Corey LaJoie spotted a very distinct difference between Formula 1’s Mexico and NASCAR’s Martinsville outings. While every driver, including title rival and Mercedes teammate George Russell, congratulated Kimi Antonelli on his maiden title win, NASCAR drivers like Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric blasted their fellow drivers for ruining their race, costing them crucial positions and the championship. And then LaJoie dropped his big statement: Nobody likes each other enough to care. And while the driver’s words hold some truth, the reason goes beyond the bond racers share.

In conversation with Kasey Kahne and his co-host Ryan ‘Skip’ Flores, on Monday’s episode of the Stacking Pennies podcast, the part-time NASCAR Cup Series driver for RFK Racing reflected on how open-wheel racers share a more pleasant bond compared to NASCAR drivers.

LaJoie claimed, “I think that open-wheel guys, be it F1 or IndyCar guys, are more chummy with each other because (of) the racecraft; you can’t rub fenders or tires. You can’t, like, I can’t touch you on a restart because then we both crash and we’re both out. So those guys do, like, go to dinner with each other, and they, like, hug each other after a race. There’s none of that in NASCAR because, you see, at Martinsville, nobody likes each other. Everybody wants to kill each other.”

While the difference isn’t always necessarily because of personal dynamics, feuds, or rivalries, the nature of how NASCAR goes racing becomes a crucial point.

Open-wheel drivers cannot afford contact between cars because, as the name of the category suggests, the wheels are exposed, and any contact can lead to punctures, suspension damage, and worse, like airborne crashes. And such damage can usually happen to both drivers involved: the victim and the one causing the crash. Since bumping and contact are not as frequent, driver relationships tend to be warmer.

Meanwhile, stock cars are more durable, and the body panels can absorb some contact, allowing drivers to bump and sometimes even ram into each other without great consequences.

In addition to the racing and driving styles, verbal tiffs, physical altercations, and dramatic off-track moments are also equally common and normal in NASCAR. It just seems like an extension of the greater physicality allowed on track compared to IndyCar or F1, where there are stricter penalties for contact and causing collisions.

While Flores was hoping Kasey Kahne would have different stories about his paddock relationships, the 18-time Cup Series race winner said he wouldn’t know, as he never really hung out with the pack.

Adding to LaJoie’s statement, Flores said, “You know what’s a lot different now? Way less time at the racetrack, so way less time in the motor home lot. So the drivers are all around each other way less. Their kids aren’t together as much. So it’s easier to wreck somebody.”

Flores’s observation—fewer motorhome gatherings, less family time—explains why drivers aren’t close despite 36 shared weekends. With no personal or familial ties connecting the racers, and with teams and garages promoting an ‘each driver for himself’ mindset, NASCAR doesn’t need the teammates to get along well in order to deliver a holistically good weekend for the team.

When asked about how the driver equations were during his prime, Kahne reminisced that he preferred staying in his motorhome and never really left unless it was for biking. While the podcast guest may have denied having friendships and bromances back in the day, he shares a close bond with multiple colleagues and drivers from the racing fraternity now.

While modern NASCAR does not tear down the idea of friendships coexisting with rivalries, each driver wants to defeat the rest of the field and cannot afford to let personal bonds get in the way.

Over the years, the sport has witnessed tension among drivers in the form of Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin’s competitive duels, Kyle Busch’s history of confrontations with fellow drivers, Ross Chastain’s aggressive racing reputation and the reactions it has generated, and the memorable Jeff Gordon–Brad Keselowski post-race confrontation at Texas in 2014.

On the other hand, modern NASCAR also celebrates driver bonds and bromances like Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Larson, Harrison Burton and Joey Logano, and at last, Corey LaJoie himself and Joey Logano.

However, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver’s claim that NASCAR drivers want to kill each other is obviously hyperbole, but the sentiment is very true when it comes to on-track tension and battles as the field goes racing to bring home the best results for themselves.

No driver will ever sacrifice their race for the benefit of a teammate or a friend, as NASCAR is an equally punishing sport for drivers who let emotions get the better of them. While racers respect each other, NASCAR is truly about embracing the villain instead of channeling the hero.