Fourteen drivers and six teams from Italy will be competing at their home NASCAR GP – The Italian competitors have achieved varying degrees of success in past editions
Italian racing fans will welcome their favorite competitors when the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series visits Autodromo di Vallelunga for the NASCAR GP Italy on 18-19 May. Italy is well represented in the official European NASCAR championship, with fourteen drivers and six teams across both EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 preparing for the races on their home soil close to Italy’s capital city of Rome. The roaring sound of the V8 Pure Racing machines will be matched by the tifosi’s presence and enthusiasm over the weekend, ensuring that the home race for the Italian gladiators will be an unforgettable event for them.
Gianmarco Ercoli and his team CAAL Racing are the ones who left the biggest mark in the hearts of Italians. With three wins, the reigning champion is the most successful active driver in the history of the NASCAR GP Italy. The same can be said for Luca and Corrado Canneori’s team thanks to their 15 victories at home, twelve in EuroNASCAR PRO and three in EuroNASCAR 2. The pair is looking to add more trophies to their collection and there will be plenty of tifosi cheering for them in Vallelunga. “The NASCAR GP Italy is really special for us, in the past it has given us great emotions and we hope to maintain the tradition. It will also be a special opportunity to meet all our fans in person,” adds Luca Canneori.
Alongside Ercoli, Max Lanza and Roberto Benedetti will also celebrate in Rome, sharing the #88 Chevrolet Camaro. Both have previously enjoyed success at their home GP: Lanza clinched the Legend Trophy honor in 2021 and four years prior Benedetti took the first podium finish of his career at Franciacorta, the previous host of the NASCAR GP Italy.
Another driver with fond memories of his home race is for sure the current championship leader Vittorio Ghirelli. The Fasano native scored his maiden triumph in Vallelunga in 2023 and is aiming to achieve more, building up his lead in the standings.
“My home race here in Vallelunga is always special,” said the driver of the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro. “There are particular emotions that go through my body when I lap around this circuit because here is where it all started. Here I learnt how to heel-toe downshift with a Mini Cooper in the parking lot before testing the Mazda RX-8 on track. The enormous support from my friends is crazy. I will have so many fans here. My big sponsors will all join me in my home race. All of this for sure creates some pressure, but I can handle it and I manage to transform all this energy into focus and concentration. I’m preparing the race perfectly with the team. We will be ready and we will go for the win.”
EuroNASCAR fans are also going to be familiar with Dario Caso and Arianna Casoli, top contenders in Challenger Trophy and Lady Trophy respectively. They are the most experienced Italian drivers with eight previous NASCAR GP Italy participations. Another driver with plenty of track time is Fabrizio Armetta, who made his debut when the series visited the country for the first time in 2013 at the Autodromo di Monza. Showing promising speed in the previous round at Valencia, the driver and owner of The Club Motorsport is hoping that he will have better luck at home as incidents prevented him from scoring plenty of points.
“The track is fast and a really complete one in terms of a good mix of driving technique and fun sections,” commented Casoli on the Vallelunga circuit. “It features a really tricky and downhill section with long high speed corners, but also a low speed sector where the way you approach it can make the difference in terms of performance and race strategy. In the past years I always worked to improve my performance on this track, which is the one where I raced many years ago for my first time ever in the Clio Cup Italy. Racing here is fun for the driver and fans, so I can’t wait to meet a lot of friends and fans in Vallelunga.”
Claudio Cappelli also made his EuroNASCAR debut at home in 2019, impressing many with a fifth place finish in his first race. It was a sign of things to come for the Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport driver, who has now blossomed into one of the top contenders in the EuroNASCAR 2 division. The Italian-Monegasque joint venture knows its way around the 4.005 kilometer circuit, as demonstrated by its sweep in 2021 with Jacques Villeneuve. Could Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsports manage to replicate the feat with Cappelli in 2024?
“I like Vallelunga, it’s a fast track, especially the first part where it’s a real challenge to do well,” said Cappelli, the leader of the Legend Trophy classification for drivers at the age of 40 and above. “Since it is the Italian round, for sure there will be friends and relatives watching me closely. My target is another podium position with a shorter gap from the one in Valencia. We were supposed to have another test session but it was canceled because of bad weather, but I know that Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport will do everything possible to give me a good car so I can fight even more with the guys in the front ”
Riccardo Romagnoli had only taken part in three previous NASCAR GP Italy, but he has driven countless laps at Vallelunga. For Mario Ercoli and Simone Giussani, the 2024 edition will be their first race in front of the tifosi. Guidance from their respective teams, the Italian based Vict Motorsport and Double V Racing, are crucial for them to achieve success in the Rookie Trophy special classification.
“My goal in Rome is definitely to make up for the points I lost in Valencia because of a puncture in race 1 and a contact at the beginning of race 2,” said Giussani on his goals at home. “We are very confident in being able to do this because the car is going very well and I know the home track very well. I expect a very warm environment with friends and family present, so the pressure will be greater but that is what makes home races special.”
The NASCAR GP Italy will also welcome two additional Italian drivers to the grid across the two main divisions. In EuroNASCAR PRO, Davide Dallara returns to the championship for his first race since 2022. The 2020 Challenger Trophy winner has been signed by Lucas Lasserre’s Speedhouse team to race their #64 Ford Mustang at Vallelunga. He will be joined by Bellagio native Mario Buscemi, who will make his first appearance onboard the #90 Chevrolet Camaro of Granducato Speed.
“I’m so happy to be back after almost 2 years, especially in my home race,” said Dallara on his return. “I will not be at 100% because I need a bit of practice, but I’m sure that I will do a good job with the help of such a good team as Speedhouse. I expect to see a lot of Italian fans and I will be really happy to meet them and feel their cheers for me and the other Italian drivers!”
Two drivers will also compete in the regularity based series, the EuroNASCAR Club Challenge. With participation in four previous Club Challenge rounds at the Vallelunga circuit, co-owner of Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport Federico Monti is planning to use his experience to score his first win of the season at home. Monti will be joined by Thomas Papa, who is set to join Granducato Speed. Papa will have his first taste of driving the Pure Racing 400 hp machine in his career.
Four thrilling races await the Italian contingent when the NASCAR GP Italy starts on May 18-19. The 2024 edition is the fifth visit to the Autodromo di Vallelunga and promises to deliver plenty of moments that will be remembered by the fans. Qualifying and all races will be broadcast live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and several TV channels from all around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
