When it comes to high-performance circuit racing, it’s difficult to get further apart on the spectrum than a NASCAR stock car and a Formula One open-wheeler, though both are unquestionably fast in their own right. Which leaves a couple of questions on the table: For one, which is faster in a straight line? What about a circuit or oval? And lastly, if we removed all the stops – no restrictor plates, no tuning exemptions, just pure performance – would the results change?

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To preface, F1 is known as the fastest form of motorsport circuit racing. Thanks to the cars’ ability to corner at breakneck speeds, F1 cars experiencing the highest turning G-load in motorsports – up to 5G’s. Surprisingly, NASCAR stock cars actually experience similar forces. For example, an article published in UR Now reported that stock cars experienced 4G’s of force during heavy cornering at Richmond International Raceway. Would that mean that it’d actually be a closer fight than expected, even on a regular circuit?

The short answer: No, an F1 car will blow the doors off a NASCAR stock car when it comes to racing on a circuit, and it all has to do with physics. Stock cars build up that much force in the turn because they’re racing on banked ovals. Banking allows the cars to go faster than they normally would, since the cars are pressed into the track through centripetal force, effectively increasing their grip coefficient. An F1 car, on the other hand, derives its ability to corner quickly through exceptional downforce, making it far more suited for racing on circuits without banking.

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If we know that a stock car can’t compete with a Formula One car on the racing circuit, then what about on the stock car’s home turf? Stock cars generate most of their speed through two means: The first is a 750-plus horsepower 358 cubic-inch V8 designed to run at full-throttle for hours. The second is through the complex mechanics of drafting, including slipstream passing, side-drafting, and bump-drafting. An F1 car utilizes similar forces throughout a race. Sitting in the slipstream offers a break in the air, which makes the car faster in a straight line but lowers cornering speed, as there isn’t enough air flowing over the wing to generate the same downforce.

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What that means is that it’s effectively a numbers game. We know that, with restrictor plates fitted, stock cars will lap Daytona with an average speed of over 190 miles per hour. However, a F1 car can reach speeds far above this. At circuits like Monza, F1 cars routinely exceed speeds of 200 miles per hour. What’s more, the fastest F1 car being driven in a race was a 2016 Williams which was clocked going 231.4 miles per hour at Mexico. Conversely, the fastest a NASCAR stock car has been clocked was 212.809 miles per hour in Talladega in 1987.

All other factors being equal and with both cars running on an oval with super-speedway trim, a F1 car will still win against a stock car. That being said, both of these cars would handily lose out to an Indycar, the true undisputed champion of the oval circuit.

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Formula One and NASCAR occasionally run on the same racing circuits, like the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). So, how do their qualifying times compare in near-identical conditions? Unsurprisingly, the F1 car wins again; 2024 qualifying results saw Lando Norris take pole in his McLaren with a remarkable time of 1:32.8. By comparison, the NASCAR pole-sitter at COTA in 2024 was William Byron who set a time of 2:09.6. That’s nearly a full 37 seconds slower. In other words, it would take less than four laps for an F1 car to lap a stock car. F1 cars even dominate stock cars on unfamiliar circuits like Sonoma. In 2019, Esteban Gutiérrez set an unofficial all-time record in a 2016 Mercedes with a lap time of 1:15.4 – the 2019 NASCAR qualifying run at Sonoma was 20 seconds slower.

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The only means by which the stock car could win is if the team removed the car’s restrictor plate. Doing so would theoretically allow the car to reach speeds in excess of 230 miles per hour on super-speedways, potentially matching a F1 car in low-drag trim. And while F1 powertrains produce in excess of 1,000 horsepower even with fuel restrictions, that’s a combined horsepower rating. On a super-speedway without any braking to regenerate energy, they would quickly dissipate their electrical power and run on the hybrid V6 alone. Currently, the MGU-K only produces 120kW, about 160 horsepower (which is still substantial, granted). In 2026, F1 regulations will increase that by a factor of three, meaning, if it runs out of electrical power, an F1 car would lose over 30% of its total output. That means, when pitted against the stock cars on an oval for a prolonged period, F1 cars would win the sprint but might lose the marathon.

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