The 2022 EuroNASCAR 2 Champion will return for the 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season. Liam Hezemans and Hendriks Motorsport will join forces once again as the Dutchman is set to drive the #50 Toyota Camry and take the step up to EuroNASCAR PRO full time to compete not only for the overall championship, but also for glory in the Junior Trophy for drivers aged 25 and under. With ten EuroNASCAR PRO races under his belt and a resume including three top-10 and two top-5 finishes, the 19-year-old is sure to be one of the dark horses in EuroNASCAR’s premier championship.
In the 2022 season, Hezemans doubled up in five of the six events and won the EuroNASCAR 2 title with six wins and nine top-5 finishes. He edged Alberto Naska in the final race of the season at Automotodrom Grobnik after a run of four consecutive wins that began at Circuit Zolder, the Belgian track the Brussels resident considers his home venue. The Dutchman wants to keep the momentum going and compete with the best European NASCAR drivers in EuroNASCAR PRO.
“The goal is to repeat what we did last year and try to win the championship again,” said Hezemans, who is working as a bartender in Brussels beside his racing career. “That’s the main goal, of course. The step into EuroNASCAR PRO is a challenging step, but I think we’re well prepared, both on my side and as a team.” He wants to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Loris Hezemans, who won the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship in 2019 and 2021.
The “races” are the “most exciting part” of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series for Hezemans, but the young Dutchman also praises the “amazing atmosphere” that NASCAR creates in the paddock and around the American-themed festivals at some of the best tracks in Europe. “The bond between the drivers and the fans in the paddock is something very special,” he said. As a result, Hezemans is eager to create new projects and opportunities around his EuroNASCAR PRO program.
Considering himself a quick learner, Hezemans wants to climb the steep learning curve of EuroNASCAR PRO as swiftly as possible. Motorsport has always been part of his DNA, thanks to his father Toine Hezemans, an endurance racing legend. Ironically, the 19-year-old got into racing late, focusing initially on his tennis career, before jumping into a 400-horsepower V8 beast and winning a championship in his first season of auto racing.
The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will kick off on May 6-7 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. All qualifying and race sessions will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV channels from all around the world. With Hezemans committing to a full EuroNASCAR PRO season, there is a young gun to watch who has the potential to be a real contender among the experienced racers in the NWES.
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