Thomas Krasonis started perfectly into the 2025 NASCAR Euro Series season – With one win and a second place, he leads the standings one point ahead of Paul Jouffreau
- Thomas Krasonis grabbed his maiden PRO race win
- He holds a one-point lead over Saturday’s race winner Paul Jouffreau
- Only 20 points separate the top-10 drivers
The 2025 NASCAR Euro Series kicked off with a phenomenal event in front of 19,000 fans at the unique arena-like Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. In the PRO Championship, Paul Jouffreau took the win on Saturday and Thomas Krasonis was victorious on Sunday. Krasonis also took second place on Saturday, giving him a one-point lead in the overall standings after the first two rounds of the season. The PK Carsport driver has 75 points on his account, followed by Jouffreau with 74 points.
Jouffreau has maintained the momentum he built in the 2024 season when he was a title contender in EuroNASCAR PRO. One race win and a third place finish underlined the RDV Competition driver’s ambitions to fight for the championship and beat the best European NASCAR drivers. Krasonis, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise. It was the first race weekend for the Greek EuroNASCAR ambassador with Anthony Kumpen’s top team PK Carsport and the new combination performed well. Krasonis finished ahead of his teammate and reigning PRO champion Vittorio Ghirelli in both Valencia races to steal the spotlight.
Ghirelli is third in the overall standings thanks to his consistent racing at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The Italian was fourth on Saturday and second on Sunday after two amazing battles with touring car legend Yvan Muller. Krasonis leads Ghirelli by seven points, while EuroNASCAR debutant Muller trails Ghirelli by just one. The four-time WTCC champion immediately proved competitive in his EuroNASCAR championship debut and finished on the podium on Saturday with a third-place finish. On Sunday, the M Racing team boss missed out on the top three by just one place, but still secured fourth place in the overall standings.
Rette Jones Racing’s Liam Hezemans and Team Bleekemolen’s Sebastiaan Bleekemolen share fifth place with 63 points each. Both did not have the pace to challenge for race wins in Spain, but they were very consistent and therefore in the mix for top-5 results in the two races. Another surprise was Bremotion’s Garret Lowe. The BS+ Competition sim racer made his EuroNASCAR debut and impressed the whole paddock. The professional iRacing eNASCAR Series sim racer finished sixth in his first race and seventh on Sunday. That puts the North Carolina native in seventh place in the overall standings.
A former EuroNASCAR PRO champion follows in eighth place: Gianmarco Ercoli in his #11 Alumitec Racing Ford. Despite a difficult start to the season, the 2023 champion stayed in the top-10 thanks to consistent points finishes. He’s 16 points behind Krasonis, but will be looking to bounce back at his home race in Vallelunga, Italy in May. Speedhouse’s Vladimiros Tziortzis and Bremotion’s Julien Rehberg complete the top-10. Germany’s Rehberg impressed with a pair of top-10 results after switching to full-time PRO following his OPEN debut season in 2024.
Some big names were in trouble at the Ricardo Tormo circuit. Reigning OPEN champion Martin Doubek had to park his car early twice and is now in last place after the first event. Marc Goossens and Academy / Alex Caffi Motorsport had technical problems, but the Belgian still collected enough points to secure 14th place after two races. Speedhouse’s Ulysse Delsaux and Giorgio Maggi also had problems with their cars and are 17th and 20th respectively. They will all be looking to bounce back at the next event, which is sure to be a nail-biter.
The title battle continues and the next stop is the beautiful Autodromo di Vallelunga near Rome, Italy. Two PRO and two OPEN races will be held on May 12th and 13th. While tens of thousands are expected to attend the action on site, the races will also be streamed live on EuroNASCAR’s YouTube channel and on numerous TV networks around the world.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
