Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the most popular F1 drivers in the United States. Riding on his popularity, F1 has made good inroads in the American motorsport market with fans starting to like F1 a lot. However, NASCAR still dominates the viewership across the pond. So, fans often wonder whether Hamilton would ever try to race in NASCAR.
With stock car racing, NASCAR shares drastic differences with F1. In F1, drivers race in open-wheel single-seaters — which firstly are a lot quicker in speed and performance — and also have a lot of technical intricacies from an aerodynamic and engineering perspective.
Besides, F1 drivers and NASCAR drivers also have a relatively different routine with their weekend structure and season schedule. This means Hamilton cannot simply switch between the two series, as they require different approaches and training.
However, Hamilton has not ruled out the NASCAR prospect. During the 2023 Miami GP, the seven-time F1 champion said, “I did a car swap with Tony Stewart years ago, which was fun. I’d love to try it at some stage.”
#F1: Lewis Hamilton on #NASCAR: “I’d love to try it.”
— Jenna Fryer (@JennaFryer) May 4, 2023
Still, because it was never his “dream” to be a NASCAR driver, he did not feel a switch to NASCAR could materialize for him. Since his car swap with Tony Stewart, Hamilton has solely focused on F1 and no other motor racing discipline. However, he still follows NASCAR as a fan just like he follows MotoGP.
Hamilton has experience in NASCAR already, thanks to his 2011 ride-switch with the legendary Stewart.
When Hamilton and Stewart exchanged rides
At the 2011 Watkins Glen International, Hamilton took Stewart’s #14 Chevrolet Impala, with which he won the NASCAR Cup Series. In turn, Stewart drove Hamilton’s 2008 McLaren F1 car — MP423.
Both drivers were thrilled with the opportunity, with Stewart calling it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Hamilton, on the other hand, said, “I just feel like a kid today.”
In 2011 Nascars Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton did a seat swamp and “raced” around the legendary Watkins Glen track. A shame they don’t do things like these anymore. https://t.co/qPA1YqafKs pic.twitter.com/qAEMKVeN8Q
— Memo ¹¹¹ ⁸¹ (@memomotorsports) September 6, 2024
“So excited to get on this thing, so much different to [F1]… We have much much lighter cars, just different kinds of science but we are going for the same goal which is to win.”
Just like Hamilton in F1, Stewart is a NASCAR veteran. With three Cup Series championships to his name, he has won 49 races and several wins in the Xfinity and Truck series too.
Besides NASCAR, Stewart also raced in IndyCar and even won the championship in 1997. While he raced in his final NASCAR season in 2016, he has been an owner of the Stewart-Haas racing team since 2008. With Hamilton also extending his sports investments, it would be interesting to see if the Briton joins NASCAR as a team co-owner, if not a driver.
