Thomas Krasonis and Gil Linster lead the field in PRO and OPEN heading into the second event of the 2025 season – Italian race fans will be treated with the best actions from the NASCAR Euro Series
- 23 teams and 48 drivers will participate in Italy
- Autodromo di Vallelunga continues its streak of hosting EuroNASCAR events
- Competitors are looking forward to build upon the foundation set in Valencia
Autodromo di Vallelunga once again welcomes the NASCAR Euro Series gladiators for its annual NASCAR GP Italy, the second event of the 2025 season. The 4.085 kilometer track located close to the Italian capital of Rome is gearing up for a fantastic new chapter in its long history. EuroNASCAR’s American-themed festivals, close action and pure racing have conquered the hearts of the passionate Italian tifosi and the 2025 edition is shaping up to be no different.
NASCAR GP ITALY LINKS: INFO & TICKETS | SCHEDULE | ENTRY LIST | LIVE TIMING | WATCH LIVE
PRO: Krasonis aims for repeat success
The opening round of the 2025 season at Valencia felt like a dream for PK Carsport’s new signing Thomas Krasonis. The youngster immediately adapted to the new machinery and scored victories in both PRO and OPEN, becoming the first Greek NASCAR Euro Series winner in the process. The 23-year old also leads the championship and gets to Italy with the clear goal of retaining his advantage and possibly increasing it.
His closest rival will be Paul Jouffreau, who’s sitting just one point behind Krasonis and has some fond memories at Vallelunga. The Frenchman scored his first career podium in OPEN in 2022 and followed it up with a top-3 on his very first PRO race in 2023. The competition between Krasonis and Jouffreau will be fierce because the two are fighting hard for not only the overall championship, but also for the Junior Trophy dedicated to the division’s best young drivers.
A total of 14 drivers and three teams call Italy home and they will be cheered on by the fans packing the grandstands. Vittorio Ghirelli swept his home round on his way to the championship in 2024 and for 2025, the Italian aims to get back to winning form following a tough opener in Spain.
His arch-rival Gianmarco Ercoli also plots for the same with his team Alumitec Racing, supported by the Italian powerhouse CAAL Racing. The Tifosi will also get to cheer Claudio Cappelli and Max Lanza in the Challenger Trophy battle, while also keeping an eye out for Club Competition’s Fabrizio Armetta after he showed plenty of promise at his home track in 2024.
Liam Hezemans, Garrett Lowe and Julien Rehberg enter the Italian round with the goal to shake up the competition in the highly competitive Junior Trophy, which will once again feature seven drivers battling for top honors. In the Challenger Trophy, the Italian contingent will try to dethrone Davit Kajaia, who is vying for another victory in the classification for elite amateurs.
Following a fantastic debut in Spain, racing legend Yvan Muller will hunt for even better results for M Racing, while drivers such as Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Vladimiros Tziortzis want to extract more of their well oiled machines. Veterans like Marc Goossens, Giorgio Maggi and Ulysse Delsaux plan to bounce back after their struggles in Spain.
OPEN: Linster at the top
The OPEN division always brings surprises and in Valencia, problems for race winners Martin Doubek and Thomas Krasonis resulted in Gil Linster taking the lead of the championship. The Luxembourger is racing his first season with American team Rette Jones Racing and carries good momentum as he chases his first win of 2025.
With Kenko Miura not entering the Italian round, Patrick Schober will be Linster’s closest rival with a 5-point gap to close. The Autrian was set back by a collision in Valencia, but a strong recovery drive brought solace to his mind as it proved the speed of his RDV Competition machine.
Doubek and Krasonis have a deficit of nine and ten points to overcome after suspension problems and an early incident cost them dear in Spain. However, with the 2025 season in its early stages, the Czech and the Greek still have plenty of chances to regain the advantage and the NASCAR GP Italy will be their first shot at reclaiming all of the lost points.
Doubek is pursuing an unprecedented third title in OPEN and knows his way around the Autodromo di Vallelunga, having swept the round in 2024. For Krasonis, victories in Italy could give the PK Carsport driver the opportunity to become the first to ever lead the PRO and OPEN championships at the same time.
Sandro Tavarkiladze is now prepared for the extra pressure he needs to sustain as the leader of the brand new Master Trophy. With only three points separating the Georgian from Bruno Mulders and Thomas Dombrowski, everything will be to play for. Miura’s absence also means that Melvin de Groot will become the top Legend Trophy driver heading to Italy. The Dutchman has no chance to relax because Benedetti and Claudio Cappelli are hungry to score their first Trophy wins, with Sven van Laere also ready to challenge for the top spot.
Four points separate Arianna Casoli from her main Lady Trophy rival Happinessa Racing, who will gain extra experience by also competing the in the Rookie Challenge on Friday.
Rookie Challenge
A new generation of talents dominated the Rookie Challenge battle in Spain and they will be aiming to do the same in Italy. The young guns’ efforts were led by Valencia’s own Jose Antonio Penalta, who scored a memorable victory at home.
Maxime van Laere and Bruno Mulders are going for their first wins in the time attack based division, with fellow rookie Nuno Caetano looking to emulate the feat of his teammate Penalta by getting a victory of his own.
Reigning overall winner Federico Monti will be the Italian public’s favorite in this division, with Team Bleekemolen’s Daniil Shapka aiming to create surprises in his first home round.
Former overall winner Andreas Kuchelbacher sure wants to make it back-to-back wins in Italy, but other names such as Yann Cristovao, Nicole Davidson and Mike Wise should not be overlooked.
PRO
Touring car legend returns – Yvan Muller is racing at Vallelunga in the PRO division to help with the development of his team M Racing
Georgia creating history once again – Davit Kajaia (PRO) and Sandro Tavartkiladze (OPEN) will race for Team Georgia by RDV, the first EuroNASCAR team to come from the country
Max Marzorati with a great opportunity – Exactly one year after making his EuroNASCAR debut at Vallelunga, the Brit receives a chance to drive for Italian powerhouse CAAL Racing
OPEN
Six Italian drivers at home – Claudio Cappelli, Valentino Gambarotto, Arianna Casoli, Mario Ercoli, Valerio Marzi and Roberto Benedetti will be spotlighted by the home crowds
Sven van Laere’s new equipment – The Belgian receives a new opportunity at Speedhouse as the full-time substitute for Matthias Hauer
Club Competition doubles up – The Italian team will enter a second car, the #22 Chevrolet Camaro for Giovanni Faraonio (OPEN) while also featuring Valerio Marzi in the #55 car
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
