What if the greatest drivers in the world aren’t the ones racing in Monaco, but the ones who’ve spent their lives inches from a concrete wall at 200 mph? “They ask you if you’re ready inside the car, you say yes, you switch on the car, and you go,” said Fernando Alonso. When two-time Formula 1 World Champion Fernando Alonso entered the Indianapolis 500 in 2017, he was breaking new ground. 

While he led 27 laps before an engine problem halted his race, his performance was admirable and demonstrated the sharp contrast between American racing’s high-speed ovals and Formula One’s road courses. Discussions concerning the flexibility of drivers in the two disciplines were rekindled by this attempt at crossover. Could Formula One drivers understand oval racing? On the Dale Download, Junior recently stated that he has only ever engaged with Daniel Ricciardo, who runs the #3 in his father’s honor, whom he admires.

The largest cross-series discussion in motorsport was rekindled by NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s audacious and unvarnished statement in an interview with Hard Rock Bet: What if Formula One drivers ventured out of their meticulously designed circuits and into the anarchy of an oval? “If F1 raced on ovals, I could’ve won an F1 race—absolutely. F1 is strictly road course racing. I would have had to train my entire life to even have been competitive, I believe. But I grew up racing on ovals, and that is really like a completely different, unique discipline,” Dale Earnhardt Jr said.  

The debate isn’t about pride, according to Dale Jr., the two-time Daytona 500 champion and the face of NASCAR for a generation. It’s about comprehending the discipline required for oval mastery, which he feels the open-wheel community still lacks. “The way you drive an oval versus the way you drive a road course is so different,” he emphasized. “I think if they ever ran them on ovals, I would have a shot for sure,” Dale Jr. added.

Leading NASCAR figures have already questioned Formula 1’s exclusivity on road courses. However, Junior’s perspective flips the typical dialogue. He posed the more controversial query: how would Formula One drivers do in NASCAR on ovals, whereas most concentrate on how NASCAR drivers would suffer in F1? “F1 drivers could absolutely come into NASCAR and be competitive, but mainly on the road courses. I think they would have a hard time learning the discipline of racing on our ovals with the kind of cars we have. It would be as difficult as any of our oval guys going over and trying to be great in F1.” Earnhardt Jr stated.

He’s not mistaken. In 2022, Kimi Räikkönen, the 2007 F1 World Champion, made his NASCAR debut with Trackhouse Racing at the road track Watkins Glen, where he was clearly at ease. “There was purely lap time or the average speed, and you went by feeling. And you asked somebody and they would tell you! It’s not something on paper that you can look at and say ‘OK, this is this and that,” he said at the time. Similarly, Shane van Gisbergen surprised everyone at the first-ever Chicago Street Race, although even he admitted that oval racing was difficult after subsequently trying an oval start at Indianapolis.

“If they came and ran a road course race, you would have to say that they had a shot to win, yeah, for sure,” he added. In recent years, the gap between F1 and NASCAR has decreased. The number of crossovers has increased. Fans have become closer thanks to social media. Yet, there is still a heated argument about which discipline demands greater talent.

Along those lines, Kyle Larson admitted the degree of competition between F1 drivers and NASCAR drivers, while speaking about Max Verstappen. “Not really. I know in my mind I am better than him as an all-around driver. There’s no way (Verstappen) can get into a Sprint Car and win the Knoxville Nationals. There’s no way he can go win the Chili Bowl. There’s no way he can go win a Cup race at Bristol,” Larson continued. “There’s probably no way I can go win a Formula 1 race at Monaco, but I think I’d have a better shot at him (doing what he does than him doing what I do) just because of the car element.” 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Calls for Overhaul of NASCAR Playoffs to Restore Season-Long Stakes

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has expressed his disapproval of the existing NASCAR Cup Series playoff structure and called for a major change to bring back the season’s competitiveness and sense of urgency. He remarked, “We have bad races, and guys get out, they don’t give a f—. They’re going to come back next week with a chance to make the playoffs.” He thinks that the “agony of defeat,” which used to define the sport’s emotional highs and lows, has been lost as a result of this leniency.

The current playoff system, which was introduced in 2014 and changed in 2017, consists of 16 drivers participating in a four-round elimination format over ten races. Critics contend that this approach may produce champions who haven’t always been at the top of their game. Joey Logano’s 2024 championship victory, for example, raised questions about the validity of such results despite his average finish of 17.1. ​

Earnhardt Jr. stresses the significance of talking about the advantages of the pre-2004 points system, even though he admits that a complete return to it is unlikely. NASCAR has expressed receptiveness to examining modifications to the playoff structure for the 2026 season in response to continuing discussions. To assess possible changes, a working committee made up of drivers, Goodyear, manufacturers, and members of the media is being formed. The organization is actively soliciting stakeholder input to resolve complaints and improve the championship system, even if no changes are anticipated for 2025.