Could F1 be NASCAR's next farm system of sorts?
NASCAR and Formula 1 don’t really have too much in common.
Stock cars vs. open wheel, gas cans vs. non-race refillable hybrids, pack racing and trading paint on ovals vs. open gaps on twisting courses. Other than both involving vehicles with four wheels, the two series seem barely to be the same sport.
But there has been the occasional intrepid driver who has tried his (or her) hand at both disciplines, most recently one-time Red Bull entrant Daniil Kvyat, who finished 36th this year at the NASCAR event on the road course at Indianapolis. Kvyat drove for new NASCAR road-course specialty outfit Team Hezeberg, which also put one-time Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve in its car for the Daytona 500 back in February.
On August 21st, Kimi Räikkönen will attempt to do what only Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya have previously accomplished – become a race winner in both series.
Of interest to long-time fans is the venue where Räikkönen will be driving, the one-time playground of Formula One at Watkins Glen. Both Gurney and Andretti had multiple tries to win the United States Grand Prix in Upstate New York, and both had best finishes of second place, along with numerous other efforts derailed by mechanical problems.
If the history of The Glen is playing a part in bringing the Finn to the American series, he’s not saying. But then, Räikkönen never says much publicly.
If he were to actually come home first, it would be interesting to see how the American fans would react to the inevitable Kimi post-race interview involving terse answers and what seems to be near hatred for any questioner.
Of course, winning in a one-off effort with no experience in the current car is beyond long odds. But Räikkönen is not entirely a NASCAR rookie – he did a truck race and a Nationwide (now Xfinity) race in 2011, and has the advantage on his former rivals of a car prepared by two-time 2022 winner Trackhouse Racing, but even a finish on the lead lap would be considered an impressive result.
What’s unprecedented this year is the overall interest in NASCAR coming from outside the United States. With the growth of Formula One in America, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to see interest coming from the other direction as well.
While most of the world still seems indifferent and perhaps befuddled by racing on ovals, NASCAR is now racing on two historic Formula One road circuits (Indianapolis being the other) and both series have a venue in common at Circuit of the Americas.
Trackhouse is employing Räikkönen as part of its PROJECT91, a venture aimed at making NASCAR a more global series, as well as expanding the team's own visibility.
While Räikkönen's venture at Watkins Glen might be based more on personal fulfillment than winning (or perhaps not, it’s hard to know with Kimi), there is one Formula One driver who might be interested in making a more extensive commitment to American stock cars.
Could NASCAR be in Daniel Ricciardo's future if he leaves Formula One after this season? Photo: USA Today Sports / Jerome Miron
Well-known America-ophile and self-professed NASCAR fan Daniel Ricciardo appears to be jobless at this point for 2023. And although he still is looking for a full-time job in Formula 1, there’s no guarantee of that happening.
Ricciardo has said in the past he’s not interested in racing on ovals (though we’ve heard that before), but the possibility of joining the ranks of road course specialists in the American series is intriguing.
The easygoing Australian would seemingly have more potential as a brand ambassador for Trackhouse than the reserved Räikkönen, and it would seem hard to imagine anything making him happier than a win in Austin, an annual trip he relishes.
Just four years ago Ricciardo was, if not at the top of the Formula 1 world, at least close enough to have it in view, finishing in the top 6 overall in points for three consecutive years. But after deciding to first leave front-runner Red Bull for Renault, and then leaving again for McLaren, he finds himself at 33 years old -- viewed by many as having his best days in Formula 1 behind him.
Financially set, his options may be to follow Räikkönen’s path of spending several years as an elder statesman for a non-competitive team or taking the opportunity to look for fulfillment elsewhere.
Ricciardo is certainly well aware of how drivers like Romain Grosjean and Marcus Ericsson have found the transition to lives as American drivers in IndyCar a pleasant change from F1’s ultra-cutthroat environment, and Ricciardo certainly seems like someone who would enjoy a more fun workplace.
With or without Ricciardo, NASCAR has to have an eye on the young American fans who are tuning into F1. While NASCAR continues to turn out the big numbers in TV viewers, its demographics, which skew increasingly older, have to be of concern.
While Trackhouse co-owners Justin Marks and “Mr. Worldwide” Pitbull may be blazing the path to an international future for the series, it will be interesting to see how much the old guard wants to follow suit.