NASCAR fan Ricciardo offered drive in Dale Earnhardt Sr stock car – if he lands podium for McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo has been offered a very special drive in 2021 – if he manages to land a podium for his new employers – by McLaren CEO Zak Brown…

Brown is a historic racing afficionado with a stunning collection of significant racing cars – and Ricciardo is no stranger to making bets with his team bosses. Last year, the Australian bet his Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul that the Team Principal would have to get a tattoo if Ricciardo landed a podium, which he did, at the Nurburgring and Imola.

This year, Ricciardo has made it clear that there won't be a tattoo bet with McLaren CEO Brown - though he did suggest there could be a different type of wager, saying: "I know he’s got a pretty good car collection, so maybe we could just bet one of his cars or something.”

And now the McLaren chief has offered something much more special to Ricciardo if he gets a podium for McLaren.

“Dale Earnhardt Sr's 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Get us that podium and the drive is all yours,” Tweeted Brown as he laid down the gauntlet on Wednesday after the Bahrain Grand Prix.

A drive in Dale Earnhardt Sr's 1984 NASCAR stock car should prove to be a very effective incentive for Ricciardo, who chose the #3 as his Formula 1 number in homage to the late seven-time stock car racing champion.

READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt, Michael Jordan and Blink-182 – Getting to know Daniel Ricciardo's favourites

Furthermore, the ex-Red Bull driver has previously hinted that he could pursue a career in NASCAR once his F1 days are over. Now it seems he might not have to wait long for his first drive in a stock car.

Next up is the Grand Prix at Imola, where Ricciardo did indeed clinch a podium for Renault last time out. This year, the stakes are arguably higher...