Fans wonder if Daniel Ricciardo is headed for NASCAR after Red Bull F1 firing

F1 star Daniel Ricciardo is out of a ride once again. At 35, is this the time for Ricciardo to make the move to America and NASCAR? In the past, the driver has expressed interest and that only ramped up with recent comments after the Singapore Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo is a talented and beloved driver. From Australia, Ricciardo could continue the Aussie/Kiwi invasion that is apparently happening ever since Shane van Gisbergen came to the States.

Visa Cash App RB fired Ricciardo after Singapore. He did not have the results that many expected of him when he hopped into the car. Comments in the past few days have only fueled speculation.

“There’s things I would like to try and experience, I don’t know, let’s say on a competitive level,” Ricciardo said, via Racing America on 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 for example.”

Travis Pastrana drove for 23XI Racing in the No. 67 car for the 2023 Daytona 500. He finished P11 in that effort. Could Daniel Ricciardo do better than that?

Fans online sure want to see him give it a try.

Okay now I reallllly want to see Ricciardo suit up for Nascar! Let's go!

— Mortimer (@BoxedTyres) September 26, 2024

One fan already has the perfect place for Daniel Ricciardo. Trackhouse Racing! Let’s get that No. 91 car fired up again and put some more F1 drivers in NASCAR.

Ricciardo, Daniel. @TeamTrackhouse @NASCAR

— Baelx (@baelXxhimself) September 26, 2024

The topic of Daniel Ricciardo to NASCAR even earned itself a Reddit thread. Fans had mixed opinions on whether or not it was a good idea and if Ricciardo would have any success.

Daniel Ricciardo dropped by RB, could be end of F1 career. Does he join NASCAR? (via u/thuckerybuckets) https://t.co/ye3XnmnA8i #NASCAR

— r/NASCAR on Reddit (@NASCARonReddit) September 26, 2024

Open-wheel to stock cars is tough. Road-course racing to oval racing, as we have seen from SVG, is very hard to learn. There are few drivers out there who can make that transition and do it with relative ease. While I’m not sure if a 35-year-old Ricciardo is one of them, he could be.

Daniel Ricciardo could be next F1 star to NASCAR

Kimi Raikkonen, Jensen Button, Michael Rockenfeller – they have all come and tried their hand at NASCAR in the Next Gen car. It is set up more like a sports car, a touring car. So, the idea is that the transition, at least on road courses, isn’t that big.

During those attempts, we have seen good and bad results. Raikkonen and Button were definitely the better of the trio. Jordan Taylor, an IMSA driver, also gave NASCAR a shot on a couple of occasions.

If we learned anything from those one-offs – it’s that those drivers can usually qualify well, but racing is completely different. When you are on the track with 39 other cars, it can be a little more difficult.

Daniel Ricciardo could compete in NASCAR. He is more than likely completely done with F1 at this point. There has even been contact with Trackhouse and Project 91 and the driver, but that was in 2022. So, maybe the interest has died down on either side. Keep an eye open, though.