NASCAR and Formula One are two of the world’s most prestigious forms of motorsport, both competing for over 75 years.
Columnist Matthew Greco and Editor in Chief Jameson Kowalski debate which form of motorsport is better. Matthew is arguing for Formula One, while Jameson is arguing for Nascar.
Formula One as the Front-Runner
By Matthew Greco, Columnist
The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and Formula One are two of the most popular motorsports in the world. For as long as they have been around, there has been the debate over which one is better.
Formula One is commonly considered to be the pinnacle of motorsports. It requires years of hard work and dedication to get to, meaning the drivers have known racing their entire lives. Formula One is very demanding on the body, as drivers have to train their body to withstand up to six G’s (six times the force of gravity). Formula One is jammed packed with action and tension both on and off track. Anything could happen at any point throughout a race to the drivers or the cars, this tension between drivers creates many tense moments. For example, during the final laps of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a late race safety car led to a one lap shootout for the driver’s championship. The final lap went down as one of the most dramatic in the sport’s history.
Formula One, over its 75 years of running, has had many dominant team and driver pairings, being able to dominate for multiple seasons at a time. Mercedes and Ferrari have both been top contributors in team dominance with Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton contributing to drivers dominance. All of the previous examples have been “dynasties” in the Formula One world as they have all been dominating for many years. Overall, Formula One has a whole lot to talk about, as there is a whole lot of action and technical aspects to it.
Formula One is a very rich sport, big name brands, races in rich countries, etc. In order to keep all the wealth, prices for races get very expensive very fast. An F1 car can cost upwards of $15,000,000, not to mention all the extra stuff like trackers and tires. Big teams can afford all these multi million dollar essentials and accessories, through ticket sales to elusive clubs alongside merch sales. The average Formula One fan cannot afford to go to a lot of races, the average Chinese Grand Prix race day ticket costs around $199, not including flights, hospitality, food, and more. The Chinese Grand Prix is said to be one of the cheapest races on the F1 calendar, and for an average American fan, could cost upwards of $1,750+. Formula One is not a cheap sport to run and attend.
Formula One is a worldwide phenomenon. Throughout the usual 24 races in the year, many iconic tracks from a variety of continents host formula one races. Big countries like Spain, China, The United States, Brazil, and more all hold venues. This allows Formula One to reach a wider audience while other motorsports confine themselves to single countries. The races happen year round with some races being back to back to back race weekends, whilst some races have a summer/winter break between them.
The Formula One cars differ very much from other racing series’ cars. For starters, the car is built from the ground up to be optimized for max speed and aerodynamics. The cars also have a lot of space to be designed however they want; teams can design all kinds of liveries for their cars. On some special occasions some teams give total redesigns of their cars for races or for branding. The team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls did a special livery for the race for the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, where they made a car to promote a new flavor of Red Bull, alongside with matching the bright Miami colors. Formula One teams are always recognizable by their main team names, some teams host big car brands such as: Mercedes, McLaren, Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and soon enough Audi and Cadillac; others are named after big brands like Redbull and Kick.
Formula One race weekends are usually split up pretty uniquely compared to other motorsport events. The race weekend starts off with two practices which give drivers time to adjust to the track conditions; alternatively, on special sprint weekends (A low stakes race that’s 25% of the length of a full race) there’s one session of practice then sprint qualifying, these usually happen on a Friday with around an hour between sessions. The second day consists of another practice session then race qualifying, if it’s a sprint weekend the sprint race happens then it moves on to qualifying. Normal and sprint race qualifying is split up into three mini sessions where drivers have 15 minutes to put a fast lap in and the bottom five laps get eliminated. On race day, the entire weekend is at stake as the drivers shoot off the line and head into a around two hour race to decide a winner.
Why NASCAR Clears Formula One
By Jameson Kowalski, Editor in Chief
The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the premier division of motorsport in the United States. Founded by moonshiners racing their cars following the abolishment of the prohibition of alcohol, NASCAR has been competing professionally for over 75 years. For many people, motorsports as a whole, including both NASCAR and Formula One (F1), isn’t grouped with stick and ball sports as real sports, despite the drivers being some of the most physical athletes in all of sports.
The argument between F1 and NASCAR as the “best” form of motorsport is one fought amongst many, primarily American motorsports fans. While they are both motorsports, that’s where the similarities virtually end. NASCAR is purely American, racing big, heavy, and fast stock cars on tracks across the United States. Teams are based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and field anywhere between one to four drivers. The field of drivers is also primarily American, racing a 36 week calendar spanning from February to November.
The most noticeable difference between NASCAR and Formula One is the cars. NASCARs are spec cars, being based off the same chassis and running either a Chevy, Ford, or Toyota motor and body. Formula One cars, on the other hand, are open wheel formula cars developed and built by each team to be the fastest car within the regulations. Formula One is uniquely worse in this category than virtually any other motorsport, including NASCAR, as the cars are being showcased rather than pure driver skill. NASCAR cars are built for the drivers to be able to race side-by-side with nearly the whole field. NASCAR also highlights the driver’s technical ability, as the car’s aerodynamic, suspension, and engine set-ups are the only mechanical difference between the cars. Stock cars as a whole are built to handle minor contact with walls and other cars, allowing drivers to be more aggressive, and get away with making mistakes.
The cars are only the first part of racing, with tracks being the second piece in the motorsports puzzle. NASCAR races on a wide variety of tracks, ranging from high banked superspeedways to half-mile ovals, road courses and even a military base. Compared to Formula One, which races on only road courses, NASCAR’s variety means a driver has to master multiple types of racing to be successful. Every track produces different types of racing, too. With NASCAR having nearly double the cars as F1 every weekend on tracks far smaller than Formula One circuits, passing occurs far more often. The racing product at superspeedways involves cars forming up in the draft behind one another, creating lines 3 wide throughout the whole field, racing inches from each other for 200 laps. Other tracks, like intermediates, require drivers to manage tires while running different lines depending on the track condition. All these factors end up creating a more enjoyable racing experience for fans to watch. NASCAR’s current points system has created dramatic races, with championship hopefuls making extreme moves to try and increase their chances of championship glory. One viral example is the Ross Chastain “hail melon” move from 2022, where driver Chastain rode the wall to claim his spot in the Final 4.
NASCAR also provides a greater opportunity for talent to make it to the highest level. In Formula One, there are 22 seats on the grid, with only one to two opening up every season. Money is heavy in F1, which often leads to drivers with the deepest pockets getting rides over deserving drivers. On the opposite side of the equation, NASCAR has 36 guaranteed seats, with further seats opening up for part-time opportunities. Drivers not only have more opportunities to find a spot in the Cup Series, but also require less funding from sponsors due to the cost of racing being far, far less in stock car racing than formula racing. Drivers from other disciplines of motorsport are able to get one-off opportunities in the highest level because of NASCAR’s rules, permitting part time entries. Shane Van Gisbergen, three-time Australian Supercars Champion made a one-off start in NASCAR in 2023, in which he won the inaugural Chicago street race. From there, he was signed to race in NASCAR, and is entering his second full-time season in the cup series in 2026.
Another major difference between the two disciplines is the fan accessibility. Despite F1 being a global sport, ticket prices make it nearly impossible for the average fan to afford a ticket to events. NASCAR, on the contrary, is exclusive to the United States. While it is harder for international fans to attend events, having a primarily American fan base means that racing is more accessible to the die hard fans. Ticket prices for NASCAR events are far less than Formula One races, making it more accessible for the casual fan. Flow Racers states that tickets for races can be as low as $30 per person, depending on the track. NASCAR races are also broadcast on network and cable networks, while F1 is exclusively on Apple TV+. Fans can tune into NASCAR the same way they would for a National Football League (NFL) game, unlike for F1. Finally, racetimes for NASCAR races are usually mid-afternoon to early evening, while Formula One races tend to be inconvenient for American viewers, taking place in the early morning or late night.
It’s clear that NASCAR clears Formula One in the debate over which is better. Offering overall better racing from the drivers, cars, and tracks, NASCAR provides the most entertainment and value for motorsport fans.
