Think of Formula 1 and it’s not very tough to get visuals of Lewis Hamilton in the cockpit, making overtakes, and celebrating as a race winner. After all, he has done it more than any other driver in F1 history. But what about the prospect of Hamilton winning a NASCAR race? That’s something that is a little difficult to imagine. But what’s not difficult to imagine is Hamilton racing in NASCAR one day. This is because, in 2015, the 7x F1 champion confessed that one day he wanted to race in NASCAR.
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In 2015’s final Cup race of the season, Hamilton showed up to pay tribute to Jeff Gordon’s legendary career, which was coming to a close. And it was then that the Mercedes driver opened up about his respect and admiration for Gordon and his plans for NASCAR.
“We have always been very supportive of each other, messaging each other after our races and so on. He told me that this was his last year, and I thought: ‘I’ve got to make it to a race because I’ve never been to a NASCAR race before.’ So I dropped everything I had and flew out to Florida just for that day and had an amazing time,” Hamilton said as per Guardian.
“It made me want to drive one, I really fancy a race in NASCAR one day. I’m not sure I’d do an oval but possibly a street circuit or road course.”
Is NASCAR ready for Lewis Hamilton?
Considering what Hamilton said in 2015, and considering he explicitly expressed his not wanting to do an oval and preferring a street course or a road course, the timing for him to try out his hand in NASCAR couldn’t be any better. Over the past few seasons, NASCAR has introduced a variety of road courses to the schedule.
Last year, the sport got its first taste of a street course in the top division in the Chicago Street race. And that turned out to be a massive success for everyone.
Moreover, there’ve been many drivers of foreign origins and those from other leagues of racecar driving that have tried out their luck in NASCAR. In 2023 alone, two former F1 champions and Hamilton’s ex-rivals, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen, ran in multiple races.
So all things considered, now would be a good time for Lewis Hamilton to get a seat fitting for a Next Gen Cup car and see if his success from Formula 1 carries over in NASCAR as well.
