Dale Earnhardt Jr. puts Max Verstappen at top of list for drivers he wants to see run NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. would love to see Formula One superstar Max Verstappen compete in NASCAR one day. While speaking with Kevin Harvick and Will Buxton on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton, Earnhardt was asked which motorsports star he wants to see in NASCAR.

“Max,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. quickly said. “The thing I like about Max is a sim racer. I feel like all sim racers feel like they are part of the same community. And so he’s kind of like part of our community.”

Earnhardt then said he “mistakenly” raced with Max Verstappen one time, which was a charity race on iRacing last year. He then said, “He’s like us, he’s one of us when it comes down to it. He just loves to race. …I don’t think it’s such a huge leap that it might have been 15-20 years ago for somebody to come to F1, or IndyCar even, and be able to acclimate really well. But he’s a name that I think would be fun because he’s very young still, and he’s opinionated. He’ll tell you what he thinks.”

Earnhardt isn’t the only NASCAR figure who wants to see Verstappen compete in the organization. In February, Brad Keselowski offered a Ford Cup car to Verstappen after learning he could step away from F1 when his contract with Red Bull Racing expires in 2028.

Will Max Verstappen leave F1 for NASCAR?

In November, Verstappen said he will continue to compete in F1 if the cars are still fun to drive with the new rules for the 2026 season. “My contract runs until 2028, but it [his future] will depend on the new rules in 2026, and if they are nice and fun,” Verstappen said at the time, per ESPN.

“If they are not fun, then I don’t really see myself hanging around. Winning seven titles is not on my mind. I know that there are three more years after this one, so it could be possible, but it is not something I need to do before I leave the sport. I can leave the sport easily tomorrow.”

Verstappen has emerged as the top driver in F1. The 28-year-old won four consecutive Formula One World Drivers’ Championship titles from 2021 to 2024 and has won 71 Grand Prix in 12 seasons.