At the first look, Formula 1’s growing interest in the United States amongst audiences and racecar drivers might seem unnatural. But upon a second look, or a more observant first look even, it makes sense. Just consider what Freddie Kraft, the spotter of Bubba Wallace, said about Kevin Harvick’s son being more interested in pursuing the F1 road than the one his father championed.

Harvick had recently revealed that he talked to Jim France about keeping young racing talent interested in stock cars. This is because the Stewart-Haas Racing driver believes that most young kids these days want to race in Formula 1 instead of NASCAR, including his own son Keelan Harvick.

But this is something that didn’t come as a surprise at all to Freddie Kraft.

“Well, I don’t really fault Keelan Harvick because I’d just seen the contract Max Verstappen signed a couple (of) weeks ago,” he said in a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast.

“A lot of them F1 guys are rather high up on the food chain, and it doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Some of these kids want to run F1.”

How much does Bubba Wallace earn at 23XI Racing?

According to a report, Bubba Wallace earns around $2.2 million per season with 23XI Racing. While this might sound good enough for most of us, when pitted against a Formula 1 driver, that number disappears.

But to make things fair, consider the highest-paid driver in NASCAR, Denny Hamlin, and his salary. The 23XI Racing co-owner reportedly earns around $13.1 million a year.

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That’s a lot of money.

Now look at what Max Verstappen, the highest-paid driver in Formula 1 earns. According to ESPN, the reigning F1 champion will now earn a whopping $55 million a year, with bonuses that could take the number to $75 million, until 2028.

So it’s not hard to imagine why young drivers in the United States are gravitating toward Formula 1. It clearly pays well. It’s considered more prestigious, more challenging, and more rewarding.

The question is, will NASCAR be forced to position itself as an alternative to Formula 1?

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