Which Is It: Formula 1 or NASCAR?

By: Steven Symes
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Which Is It: Formula 1 or NASCAR?
Image: FORMULA 1

About This Quiz

In NASCAR in your wheelhouse, or are you more open to Formula One? 

The feud between Formula One and NASCAR can get a little chippy at times. Both like to act as if they're top dogs in motorsports, with fans and even drivers spouting off all kinds of superlatives about their sport. The fact is that both are highly competitive and difficult racing environments that routinely chew up and spit out excellent racers, leaving only those with Superman-like abilities to duke it out for the top position. 

You could successfully argue that comparing Formula One and NASCAR is an apples-and-oranges sort of thing. After all, there are more differences than similarities between them. And yet, that fact actually seems to fuel the feud even more. After all, you don't see Formula One and IndyCar fans arguing about which is better. 

Then there are the stereotypes about the racers and fans for both sports. NASCAR is often characterized as low-brow, blue collar, and brutish. As for Formula One, it's cast in the light of rich snobs paying too much for an excuse to party, instead of caring about real competition. 

All arguing aside, how much do you know about these two motorsports? Take the quiz now and find out! 

Which sport features only left turns?
Formula One
NASCAR
Formula One fans contest that driving in an oval at speeds exceeding 200 mph isn't tough, something a few drivers who have crossed over into NASCAR have discovered is absolutely false.

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In which sport do organizers have to weld the manhole covers down in Monaco before the race?
Formula One
F1 cars create a serious amount of downforce, so much that they can suck manhole covers right out of public roads, making this unusual modification before the Monaco Grand Prix necessary.
NASCAR

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Which sport started with the prohibition of alcohol?
Formula One
NASCAR
During Prohibition in the United States, young men in stock cars that were secretly modified would run alcohol to speakeasies, outrunning the police along the way. This gave birth to NASCAR.

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Ferrari is heavily involved in which sport?
Formula One
Scuderia Ferrari is the racing division of the Italian automaker and it competes regularly in F1 races.
NASCAR

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a legend in which sport?
Formula One
NASCAR
Often referred to just as Junior, he racked up plenty of victories during his time in NASCAR, plus his father is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

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Which sport's first champion came from an affluent family?
Formula One
Nino Farina was the first Formula One World Champion. He not only had a rich family​ but was known for being stylish in his racing technique, something many other drivers mimicked.
NASCAR

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Restrictor plates were used controversially in which sport?
Formula One
NASCAR
The restrictor plate was heralded as a way to keep drivers safe, but by restricting airflow to the engine, many argued they were responsible for the increasing number of multi-car crashes in the sport.

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Damon Hill was an underdog in which sport?
Formula One
Damon Hill wasn't a popular pick for an F1 driver at first, but his tenacity and toughness paid off, although he finally was unceremoniously kicked out of F1.
NASCAR

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Which sport features stock cars?
Formula One
NASCAR
While they're called stock cars, NASCAR racers are only loosely associated with the vehicles you find on dealership lots, making some question the validity of the term.

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Which one has open-wheel cars?
Formula One
If you look at F1 racers, there are no fenders wrapped around any portion of the wheels, making the cars true open-wheel racers.
NASCAR

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Drivers have to negotiate wildly different track layouts in which sport?
Formula One
The tracks in Formula One are widely varied, with some even held on public roads, such as the Monaco Grand Prix.
NASCAR

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Which sport is overseen by FIA?
Formula One
The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile or FIA is the organization responsible for setting all standardized rules for F1 racing.
NASCAR

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In which sport is the saying "drive it like you stole it" popular?
Formula One
NASCAR
Cars in NASCAR often come into contact with each other, although most of the contact is minor, but this is completely uncharacteristic of Formula One races.

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Which sport is better known for its endurance factor?
Formula One
NASCAR
As some have famously said, Formula One races are a sprint, while NASCAR races cover more racing distance, last longer, and are a marathon.

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Which sport begins races with a rolling start?
Formula One
NASCAR
In NASCAR races, many winners start off fairly deep in the lineup, while in Formula One they're often in the lead within the first few laps of the track.

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Lightweight building techniques are highly encouraged by regulation in which sport?
Formula One
NASCAR racers are more like tanks compared to F1 cars, showing just how different of an approach the two sports have to auto racing.
NASCAR

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Which sport grew out of the European Grand Prix championships?
Formula One
In the 1920s and 1930s, the European Grand Prix was growing in popularity, but WWII put an end to it. After the war, Formula One was created as a type of replacement.
NASCAR

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"Constructors" is a term used for teams in which sport?
Formula One
Formula One chooses to call the teams, which are made up not only of drivers but also engineers and technicians, constructors.
NASCAR

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Which sport can count about one out of every three American adults as a fan?
Formula One
NASCAR
Formula One isn't as popular in the United States, where about 75 million adults consider themselves NASCAR fans, whether they're diehards or fairly casual.

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Which sport recently required a "halo" for the cars?
Formula One
Thanks to several bad crashes where drivers sustained head or neck injuries, F1 racers now have controversial halos that protect that area of the driver's body.
NASCAR

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Which sport is often characterized as being elitist?
Formula One
From the fact that F1 racers are exceptionally expensive vehicles, to fans watching races from their moored luxury yachts while sipping champagne, F1 certainly has earned this reputation.
NASCAR

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Which sport has a ban on vehicle telemetry?
Formula One
NASCAR
While telemetry allows drivers to further tune their car while racing, in NASCAR things are kept far more old school than that.

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Which group of race cars suffer bent chassis during each race?
Formula One
NASCAR
With the high speeds, steep banks, and tight corners of the track, NSCAR race cars usually suffer bent chassis during a race, a problem that has to be corrected afterward.

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Which sport is considered more international?
Formula One
NASCAR holds races in Mexico, Canada, Europe and other places outside of the United States. Formula One has more visible events around the globe.
NASCAR

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Which one has a series where pickup trucks race on tracks?
Formula One
NASCAR
NASCAR has its Camping World Truck Series, which is the only series it runs that involves production pickup trucks racing each other.

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In which sport are sedans used?
Formula One
NASCAR
While sedans have ruled NASCAR, Chevy is changing to the Camaro and Ford is switching to the Mustang. Toyota might use a coupe instead of the Camry in the future.

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Pit refueling is absolutely banned in which?
Formula One
Since F1 races are significantly shorter than in NASCAR, the cars don't need to refuel at all.
NASCAR

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Sebastian Vettel has made fame and fortune in which sport?
Formula One
Vettel is currently racing for Scuderia Ferrari and has been the Formula One World Champion four times and counting.
NASCAR

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Which one has more races in a typical season?
Formula One
NASCAR
In 2017, NASCAR's Cup Series featured more than 36 races, compared to only 20 Grand Prix series races for F1.

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Which sport awards the first-place finisher the most points?
Formula One
NASCAR
For NASCAR races, the winner gets 40 points, while drivers in F1 only net 25 for winning.

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Which sport features the biggest crews working during a pit stop?
Formula One
NASCAR regulations only allow for six people in the pit, while Formula One pit teams consist of sixteen members.
NASCAR

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In which sport do the wheels have more lug nuts?
Formula One
NASCAR
NASCAR regulations require that race cars have five lugs nuts on each wheel, while in Formula One they only have one, making the pit stops more hectic for NASCAR.

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Which sport has more drivers competing in it?
Formula One
NASCAR
By last count, the NASCAR Sprint Cup had 50 drivers competing, versus just 24 in Formula One.

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Which sport boasts higher top speeds?
Formula One
In the long straightaways, or in other words, not in Monaco, F1 cars can get above 200 mph, which is just slightly faster than NASCAR racers.
NASCAR

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Which sport has the most attendance in a season?
Formula One
While it varies from one season to the next, NASCAR fan attendance is about 60 percent of what Formula One's is.
NASCAR

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You Got:
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FORMULA 1