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For a driver who once lived by the roar of an approximately 890 hp V8 beast, carving through ovals, the silence of electric racing might as well be a foreign language. America got its first taste of the E1 series on Saturday as the world’s premier electric boat championship transformed Miami’s Biscayne Bay into a futuristic battleground. Hydrofoiling rockets tore across the water at nearly 50 knots, Will Smith turned champagne celebrations into water fights, and Tom Brady once again proved he thrives under pressure. The city wanted a spectacle, and it got one. However, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion wasn’t having any of it. ADVERTISEMENT Kevin Harvick isn’t impressed by electric racing This feels almost unnatural to Kevin Harvick. Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, the 49-year-old veteran didn’t bat an eyelid towards E1, saying, “If you go to a race, you don’t want to watch a boat go by and just go… I want to hear noise.” To this, co-host Kaitlyn Vincie replied, “They are very quiet.” Harvick then went on to say, If you say electric racing, I’m out.” The US debut doubled as a 2025 season finale, with Brady’s team holding a razor-thin three-point lead before the showdown. By sunset, they had edged out Rafael Nadal’s crew in a heart-pounding final to clinch back-to-back titles, proof that Tom Brady can conquer any arena, even one hovering above the Atlantic. For those new to the E1 phenomenon, think of it as Formula One on water, sleek, silent, and electric. The series features 9 teams competing in identical Racebirds, 24-foot, 1750-pound boats designed to lift completely out of the water on hydrofoils once they hit 18 knots. From there, they saw across tight, technical courses marked by inflatable buoys, reaching up to 50 knots or 60 mph. ADVERTISEMENT Powered by 150 kW electric motors, these machines trade the role of combustion for a turbine-like hum as pilots battle through short, sprint-style heats and knockout finals, balancing battery management, precision, and sheer nerve in a sport that feels one part racing, one part flight. E1, falling under the category of motorsports, is near sin for Harvick. Long gone are those days when Dale Earnhardt was busy revving up his 900 hp machine to intimidate his rivals and build a legacy of 7 Cup Series championships in NASCAR. ADVERTISEMENT Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports However, Harvick‘s idea of boat racing is far different from the E1 series. He added, “I want to smell the fumes. Yeah. And when you talk about racing boats, I think of this Budweiser and all the big boats that used to just glide across the top of the water. Jimmie Johnson went and got back into one of those boats, not three or four months ago. But those are the boats that I remember racing—and that boat racing was cool… I haven’t even seen it, and I’m not impressed.” Jimmie Johnson traded a Cup car for a boat on August 1 this year. He piloted the famed hydroplane Blue Blaster, originally driven by legend Bill Muncey, during an exhibition on Lake Washington in Seattle. The boat was restored and carries a 2500 hp Merlin engine, and Johnson reached close to 100 mph during his demonstration run. But as far as Harvick is concerned, it is clear that anything electric fails to impress the veteran; however, amid all this, NASCAR has started penning down its steps towards an electric future. ADVERTISEMENT Will NASCAR go electric? Beyond being an entertainment product, NASCAR is also positioning itself as a hub for innovation, pushing new ideas that keep racing exciting, efficient, and future-ready. In collaboration with ABB, NASCAR showcased an electric vehicle (EV) prototype during championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway, giving fans a firsthand look at the sport’s potential electric future. The highlight was a pit stop challenge where crews competed to complete the fastest four-tire change on the EV, mirroring the intensity of an in-race pit stop. CJ Tobin, NASCAR’s R&D Director of vehicle services, said the public pit stop is the ideal way to demonstrate the car’s strength. He explained, “We’ve taken the approach of trying out different things with this vehicle to show off what it can do. The pit stop challenge was a great way because of its quick burst.” The fully electric, all-wheel-drive prototype produces 1300 hp, a far leap from the promised 80-horsepower jump in the Cup cars next year, and was developed as a platform for conversation, exploring energy efficiency and sustainability. Since it’s the debut of the Chicago Street course in July 2024, the prototype has been tested at Daytona, Martinsville, and other venues. Engineers are focusing particularly on tracks with heavy braking zones, since the car’s regenerative braking system converts kinetic energy into battery power with every press of the pedal. ADVERTISEMENT For NASCAR, the Phoenix demonstration wasn’t just a showcase; it was a real fault test. Every piece of data collected during the pitstop challenge feeds into the larger goal: refining how racing can adapt to the next generation’s performance and sustainability.
