“Door open” for F1 champion Max Verstappen to race in NASCAR with Trackhouse
Could Max Verstappen try his hand at NASCAR after Formula 1?
The door is open for Formula 1 star Max Verstappen to enter the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing, according to 2014 champion Kevin Harvick.
Verstappen has made no secret of his desire to explore other disciplines in motorsport, having previously stated that he doesn’t want to continue in F1 until his late 30s.
His contract with Red Bull expires at the end of the 2028 season, by when he would be 31 years old.
One possible post-F1 avenue for Verstappen could be NASCAR, where Red Bull returned this year as a sponsor for Trackhouse Racing in select Cup Series races.
Trackhouse also runs an initiative under the Project91 moniker that gives high-profile international stars from other forms of racing an opportunity to race in the Cup Series.
Former Ferrari star Kimi Raikkonen, four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves and triple Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen have all contested NASCAR races as part of Trackhouse’s Project91.
Van Gisbergen’s stunning debut victory on the streets of Chicago in 2023 with Project91 led to a full-time Cup campaign in 2024, further strengthening the Red Bull-Trackhouse link.
Speaking on his podcast, Harvick said he believes Verstappen’s ties with Red Bull and his interest in broader racing challenges could open the door to a similar crossover.
“We've seen him run some of the other little races that he's done in the past. So I think that if he's not doing F1, it becomes a lot easier to open those doors,” Harvick said.
"With Red Bull involved, I would say that that door for that to happen is probably way more open with Project91 than it ever has been.”
