Rubens Barrichello plans to attend Award's Banquet after winning NASCAR title

At 53 years old, Rubens Barrichello quickly adapted to the Brazilian arm of NASCAR’s various stock car racing divisions, becoming champion in his first try.

He clinched the 2025 title at Autódromo Velo Città, adding another trophy to his impressive collection. The 11x Grand Prix winner in F1 spoke with Motorsport.com following the victory, talking about the learning curve he faced as he competed in the NASCAR-run series this year.

“Experience makes everything become knowledge,” said Barrichello. “Starts, restarts — there were times when I’d go on the radio, ‘I don’t understand, explain it to me again.’ There are things you only learn by experiencing. I’d driven a NASCAR car before, years ago, at Homestead. We made it to the podium. It was a two-person race. So I had a little understanding of what it was like. Sure, it was a different type of car, but fundamentally it was the same seating position.

“And it’s a car with more grip than you’d imagine. When I went to race in Campo Grande (race track), there was a moment when the brake pedal was dropping down a lot, and I was pressing it with my left pedal to raise it so I could brake with my right. There was a time when the car oversteered going into the last corner, and I couldn’t do it, and the pedal dropped. I said, ‘I’m going to crash,’ and the car made the turn. So it was a learning experience. It was when I realized that its speed is much higher than it appears. Mistakes teach us. It’s similar to karting, because you sit in the middle. And karting plays an important role in my life.”

Going to the banquet?

As for attending the end of the year Award’s Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina, Barrichello believes he will be there.

“I even checked my calendar, but incredibly, I have this weekend off [for the banquet],” he told Motorsport.com. “I’ll definitely be flattered, because I have a lot of friends there. Roger Penske, people from my history because I raced in IndyCar. There are a lot of people there who work in both categories.”

Along with the primary national-level Cup, Xfinity and Truck Series, NASCAR runs notable divisions such as ARCA, the Whelen Modified Tour, and the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series. On the international scene, there’s NASCAR Brazil, NASCAR Canada, and the NASCAR Euro Series.

Barrichello also wouldn’t rule out giving the national level of NASCAR a try, saying, “Who knows?” He mentioned how he used to watch Juan Pablo Montoya racing at the Cup level, a driver who made his most recent start last year at 48 years old. He noted how ‘crazy’ racing at Talladega, and seemed interested in giving one of the US-based NASCAR divisions a shot.