Jeff Gordon Declares NASCAR a Better Product Than F1 As Series Expands to International Circuits

NASCAR made its historic international debut in Mexico, and the race weekend was full of surprises. Jeff Gordon, the four-time Cup Series champion and Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, was elated with the fan base. Ahead of last Sunday’s Cup Series race, Gordon had declared that NASCAR’s on-track product surpasses even that of Formula 1 in several aspects.

As the American stock car series continues its push into international markets, and both motorsports series now share the spotlight in Mexico, they still deliver vastly different on-track experiences. And Gordon has taken notice.

NASCAR’s Mexico Race Proves It Outshines F1

During a media session, Gordon didn’t hold back in his praise for NASCAR’s racing quality. “Well, I mean it’s super easy, the product on the track speaks for itself. I mean, we put on the best racing. You saw the spectacular race yesterday, I think you’ll see another, you know, very exciting race today,” said Gordon.

The ex-No. 24 driver for HMS added, “I’ll put our racing product on track up against any form of motorsports in the world and and you know, it’s a great show, it’s unpredictable, you don’t know who’s going to win, very talented race car drivers and cars I think you know when you really get into the guts of the race car, they are far more technical than maybe people understand. And they sound great.”

The timing of Gordon’s comments was pointed. The Formula 1’s Mexico City Grand Prix, held annually at the same Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, has often been labeled by fans and analysts as one of the least exciting or interesting races on the F1 calendar. For instance, the October 27, 2024, Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix saw the second-highest viewership for the race on record. And the numbers averaged to 1.4 million viewers.

To compare the numbers to the 2025 Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on FS1, there were 2.560 million viewers. NASCAR’s first-ever Cup Series playoff race outside the United States delivered along the same line. Fans were on the edge of their seat with its door-to-door action, multiple lead changes, crashes, and a dramatic victory by Shane van Gisbergen. It also reinforced Gordon’s comments that NASCAR’s racing brand is more engaging for fans.

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Gordon also highlighted the depth of driver skill required in NASCAR. He also stated that NASCAR race cars were underappreciated and their technical sophistication was often overshadowed by more tech-forward machines used in F1.

As NASCAR builds and expands globally with international races, Gordon’s statement signals a new era for the sport. It is one in which the sport ambitions to be seen as not just “America’s top motorsport” but the “World’s best motorsport.”