Vittorio Ghirelli clinched the 2024 EuroNASCAR PRO title in a dramatic final race at Circuit Zolder in Belgium – The Iceman works hard on himself to be successful
The 2024 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series crowned its champions at Circuit Zolder in front of tens of thousands of fans. Vittorio Ghirelli clinched the official European NASCAR title in a dramatic last race after being forced into a spin on the first lap and making an incredible comeback to tenth under the checkered flag. Onboard the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro, the Italian set a record of seven Pole Position Awards as he swept all qualifying sessions of the seven-event 2024 season – a first in NASCAR history. But who’s the cool Iceman from Fasano? What made him the strongest driver on the 2024 grid? Let’s find out!
Ghirelli took his first steps in European open wheel racing in Italy in 2010. He competed in the national Formula 3 Championship and made the next step to international the year after. The Fasano native raced in GP3 – today’s Formula 3 – and GP2 – today’s Formula 2. His greatest achievement before joining NASCAR in Europe was the championship in the AutoGP Series he won in 2013. He also competed in Indy Lights on the other side of the Atlantic, but came back to Europe to compete in touring car races and GT races from 2015 to 2017.
With plenty of high-level international experience in his pockets, Ghirelli entered the 2019 EuroNASCAR 2 Championship with Racers Motorsports but signed with PK Carsport for the first time after four races. A clear sign of a prime talent, in his first ever EuroNASCAR event at Circuit Ricardo Tormo Ghirelli made it to the podium twice in second and third place. He continued his phenomenal debut season with top-5 finishes in Italy, the UK and the Czech Republic. It was just a matter of time before seeing the Italian, who’s always in perfect physical shape, in Victory Lane.
But who would have betted he would grab his maiden win on a track that was completely new to him? He did it in 2019 when he turned his PK Carsport car into Victory Lane at Raceway Venray, the only oval on the EuroNASCAR schedule. The Italian achieved one of the biggest goals: to win his oval racing debut. Two more top-5 finishes at Circuit Zolder in Belgium granted him third place overall in his first NASCAR Whelen Euro Series season but there was more to come.
Despite the pandemic in 2020, TEAM FJ, the organizer and founder of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, created a ten-race schedule for the season in four different countries in Europe. Ghirelli joined Hendriks Motorsport and started the EuroNASCAR 2 season with a second and a fourth place in Italy. Another podium in Belgium made him a title contender. A streak of four consecutive race wins in Croatia and Spain catapulted him towards the top of the standings and with another victory in the last race of the season, he overtook his team mate Tobias Dauenhauer to become the 2020 EuroNASCAR 2 Champion.
The next step was crystal clear: Ghirelli was ready to take on the elite drivers in Europe’s official NASCAR series. For the first five races, the Italian started in EuroNASCAR PRO for Hendriks Motorsport but he then joined Not Only Motorsport for the final round of the season. At Autodrom Most, the today 30-year-old scored his maiden EuroNASCAR PRO win with the Dutch powerhouse. He was a title contender until the end of the season, but a retirement in the last race crushed his dreams so he finished the season in fifth overall.
The 2022 season was a nightmare for the ambitious driver as his Not Only Motorsport Chevrolet was cursed and hampered by technical issues. He ended a tough season in 13th overall, but two podium finishes and three top-5 results showed the potential of the Fasano native who was eager to make the next step in 2023. He joined Team Bleekemolen and that proved to be the right decision. Ghirelli was back in Victory Lane in Italy and Most twice and had a chance to win the title until the very last race of the season. In a sudden turn of faith, a small stone caused a spin in the warm-up lap of the final round and the title slipped out of Ghirelli’s hands.
In winter 2023/24, Ghirelli gathered himself and made another push for the title. He rejoined PK Carsport, his first big love in EuroNASCAR to drive the #24 Chevrolet that was already in champion’s hands: Anthony Kumpen and Alon Day. It was the beginning of a success story with record-breaking chapters. Ghirelli won all seven Pole Position Awards of the 2024 season and set a record that will surely last a long time. He scored a total of seven wins and despite being spun on the last lap of the EuroNASCAR final race, he did what he had to do to finally win the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series title.
“I got rid of people who weren’t good for me and I focused on the positive things in life,” Ghirelli said after the championship win. “Cheers, mate” is his catch phrase in the paddock when you meet the Iceman wearing his dark sunglasses. Ghirelli is always in perfect shape as he trains a lot to make his body able to even overcome technical issues like a broken power steering. Over the winter he trained his mind and focussed on the good things in life to overcome all obstacles in his way to become a NASCAR Champion. His unique ice-cold character created some rivalries that will go down in EuroNASCAR history. He had discussions with Gianmarco Ercoli in Venray and also had his moments with Paul Jouffreau. In the end, his coolness, his intense preparation and his body of steel brought him to where he is now: a member in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.
Featured image by NASCAR Whelen Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
