Pat McAfee welcomed NASCAR great Kyle Busch on his show Thursday and McAfee once again showed he does not have a filter and speaks exactly what he thinks.
Even if it might land him in hot water with his current employer, ESPN.
The conversation with Busch turned to the differences between NASCAR and F1, the internationally popular racing series that has never caught on with U.S. fans to the same degree. NASCAR Cup Series races averaged almost 2.9 million U.S. viewers in 2023. ESPN, which holds the U.S. rights to F1 races, averaged 1.1 million viewers for those events.
So McAfee, who has a five-year, $85 million deal with ESPN, had the opportunity to get in a little plug for his network’s racing series.
Instead, he more or less tossed F1 under the bus, criticizing F1 for its lack of parity. Many race fans would agree he has a point; Max Verstappen has won 19 of the past 20 Formula One events.
McAfee gleefully pointed that out, even butchering Verstappen’s name in the process.
“19 of the last 20 races is Vanderstoppen …”
“That sounds like a watch,” Busch quipped.
“He probably has one,” McAfee said. “So the Vanderstoppen watch and the Vanderstoppen dominance has just become so boring to watch. He’ll win the pole and then the races are like time trials … we watch you guys (NASCAR), we’re four wide! We’re four-wide sometimes!”
“I think we’re just like ignorant Americans, because when we get on Go-Karts, we’re trying to cut off our friends.”
https://twitter.com/patmcafeeshow/status/1768335318925684888
‘Would you be good at their racing?” McAfee asked Busch.
“I mean the bumping and the banging you definitely don’t want to do that,” Busch said. “Those cars are too fragile … let me give you an example, NASCAR racing, to me, is like two bros … beer cans in their hands smashing it up, partying, having a good time, ‘We’re going to rub some fenders.’
“When you go and do an F1 race, little dainty, tiny champagne glasses going ‘dink’ and making sure you keep your fingers up when you take a sip. We’re all about gettin’ sloshed.
“That’s what we thought,” McAfee said. “That’s exactly what we thought.”
Some thoughts: Busch really does have a great sense of humor. Also, McAfee really does say whatever’s on his mind, which is one reason for his immense popularity. It’s also one of the reasons his show has generated so much controversy in recent months and strained McAfee’s relationship with ESPN. Sometimes it’s his guests’ comments that land him in hot water, as with Aaron Rodgers’ recent comments about Jimmy Kimmel.
But ESPN execs might not be too happy about McAfee throwing F1 under the bus, given the fact they’re paying up to $90 million per year through 2025 to broadcast the series in the U.S.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.