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F1 News & Gossip

NASCAR owner offers Max Verstappen race seat

Verstappen's getting offers from all parts this week

Chris Deeley

Sunday 15 February 2026 21:00

NASCAR champion and current team co-owner, Brad Keselowski, has revealed that he has a car ready and waiting should Max Verstappen ever decide to make the move to a different racing series.

Verstappen has again suggested that he could step away from Formula 1 at some point before his Red Bull Racing contract expires in 2028, noting that he is not particularly enthusiastic about the sport’s upcoming engine regulation changes.

Keselowski, who continues to compete in NASCAR’s premier NASCAR Cup Series while co-owning RFK Racing, noticed the four-time F1 champion’s recent remarks in the press and responded by offering him the chance to drive one of the team’s Ford race cars.

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Verstappen is well known for getting his elbows out during on-track battles, a trait which would serve him well in NASCAR, where one of the unofficial mottos is 'rubbing is racing'.

The Dutchman was asked this week if fans should have any fears about him disappearing from motorsport altogether, to which he replied: "No way, I'll just race somewhere else. We could probably have a barbecue there and set up a nice party tent."

NASCAR star: DM me for a ride

42-year-old former Cup Series champion Keselowski reacted to Verstappen's recent quotes with a simple message, which read: “We have a @FordRacing cup car ready to go. Feel free to DM when you’re ready Max”.

Keselowski’s message, of course, comes just as Verstappen’s Red Bull are teaming up with Ford on their new power unit project in 2026 – and just days after another NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr had spoken of how he would love to see Verstappen in the Cup Series.

Dale Jr said: "I mean, I would love to see Max Verstappen give it a try. He’s incredible and I think his curiosity, his work ethic, I think all of that would play a great role in allowing him to be successful.

"Plus, our cars have changed a lot. Our cars have independent rear suspension, the transaxle diffuser… our cars aren’t the stock cars from 10, 20 years ago, and so I think the opportunity for an F1 guy to have success is much better today than it was 20 years ago."

Max Verstappen NASCAR