TRENDING Rays tie up Guardians USWNT draws vs. Spain Fantasy Football Rankings Champions League results Fantasy Basketball Draft Kit Story by Story by NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell Admits There’s Something F1 Does Better Maggie Mackenzie Wed, October 14, 2026 at 3:26 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Formula 1 has become a much bigger presence in the American sports landscape, attracting viewers who might not have previously followed racing.
"But we can learn from F1," he said . "F1 growing, motorsports growing, is great for us." Then came perhaps the most interesting part of his response.
"Some of the things we've learned, I really like. How they've treated personalities outside of their drivers … we need to do that."
It's a point NASCAR fans can probably appreciate.
The Cup Series garage is full of people who have spent decades in the sport, built championship-winning teams, made difficult calls from atop pit boxes and developed reputations every bit as recognizable to insiders as the drivers themselves.
Yet many of those personalities remain largely unfamiliar to casual viewers.
A crew chief might make the decision that wins a race, but the driver is usually the one standing in front of the cameras afterward. Team owners and other key figures often receive attention only when something particularly significant happens.
O'Donnell sees an opportunity to change that.
What's notable about O'Donnell's comments is that he wasn't suggesting NASCAR should become more like Formula 1 on the track.
The two series have fundamentally different identities, and NASCAR has its own established audience.
F1 has found ways to make the people surrounding its drivers part of the attraction. Their decisions, relationships and personalities give fans something to follow beyond the results on Sunday.
NASCAR has no shortage of compelling characters capable of doing the same.
O'Donnell didn't outline a new program or announce specific changes during the CNBC interview. But he was unusually direct about an area where he believes the sport can improve.
And rather than worrying about another racing series finding success in America, he seems more interested in what NASCAR can take from it.
After all, getting more people interested in motorsports is one thing. Giving them reasons to keep watching is another.
Source: Sports
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