Motorsport fans in the country were treated to an epic collaboration as Formula One visits the United States of America for the second time in 2024. F1 is currently in Austin as the open-wheel series will race at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend.
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However, before the action gets underway, two-time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso met and exchanged helmets with four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, giving NASCAR fans a crossover to look forward to.
In recent memory, it perhaps is the most iconic coming together of the two sports with both drivers honoring each other’s famed careers. Alonso has also seen success as a motorsports athlete on American soil as he is the winner of the 2019 24 Hours of Daytona, adding to his fanfare in the States.
He first raced in the endurance event in 2018 and one of his co-drivers that year was current F1 title hopeful Lando Norris. He sat down for an interview with Gordon the same year as well to speak about the iconic track, as well as global motorsports.
When motorsport legends collide. 🤝@alo_oficial x @JeffGordonWeb@Valvoline | #USGP pic.twitter.com/cmt40fwm4i
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 18, 2024
This year, Gordon was seen touring the Aston Martin garage, the team that fields Alonso’s entry in the sport. One can expect the former Hendrick Motorsports driver to be there on the streets of Vegas later this year as well when F1 races there.
The 53-year-old has himself been behind the wheel of a Formula One car before and he admittedly fell in love with the experience. Gordon believes that it made him an even bigger fan of the sport than he already was at the time, swapping cars with Juan Pablo Montoya back in the day.
Gordon’s successor visits Aston Martin garage in COTA
The former driver of the #24 car was not the only one who got a chance to meet the Aston Martin Formula One team this weekend. Current driver of the #24 Chevrolet, William Byron was also seen in the paddock at COTA for Friday’s practice and Sprint qualifying sessions.
F1 🤝 NASCAR@TeamHendrick's @JeffGordonWeb and @WilliamByron joined us behind the scenes at the #USGP this afternoon together with @Valvoline, seeing how similar – and different – our disciplines can be whilst still boiling down to pure racing.#TeamValvoline pic.twitter.com/s26eNJPTGC
— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 18, 2024
The 26-year-old is the youngest driver in the team and is seen by many as a future Cup Series champion. Perhaps he could get the job done this season itself. He currently sits fourth on the points table, four points ahead of the cutline to the final four.
It is a good position to be in ahead of the round of 8. Byron made it to the championship round last year but was unable to win the championship.
It was an emotional loss for him and his crew chief Rudy Fugle so they will hope to get their hands on the trophy this time around. However, the biggest obstacle in achieving that dream for the #24 crew this year is his teammate Kyle Larson.
Beating Yung Money is not going to be an easy feat given the scintillating form he is currently on. One thing is for certain though, neither driver is going to take it easy at least for the next three races.
