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Daniel Ricciardo, promotional and development driver at Red Bull Racing for the 2023 F1 season, is an avid NASCAR fan. He is, however, set to witness racing from a different point of view this year.
After making his first official appearance as a Red Bull driver once again at the team's season launch in Manhattan, the Milton Keynes-based racing outfit's newfound alliance with American car manufacturer Ford could open up new avenues for the Australian.
Having been relieved of his duties at McLaren post the 2022 season of the open-wheeled racing series, Ricciardo's future was often linked with NASCAR as well as the NTT IndyCar Series as an alternative career, with his return to the 2023 F1 grid ruled out of the equation. Speaking to Road and Track about the opportunities that might lie ahead of him in the highest echelon of stock car racing, Ricciardo spoke favorably about Ford's NASCAR ties and his appearance in a future test session. He elaborated:
"I'd love to try, I think racing IndyCar ovals I was a little apprehensive about, but I'd love to test a NASCAR on an oval."
However, the Perth, Australia native did not divulge any further details about his racing future, possibly in another genre of motorsport as he seemed to be fully occupied by his duties at Red Bull Racing, saying:
"I would say I'm relatively filled up, but currently... if I'm going to race, I'm looking at '24 back in F1. I'm kind of looking forward to some time away from competition in general."
Daniel Ricciardo will be responsible for performing show runs for the team, as well as developing their 2023 season challenger, the RB19 in the simulator.
Daniel Ricciardo is no stranger to NASCAR
Being a self-proclaimed fan of the stock car racing series, Daniel Ricciardo is well-versed with the world of NASCAR. The former McLaren driver took the full opportunity of his then-team principal Zak Brown's extensive car collection to drive Dale Earnhardt's 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in a show run at the Circuit of the Americas in 2021.
With Ricciardo also headed to Detroit to meet Ford officials next week, he might be looking at an opportunity to test in a stock car very soon. However, it remains to be seen if a full-time career in anything other than F1 is on the Australian's mind in the future.
