"F1 is a feeder series for NASCAR": Parker Kligerman's hilariously controversial take on former F1 drivers racing in NASCAR

NASCAR Xfinity driver Parker Kligerman aired a controversial yet hilarious take on social media, claiming that Formula 1 served as a feeder for the premier stock car series in America.

Kligerman's opinion sounds ridiculous at first glance, but on closer examination, there has been an immigration of retired F1 drivers to NASCAR. While the stock car series is not the most attractive destination for open-wheel drivers, it continues to attract celebrity names every year.

This past season, two former F1 champions, namely Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button, starred in the Cup Series on a part-time basis. Former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi also made his debut at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2023.

Given the recent trend, Parker Kligerman claimed that the global motorsports series served as a feeder series. The NBC reporter aired his controversial take on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

"F1 is a feeder series for NASCAR... Prove me wrong"

The Cup Series has attracted F1 drivers in the past, such as Christian Fittipaldi, Scott Speed, Daniil Kvyat, and Nelson Piquet Jr. They all turned towards the American racing series in the last two decades.

More famously Jacques Villeneuve and Juan Pablo Montoya returned to America following their stints in F1. Montoya was able to replicate his success from the open-wheelers to stock car racing. He is a multi-time winner in the Cup Series and also picked up a victory in the Xfinity Series.

There has been a steady stream of retired F1 drivers turning towards road course races in the Cup Series. But there is no sign of active drivers gravitating towards stock car racing.

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F1 drivers compare NASCAR to Formula 1

Multiple F1 drivers have hailed the American racing for its field size and close-pack racing, which is a rarity in Formula 1.

Jacques Villeneuve, who made his Daytona 500 debut in 2022, admitted he had the most fun racing in stock cars.

"The most fun I've had racing has been in NASCAR... wheel to wheel and fender to fender, you can't beat the feeling in NASCAR," Villeneuve was quoted as saying by Racing America.

Former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen was left impressed after making his debut with Kyle Busch Motorsports in the junior series a decade ago. He told RACER.com:

"F1 and rallying is very different, and then NASCAR is completely its own way of racing and how it is run. I had a good time there. I enjoyed it. It was also nice that it didn't matter where you race - there are so many cars that you always end up racing with somebody."

Former McLaren driver, Juan Pablo Montoya once admitted he was much happier racing in stock cars.

"In NASCAR, I am 10,000 times happier than I ever was there [F1],"he was quoted by El Tiempo.