Bubba Wallace’s idea for NASCAR and Formula 1 in 2022

With Formula 1 slated to head to Miami for the first time in 2022, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace has an idea on how the two series can coordinate events.

It was announced ahead of this past Sunday’s Formula 1 race, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, that after years and years of speculation, rumors and talks seemingly being shut down, Formula 1 is set to head to the streets of Miami, Florida outside Hard Rock Stadium for the first time ever in 2022.

The date for next year’s race around the 19-turn, 3.36-mile (5.407-kilometer) temporary street circuit outside the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins has yet to be determined.

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway also doesn’t yet have a date for the 2022 season.

And that gave 23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace an idea.

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Wallace, a Formula 1 fan who has competed full-time in the Cup Series since 2018 and is in his first season competing for the new Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin-owned team, is urging Formula 1 and NASCAR to work together to schedule these two races to grow the fanbases of both series.

He has proposed a lights-out time of 12:00 p.m. ET for the Miami Grand Prix and a green flag time of 6:30 p.m. ET for the Cup Series race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Homestead, Florida — on the same day.

For reference, it is about a 47-mile southwest drive from Hard Rock Stadium to Homestead-Miami Speedway. So for all intents and purposes, it’s doable, given the fact that there would be about a four or five-hour window between the two races.

However, how realistic is it? You would have to factor in things such as traffic and fatigue; would anybody really want to go to a full-fledged sporting event only to do it again a few hours later, presumably sitting in traffic for several hours in between, risking missing the NASCAR green flag, while already exhausted?

Plus, fans don’t tend to attend a race weekend just for the race itself. Especially in racing, it’s really all about the event and the experience surrounding that event. Under this proposal, that would still be possible for the Formula 1 race, but not at all for the NASCAR race.

I’m sure there are plenty of fans out there who would love the opportunity. It just might not be an opportunity that ever presents itself for those reasons.