It’s no secret that NASCAR is increasingly becoming a popular destination for international motorsports drivers looking to venture out into different sports. First, it was Shane van Gisbergen’s performance that not only vowed the NASCAR community but also pulled in praises from the likes of Max Verstappen, and now, another former F1 driver who so happens to also be the man whom Verstappen replaced at Red Bull Racing also shares similar ideologies as his arch-nemesis.

In a recent interview with Mike Seymour from Liberty Media, Daniil Kvyat reflected on how his time away from F1 had unfolded. The adventures in NASCAR had opened his eyes to a new approach to racing that he certainly missed out on in Formula 1, owing to which he had a shocking exit from Red Bull Racing despite delivering solid results. Ironically, the Torpedo followed in Verstappen’s footsteps, sparing no words of praise for stock car racing.

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Although Daniil Kvyat had managed to outclass Daniel Ricciardo and prove his worth to the Red Bull fans, it, unfortunately, was not enough to satisfy Dr. Helmut Marko, ultimately leading to his exit in favor of the young Verstappen. Since then, while Kvyat managed to find some seat time in F1 through the years with his reserve role at Alpine, nothing fruitful came of it in terms of open-wheel racing.

But on the other hand, the Oval treated Kvyat with open arms earlier, despite failing to finish both at Daytona and Charlotte. Kvyat shared with Seymour, “When you lose a year, it’s a little bit more difficult to come back. I drove a few races in NASCAR, and I liked it a lot. You really have to start from zero there, which I don’t mind. There was no b**t, pretty much, and the racing was wild!”

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Not only had Daniil Kvyat given it a go being the wheel of the stock cars, the first Russian to rave in the Cup Series also believed that unlike F1, where politics and team orders plague a driver’s results occasionally, NASCAR’s one driver, one pit crew attitude struck a chord with the man who many believe to have been wronged by Helmut Marko. He added that his experience made him a better driver and shared, “I like driving different cars because it helps to adapt to different things, and I think now I’m a more adaptable driver. As a driver, that’s what I’m looking for—constant progress.”

While Daniil Kvyat might have been out of the F1 limelight for a few seasons at this point, his goal remains to reach the pinnacle of motorsport once again. In the meantime, however, the focus will be on “finding a stable place where I have time to evolve” through races in the WEC with Lamborghini in the 2024 hypercar class and appearing in raves such as the esteemed 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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It’s safe to say that the Russian could appear in a few more NASCAR races in the future, and even the man he replaced was thrilled while watching Shane van Gisbergen’s road course masterclass!

Max Verstappen had nothing but praise for SVG’s masterclass

Earlier this year, Max Verstappen was all praise while talking about the Australian Supercars sensation van Gisbergen’s debut at the Chicago Road Course. In only his first race, Shane van Gisbergen put on a valiant effort to deliver a brilliant performance during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary.

Verstappen shared and was quoted by motorsport.com, “I stayed awake to watch it. And I’ve never felt so nervous in my life watching someone else race and trying to win it. So yeah, I was literally screaming in front of my monitor for him to win that.” A fan of the Kiwi’s performance, it looks like the reigning champion realized the value of the Cup Series after watching the thrilling event.

But while Daniil Kvyat could make a few more appearances sooner than later, the same won’t be the case for Verstappen anytime soon. The Dutch Lion shows no signs of slowing down in open-wheel racing and believes he’d be better off keeping a watchful eye for now. He concluded, “No! It’s not my style, I think. I mean, I like watching it. I think it’s really, really cool. And I was really happy for Shane, but I’m happy to maybe go there and just have a beer myself and enjoy the show.”

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After taking a look at what two of the most prominent Red Bull Racing drivers in recent years feel about NASCAR and their ‘no bul***t’ approach to racing, do you think more drivers will be inspired by Daniil Kvyat and Kimi Raikkonen to take the plunge into stock car racing?