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Daniel Ricciardo wants to race in NASCAR for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

765 views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  drjekyll76 
#1 ·


Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo says that he will “definitely” take up Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s open invite to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series one day, but only when he has time to prepare properly.
During a Twitter Q&A last year, Earnhardt said that Red Bull driver Ricciardo would be welcome to race in a JR Motorsports car on a road course at any time.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ✔‎@DaleJr
.@danielricciardo has an open invite to drive a @JRMotorsportscar on a road course at any time. Kevin Walsh on Twitter
3:50 AM - 28 Oct 2015

Ricciardo responded by saying that he would look at his 2016 race calendar, which is already poised to be busier than ever thanks to a record-breaking 21 F1 races, starting in Australia on March 20.
Speaking to reporters in London last week, Ricciardo said that he would definitely enter an Xfinity race one day – ideally alongside Earnhardt – but that he would want to dedicate some time to preparing for it so he could be competitive.
“I would love to,” Ricciardo said when asked if he could do an Xfinity race in the near future.
“To be honest, I didn’t get to a point where I asked Christian [Horner, Red Bull team principal]. Because if I did it, I would want to do it properly. I would hate to go there and get my ass kicked basically. Then it looks bad on F1 as well. The cars would be so different, I would want to make sure that I tested and got comfortable.
“So I think in the calendar there were some races that I could do which didn’t clash, but the question was when could I do the testing. This is even before asking Red Bull, but just in my mind I was like, ‘When could I test? When could I get to America?'”
Ricciardo is an avowed fan of late seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, having run the stylized No. 3 on his go-kart that was made famous by “The Intimidator.”



Daniel Ricciardo ✔‎@danielricciardo
Reason for #3 is it was my first ever number in karting and I was also a fan of Dale Earnhardt.
9:28 PM - 10 Jan 2014

Daniel Ricciardo ✔‎@danielricciardo
Reason for #3 is it was my first ever number in karting and I was also a fan of Dale Earnhardt. pic.twitter.com/Z9zBntEewl

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ✔‎@DaleJr
@danielricciardo this is badass dude. #newfan #respect
6:20 PM - 16 Mar 2014

Ricciardo, 26, said that he would most likely give NASCAR a go once he had checked off his targets in F1, where he has won three races and finished third in the drivers’ championship in 2014.
“I would love to do it one day, but now, not only is it a bit rushed, but I’ve definitely got targets here in Europe and in Formula 1 which I want to tick off first,” Ricciardo said.
“Sure, I’ve ticked off the winners’ column, but the world title is the real one. It will wait a little bit, but sure, one day, I think I will definitely take up his offer.
“Hopefully race alongside him, that would be cool.”

F1’s Daniel Ricciardo wants to race in NASCAR for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 
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#4 ·
This needs to happen. This can honestly only bring good!
 
#5 ·


Daniel Ricciardo will ‘definitely’ take up Dale Jr.’s Xfinity offer one day


Daniel Ricciardo says that he will “definitely” take it up Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s open invite to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series one day, but only once he has hit his targets in Formula 1.
During a Twitter Q&A last year, Earnhardt said that Ricciardo would be welcome to race in a JR Motorsports car on a road course at any time.
Ricciardo responded by saying that he would look at his 2016 race calendar, which is already poised to be busier than ever thanks to a record-breaking 21 F1 grands prix.
Speaking to reporters at the Red Bull RB12 launch in London, Ricciardo said that he would definitely enter an Xfinity race one day – ideally alongside Earnhardt – but that he would want to dedicate some time to preparing for it so he could be competitive.
“I would love to,” Ricciardo said when asked if he could do an Xfinity race in 2016.
“To be honest, I didn’t get to a point where I asked Christian [Horner]. Because if I did it, I would want to do it properly. I would hate to go there and get my ass kicked basically. Then it looks bad on F1 as well. The cars would be so different, I would want to make sure that I tested and got comfortable.
“So I think in the calendar there were some races that I could do which didn’t clash, but the question was when could I do the testing. This is even before asking Red Bull, but just in my mind I was like ‘when could I test? When could I get to America?'”
Ricciardo said that he would most likely give it a go once he had checked off his targets in F1, where he has already claimed three grand prix victories and finished third in the drivers’ championship two years ago.
“I would love to do it one day, but now, not only is it a bit rushed but I’ve definitely got targets here in Europe and in Formula 1 which I want to tick off first,” Ricciardo said.
“Sure I’ve ticked off the winners column, but the world title is the real one. It will wait a little bit, but sure, one day, I think I will definitely take up his offer.
“Hopefully race alongside him, that would be cool.”
Clashes will prove to be an issue for more than just Ricciardo in 2016, with 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Nico Hulkenberg unable to defend his title due to a clash with the European Grand Prix on June 19.
Ricciardo said it was a shame for Hulkenberg that there was this clash, while also expressing an interest in taking part in a 24-hour race one day.
“I think it sucks if you’re Nico Hulkenberg, because sure he had a seat with his name on it, and then yeah it’s all kind of come undone,” Ricciardo said.
“Again it’s one of those things right now I’m not that worried about. I would have loved to have done it, but it’s a bit like NASCAR, that’s the beauty of it. It can come later down the track. One day it would be great to do it.
“I watched the Daytona 24 a few weeks ago, and I was like that would be cool. It’s our pre-season so we’ll see. Maybe that one could be on the cards a little sooner. At least it’s not during the season. It’d be cool to do a 24-hour race and just experience that challenge.”

Daniel Ricciardo will ‘definitely’ take up Dale Jr.’s Xfinity offer one day
 
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