Two-time EuroNASCAR Champion Anthony Kumpen is back. The PK Carsport team boss has decided to focus on a single race schedule in 2023 and chose to climb back into his #24 Chevrolet Camaro to chase for his third EuroNASCAR PRO title. Being the PK Carsport Team Principal, NWES driver and instructor for his son as he begins his international karting career are the three main roles Kumpen will fill in 2023.
After his comeback at the Circuit Zolder in 2022, the 44-year-old has set himself the goal of winning his third EuroNASCAR title. Despite being sidelined for four years, Kumpen hasn’t lost any of the incredible speed that earned him EuroNASCAR championship rings in 2014 and 2016. Kumpen remains a true title contender with all of his experience and know-how in the official European NASCAR series. By concentrating on a single program, the Belgian will be at full strength for the 2023 season.
“The last time I was at the top of the overall standings was in 2016 when I won the title at my home track, Circuit Zolder,” said Kumpen. “It would be great to repeat that. I made my comeback in 2022 with three days of testing – the first in four years. I was competitive, so I have to set my goals very high.” The experienced race car driver from Hasselt has good reasons why he chose EuroNASCAR as his sole program in the 2023 season.
“It’s because of the close and pure racing! I started my racing career in the GT1 Championship when these cars had no ABS or traction control. I won many big races like the 24h of Spa and I was vice World Champion in GT1. When this championship disappeared and new technology got into the GT cars the fun was partly gone for me. NASCAR brought the fun back and I rediscovered pure racing. Therefore, it was easy for me to make a choice.”
The entrepreneur, who owns companies in Belgium and the United States, is ready to attack in the 2023 season, and with his ties to professional cycling – a field in which Kumpen created a brand – he’s in perfect physical shape to wrestle the 400-horsepower V8 beasts without any electronic aids around some of the best tracks in Europe. The level of competition in EuroNASCAR PRO has risen since his last season in 2018, but Kumpen still has what it takes to compete for wins. During his comeback in 2022, the Belgian impressed with a second place in Sunday’s race.
The 2023 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will kick off on May 6-7 at Circuit Ricardo in Valencia, Spain. All qualifying and race sessions will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR‘s YouTube channel, Motorsport.tv and several TV channels from around the world. PK Carsport will announce the full driver line-up and the final livery of the #24 Chevrolet at a later date.
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