Max Verstappen receives NASCAR Cup Series offer – | Sports News

Max Verstappen has been prolonged an invitation to the NASCAR Cup Series after the four-time world champion did little to cover his frustration with the present state of Formula 1.

While solely a handful of drivers have ever been in a position to efficiently cross over from F1 to NASCAR, a number of figures around the globe of motorsports have advised that Verstappen is more than succesful of making the bounce. Dale Earnhardt Jr., for one, shared that he would like to see the 28-12 months-outdated “give it a try.”

In the most recent direct pitch to Verstappen, Brad Keselowski inspired the Red Bull Racing star to take a seat behind the wheel of a Next Gen Cup Series car. “We have a Ford Racing Cup car ready to go,” the 42-12 months-outdated wrote on X. “Feel free to DM when you’re ready Max.”

Keselowski’s lighthearted comment got here on the heels of a number of eyebrow-raising feedback made by Verstappen, who advised that he’s at the moment “exploring” different choices apart from competing in F1. “A winning car, for me, that doesn’t matter,” he stated. “It needs to be fun to drive as well. I think, at this stage of my career… I am, of course, also exploring other things outside of Formula 1 to have fun at.”

It seems as if Verstappen is — on the very least — questioning if he can nonetheless have enjoyable in F1 following a sequence of 2026 rule adjustments. The watershed changes have ushered in a recent wave of energy models concentrating on a close to 50-50 cut up between combustion energy and battery energy.

On the heels of testing classes held in Barcelona and Bahrain, Verstappen didn’t precisely sound impressed by Red Bull’s new car, which requires better consideration spent on managing the batteries and electrical power.

“To drive [they are] not a lot of fun, to be honest,” Verstappen stated. “I would say the right word is management. It’s not very Formula 1-like. It feels a bit more like Formula E on steroids. But the rules are the same for everyone, so you have to deal with that.

“As a pure driver, I take pleasure in driving flat out and for the time being, you can’t drive like that. There’s a lot occurring. Rather a lot of what you do as a driver, in phrases of inputs, has a huge impact on the power facet of issues. For me, that is simply not Formula 1. Maybe it is then higher to drive Formula E, proper? Because that is all about power, effectivity and management.

“We’re energy poor. I just want normal driving, just how it should be without having to [say]: ‘Oh, if I brake a bit longer or less or more, or one gear up or down.’ It so heavily impacts the performance on the straights. Plus, the grip at the moment is quite low with these tyres and the car configuration. It is a big step back to how it was.”

It didn’t take long for Verstappen’s phrases to make their means over to NASCAR, with Earnhardt additionally expressing curiosity in seeing him sometime compete within the Cup Series. “I would love to see Max Verstappen come and try it,” he advised Hard Rock Bet. “He is incredible and I think his curiosity and work ethic would play a big role in making him successful.”