The summer break and the wait for another fantastic NASCAR Whelen Euro Series event is finally over. The Autodrom Most is set to host the 3rd edition of the NASCAR GP Czech Republic on September 3-4 with four exciting races scheduled at the 4.222-Km Bohemian track. With 34 cars on the entry list, the races in EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 promise to excite fans from all over the world.
The Autodrom Most has been part of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series calendar since 2019 and it hosted two successful events over the years. With its twisty but fast layout, the circuit is a guarantee for thrilling races and high-speed battles. In the past, Nicolo Rocca, Giorgio Maggi, Alon Day and Vittorio Ghirelli all scored wins among the active NWES drivers.
EuroNASCAR PRO: Five drivers within 13 points
Alon Day enters the second half of the season as the EuroNASCAR PRO points leader and is chasing an unprecedented fourth European NASCAR championship. The PK Carsport driver boasts three wins, five top-5 finishes and 199 points. Day won in the Czech Republic back in 2021 and therefore knows what it takes to top the standings at the technical track in Eastern Europe.
But four other drivers are in range to challenge the winningest driver in EuroNASCAR history at Autodrom Most with only 13 points separating the top five championship contenders. 2019 Most race winner Rocca and reigning EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Martin Doubek are the Israeli’s closest rivals. The duo share second place only 12 points down on Day. Rocca kicked off the season in Valencia with a fabulous win in his CAAL Racing Chevrolet, while Doubek is still chasing his maiden EuroNASCAR PRO win with Hendriks Motorsport.
Alexander Graff and Maggi share fourth place with a gap of 13 points on the championship leader. Graff took his maiden NASCAR win at Brands Hatch in July. The Speedhouse driver impressed with his consistency and proved that he’s one of the fierces title contenders in the 2022 NWES season. Another driver looking for a breakthrough performance and his maiden EuroNASCAR PRO win is Maggi. Lately, the Swiss scored three consecutive podiums and cleared his path to become a protagonist in the championship battle with Race Art Technology. Maggi also leads the Junior Trophy ranks for drivers aged 25 and under.
The top-5 are followed by NWES veteran Romain Iannetta in sixth. The Marko Stipp Motorsport driver sits ahead of three time EuroNASCAR PRO runner-up Frederic Gabillon. Vallelunga race winner Gianmarco Ercoli is eighth and keen to find his way back into title contention. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Henri Tuomaala close the top-10 with the latter also leading the Challenger Trophy standings for bronze and silver drivers in EuroNASCAR PRO.
EuroNASCAR 2: Two rookies lead the standings
In EuroNASCAR 2 it is all about the impressive rookies who are challenging the experienced NWES veterans. With three wins on his account, CAAL Racing’s Alberto Naska carries the red Whelen banner on his windshield. The Italian had a phenomenal first part of the season but also experienced the toughness of racing when he was involved in a crash with Doubek at his home track in Vallelunga.
Naska leads the overall standings and the Rookie Trophy ranks ahead of another newcomer: Liam Hezemans. The younger brother of two-time EuroNASCAR Champion and NASCAR Cup Series driver Loris Hezemans is again pulling double duties in the Czech Republic by racing in both championships. The Dutchman scored two wins so far and proved to have the killer instinct that comes with the Hezemans DNA. He’s only nine points behind Naska in the standings.
Sitting in third place is Vladimiros Tziortzis. Despite being only 25, the Cypriot is the most experienced among the top 3 in EuroNASCAR 2. At the wheel of his Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport EuroNASCAR FJ, Tziortzis is poised to overcome the 41 points gap on Naska and fight his way back into the championship battle. After winning the season opener in Spain, the race driver from Nicosia experienced a rollercoaster of emotions with strong results but also some setbacks.
Reigning EuroNASCAR 2 Champion Doubek is fourth ahead of 2018 Champion Ulysse Delsaux. Sixth-placed Legend Trophy leader Melvin de Groot will miss the NASCAR GP Czech Republic and therefore play his regular season joker – only the best eight out of ten results count before the finals at Grobnik. Paul Jouffreau follows in seventh and also rounds out the top-3 in the Rookie Trophy.
Rookie Patrick Schober sits in eighth driving for Double V Racing. The Austrian had a solid first half of the season and keeps on digging a little bit under the radar. He’s ahead of Yevgen Sokolovskiy, who wants to gain ground on de Groot in the Legend Trophy. The Ukrainian has a good chance of closing the gap and taking the lead in the special classification. The top-10 are completed by NWES returnee Gil Linster in his CAAL Racing Chevrolet. Luli Del Castello leads the Lady Trophy in 13th overall.
EuroNASCAR PRO
First home race for Buggyra ZM Racing – The Czech team will celebrate its first home NASCAR GP at Autodrom Most with the twins Aliyyah and Yasmeen Koloc entered for the event. They share the home field advantage with Martin Doubek.
A chance for a comeback? – Vittorio Ghirelli struggled at the beginning of the season but made good progress to get back up to pace in Italy. The Not Only Motorsport driver will return to the place where he scored his maiden EuroNASCAR PRO win in 2021.
A pack ready to attack – The 2022 EuroNASCAR PRO season is one of the closest in the history of the championship with 18 drivers separated by less than 100 points after 3 events.
EuroNASCAR 2
Patrick Schober on the rise – With three consecutive top-10 finishes in the last three races, Austrian Rookie Patrick Schober may be the breakthrough surprise at Most, a track that he knows thanks to his experience in single seaters
A new track for two title contenders – Alberto Naska and Liam Hezemans are fighting for the championship but Autodrom Most is an unknown ground for both title contenders. Is this Vladimiros Tziortzis’ chance to strike back and make his way back to the top?
Tuomas Pontinen one to watch – With two top-5 finishes and his first podium at Vallelunga, Tuomas Pontinen is one of the hottest drivers in EuroNASCAR 2. Will find his way to Victory Lane at Most?
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