3 times NASCAR drivers attracted interest from F1, ft. Jeff Gordon

Formula 1 and NASCAR are two different racing formats. F1 has open-wheel cars that are faster than the stock car racing muscle cars designed for oval racing. But sometimes the two platforms uniquely cross paths. Over the years, many NASCAR drivers have attracted attention from the Formula 1 championship.

A few examples of the two worlds meeting are four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon receiving an opportunity to run for Williams, four-time World Champion Max Verstappen's subtle reply to Kyle Larson's challenge, and Honda's interest in testing Danica Patrick for an F1 seat. On that note, let's take a closer look at these instances.

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#1. Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon's F1 opportunity

In 2021, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon revealed that he came close to landing a seat in the Formula 1 championship. He swapped his ride with Williams driver Juan Pablo Montoya's F1 car for a promotional opportunity.

Gordon experienced the taste of an adrenaline rush while driving an F1 car. The HMS driver impressed Williams and Jaguar F1 teams with his exceptional maneuverability and quick adaptive skills. Speaking to Williams team principal Frank Williams at the time, Gordon had said:

"I sat down with Frank, I think he came to Indianapolis after that test for the actual race. I went and sat down and had coffee with them and we talked about it. It might have been a similar kind of probe. It really never got serious or went anywhere, and I really at that time didn’t expect it to because I was so established in NASCAR. Ten years or eight years prior to that, had that happened, it would have been different.” (via The Race.com)

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#2. Max Verstappen's reply to Kyle Larson

After securing the Knoxville Nationals title last August, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series winner Kyle Larson claimed to be a better driver than the four-time World Champion, Max Verstappen. In an interview with Flo Racing, the American driver claimed that the Dutchman could not win the Knoxville Nationals in a Sprint car.

He had said:

“There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element."

Max Verstappen has scored 63 wins, 112 podiums, and 40 pole positions in 209 starts so far, while the Hendrick Motorsports driver has earned 29 wins, 182 top-10s, and 21 pole positions in 365 races in his 12-year stint in the Cup Series.

During a press conference after the race in Zandvoort, the Red Bull Racing driver gave a simple two-word reply to Larson, saying:

"That's fine." (via RBR Daily on X)

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#.3 Danica Patrick sparked Honda's interest in landing an F1 seat

By winning the 2008 Indy Japan 300 in the final three laps, former NASCAR Cup Series driver Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an IndyCar Series race. Patrick's win in the series brought her international recognition and attracted Honda's attention.

Honda supplied engines for Patrick's team Andretti Green Racing and saw an opportunity to explore her talents in the Formula One championship. The chief executive of Honda's F1 team, Nick Fry, had commented on the possibility of giving her a chance to be a test driver for the team.

"We haven't instigated anything, but if Danica wanted to be test driver then we'd be more than happy to talk about it," Fry was quoted as saying by the British magazine Autosport.

Patrick turned down the offer as she wanted to focus on her IndyCar championship before starting a career in the Formula One championship.