Remove ads

The NASCAR Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series, Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's four international-sanctioned series, alongside the NASCAR Canada Series, the NASCAR Mexico Series and the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, and is the only one based in Europe.

Quick Facts Category, Region ...
NASCAR Euro Series
Thumb
CategoryStock Cars
RegionEurope
Inaugural season2009
ConstructorsChassis built by Team FJ, badged as either Chevrolet, EuroNASCAR FJ, Ford, Shadow, or Toyota
Engine suppliersTeam FJ
Tyre suppliersHoosier
Drivers' championEuroNASCAR PRO:
Italy Vittorio Ghirelli
EuroNASCAR 2:
Czech Republic Martin Doubek
Makes' championFord
Teams' championFrance RDV Compétition
Official websiteNASCAR Whelen Euro Series
Current season
Close

History

Thumb
Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series logo, 2012 – June 2013
Thumb
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series logo, June 2013 – 2017
Thumb
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series logo, 2017 – 2024

USA-based NASCAR racing is using V8-powered "stock cars" and focussing mainly on oval tracks with more or less banked corners, Daytona International Speedway being a famous example. In Europe, there are some test tracks with high bankings, but only two tracks have been used for racing by CART Champ Cars, Rockingham Motor Speedway and Eurospeedway in 2001 and 2002. The ASCAR Racing Series brought NASCAR-style racing to mainly the UK from 2001 to 2008.

French rally driver Jérôme Galpin conceived the idea of a European-based stock car racing series after he watched a NASCAR race in 2002.[1] His family group, Team FJ, then launched the Racecar Euro Series in June 2008, and announced that the first season would be held the following year as a FFSA-sanctioned series.[2] The first season in 2009, was held on 7 tracks across France, with 16 cars entering the inaugural race at Nogaro. The series was approved as an International Series by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) after the series held a race at the Nürburgring in 2010.[3][2] The calendar was expanded further in 2011, to include more races in Europe.

Galpin began to make connections with NASCAR after he had contact with NASCAR's Senior Development Business Director, Robert Duvall, in June 2009.[4] NASCAR soon took interest in the series, and later in 2010, the then-Racecar Euro Series champion Lucas Lasserre was invited to enter the Toyota All-Star Showdown.[5]

In early 2012, Team FJ entered into an agreement with NASCAR to sanction the series as part of the NASCAR circuit until 2020, though it remains registered as an International FIA series.[6][7] As part of the agreement, the series changed its name to the Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series.

With the new agreement with NASCAR, the series became an official NASCAR racing series in Europe. NASCAR rules and standards were adopted in the series. The champion was invited to the NASCAR Night of Champions Gala at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with the rest of the regional series champions, with the 2012 champion Ander Vilariño being the first to attend.[8]

On July 1, 2013, the series was renamed the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after Whelen Engineering announced an agreement to become the title sponsor of the series through 2018.[9][10] This agreement was extended on December 6, 2017, after NASCAR announced that Whelen Engineering would continue to be the title sponsor of both the Euro Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour until 2024.[11]

On October 4, 2019, the series announced that NASCAR and Team FJ would continue to work together to operate the series until at least 2030.[12] On October 22, 2019, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced that the classes would be rebranded from Elite 1 and Elite 2 to EuroNASCAR PRO (ENPRO) and EuroNASCAR 2 (EN2) for the 2020 season.[13]

Remove ads

Tracks

Locations of the tracks that have held a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series/Racecar Euro Series race. Green dots represent current tracks, red dots represent former tracks, and purple dots represent returning tracks.

The following are the tracks which have been used since 2009, currently are in use, and/or are scheduled to be used in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series as sanctioned by NASCAR:

More information Years, Track ...
Years Track Location Type
2016 Adria International Raceway Adria, Italy Road course
2017–2019 Autodromo di Franciacorta Castrezzato, Italy Road course
2014–2015 Autodromo dell'Umbria Magione, Italy Road course
2013 Autodromo Nazionale di Monza Monza, Italy Road course
2020–present Autodromo Vallelunga Campagnano di Roma, Italy Road course
2019, 2021–present[N 1] Autodrom Most Most, Czech Republic Road course
2020–2022 Automotodrom Grobnik Čavle, Croatia Road course
2011–2019, 2021–present[N 1] Brands Hatch West Kingsdown, England Road course
2009–2014 Bugatti Circuit Le Mans, France Road course
2009 Circuit d'Albi Albi, France Road course
2009–2010 Circuit de Lédenon Lédenon, France Road course
2009, 2011 Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Magny-Cours, France Road course
2012 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps Stavelot, Belgium Road course
2009–2010 Circuit du Val de Vienne Le Vigeant, France Road course
2009–2013 Circuit Paul Armagnac Nogaro, France Road course
2012, 2014–present Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia, Spain Road course
2011 Circuit Zandvoort Zandvoort, Netherlands Road course
2015–present Circuit Zolder Heusden-Zolder, Belgium Road course
2009–2010, 2013 Dijon-Prenois Prenois, France Road course
2017–2019[N 1][N 2] Hockenheimring Hockenheim, Germany Road course
2011 MotorLand Aragón Alcañiz, Spain Road course
2023-present[19] Motorsport Arena Oschersleben Oschersleben, Germany Road course
2010, 2014 Nürburgring Nürburg, Germany Road course
2015–2017, 2019, 2024[N 1] Raceway Venray Venray, Netherlands 1/2-mile oval
2012–2016, 2018 Tours Speedway Tours, France 0.357-mile oval
Close
Notes
  1. Initially scheduled to host a round in 2020, but the round was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14][15][16][17]
  2. Initially scheduled to host a round in 2021, but the round was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
Remove ads

Cars

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is based around the concept of using NASCAR-style cars on European circuits. The Euro-NASCAR cars are inspired by American NASCAR cars but were built specifically for European tracks. The cars use a V8 engine creating 450 hp (340 kW). It uses a four-speed manual gearbox, is rear-wheel drive and weighs 1,225 kg (2,701 lb).[20]

A new generation of car, dubbed as the "Next Level" package, was introduced in the 2016 season. The Next Level car saw the introduction of a new aerodynamic package and a redesigned composite body, and the cars adopted an 8-inch rear spoiler instead of the wing used in the previous generation of cars.[21][22]

The first Next Level car to be introduced was the redesigned Chevrolet SS composite body, which was unveiled during the 2015 season-ending race at Circuit Zolder.[23] Resembling the body of its American counterpart, the car made its racing debut in the 2015 Race of Champions.[24] The Ford Mustang body also made its test debut soon after.[25] Starting in 2018, the Chevrolet composite body was updated into a Camaro ZL1-based body style, although the SS body is still legal for competition until the end of the 2019 season.[26] The SS nameplate was subsequently retired in 2020 and existing bodies from the SS platform was rebranded into the EuroNASCAR FJ 2020.[27] The revived Shadow Racing Cars brand would begin to compete with their own Shadow DNM8 chassis starting from the 2021 season.[28]

NASCAR Whelen Euro Series became the first NASCAR series to introduce sequential gearboxes after it was announced on 25 March 2021 that sequential gearboxes will be made available as an optional choice in 2021, predating NASCAR Cup Series' introduction of the sequential gearboxes with the Next Gen car by one year. A new NASCAR Whelen Euro Series car is available to be purchased from Team FJ at a price of €89,000 in 2021.[29]

NASCAR Whelen Euro Series currently featured Hoosier as the exclusive tyre supplier of the series. Previously, Michelin was the exclusive tyre supplier from the inaugural season in 2009 until 2017 while subsidiary company BFGoodrich became the exclusive tyre supplier for the 2018 season only. In 2019, Continental AG signed a six-year contract to become the exclusive tyre supplier of the series.[30] The deal was renewed on January 22, 2021, extending the tyre supply contract until 2027. General Tire was selected as the tyre brand of choice in the 2019 and 2020 season before it was switched to the Hoosier brand for the 2021 season.[31]

On 3 May 2022, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced a new partnership deal with VP Racing Fuels to become the new exclusive fuel supplier in the series, switching from a previously undisclosed fuel supplier. The series will now use VP's N20 Race Fuel, an unleaded gasoline sustainable fuel that incorporates 20% sustainable materials and is complying to both FIA Appendix J and European Union's E10 road fuel regulations. The series will be working together with VP to further develop the sustainable fuel with an aim to become fossil fuel free by the 2025 season.[32]

Outside of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competition, the NASCAR Euro Series cars are used in the Race of Champions.

Remove ads

Specifications

Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Thumb
Current available models includes the Chevrolet SS (top-left, now running under the EuroNASCAR FJ 2020 monicker), Ford Mustang (top-right), Toyota Camry (bottom-left), and Chevrolet Camaro (bottom-right).
  • Chassis: FIA-certified tubular steel tube frame with safety roll cage.
  • Engine Displacement: 5.7 L (5,700 cc) (350 in³) V8.
  • Aspiration: Naturally aspirated.
  • Transmission: 4 Speed manual or sequential.[29]
  • Fuel: VP Racing Fuels N20 Race Fuel
  • Power: 450 hp (340 kW)
  • Weight: 1,225 kg (2,701 lb)
  • Height: 1,300 mm (51 in)
  • Length: 5,080 mm (200 in)
  • Wheelbase: 2,740 mm (108 in)
  • Width: 1,950 mm (77 in)

As manufacturer involvement is limited, model representations are used for aesthetic purposes only. The current models available are the EuroNASCAR FJ 2020, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Shadow DNM8, and Toyota Camry. The Dodge Challenger model was available to be used in the past before it was retired after Dodge pulled out factory support for all NASCAR series outside of Canada in 2012, while the Chevrolet SS model was retired after it was rebranded into the EuroNASCAR FJ 2020 in 2020.[27]

Remove ads

Championships

  • EuroNASCAR Pro drivers championship – Main championship open to gold/silver/bronze drivers
    • Junior Trophy – For drivers aged 25 years and under
    • Challenger Trophy – For amateur drivers
  • EuroNASCAR 2 drivers championship – Restricted to silver/bronze drivers
    • Legend Trophy – For drivers aged 40 years and over
    • Rookie Cup – For drivers making their Euro Series debuts, regardless of age or experience
    • Lady Cup – For female drivers
  • Teams championship – Scored by points collected by each car in EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 divisions

The Euro Series champions and other standout drivers of the series will be honored at the yearly NASCAR Home Tracks Champions Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.[33] Until the 2014 season, the EuroNASCAR PRO champion wins entry into a NASCAR race, the UNOH Battle at the Beach (formerly the Toyota All-Star Showdown), while the Elite 2 champion wins a NASCAR test.

A NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race week is run over three days and includes four races, two EuroNASCAR PRO races and two EuroNASCAR 2 races. Practice is held on Friday, followed by qualifying and the first races of EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 on Saturday, before the week closes with the second races of EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 on Sunday. The only exception to this were the race at Venray in 2019, which was run over two days and only included one race each for both classes and the 2020 race at Vallelunga, which was held using a condensed variant of the schedule as part of the sporting regulation changes made as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[34][35]

Remove ads

Champions

Thumb
Four-time EuroNASCAR champion Alon Day.
More information Season, EuroNASCAR PRO Champion ...
Season EuroNASCAR PRO Champion EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Club Challenge Champion Team Champion
Racecar Euro Series
2009 France Lucas Lasserre France Wilfried Boucenna
2010 France Lucas Lasserre (2) France Emmanuel Brigand
2011 France Éric Hélary France Romain Fournillier France Hélary Racing Team
Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series
2012 Spain Ander Vilariño France Simon Escallier France Exotics Racing - Still Racing
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series
2013 Spain Ander Vilariño (2) France Anthony Gandon France TFT - Banco Santander
2014 Belgium Anthony Kumpen Belgium Maxime Dumarey Belgium PK Carsport
2015 Spain Ander Vilariño (3) Italy Gianmarco Ercoli San Marino GDL Racing
2016 Belgium Anthony Kumpen (2) Belgium Stienes Longin Belgium PK Carsport (2)
2017 Israel Alon Day France Thomas Ferrando Austria Andreas Kuchelbacher France Knauf Racing
2018 Israel Alon Day (2) France Ulysse Delsaux India Advait Deodhar France RDV Compétition
2019 Netherlands Loris Hezemans Denmark Lasse Sørensen France Alain Mosqueron Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport
2020 Israel Alon Day (3) Italy Vittorio Ghirelli France Alain Mosqueron (2) Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport (2)
2021 Netherlands Loris Hezemans (2) Czech Republic Martin Doubek United Kingdom Gordon Barnes Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport (3)
2022 Israel Alon Day (4) Netherlands Liam Hezemans United Kingdom Gordon Barnes (2) Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport (4)
2023 Italy Gianmarco Ercoli France Paul Jouffreau United Kingdom Gordon Barnes (3) France RDV Compétition (2)
2024 Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Czech Republic Martin Doubek (2) Italy Federico Monti France RDV Compétition (3)
Close

All-time wins

All-time wins for the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series under NASCAR official sanctioning, starting from the 2012 season; does not include Racecar Euro Series wins. All figures correct as of the 2023 EuroNASCAR Finals at Circuit Zolder (October 15, 2023).

Key
Driver competed full-time in the 2023 season
Driver competed part-time in the 2023 season
Bold NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Champion
Italics NASCAR Whelen Euro Series EuroNASCAR 2 Champion

Elite 1 / EuroNASCAR PRO (ENPRO)

More information Driver, Wins ...
DriverWinsFirstLast
Israel Alon Day322015 Umbria 12022 Rijeka 1
Spain Ander Vilariño222012 Nogaro 12019 Valencia 2
France Frédéric Gabillon122013 Tours 12019 Brands Hatch 2
Netherlands Loris Hezemans112018 Hockenheim 12021 Rijeka 1
Belgium Anthony Kumpen102014 Le Mans 12017 Hockenheim 2
Italy Gianmarco Ercoli92018 Brands Hatch 22023 Vallelunga 1
Spain Borja García52014 Nürburgring 12017 Hockenheim 1
Italy Nicolò Rocca52015 Venray 12022 Valencia 1
Italy Eddie Cheever III42014 Brands Hatch 12015 Valencia 1
Belgium Stienes Longin32019 Zolder 22021 Zolder 1
Italy Vittorio Ghirelli32021 Most 22023 Most 1
France Lucas Lasserre32018 Franciacorta 22023 Zolder 1
France Gael Castelli22012 Le Mans 12012 Le Mans 2
Switzerland Yann Zimmer22013 Monza 22014 Valencia 1
France Romain Iannetta22012 Spa 22015 Brands Hatch 1
Denmark Lasse Sørensen22020 Zolder 12020 Valencia 1
Canada Jacques Villeneuve22021 Vallelunga 12021 Vallelunga 2
France Paul Jouffreau22023 Most 22023 Oschersleben 1
Germany Tobias Dauenhauer22023 Oschersleben 22023 Zolder 2
Spain Javier Villa12012 Brands Hatch 22012 Brands Hatch 2
Austria Mathias Lauda12014 Tours 22014 Tours 2
Belgium Marc Goossens12017 Zolder 22017 Zolder 2
France Thomas Ferrando12019 Zolder 12019 Zolder 1
Sweden Alexander Graff12022 Brands Hatch 22022 Brands Hatch 2
Netherlands Sebastiaan Bleekemolen12022 Most 12022 Most 1
France Patrick Lemarié12022 Rijeka 22022 Rijeka 2
Netherlands Liam Hezemans12023 Valencia 12023 Valencia 1
Close

Elite 2 / EuroNASCAR 2 (EN2)

More information Driver, Wins ...
DriverWinsFirstLast
France Thomas Ferrando122014 Nürburgring 12017 Zolder 2
Belgium Stienes Longin92015 Tours 12016 Zolder 2
Germany Tobias Dauenhauer82020 Vallelunga 12021 Vallelunga 1
Australia Josh Burdon72013 Nogaro 12013 Le Mans 1
Denmark Lasse Sørensen72019 Franciacorta 12019 Zolder 2
Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs]72020 Zolder 12021 Vallelunga 2
Italy Alberto Naska72022 Valencia 22023 Most 2
Italy Vittorio Ghirelli62019 Venray2020 Valencia 4
Netherlands Liam Hezemans62022 Brands Hatch 22022 Rijeka 2
Cyprus Vladimiros Tziortzis62022 Valencia 12023 Most 1
France Anthony Gandon42013 Dijon 12013 Le Mans 2
Italy Gianmarco Ercoli42015 Valencia 12015 Zolder 2
France Wilfried Boucenna42014 Brands Hatch 12018 Valencia 2
France Ulysse Delsaux42017 Valencia 12018 Hockenheim 1
Austria Philipp Lietz32014 Umbria 22015 Tours 2
Switzerland Gabriele Gardel32014 Le Mans 22016 Zolder 1
Brazil Felipe Rabello32017 Venray 12018 Franciacorta 1
Belgium Guillaume Deflandre32017 Zolder 22018 Hockenheim 2
France Florian Venturi32018 Brands Hatch 22019 Franciacorta 2
Switzerland Giorgio Maggi32019 Valencia 12019 Hockenheim 1
France Paul Jouffreau32023 Vallelunga 22023 Zolder 2
Belgium Martin van Hove22012 Nogaro 12012 Nogaro 2
France Simon Escallier22012 Valencia 12012 Valencia 2
France Olivier Porta22012 Le Mans 12012 Le Mans 2
Belgium Neal Van Vaerenbergh22014 Valencia 12014 Valencia 2
Belgium Denis Dupont22014 Tours 12014 Tours 2
Spain Salvador Tineo Arroyo22015 Umbria 22016 Brands Hatch 2
Belgium Guillaume Dumarey22018 Franciacorta 22018 Zolder 2
France Vincent Gonneau12012 Brands Hatch 12012 Brands Hatch 1
Brazil Adriano Medeiros12012 Brands Hatch 22012 Brands Hatch 2
Belgium Loic Deman12012 Spa 12012 Spa 1
Belgium Marc Duez12012 Spa 22012 Spa 2
France Julien Goupy12013 Tours 12013 Tours 1
Belgium Maxime Dumarey12014 Umbria 12014 Umbria 1
France Guillaume Rousseau12014 Le Mans 12014 Le Mans 1
Austria Florian Renauer12015 Brands Hatch 12015 Brands Hatch 1
Italy Riccardo Geltrude12016 Tours 12016 Tours 1
Italy Denny Zardo12017 Franciacorta 22017 Franciacorta 2
Italy Nicholas Risitano12019 Valencia 22019 Valencia 2
India Advait Deodhar12021 Brands Hatch 12021 Brands Hatch 1
Israel Naveh Talor12021 Zolder 12021 Zolder 1
Austria Patrick Schober12023 Oschersleben 22023 Oschersleben 2
Luxembourg Gil Linster12023 Zolder 12023 Zolder 1
Scotland Jack Davidson12024 Brands Hatch 22024 Brands Hatch 2
Close
Remove ads

See also

References

Wikiwand in your browser!

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.

Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.

Remove ads