NASCAR chief Steve O'Donnell outlined the elements of Formula 1 that the American racing series hopes to adopt, admitting he "candidly" wants to steal ideas from its motorsport rival.

F1 has continued to grow its audience in the United States, attracting fans who may not have previously followed motorsport. O'Donnell believes the series can learn from F1's success, admitting there are elements of F1's approach he would like to adopt.

While NASCAR regularly produces on-track rivalries and heated exchanges between drivers, teams and owners, O'Donnell wants to find ways to keep those storylines in the spotlight beyond race day.

Speaking to Front Office Sports, O'Donnell identified team owners, rivalries and post-race interviews as areas where NASCAR could learn from F1. Rather than focusing on the cars, he highlighted the people behind the teams and the opportunities for drivers to speak openly after races without broadcasters talking over them.

"They've done a great job promoting their principals outside of the race car," O'Donnell said. "We need to do the same thing: create those storylines, create those rivalries."

NASCAR already has the personalities and rivalries needed to create more compelling off-track storylines. Denny Hamlin, for example, is both a driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing, meaning his disputes with others in the garage can have implications beyond the track.

Team owners have competing interests, crew chiefs face scrutiny over costly decisions, and drivers are rarely short of opinions. However, NASCAR has not always translated those personalities into storylines that resonate with a wider audience.

F1 has been more successful in this area, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and former Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner becoming prominent figures in the sport's biggest rivalries. Their public disagreements have given fans additional storylines to follow beyond the drivers' championship, helping maintain interest even when the racing itself has been less competitive.

O'Donnell also highlighted F1's post-race cool-down room as another feature NASCAR could adopt. The room brings the top three finishers together before the podium ceremony, allowing viewers to hear their conversations without commentary from broadcasters.

"They do a great job post-race when, you know, you have three drivers sitting in a room. The broadcasters are silent, and you just hear those drivers talk about what just happened," O'Donnell said. "It's a pretty cool moment of how they do it. So some of those things we can tweak."

O'Donnell's comments come as NASCAR looks to expand its audience and strengthen its commercial position. The series has broadened its media distribution across traditional television and digital platforms, while streaming partnerships have created additional ways for fans to watch races. NASCAR is also pursuing longer-term growth through initiatives such as Project 2032, which aims to bring key stakeholders across the sport together around shared objectives.