Steve O’Donnell Shuts Down F1 Hype With Bold Warning on NASCAR’s International Playbook

Just 15 years ago, Formula 1 was another motorsports series in the United States. Now, the country hosts three Grand Prix events, reflecting a remarkable transformation in the industry. Although F1’s rapid growth has reshaped the market, NASCAR is not looking to simply follow the same path.

“NASCAR controls about 80% of all the media that is out there in terms of motor sports in the United States. So pretty big when you look at Cup, you know, you look at our O’Reilly series, which, you know, Tyler came up through. You know, those numbers are equal to, if not bigger than, Formula One in the US. So we’ve got a really good platform,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said at Bloomberg Power Players 2026.

That platform could now become the foundation for something much bigger. While Formula 1 has shown how much international expansion can strengthen a motorsport’s global identity, NASCAR does not want to simply export its existing product from one country to another.

O’Donnell has made it clear that NASCAR’s long-term international ambitions involve building racing cultures within individual markets. The organization already has a presence through the NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series and NASCAR Brasil Series. Those championships give NASCAR an opportunity to establish local fan bases and develop drivers before connecting them to the larger ecosystem.

India is one of the markets that could become part of that expansion. NASCAR is looking at the possibility of developing a dedicated regional championship featuring localized stock cars, rather than simply bringing the Cup Series to the country for a single event.

Saudi Arabia is another market being considered. NASCAR executives are already discussing potential expansion plans, with a points-paying or exhibition event potentially targeted toward the end of the decade, closer to 2030. Meanwhile, NASCAR had a taste of hosting an international event last year.

The race in Mexico-City last year was the first points-paying race outside of United States since 1958. It was a big challenge logistically, but NASCAR pulled it off, and it gave the fans in Mexico the real taste of premier stock car racing series in America.

The strategy is therefore less about chasing F1’s footprint and more about creating a NASCAR pipeline that can operate beyond the United States. A successful regional championship could produce local drivers, attract new fans and eventually send those competitors toward NASCAR’s national series.

And despite F1’s growing popularity, NASCAR still has the stronger domestic television numbers. The full 2025 Cup Series season averaged roughly 2.45 million to 2.5 million viewers per race. F1’s 2025 US season averaged a record 1.3 million viewers per race across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, marking the most-watched year of its US broadcast run.

That gap is important because it shows that F1’s American rise has not yet displaced NASCAR’s established audience. NASCAR continues to command a larger weekly audience, giving the sanctioning body a strong foundation as it looks toward new markets.

There is still plenty of room for domestic growth, too. O’Donnell has previously identified regions such as the Northwest and Denver as potential areas where NASCAR could strengthen its presence. New venues and markets could bring the sport to fans who currently have fewer opportunities to experience NASCAR in person.

That combination gives NASCAR a different position from F1. It can continue expanding its American footprint while simultaneously building regional championships overseas. If those two strategies work together, international expansion would not simply add races to the calendar. It could create an entirely new generation of NASCAR fans and drivers around the world.

The post Steve O’Donnell Shuts Down F1 Hype With Bold Warning on NASCAR’s International Playbook appeared first on EssentiallySports.