The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series offered the only NASCAR oval racing event outside of America at Raceway Venray in the Netherlands, delighting tens of thousands of fans in the grandstands at Europe’s finest half-mile short track. A total of 174 race laps showcased plenty of door-to-door action and breathtaking battles in a strong field of 400hp V8 beasts without any electronic aids. Fans were able to meet the drivers during the unique grid walks and experience EuroNASCAR’s open access to the paddock and garages. In short, EuroNASCAR’s comeback at Raceway Venray was a great success.
Saturday’s EuroNASCAR 2 race featured a 70-lap green flag run without a single caution. The drivers had a lot of respect for each other and gave the fans an amazing show with intense battles throughout the race. Side by side they thundered around the half-mile oval with progressive banking of up to 25 degrees. From Free Practice on, all pilots pushed the limits and even kissed the walls of Raceway Venray several times, but there was not a single crash or Big One thanks to the high level of the competition in one of the highlights of the 2024 season.
Oval racing is part of NASCAR’s DNA and the EuroNASCAR Management Group left no stone unturned to provide fans and competitors with a spectacular event with a special format. Fans, drivers and teams embraced the return to oval racing and left the Dutch track with big smiles on their faces. The EuronASCAR PRO day was a historic event with only one caution – lasting just two full laps – triggered by a spin in turn 1. This meant that the fans witnessed a total of 174 laps of Pure Racing at Raceway Venray.
Both races were very animated and centimeters decided battles throughout the top-10. After Martin Doubek’s success on Saturday, oval racing rookie Liam Hezemans prevailed in Sunday’s race in front of his home crowd. The Dutchman defeated Gianmarco Ercoli, who scored the best result of his career at Raceway Venray. Reigning EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Paul Jouffreau followed in third ahead of Vittorio Ghirelli and NASCAR star Ryan Vargas, who got his first top-5 result in EuroNASCAR PRO. On the track, the drivers were glued to quickest line, riding mere centimeters away from the wall and from each other as they fought for positions on Europe’s best oval track.
Hezemans was not the only oval racing rookies to deliver: Claudio Cappelli finished second in the EuroNASCAR 2 race behind Doubek at the end of an epic battle with Vargas, who was making his debut in the second division. The Legend Trophy contender fended off all of the American oval racing expert’s attacks and kept him at bay. The EuroNASCAR stars showed once again that European drivers have what it takes to be successful on ovals, and with the unique experience they have gained in Europe, they can climb the ladder and compete on short tracks against the veterans in the USA. Doubek, Thomas Krasonis, Gil Linster and Ulysse Delsaux are among the active NWES drivers who already raced on ovals in the US with great success.
Short track racing is intense and tempers flared after the EuroNASCAR PRO race: Ghirelli and Ercoli were arguing over a contact on lap 1, while Vargas wasn’t happy with Jouffreau’s driving style. They all agreed to disagree, but the fans were the real winners as they experienced true American style oval racing in Europe on a short track like Bristol or Martinsville. Oval racing is back in Europe and there is sure to be more to come in the coming years of European NASCAR racing.
NWES PR
