NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell believes that the style of racing he oversees is incredible, but he appreciates certain aspects of Formula 1.
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He indicated that the global racing series does quite well at showcasing some of the big personalities in the paddock.
"What does F1 do really well that I can't, and I want to steal?" O'Donnell said during a sit-down with Front Office Sports. "They've done a great job promoting their principals outside of the race cars. Rivalries between team managers need to do the same thing. Create those storylines, create those rivalries.
"They do a great job post-race when you have three drivers sitting in a room. The broadcasters are silent, and you just hear those drivers talk about what just happened. It's a pretty cool moment of how they do it."
Multiple drivers sitting down after a race is something that NASCAR has done at times throughout the decades.
The past several seasons, in particular, have featured the three losing drivers from the Championship 4 taking part in a press conference together after the final race of the season.
However, they did not complete the full interview session together. They occasionally showed up to the media center at different times, creating only a few minutes of overlap.
The majority of race weekends feature the winning driver heading to the media center for a press conference.
The top five finishers in the field then stand on pit road for approximately 15 minutes while conducting separate interviews with TV, radio, and non-live media. The group of participating drivers expands during the Chase.
The F1 version, for comparison, features the podium finishers sitting down together on a couch after the race. They first field questions from the moderator before answering questions from the media.
This format means that drivers can play off of each other while providing answers, and they can provide their respective opinions about the action on the track.
Adopting this format is something that NASCAR could do. The sanctioning body sets the post-race procedures, and it has the power to put the three top drivers in the media center together after a race.
Highlighting rivalries between team executives is a different matter. NASCAR has to identify these rivalries and find ways to put them on display. But many of the leaders at these teams are friends, which makes the process more difficult.
Joe Gibbs Racing is currently suing Spire Motorsports, and Chief Motorsport Officer Chris Gabehart is really the only animosity on display late in the 2026 season.
But while the NASCAR CEO appreciates these storyline aspects of F1, that doesn't mean that he wants NASCAR to completely emulate the other racing series.
O'Donnell noted that NASCAR needs to remain true to itself, especially in an era where people crave the analog experience. NASCAR can provide this with its beefy, V8 engines and drivers pushing cars to their limits.
