With the 2021 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season ready to go green at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, NWES organizer Team FJ presented the new features that will characterize the upcoming EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 Championships. More value will be added to Qualifying with championship points on the line, while the top 3 of the first race will get success handicaps on the starting grid of the second race. The new sequential gearbox will also add to the Pure Racing mix of the European NASCAR series.
Weekend format: successful 2020 model confirmed
Every EuroNASCAR race weekend will start on Friday with two Free Practice each for EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2. In each championship, drivers and teams will have two 30-minutes practice sessions to find the right setups and get up to speed. When the Club Challenge is part of the NWES weekend, there will be three additional 30-minute sessions for EuroNASCAR’s regularity-based challenge on Friday morning.
Two 30-minute Qualifying sessions for EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 will take place on Saturday morning, while the first EuroNASCAR PRO race of the weekend will follow, running a distance of about 75 kilometers. Saturday’s EuroNASCAR 2 race will have a length of about 60 kilometers. On Sunday, EuroNASCAR 2 starts with the second race of the weekend with another 60-kilometer round, while the EuroNASCAR PRO championship closes the race weekend with its second 75-kilometer battle to the checkered flag.
New starting grids procedure for race 2 of the weekend
The starting grids of the first races will be determined by the fastest lap times of Qualifying. For the Sunday races, the fastest laps from Saturday races will be the determining factor. In 2021 though, Saturday’s podium finishers will be given a success handicap on the grid: the winner will lose 3 grid positions, the second placed driver will lose 2 positions and the third placed driver 1 position.
Points assignation: more emphasis on Qualifying
As in 2020, the winner of each race will collect 40 points for the overall standings, while the second placed driver will be given 35 points. From third place on, there will be one point less per position. The drivers who gained the most places compared to his starting grid position will get 4 bonus points. For the first time, Qualifying will reward the top-3 with bonus points. The pole sitter will get 3 points, the runner-up 2 points and the third-placed driver 1 point.
Tires allocation: 22 tires per driver for the full season
To keep the cost-performance ratio the best in European racing, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series limits the use of tires. Each driver is assigned 22 sticker slick Hoosier Racing tires during the season. Those tires will be allocated in the following way: in Valencia, Most, Hockenheim and Zolder, drivers will get 4 new Hoosier Racing tires. In Vallelunga, Brands Hatch and Grobnik, Hoosier will only provide the drivers with only 2 new sticker tires each and they will have to mount 2 used tires from a previous event. Rain tires are not limited as well as testing tires.
Sequential Gearbox: a game-changing option
Another new feature is the recently presented sequential gearbox kit that can be implemented as an option by the teams in the 2021 season. The sequential gearbox will make the NWES car more accessible, tough as fun as ever to drive. The new kit does fit on the existing EuroNASCAR gearbox. Drivers can still choose to use the traditional H-pattern solution.
The 2021 NWES season will kick off on May 15-16 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Qualifying and races will be streamed live on EuroNASCAR’s social media channels – YouTube, Facebook, Twitch – and Motorsport.tv.
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