Over the last couple of seasons, we’ve begun to see more and more crossovers from drivers in other motorsports series coming to try NASCAR. Specifically, we’ve seen a number of Supercars drivers from Australia coming over to the States and trying their hand at NASCAR, the likes of Shane van Gisbergen, Brodie Kostecki, Cam Waters, and Will Brown. We’ve also seen one of the biggest stars in NASCAR, Kyle Larson, compete in arguably the biggest race in the world, the Indianapolis 500. So it got us thinking: what are some other NASCAR crossovers we’d like to see?
This one would obviously be popular. The 35-year-old Aussie and eight-time Grand Prix winner in Formula 1 is a fan favorite in the U.S thanks to his charismatic charm and the popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive series in which Ricciardo has been a major focal point since the series premiered in 2018. Not to mention Ricciardo’s childhood hero was none other than The Intimidator, Dale Earnhardt. Ricciardo has said himself that his admiration of Earnhardt is the reason he drives the number 3 in F1. If Ricciardo were to come to NASCAR, even in a one-off appearance, he would bring a massive amount of hype and droves of loyal Ricciardo fans eyes focused on the top level of stock car racing.
Would Ricciardo be competitive in the Cup Series? It’s hard to say, as the discipline is as different as you could imagine from what he is used to in F1. You could look to F1 champ Kimi Raikkonen’s two Cup Series appearances for some sort of benchmark for Ricciardo to hit in his debut. Regardless of how he were to perform, it’s hard to deny Ricciardo in NASCAR would be instant fireworks.
Like fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, McLaughlin is a three-time Supercars champion and now competes for Team Penske in the NTT IndyCar Series. Scotty Mac, as many call him, has been stateside competing in the United States’ top open-wheel series since 2020, and has already collected 6 wins in that span in a series that couldn’t be more different than what he came from in Supercars. With that kind of success in such a different form of motorsport combined with the similarities between the cars in Supercars and the NASCAR Cup Series, one would think that McLaughlin would have a great shot at competing in a Cup race.
You could also see it happening without much needing to fall into place. McLaughlin already drives for Roger Penske, who just so happens to own a very competitive NASCAR team and has the ability to field a fourth car without violating the current four-car per-team rule set in place by NASCAR. Not to mention, McLaughlin himself has proclaimed that he would love to be one of the first to attempt “The Double” (Indy 500/Coke 600 in the same day) from the IndyCar side, similar to what Kyle Larson attempted back in May. There’s no denying that Scotty Mac would put on a show behind the wheel of a fourth Penske Ford, especially on a road course.
Newgarden, a two-time Indy 500 winner and Team Penske driver, would be another match made in heaven for a NASCAR crossover. The American has publicly stated that he would love to attempt “The Double”, and seeing as there is a NASCAR connection with Team Penske similar to McLaughlin, it could possibly happen someday. Would Newgarden compete against the best in NASCAR? It’s hard to say, but the talent is definitely there. We’d love to see this.
Who wouldn’t want to see this? I mean, really, who wouldn’t? Arguably (more like probably) the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, Hamilton is tied for the most World Drivers Championships all-time at seven, tied with Michael Schumacher, and currently holds F1 records in wins (105), poles (104), and podium finishes (201). He is the most decorated motorsport champion of all time, and believe it or not, has ties to NASCAR in the past. In 2011, he participated in a seat swap with three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart at Watkins Glen, where he turned laps in the bulky stock car and admitted he “felt like a kid”.
Hamilton has also more recently expressed interest in trying his hand at NASCAR someday, mentioning it during the F1 weekend in Miami in 2023, saying that he’d love to try it at some stage. That kind of statement from such a legend in motorsport is sure to get NASCAR fan’s attention. It likely won’t happen for quite some time, as Hamilton’s F1 career doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon as he searches for an elusive eighth world championship, but maybe someday we’ll see Sir Lewis in a Cup Series car.
We’ve already seen what Larson can do in an IndyCar, putting up a strong performance in the Indy 500, and we all know how talented the 2021 Cup Series champion is on dirt in just about any type of car. But what about Formula 1? It’s a far-fetched idea due to the exclusiveness of the series, with only 20 seats available. But it is hard to deny the fact that with as talented as Larson is, could he compete in such a high-profile series? Most NASCAR and North American racing fans believe Larson can win in just about anything, and that he may be the most talented racer in the world. What better place to put that to the test than F1, home to what many believe are the best racers in the world? It’s unlikely to ever happen, but we sure can dream!
This is another pipe dream, as Verstappen himself has mentioned he has no interest in oval racing. But that doesn’t mean the three-time F1 World Drivers Champion couldn’t get behind the wheel of a stock car at a road course. Verstappen has dabbled in stock car racing virtually via iRacing, specifically Trucks, and the argument could be made that the Dutchman is the best racer in the world. Many wonder if the dominance of Verstappen’s Red Bull has carried him to his success in F1, but it is impossible to deny his talent. Verstappen has publicly stated that he has other interests outside of F1, so maybe someday we will see him taking to the streets of Chicago, or flying around Watkins Glen with the best NASCAR has to offer.
Who else would you like to see in NASCAR? Is there anyone major that we missed? Let us know your thoughts and connect with us on our socials at The Daily Downforce, and stick with us for the latest NASCAR news all year long!
Former Joe Gibbs Racing Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart has filed a new response slamming JGR as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought against the former Daytona 500 Champion by his former employer.
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information…
Gabehart departed Joe Gibbs Racing this past offseason following eight seasons as a Crew Chief and one as the team’s Competition Director, while serving as an unofficial Crew Chief for Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 team.
This move surprised fans, as, under his tenure in 2026, the team scored 13 wins, 47 top fives, 69 top tens, and placed three cars in the Playoffs, with two in the Championship Four.
Nonetheless, with his future still in the air, JGR sued Gabehart last week, claiming he “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”
While the industry veteran responded to the allegations last week in a post to social media, he expanded his side of the story in a scathing response filed Wednesday afternoon.
In his response, Gabehart claims that in 2025, he became discontented with his role at JGR “and other aspects of how JGR’s race teams were being run.”
Expanding on this opinion, Gabehart stated first that his duties at JGR as Competition Director were “materially inconsistent with my reasonable expectations when I accepted the position,” going on to say that the structure at JGR was “dysfunctional.”
“I was promised a COO-type role overseeing all competitive operations with autonomy to lead. Instead, I found myself constantly intertwined with Coach Gibbs, senior JGR executives, and family members when making even routine competition decisions—a dysfunctional organizational structure that I could not continue in.” — Chris Gabehart
Ironically, since his departure, Joe Gibbs confirmed during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on February 12, that the team now uses a committee approach for the Competition Director duties.
What’s Happening? Team Owner Joe Gibbs broke down the new structure of JGR in the aftermath of the departure of former…
Gabehart then turned his barrel at the No. 54 team, a car driven by Gibbs’ grandson Ty Gibbs, and a team that Gabehart served as the substitute Crew Chief of during the 2025 season, before returning the reins to the team’s official shot caller, Tyler Allen.
The long-time Crew Chief said that in his opinion, the No. 54 team is not held to the same standards as other teams in the organization, saying, “It was my view that the No. 54 car should be managed and held accountable in the same manner as the organization’s other cars.”
He even alleged that Joe Gibbs directly oversaw his grandson’s team and “pressured” Gabehart to take over as Crew Chief early on during his time as JGR’s Competition Director.
“Beginning early in the 2025 season, Coach Gibbs repeatedly pressured me to take over as crew chief of the No. 54 car. I consistently declined, explaining that as Competition Director, I did not believe this was the right move, that it would undermine the long-term development of the team, and that I did not want to be crew chief of the No. 54 or any other car.” — Chris Gabehart
Gabehart even explained how he took over for Tyler Allen before returning duties to the team’s original Crew Chief:
“Despite my objections, Coach Gibbs and ownership continued pressing, and I eventually conceded to the pressure by first helping the No. 54 team more behind the scenes and then, beginning on June 28, 2025, by publicly serving as the crew chief and calling the races on Sundays for nine consecutive races before returning those duties to the original crew chief, Tyler Allen, against the strong desires of ownership, when I made it clear that I did not want to serve as a crew chief for the long term.” — Chris Gabehart
During Gabehart’s tenure with the No. 54 team, which per his account began with the summer race at EchoPark Speedway and concluded after nine races with the Playoff cutoff race at Daytona, the team scored two top fives, four top tens, and tallied an average finish of 14.3. The team also won the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge Tournament during this stretch of races.
Furthermore, at the start of that stretch, JGR initially claimed that Gabehart was not the Crew Chief and was a race strategist for the No. 54 team, though this may have been for one race.
In the 17 races prior to Gabehart’s time as the No. 54’s Crew Chief, with Allen on the box, the team had just two top fives, three top tens, and a 19.4 average finish.
But despite this improvement, the team failed to make the Playoffs, with Gabehart focused on his role as Competition Director. However, he notes in his filing that it is his opinion that the “differential treatment” of Gibbs’ team undermined my position as Competition Director.”
He even touted that Gibbs had a different meeting attendance standard than other JGR team members.
“I also identified specific examples of the No. 54 team’s differential treatment that undermined my position as Competition Director. For example, key personnel decisions were made without my counsel or input despite my role as Competition Director; and critically the No. 54 driver was not held to the same meeting attendance standards as others on the team.” — Chris Gabehart
Ultimately, the real bitterness in this filing is found later on, when Gabehart alleges the lawsuit isn’t about stolen information, rather, as he puts it, “it is about punishing a former employee for daring to leave.”
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that former competition director Chris Gabehart took a wide range of confidential team information regarding…
Gabehart also addressed the origin of the lawsuit in his filing, backing up a claim in his social media post last week that Spire Motorsports, now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, is willing to let a forensic examiner look through their information to confirm Gabehart did not take “sensitive information” from the team.
JGR alleges that he used several methods to take setup information from JGR, including an allegation that he synchronized his personal Google Drive account with a JGR-issued laptop to supply it to a rival team, known to be Spire Motorsports.
In Wednesday’s filing, Gabehart provided a letter from attorneys at the law firm Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson claiming that Spire, which now employs him as their Chief Motorsports Officer, is willing to allow a neutral forensic examiner to look through Spire materials to “confirm that no JGR information was transmitted to or used by Spire.”
Tuesday night, JGR filed a new document of its own, which requested the court grant a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent Gabehart from working at Spire in a similar role to his job at JGR for the next 18 months and require Spire to return any information to JGR.
Nonetheless, this filing, alongside one from JGR Tuesday night, shows there are no signs of this lawsuit slowing down, with Gabehart’s accusations making this one of the most bitter breakups in recent NASCAR history.
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has added to its lawsuit filed against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, filing…
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NASCAR’s 2026 All-Star format has fans going from “hell yeah” to “what the hell” in record time. With a 350-lap, three-segment race at Dover Motor Speedway and no Open or LCQ, the exhibition’s identity suddenly feels very different — and not everyone is thrilled about it.
The new structure locks in recent winners, past champions, and a fan vote — leaving limited spots available through the segments. It’s structured. It’s legitimate. But it trades exclusivity and simple, high-stakes transfer battles for something that feels more procedural than electric. For many fans, the All-Star race used to mean night racing, short bursts, bold strategy, and desperation. Now, with a longer format and no true “win-and-you’re-in” showdown, Jaret believes it risks feeling like an obligation rather than a spectacle.
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NASCAR’s All-Star shakeup, a growing legal fight in the garage, and major early-season momentum swings have all collided at once. With COTA up next, the timing couldn’t be more dramatic, and the ripple effects might be bigger than they first appear.
This isn’t just about one exhibition race or one court filing. It’s about direction, leverage, and momentum at a critical point in the season. The format decisions affect the show. The lawsuit could affect how teams operate. And COTA might start separating early contenders from everyone else.
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