$50M superstar and “massive NASCAR fan” Daniel Ricciardo could make his stock racing debut, hints F1 Insider

F1 insider Alex Jacques has teased Daniel Ricciardo's shift to NASCAR amid the Australian driver being sacked by Red Bull's sister team, Visa Cash App RB (VCARB). After the Singapore GP, it was announced that the eight-time race winner would be replaced by RB's reserve driver, Liam Lawson.

Ricciardo, who has a net worth of $50 million (via Celebrity Net Worth), parted ways with Red Bull and moved to Renault in 2019 and McLaren in 2021. However, the Honey Badger failed to find his mojo in their open-wheel cars, leaving him off the grid for the 2023 season.

However, Nyck De Vries' lackluster performance in Alpha Tauri (now VCARB) opened the gates for the 35-year-old return, during the 2023 mid-season. Thus, Ricciardo was back at Red Bull's stable with Yuki Tsunoda as his teammate.

However, the Australian driver couldn't replicate the dominant racing shown at Red Bull in the 2018 season, where he collected two wins and four fastest laps. Despite multiple opportunities, Ricciardo could net 12 points this season, while his teammate, who is relatively less experienced, leads the veteran driver by 10 points.

That said, after his poor run at Singapore's Marina Bay Street Circuit, VCARB snubbed the driver and replaced him with Lawson, who would join after the break in the United States GP.

While Daniel Ricciardo's F1 future has no leads thus far, F1's commentator Alex Jacques suspected the former can mark his shift to NASCAR amid Red Bull axe. He said (via Formula For Success podcast).

“I know he’s got offers aplenty already. I think the media work is going to be nailed on for him. I think he’ll be back in a Formula 1 paddock at some point. I suspect he’s not going to be able to resist a little bit of NASCAR. He’s a massive NASCAR fan. He really does appreciate it and love that," Jacques said (12:07).

Daniel Ricciardo's last F1 win came before he returned to Red Bull's sister team- the 2021 Italian GP.

"I grew up a fan of NASCAR": Daniel Ricciardo on giving a shot at NASCAR

Daniel Ricciardo replaced De Vries at VCARB but aspired to climb back in the Milton Keynes-based outfit's top seat- the Red Bull RB20. Moreover, with Sergio Perez's lackluster performance, the notion of the Mexican driver getting axed and being replaced by the Australian gained traction.

Perez was on the verge of outdueling his teammate Max Verstappen for the first time this season, however, a horrific crash with Carlos Sainz at the Azerbaijan GP destroyed the opportunity. Still, Ricciardo's bid to replace him was sidelined and so was the driver from VCARB.

While his F1 future was in jeopardy, Daniel Ricciardo talked about his interest in giving a shot at stock car racing. He said (via Sports Illustrated)

"There's things I would like to try and experience, I don't know, let's say on a competitive level. It's, you know, I grew up a fan of NASCAR, I'd love to drive a NASCAR [car]. I'd love to drive around Daytona [International Speedway] for example,” Ricciardo said.

NASCAR has witnessed ex-F1 drivers attempting stock car racing. This includes Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, and Kamui Kobayashi, to name a few.