Lewis Hamilton -- I'm NASCAR Curious

He's the best Formula 1 driver on the planet -- but Lewis Hamilton tells TMZ Sports he's intrigued about the idea of getting in a NASCAR ride ... with some help from Jeff Gordon.

Hamilton was arriving to 'Jimmy Kimmel' when he told us he's been talking to Jeff about swapping rides and doing a little sock car racing for a change.

Watch the clip -- Hamilton seems excited about the idea.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, the only person who we can think of who successfully made the jump from Formula 1 to NASCAR was Jean Girard ... and he wasn't even a real person.

If you ain't first, you're last.