2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series

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Vittorio Ghirelli, the 2024 Whelen Euro Series champion.
Locations of the circuits scheduled to host a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race in 2024

The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series was the sixteenth Racecar Euro Series season, and the twelfth under the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series branding. The season started on 13 April with the Valencia NASCAR Fest at Circuit Ricardo Tormo and finished on 13 October with the EuroNASCAR Finals at Circuit Zolder.

Vittorio Ghirelli was crowned as the 2024 champion after scoring seven wins and a record breaking eleven pole positions, including all seven pole position awards from the seven qualifying sessions.[1] Paul Jouffreau did not defend his EuroNASCAR 2 title after he moved to EuroNASCAR PRO full-time. Jouffreau's first full season in EuroNASCAR PRO saw him took two wins and finish second in the championship. Defending champion Gianmarco Ercoli was third with one race win, ahead of Liam Hezemans who finished fourth after scoring three race wins. Marc Goossens was fifth despite missing the round at Brands Hatch due to a schedule clash.

Martin Doubek became EuroNASCAR 2's first multiple-time champion by finishing sixth in the final race at Zolder.[2] The Czech driver took six wins, the most out of any driver in the division. Patrick Schober, Jouffreau's replacement at RDV Competition, was second after scoring two race wins. Thomas Krasonis and Thomas Toffel took a career-best third and fourth place finish in the standings despite not winning a race. Claudio Remigio Cappelli finished fifth after scoring three race wins in the Playoffs. Jack Davidson and Gil Linster both took a win each at Brands Hatch and Valencia, the former becoming the first British driver to win in EuroNASCAR.[3]

Reigning Teams champion RDV Competition successfully defended their title under the new Endurance Teams format, having taken three round wins in the season. Hendriks Motorsport was second with their #50 team while Marko Stipp Motorsport was third with the #46 team.

EuroNASCAR PRO

Schedule

The provisional calendar for the 2024 season was announced on 11 October 2023.[69]

EuroNASCAR PRO

Round Race title Track Date
1 R1 NASCAR GP Spain – Valencia NASCAR Fest Spain Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia 13 April
R2 14 April
2 R3 NASCAR GP Italy – American Festival of Rome Italy Autodromo Vallelunga, Campagnano di Roma 18 May
R4 19 May
3 R5 NASCAR GP UK – American SpeedFest 11, Powered by Lucas Oil[70] United Kingdom Brands Hatch (Indy), West Kingsdown 8 June
R6 9 June
4 R7 NASCAR Oval GP Netherlands Raceway Venray, Venray 30 June
5 R8 NASCAR GP Czech Republic Czech Republic Autodrom Most, Most 31 August
R9 1 September
EuroNASCAR Playoffs
6 R10 EuroNASCAR Semi-Finals – NASCAR GP Germany Germany Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Oschersleben 21 September
R11 22 September
7 R12 EuroNASCAR Finals – NASCAR GP Belgium Belgium Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder 12 October
R13 13 October
  Oval/Speedway
  Road Course/Street Circuit

EuroNASCAR 2

Round Race title Track Date
1 R1 NASCAR GP Spain – Valencia NASCAR Fest Spain Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia 13 April
R2 14 April
2 R3 NASCAR GP Italy – American Festival of Rome Italy Autodromo Vallelunga, Campagnano di Roma 18 May
R4 19 May
3 R5 NASCAR GP UK – American SpeedFest 11, Powered by Lucas Oil[70] United Kingdom Brands Hatch (Indy), West Kingsdown 8 June
R6 9 June
4 R7 NASCAR Oval GP Netherlands Raceway Venray, Venray 29 June
5 R8 NASCAR GP Czech Republic Czech Republic Autodrom Most, Most 31 August
R9 1 September
EuroNASCAR Playoffs
6 R10 EuroNASCAR Semi-Finals – NASCAR GP Germany Germany Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Oschersleben 21 September
R11 22 September
7 R12 EuroNASCAR Finals – NASCAR GP Belgium Belgium Circuit Zolder, Heusden-Zolder 12 October
R13 13 October
  Oval/Speedway
  Road Course/Street Circuit

Calendar changes

  • Raceway Venray returns to the schedule after a four-year absence. The 1/2-mile oval is set to host the fourth round of the season on 29–30 June. It was originally announced to be a doubleheader race, but a schedule update in February 2024 revealed that the round will only consist of one race per class similar to the 2019 event.[71][72]
  • NASCAR GP Italy and NASCAR GP UK swapped dates, with the round at Vallelunga now hosting the second round instead of the third.
  • EuroNASCAR's Playoffs will be expanded into a two-round format for the first time since 2019. The rounds at Oschersleben and Zolder will host the series' double-points paying rounds. Despite this, the driver's championship retains the system used in the previous three seasons where only the best 8 results from the first 10 races will count towards the final standings alongside all results from the double-points races.

Rule changes

  • On 31 January 2024, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced that the current generation of cars will be receiving a 2024 Evo package that will be put into use starting from the season opening round at Valencia. The Evo package were made to improve drivability and driver comfort, with the following changes being implemented.[73]
    • The front spindle has been modified to provide a better steering geometry angle.
    • A new three-point caliper brackets will be introduced to provide a stronger fitting for the brakes.
    • A new rear spring package is added to improve acceleration and traction on cornering.
    • A rally-inspired roof scoop made out of carbon fiber and a set of hood louvers will be introduced to improve cooling for both driver and the car. These changes were made to address concerns from series competitors after they encountered problems with excess heat being maintained inside the car during the 2023 NASCAR GP Italy at Vallelunga, which was highly affected by high summer temperatures in Italy.
    • A speed limiter system will be added to better control speeds on pit lane and during Full Course Yellow situations.
    • The Ford Mustang body style will receive a facelift to better match the seventh-generation Ford Mustang Dark Horse model that is currently in production.
  • On 11 April 2024, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced the following changes to the sporting regulations:[74]
    • Race control now has the option to increase the race length by the number of laps completed under caution. A time limit will also be introduced, with EuroNASCAR PRO races being capped to 45 minutes + 1 lap while EuroNASCAR 2 races are capped to 40 minutes + 1 lap.
    • The Teams Championship is rebranded as the Endurance Teams Championship and will now classify teams based on aggregate results. Results in lap count and race time from each entry in all races during the weekend will be added and points will be awarded based on teams that completed the most total laps with the least time possible.
    • Teams are now guaranteed to do one warm-up lap, two flying laps and one cooldown lap in Superpole. As a result, the session length will now be adjusted based on how quick the participants completed the prerequisite laps.

Results

EuroNASCAR PRO

Round Race Pole position Fastest lap Most laps led Winning driver Winning team Winning manufacturer
1 R1 Valencia NASCAR Fest Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Germany Tobias Dauenhauer Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
R2 Italy Vittorio Ghirelli France Paul Jouffreau Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Toyota
2 R3 American Festival of Rome Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
R4 Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
3 R5 American SpeedFest 11 Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Netherlands Liam Hezemans Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
R6 Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Toyota
4 R7 NASCAR Oval GP Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Liam Hezemans Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Toyota
5 R8 NASCAR GP Czech Republic Italy Vittorio Ghirelli France Paul Jouffreau Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
R9 France Paul Jouffreau France Lucas Lasserre France Paul Jouffreau France Paul Jouffreau France RDV Competition Ford
EuroNASCAR Playoffs
6 R10 NASCAR GP Germany Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Gianmarco Ercoli Italy Gianmarco Ercoli Italy CAAL Racing Chevrolet
R11 Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Netherlands Liam Hezemans Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
7 R12 NASCAR GP Belgium Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Italy Vittorio Ghirelli Belgium PK Carsport Chevrolet
R13 Italy Vittorio Ghirelli France Paul Jouffreau France Paul Jouffreau France Paul Jouffreau France RDV Competition Ford

EuroNASCAR 2

Round Race Pole position Fastest lap Most laps led Winning driver Winning team Winning manufacturer
1 R1 Valencia NASCAR Fest Luxembourg Gil Linster Luxembourg Gil Linster Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Ford
R2 Luxembourg Gil Linster Luxembourg Gil Linster Luxembourg Gil Linster Luxembourg Gil Linster Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Toyota
2 R3 American Festival of Rome Luxembourg Gil Linster Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Ford
R4 Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Luxembourg Gil Linster Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Ford
3 R5 American SpeedFest 11 Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Greece Thomas Krasonis Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Ford
R6 Greece Thomas Krasonis United Kingdom Jack Davidson United Kingdom Jack Davidson United Kingdom Jack Davidson United Kingdom Lux Motorsport Chevrolet
4 R7 NASCAR Oval GP Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Ford
5 R8 NASCAR GP Czech Republic Austria Patrick Schober Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Austria Patrick Schober Austria Patrick Schober France RDV Competition Ford
R9 Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Austria Patrick Schober Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Netherlands Hendriks Motorsport Ford
EuroNASCAR Playoffs
6 R10 NASCAR GP Germany Austria Patrick Schober Austria Patrick Schober Switzerland Thomas Toffel Italy Claudio Remigio Cappelli Italy Academy Motorsport Ford
R11 Austria Patrick Schober Austria Patrick Schober Austria Patrick Schober Austria Patrick Schober France RDV Competition Ford
7 R12 NASCAR GP Belgium Luxembourg Gil Linster Switzerland Thomas Toffel Luxembourg Gil Linster Italy Claudio Remigio Cappelli Italy Academy Motorsport Ford
R13 Switzerland Thomas Toffel Switzerland Thomas Toffel Italy Claudio Remigio Cappelli Italy Claudio Remigio Cappelli Italy Academy Motorsport Ford

Endurance Teams Championship

Round Race Heat 1 winner Heat 2 winner Heat 3 winner Heat 4 winner Overall winner EuroNASCAR PRO Driver EuroNASCAR 2 Driver
1 Valencia NASCAR Fest Belgium #24 PK Carsport Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport Netherlands #50 Hendriks Motorsport Netherlands #50 Hendriks Motorsport Switzerland #34 Race Art Technology Switzerland Thomas Toffel Switzerland Thomas Toffel
2 American Festival of Rome Belgium #24 PK Carsport Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport Belgium #24 PK Carsport Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs] Czech Republic Martin Doubek [cs]
3 American SpeedFest 11 Belgium #24 PK Carsport Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport Netherlands #50 Hendriks Motorsport United Kingdom #21 Lux Motorsport Netherlands #50 Hendriks Motorsport Netherlands Liam Hezemans Luxembourg Gil Linster
4 NASCAR Oval GP Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport Netherlands #50 Hendriks Motorsport N/a Germany #30 3F Racing United States Ryan Vargas United States Ryan Vargas
5 NASCAR GP Czech Republic Belgium #24 PK Carsport Belgium #3 RDV Competition Netherlands #7 Hendriks Motorsport France #3 RDV Competition France #3 RDV Competition France Paul Jouffreau Austria Patrick Schober
EuroNASCAR Playoffs
6 NASCAR GP Germany Italy #54 CAAL Racing Italy #5 Academy Motorsport France #3 RDV Competition Belgium #24 PK Carsport France #3 RDV Competition France Paul Jouffreau Austria Patrick Schober
7 NASCAR GP Belgium Belgium #24 PK Carsport Italy #5 Academy Motorsport Italy #5 Academy Motorsport France #3 RDV Competition France #3 RDV Competition France Paul Jouffreau Austria Patrick Schober

Standings

See also

References

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