Coulthard the next to defect to NASCAR?
It's been all the rage in motorsports recently: Formula One refugees hopping the trans-Atlantic to race in NASCAR. Juan Pablo Montoya has found considerably more success than Jacques Villeneuve (even Michael Schumacher was offered a drive), but they could have some company soon.
Recently interviewed by ESPN, F1's elder helmsman David Coulthard said he would consider racing in NASCAR in the future. The Scottish driver is now entering his 15th season in F1, having started with Williams and driven nine seasons for McLaren before brokering Red Bull's purchase of Jaguar Racing from Ford. If DC did decide to make the switch, Red Bull's NASCAR team (pictured, right) could potentially provide him with an "in".
Although once a competitive driver, Coulthard has slipped to back-marker status over the past few seasons, and may soon have to face retirement from F1. If he does, NASCAR could offer a challenging alternative – joining his long-time friend Jacques in stock cars – because DC stated he was less keen on the idea of racing in IndyCars.
[Source: F1-Live, photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts/Getty Images for Puma]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
EJ25RUN 2:45PM (12/17/2007)
he better not, otherwise he really is a racing failure!
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judd 3:14PM (12/17/2007)
And what series are you running in that DC can run in that's better? SCCA autox maybe?
John R 4:11PM (12/17/2007)
ROLEX, ALMS, DTM, JGTC/SUPER GT, ETC...
EJ25RUN 5:50PM (12/17/2007)
^ hey judd, you've been answer and yes scca auto x is better!
tbyron 1:01AM (12/18/2007)
He has been driving an uncompetitive car. Want to evaluate his driving skills? Go back and look at his performance last season when there was rain (rain may be the only real equalizer in F1). DC was consistently up in top tier in those cases.
Jason Bird 2:54PM (12/17/2007)
What the author forgot to mention was that Schumi turned down the test, saying that he was afraid of the wall (indirectly)...oh, and his exclusive Ferrari contract still prevents him from racing anything else, without permission....,and I dont see Ferrari building a 358 cubic inch, pushrod, carbureted V8 anytime soon. Although I bet they would find a way to make it sound amazing.
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iSpec 3:00PM (12/17/2007)
I'm not a Nascar fan but F1 isn't putting food on the table like it once did.
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info 3:08PM (12/17/2007)
Show me any racing series that pays its top drivers the money F1 does. alonzi just signed a contract with Reanult for a reported 50 million per year. What do the top drivers make a NASCAR?
Jason Bird 3:23PM (12/17/2007)
NASCAR drivers actually get paid by how they finish...how novel. That does not include their endorsements. I bet Jeff Gordon's income is comperable to Alonso's, when you include endorsements, etc...
mike 3:52PM (12/17/2007)
Forbes lists Jeff Gordan with income of $23.4MM. Alonso's contract with Renault is rumored to be E100MM for two years. At today's exchange rates, that's on the order of $145MM.
lovice 5:35PM (12/17/2007)
When people quote F1 driver's salaries, they don't inc endorsements. So if you want add endorsements into Alonso's salary, I bet it'll be tripled Jeff Gordon's income.
Ian 3:06PM (12/17/2007)
Although once a competitive driver...
Huh? He is driving for RedBull and as such neiher he nor Webber have had a competitive car recently, so it's not really possible to say he is non competitive in comparison to other talent. For 2008 the team gets a freesh Newey car so this should show his worth much better.
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Mark 5:29AM (12/18/2007)
very true, i'm looking forward to seeing how he does this year, he's the perfect number 2 driver as he nearly always finishes in the points, he's the 4th highest points scorer of all time
Richard 3:18PM (12/17/2007)
DC wasn't hired to win. Red Bull know they're not in a positon to win. DC was hired to help develop the team. He's done a good job at that.
It would be interesting to see him in NASCAR. And why not? It is pretty typical for retired F1 pilots to drive GT Saloons for a couple of years - Alesi has done it, Hakkinen has done it...who else.
It would be great to see DC come over here and trade some paint. You know the Scotts don't take nuthin' from nobody when it comes down to a fight.
Not too sure he wouldn't miss that hotel of his in Monaco an awful lot though.
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ermax18 9:48PM (12/17/2007)
I would hardly compare NASCAR to DTM which is where Alesi and Hakkinen are running. I wouldn't compare NASCAR to any GT Saloon car for that mater.. not even OzV8.
Toy Yoda 3:37PM (12/17/2007)
Who is the good looking babe in the picture? That's what I want to know. :)
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Corey L 3:42PM (12/17/2007)
+1
Dan 3:46PM (12/17/2007)
wow
Richard 3:54PM (12/17/2007)
Hey! He's an F1 driver. They score all the babes!
Zane 4:08PM (12/17/2007)
+1 .. I had the same question. She looks amazing!