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Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton says he would like to try a one-off NASCAR race in the future and believes grand prix racing can learn a lot from it.

Hamilton attended last weekend's Sprint Cup finale at Homestead to support Jeff Gordon in the NASCAR legend's farewell event.

Gordon and Hamilton became friends after a chance meeting in Nashville a few years ago.

"There were definitely some things that for sure they do a lot better than us," said Hamilton of his NASCAR experience.

"There were for sure things that we could learn from them.

"It was a great show, a great spectacle, particularly for the fans.

"A bit like DTM, the fans get very, very close to the garages in the background and to the drivers.

"It was a really cool event. I hope I get to do one one day."

In a column for BBC Sport, Hamilton expanded on his surprise at how good the NASCAR spectacle was in person.

"I actually found it way more appealing in real life than it may appear on television," he wrote.

"It's a very different world from F1 - the teams are much smaller, to the extent that it almost reminded me of my Formula 3 days.

"It's not plush. In terms of the technology the teams have, it is kept much simpler compared to F1.

"The atmosphere at the track is fantastic. There was one long grandstand that was absolutely packed with fans.

"The lap is only 30 seconds long, so you see the cars constantly.

"The cars sound amazing and they are freakin' rapid.

"The race was 267 laps - really long - but I thoroughly enjoyed it, trying to understand the strategy and the differences between the cars. It was neat.

"It made me want to drive one - I really fancy a race in a NASCAR one day.

"I'm not sure I'd do an oval, but possibly a road course."

NASCAR AND F1 CROSSOVERS

Though still rare, NASCAR/F1 crossovers have become more common in recent years.

Juan Pablo Montoya famously quit the McLaren F1 team mid-season in 2006 to race in NASCAR instead.

His then team-mate Kimi Raikkonen also briefly tried his hand at stock car racing (pictured) when pondering his future options in mid-2011 before deciding to return to F1 from his World Rally Championship sabbatical.

Raikkonen's extracurricular adventures

Sometime Renault F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr and 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve both had some success in NASCAR's second-tier series - future Formula E champion Piquet a winner in both Trucks and what was then Nationwide - but could not establish Cup careers.

In the other direction, Gordon and fellow multiple Cup champion Tony Stewart have tested Williams and McLaren F1 cars respectively at promotional events.