The duo was at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas on Friday to watch Trackhouse’s new MotoGP team in action, as they are racing in the same state this weekend at NASCAR’s Texas Motor Speedway event in Fort Worth.
NASCAR is also represented by Hendrick Motorsports in the MotoGP paddock this weekend, as Jordan Taylor will demonstrate the Garage 56 Le Mans Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on track at COTA.
NASCAR has previously paired with IndyCar at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for its Brickyard Weekend, a conjunction that ends this year with NASCAR returning to the oval in 2024.
Indianapolis previously hosted MotoGP on a different variant of its road course between 2008-2015, and also ran a MotoAmerica event in 2020.
When asked by Motorsport.com about which series he’d like to see NASCAR pair with for a future crossover weekend, Chastain reckons MotoGP would make for a perfect match.
“It’s MotoGP for me right now because we have team-mates here,” said Chastain. “In my former job at Chip Ganassi Racing, whenever we did the dual weekend with IndyCar, I had those guys to go and see.
“I had it with Alex Palou, and he went on to win two championships. But we’re Trackhouse now, so I don’t have that bond with anybody in IndyCar.
“Now we have that bond with Trackhouse in MotoGP and I’m excited to follow those guys, to communicate and interact with each other. Even when it’s different disciplines, we’re on the same team. So, it’s MotoGP for me.”
Ross Chastain, TrackHouse Racing, Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro at Indy Road Couse
Photo by: Jasen Vinlove / NKP / Motorsport Images
When asked if he thought it was feasible to run them on the same weekend, he replied: “Sure, I mean, I think so. I don’t know what their rubber does… and we tend to leave quite a lot of debris out there when we’re done racing – some bent fenders! We tend to crunch fenders everywhere and some pieces fall off.
“I guess it would be more up to MotoGP to decide if they could contend with that. I noticed that the track was really clean for practice. When we’re on track here at COTA, there’s dirt everywhere – especially at Turn 8. We’re off the track everywhere!”
Suarez believes that a crossover event would benefit both series, as MotoGP – which has recently been purchased by US owners Liberty Media – could extend its fanbase in the US, while NASCAR would have more exposure through MotoGP’s global audience.
“I’ve been watching MotoGP for a while, but until recently I wasn’t following it that closely,” said Suarez. “Of course, the US is a big market, everyone knows that, so a crossover event would be amazing.
“It would work for NASCAR as well as MotoGP. I see a lot of fans here, very, very passionate. Who knows, maybe these guys don’t watch NASCAR?
“I think it would be a win-win for both series, especially how international MotoGP is. NASCAR is very, very strong in the United States, but it needs to continue to grow worldwide. And MotoGP is the other way around, it’s very big everywhere but needs to grow in the United States.
“That would be amazing for both series. That’s why I think it would be win-win.”
