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IndyCar Sensation Colton Herta Teases a NASCAR Drive at Daytona 500

Published 11/06/2021, 3:52 AM EDT

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Until only last week, the Andretti group was set to take over Sauber in Formula 1. This would’ve meant their IndyCar driver, Colton Herta, advancing to the pinnacle of motorsports in Europe from America.

But an ‘almost done’ Andretti takeover fell through and Herta’s chances of racing an F1 car were hit. Or were they?

While admitting racing in F1 is something he wants to do, it isn’t the only aspiration he has for his career, including racing in the iconic Daytona 500 in NASCAR.

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“..there’s a lot of things that I want to do in my career and they don’t all revolve around IndyCar. Whether that be doing the Daytona 500, or the 24 Hours of Le Mans, or competing in IMSA some more; there’s a lot of different stuff in racing that I want to do,” said Herta as reported in Racer.

If Herta is to be believed, it’s clear he was neither rooting for nor got disappointed when the eventual deal fell through. It seems the driver is more focused on staying in America and cementing his name there before making the move to Europe.

And he has good reason to do so.

USA Today via Reuters

Colton Herta is finding his groove in IndyCar

Herta further explained that at a point in his career in which he’s winning races and fighting for the championship.

“But IndyCar, that’s what gave me my love for racing. And yeah, it’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from it at this point with the situation I’m in, able to gun for a championship, able to win races.”

Herta finished third in his first IndyCar season last year with seven top-five finishes and one victory.

In the current season, the No.26 driver has won three races and sits fifth in the championship. Colton Herta is all but surely a title contender for the 2022 season. But for now, his focus will be on finishing strongly in the last two races of the season.

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Whether Herta didn’t really care all that much about his chances of racing in F1 or whether he’s simply putting up a front now that the deal is off, it’s not important.

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What’s important, though, is whether Herta, who is still very young, can tick off all the boxes on his list of career goals that include NASCAR, LeMans, F1 and IMSA.

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Written by:

Shaharyar

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Shaharyar is a Formula 1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A Graduate in Journalism from Amity University, he has been a passionate follower of motorsports for the better part of the decade. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari supporter, he dreams of a pairing of the two in the future.
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