prix winner, left open-wheel racing and raced NASCAR full-time in 2007-2013, winning two Cup races and even chasing the points championship. So, Verstappen\u2019s fantasy of stock cars stands on solid ground with contemporaries having relished the challenge themselves.<\/p>\n
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via Reuters<\/p>\n
Formula One F1 \u2013 British Grand Prix \u2013 Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone, Britain \u2013 July 7, 2024 Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen arrives ahead of the race REUTERS\/Andrew Boyers<\/p>\n
Verstappen isn\u2019t alone. Several current F1 drivers openly admire NASCAR and even wish to try it. McLaren\u2019s Lando Norris has repeatedly said he\u2019s \u201ca massive fan of NASCAR,\u201d noting he \u201cenjoys watching NASCAR\u201d and would love the chance to drive a stock car. 7-time champ Lewis Hamilton also told NBC Sports in 2023 that he did a car swap with Tony Stewart \u201cyears ago\u201d and \u201cwould love to try [NASCAR] at some stage.\u201d\u00a0Even Daniel Ricciardo<\/a> has paid homage, where, after winning in Formula 1, he earned permission to spin Dale Earnhardt Sr.\u2019s vintage #3 Chevrolet around the Circuit of the Americas in 2021. F1 drivers have always showcased their massive respect for NASCAR champions, and many are willing to acknowledge it publicly.<\/p>\n And of course, the fans have not been left out of the fun<\/a>. The crossover chatter explodes on social media whenever an F1 star hints at NASCAR. One fan stated, \u201cVerstappen at Daytona would be box office gold!<\/strong> His aggressive style suits NASCAR perfectly.\u201d That blending of audience keeps alive the idea that America\u2019s stock cars and Formula 1\u2019s open-wheel cars aren\u2019t worlds apart. Who knows who we might see in either series next?<\/p>\n NASCAR global motorsport crossover fans can\u2019t stop debating<\/p>\n When one fan snarked, \u201cThe Larson fans can finally settle their claim that he is better than max,\u201d\u00a0they were tapping straight into the fiery crossover feud that erupted after Kyle Larson\u2019s bold declaration: \u201cI know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver,\u201d that he said in an interview in 2024. He argued that his success across dirt, sprint cars, and NASCAR gave him a versatility edge over Verstappen<\/a>, even though \u201cthere\u2019s probably no way he can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco\u201d and vice versa for NASCAR\u2019s landmarks like Bristol or the Knoxville Nationals. Verstappen\u2019s diplomatic, two-word response, \u201cThat\u2019s fine,\u201d did nothing to calm the storm either. And the fandom feud continues.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n One fan observed with a hint of rueful amusement, \u201cCrazy thing is, he\u2019d probably still be one of the cleaner drivers among the cup filed.\u201d\u00a0Red Bull\u2019s former team principal, Christian Horner, once praised Verstappen\u2019s performance at the Canadian Grand Prix for being \u201csqueaky clean,\u201d emphasizing how he avoided any early-race wheel-to-wheel gamesmanship, even in the tight dance alongside George Russell<\/a>. Verstappen himself, reflecting on the influence of his father, put it simply: \u201cI am still aggressive but probably a bit cleaner [than my father].\u201d\u00a0This sentiment aligns with how many NASCAR fans perceive Cup Series bumper battles and how Verstappen would look downright polished compared to the hard-nosed contact that has become common.<\/p>\n But another fan thought the opposite, \u201cThe way he rammed George Russell recently I think he\u2019d fit right in.\u201d\u00a0At the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen collided with Russell on a safety-car restart, after being instructed to yield position, earning a 10-second penalty and three license points, bringing him perilously close to an automatic ban at 11 points. George Russell later described the contact as \u201ctotally unnecessary,\u201d saying it \u201cfelt deliberate,\u201d while former world champion Nico Rosberg<\/a> called for Verstappen to be black-flagged, calling the move \u201chorrible\u201d and \u201cseriously bad.\u201d\u00a0But NASCAR fans feel that this attitude would be wholly welcomed if Verstappen tried out for NASCAR.<\/p>\n One longtime observer\u2019s comment, \u201cI would like to see it just to give some perspective to f1 fans how much different it is. Who knows how Max would do but would love to see how he\u2019d perform in a midfield car 3 wide for 400 laps,\u201d\u00a0resonates with sentiments echoed across fan forums. Comparing race days across disciplines shows cars running side by side for laps on end in NASCAR, delivering an adrenaline overload that stands in stark contrast to the more structured, strategy-heavy Formula 1<\/a> format.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Others have also quipped about Verstappen\u2019s previous racing experiences, as one fan wrote, \u201ci know it\u2019s different from real world but other than GT3 races he also mainly races Trucks on ovals in iRacing.\u201d\u00a0In fact, Verstappen has logged countless hours behind the wheel in GT3 and endurance formats, claiming victory in the iRacing Bathurst 12-Hour alongside Lando Norris<\/a>, then went on to dominate the Spa 24 and Petit Le Mans virtual events with Team Redline. But there are scattered fan reports noting that some random Redline lobbies catch him in oval practice, recalling how he \u201cnearly lapped everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Verstappen\u2019s occasional forays into oval trucks may be rare, but they underline his restless curiosity for every corner of motorsport. If the same hunger ever takes him to a real NASCAR grid, the intrigue would be nothing short of electric.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Imagine the scenes of a Formula 1 legend roaring down a NASCAR superspeedway and winning. 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