Age groups vary wildly across racing series. According to a 2017 Nielsen dataset, NASCAR has a median age of 58, while Formula One’s global fanbase has an average age of 32. NASCAR thus has one of the oldest fan bases due to its traditional American stock car racing heritage. And F1 prioritises a digital-first approach and international circuits, attracting younger fans. Despite this disparity, the two sports attract the same top government officials.

The NASCAR championships concluded three weeks ago, with Kyle Larson taking the 2025 Cup Series title. Meanwhile, Formula One’s season is not over yet, with dramatic events unfolding over the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend. A US Government official who was attending could not help but express her fangirl emotions.

NASCAR passion fusing with F1 love

The Las Vegas GP took place on Saturday night with Max Verstappen winning the race. And among the spectators of this excellent race were Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and FBI Director Kash Patel. And Noem slipped out her love for both NASCAR and F1, with the former having already been a hobby. “I’ve always kind of been a NASCAR fan and been learning a lot about F1 the last couple of years. And we’re excited to see everybody race,” she said ahead of the race.

Clearly, this marked yet another instance of NASCAR’s comparison with F1. Like Noem, many top government officials have been open about their affiliation with stock car racing. For instance, President Ronald Reagan attended the 1984 Firecracker 400. He was the first sitting president to attend a NASCAR race, and he watched 7-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty secure the historic victory. It was Petty’s 200th and final NASCAR Cup Series trophy.

And now, Kristi Noem attended the race of NASCAR’s counterpart – and the event was not short of drama. Max Verstappen grabbed the lead from championship leader Lando Norris en route to his win. Both cars competed fiercely at 215 MPH for over 50 laps. By the end, Norris finished in runner-up, while Oscar Piastri, his McLaren Racing teammate, finished in 4th place. But officials found illegal plank wear on both their cars and disqualified both drivers.

This was frustrating for Norris, who currently has 390 points, while Piastri and Verstappen have 366. “A frustrating end to today,” Norris said in a statement. “We had to do some managing towards the end of the race, and now we know it was due to some issues on our car, which have unfortunately resulted in us being disqualified.” This situation is kind of similar to NASCAR’s one-race championship format. The McLaren driver would have been crowned the title already if not for two more races left on the schedule – in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

As Formula One fans gear up for the finale, NASCAR is not resting. In fact, a NASCAR champion compared the two sports recently.

Crowning one above the other

NASCAR’s ageing fanbase is a cause for concern. Accordingly, the sport is trying to keep up with an expanding media presence. After ‘NASCAR: Full Speed’ on Netflix and ‘Earnhardt’ on Amazon Prime, the sport unveiled RISING on 17th November. NASCAR’s latest attempt at documentary storytelling features the stories of a new generation of racers, Jesse Love, Carson Hocevar, and Rajah Caruth. Many have compared the format and storytelling of this show with F1’s ‘Drive to Survive’. However, the 2025 Xfinity Series champion begs to differ.

Jesse Love said that the show is more authentic. “Fans are going to be able to see so much that they probably didn’t expect to see. Like it’s not just like ‘Drive to Survive’ where it’s like all super s–y… Also, some instances that just like were random, like again going to my hotel with me before the race just to like get something new out of it.” The Richard Childress Racing driver continued, “Took me some getting used to, but I think that I enjoyed it, and if they give me the opportunity to do it next year, like I’m 100% going to take them up on it.”

With new shows and new talents rocking NASCAR, the future looks bright. Let’s wait and see what 2026 brings to the sport.