Daniel Ricciardo is a driver and a personality that many have idolized over the years. For Formula 1 fans, the Honey Badger is the man to be, well, at least when he was back at Red Bull. That being said, who did the Australian idolize?

Daniel Ricciardo has been an outspoken NASCAR fan. At the 2021 US Grand Prix last year, he even took his hero’s NASCAR cup car out for a spin at the Circuit of The Americas. That’s right, for Ricciardo, Dale Earnhardt was ‘the’ man.

Before the Brazilian Grand Prix, he spoke about this. He said, “I was a massive Earnhardt fan. When we could pick our numbers in F1, I mean ‘3’ was close to me but it was also like a tip of the hat to Earnhardt.”

“His nickname was ‘the Intimidator’. That’s one of the coolest nicknames you can be given, especially in the world of motorsports.”

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Now that Ricciardo is no longer in contention for an F1 seat, at least for a while, he can ply his trade across the pond in the backyard of his hero. As things stand, the Australian has not ruled out a stint in NASCAR.

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The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this week might be Ricciardo’s final F1 race, ever. That being said, motorsports is something that has always been dear to the Honey Badger. And in his own words, he has not counted out his chances at a future NASCAR drive.

He said, “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cool fairytale kind of thing of racing in America. I know I would love all of it. “But I feel like in this paddock I feel very American. If I go into a NASCAR paddock, I’m the least American person there is.”

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He ended it on a very tantalizing note. “It’s funny. We’ll see.”

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Daniel Ricciardo is hoping for a reserve driver seat for 2023. But does this spell the end of the Honey Badger in Formula 1?