Dale Earnhardt Jr. would love to see former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo compete in NASCAR. While speaking with Kevin Harvick and Will Buxton on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton, Earnhardt said he would offer a NASCAR ride to Ricciardo since he’s no longer competing in F1.
“He’s still young,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I would figure it out. …What a great personality. He loves NASCAR. I would love to give him an opportunity just to get a feel.”
Ricciardo competed in F1 from 2011 to 2024. The 36-year-old has never won an F1 title, but he claimed eight Grands Prix and tallied 32 podiums.
Ricciardo announced his retirement from F1 in 2024. In January 2025, Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports boldly predicted that Ricciardo would join NASCAR.
Daniel Ricciardo said he ‘would love to try NASCAR’
“Riccardo currently is unemployed, and his fandom of NASCAR is well-documented,” Pockrass said. “Yeah, for the most part, he has poured cold water on any significant NASCAR chatter. But to see his smile driving a Dale Earnhardt Sr. vintage car a few years ago showed just how much he loves the sport. Plus, there would be teams and sponsors that want him racing stock cars. And that’s not to mention the fans, who would eat it up. If NASCAR can find a way to get this done, it should do it.”
In September 2024, Ricciardo spoke to Tourism Western Australia and said he would love to try NASCAR. “There’s things I would like to try and experience, I don’t know, let’s say on a competitive level,” Ricciardo said in the interview, per Sports Illustrated. “It’s, you know, I grew up a fan of NASCAR, I’d love to drive a NASCAR [car]. I’d love to drive around Daytona [International Speedway], for example.”
If Ricciardo wants to compete in NASCAR, Earnhardt can make that happen. Dale Jr. is one of the owners of JR Motorsports, which competes in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The organization has multiple full-time and part-time cars, so Ricciardo could have the opportunity to make his NASCAR debut with JR Motorsports if he wants to make the jump.