For the first time since 2019, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series will hold an event at the iconic Raceway Venray in the Netherlands. The unique half-mile oval, located near the Dutch-German border, will provide thrilling racing in high-speed turns with a 25-degree banking. The compact two-day format will deliver plenty of action and close battles on one of the best oval tracks in Europe. While EuroNASCAR 2 will take to the track on Saturday in a 70-lap race, the EuroNASCAR PRO drivers will compete on Sunday for a 100-laps feature.
On Saturday morning, drivers of both divisions will get the chance to explore the oval near Venlo. Previous experience at the Raceway Venray could be the key to success for some of the protagonists: Vittorio Ghirelli, Martin Doubek, Gianmarco Ercoli, Ulysse Delsaux, Dario Caso, Lucas Lasserre, Max Lanza, Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, Gil Linster, Victor Neumann, Melvin de Groot, Thomas Krasonis and Arianna Casoli all have raced at the Dutch oval, while the others will be driving a EuroNASCAR car at Venray for the first time. The “Oval Discovery Practice” at 9:00 am will give these drivers additional track time to get a feel for the half-mile track.
The EuroNASCAR 2 action will kick off the official event at 10:15 am with two 30-minute free practice sessions. With oval racing requiring a completely different setup than road course racing, those sessions will be crucial for the mechanics and engineers to find the best setup for the EuroNASCAR cars. The cars never raced on an oval with the evo package before, so the masterminds in the garages will have to work their magic to find the right settings and get the most out of the V8 beasts.
Qualifying begins at 1:00 pm with a 45-minute session. The procedure will be very similar to the classic NASCAR single-file qualifying format: each driver gets two flying laps on the oval, with the best lap counting toward the starting position for the afternoon race. The condensed event schedule challenges the teams as all EuroNASCAR 2 and EuroNASCAR PRO sessions, from practice to race, are held on a single day in each championship.
The EuroNASCAR 2 race distance is 70 laps, a format that already produced amazing and close racing in 2019 – the last visit of the NWES to Venray. A popular feature of every EuroNASCAR event, the famous grid walk will start at 14:45 and will last 30 minutes. Fans will have the opportunity to join the EuroNASCAR 2 stars on the grid before they take on each other in the race. The green flag will drop at 3:30 pm, with the podium ceremony scheduled for 4:15 pm in the fan zone. Supporting the EuroNASCAR sessions, Autospeedway races will highlight the Dutch Oval GP.
Sunday is the time for the EuroNASCAR PRO drivers to shine. The event starts at 9 am with two free practice sessions of 30 minutes each. Qualifying follows at 12:15 pm with two flying laps for each driver. The excitement builds with another grid walk before the main event at 2:45 pm, which is also 30 minutes long. This time the EuroNASCAR PRO drivers will be available for autographs, photos and conversations next to their cars on the grid. The start of the formation lap is at 3:30 pm, followed by a spectacular 100-lap race that will keep the fans on the two huge grandstands at Raceway Venray on the edge of their seats.
The podium ceremony at 4:20 pm will bring the Dutch Oval GP to a close, providing a unique opportunity for NASCAR fans in Europe to experience a unique US-style oval NASCAR race on the Old Continent. Tickets for the event will be available at the track gate. Despite no pre-sale or online ticketing, Raceway Venray will be able to accommodate all fans as it seats tens of thousands of spectators. On Sunday, Autospeedway races at the small infield oval round off a phenomenal weekend of oval racing in the Netherlands. Qualifying and all races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and on many television networks around the world.
NWES PR
