The NASCAR Euro Series was founded in 2009 and became the official European NASCAR championship in 2012. Since then, the championship has developed into one of the most exciting and fast-growing touring car series in Europe. A key to success is the championship’s structure with low barriers to enter and cost-effective solutions to provide drivers from around the world a great amount of seat time and a spectacular environment to race in all parts of Europe.
DISCOVER EURONASCAR Part 1: The History of EuroNASCAR
General structure: driver ratings
There are two main championships in the world of the NASCAR Euro Series: PRO and OPEN. The key fact is that two drivers share the exact same car in those two separated championships dedicated to different kinds of drivers. While PRO is open to all drivers who have a high skill level, OPEN is made for young talents and gentlemen drivers. All drivers have to submit an international racing licence to enter EuroNASCAR. the series organizer TeamFJ rates the drivers in the three different categories:
A: Professional, semi-professional or amateur drivers who distinguished themselves in international or national championships.
B: Amateur drivers who show high level performances and achievements.
C: Amateur drivers not satisfying the criteria of gold and silver categories.
Gold-rated drivers are allowed to only compete in PRO. The top tier championship is also open to B and C drivers if they show the necessary pace to keep up with the rest of the field. The OPEN championship is open to C and B drivers only and constitutes the home for promising youngsters and amateur drivers willing to experience the “Pure Racing” character of NASCAR in Europe.
General structure: a typical race weekend
A NASCAR Euro Series season consists of seven events in Europe. During a race weekend, four races are held, two for each championship. The weekend starts with Free Practice on Friday in the afternoon with a total of four 30-minutes sessions – two for each category. Saturday morning is dedicated to Qualifying in both PRO and OPEN. In the early afternoon local time, the PRO drivers will be in action with its first race of the weekend. The OPEN drivers will hit the track in late afternoon.
After warm-up on Sunday, the OPEN category will open the final day of pure EuroNASCAR racing. The grids of Sunday’s races are determined by the fastest laps set Saturday’s races. The second PRO race in the early afternoon closes a spectacular weekend with more 270 kilometers of Pure Racing and more than five hours of EuroNASCAR action on track. With American-themed festivals surrounding the races, the NASCAR Euro Series offers action and entertainment for the whole family.
General structure: points system and championship format
The EuroNASCAR points structure is based on the American NASCAR system. With all drivers scoring points in the race, exciting battles for position are guaranteed. The winner of a race gets 40 points, while the second place driver collects 35. From then on, each position awards one point less. For example, the 20th placed driver still gets 17 points. The driver with the most position gained during a race receives a total four bonus points. During the Playoffs double points are awarded for each race – including double bonus points.
A PRO race has a length of about 75 kilometers, while the OPEN drivers have to complete about 60 kilometers. A season consists of seven events with two races in each championship per weekend (expect for Venray with one race). In a single category 13 races are held to find the Champion. Round five of nice closes the regular season after which drivers are allowed to drop their worst result. With their eight best results out of nine races, competitors enter the double-points awarding Playoffs. The driver who collects the most points over the course of the season is the new champion.
PRO
In PRO, it’s all about becoming the NASCAR Euro Series Champion and therefore European NASCAR Champion. The winner of the overall championship will go down in history and be awarded a precious championship ring. The best driver is also allowed to raise the unique Tijey Trophy into the air at the end of the season. Each EuroNASCAR Champion also has a special place in the NASCAR Hall Of Fame inside the Whelen Hall Of Champions.
The PRO features two special classifications: the Challenger Trophy and the Junior Trophy. The Challenger Trophy is dedicated to elite amateurs racing in the top division of the NASCAR Euro Series. The Challenger Trophy driver with the most points on his account at the end of the season, is the special classification’s champion. The Junior Trophy is dedicated to drivers aged 25 and under in PRO.
OPEN
The OPEN championship is the home for talented youngsters and ambitious gentlemen drivers from around the world. By topping the overall classification, EuroNASCAR 2 drivers lay the perfect foundation to become a top driver in the world of EuroNASCAR. The Champion is allowed to lift the Tijey Championship Trophy in the air after topping the ranks of a thirteen-race season and receives a prestigious championship ring.
The OPEN championship offers three special classifications: the Master Trophy, the Legend Trophy and the Lady Trophy. Newcomers and C-rated drivers in OPEN are eligible for the Master Trophy, while drivers aged 45 and more fight for honors in the Legend Trophy. Female drivers battle for the Lady Trophy. Each driver can only lock into one of the trophies.
Rookie Challenge
The NASCAR Euro Series offers the perfect platform for auto racing newcomers and race car drivers, who want to experience the pure V8 beasts in a friendly environment: the Rookie Challenge. The regularity based time-attack challenge takes place on Friday morning and consists of three 30-minute sessions. After one Free Practice session, the drivers pick a reference time for the two subsequent timed sessions. The competitor who gets closest to his reference time and collects the least penalty points for time deviations on the chosen time is the winner.
The same points system as in the EuroNASCAR championships is in place. The first placed driver gets 40 points, the second placed driver 35, the third placed driver 34 and so on. There are bonus points awarded in the Rookie Challenge for picking faster laps. The Rookie Challenge season consists of five race days on selected NASCAR Euro Series events. Very successful drivers like OPEN race winner Advait Deodhar and Lady Trophy contender Alina Loibnegger made their first steps in EuroNASCAR racing before stepping up into the competitive championships.
Endurance Team Championship
While racing in their own championship, drivers who share one car also have a common goal: to win the Endurance Team Championship. Different from European auto racing, NASCAR counts every car as its own team. Therefore if a racing outfit fields two cars they are opponents in the Endurance Team Championship classification that combines PRO and OPEN. The special format: the race times of all four rounds per weekend will be summed to find the winner of the event.
The PRO driver collects his or her points in the top tier championship but his total race time and laps clocked go into account of the Endurance Team Championship. The same applies to the OPEN contestant, so race times and laps of both dricers are summed up. The duo that clocks the most lap in the lowest time in their car wins the Endurnace Team Championship event in the NASCAR Euro Series. Points are given away for positions, the team with the most points will be crowned champion.
DISCOVER EURONASCAR Part 1: The History of NWES
