Thanks to team effort and the EuroNASCAR car strongness, PK Carsport made a miracle happen – The team turned a heavily crashed car back into a podium finished in the UK
- Thomas Dombrowski had a violent accident in Free Practice on Friday
- 11 hours later, PK Carsport put the car back on track and finished on the podium
- Everybody praised the safety and strong structure of the NASCAR Euro Series cars
The NASCAR GP UK at Brands Hatch delivered drama, adrenaline, and proof of why NASCAR Euro Series cars are among the safest and most versatile in the world. One of the most remarkable stories of the weekend unfolded not in the final lap of a race — but in the garage, where a group of mechanics, bonded like family, turned disaster into triumph in just 11 hours.
It all began in turn 1 of free practice for the OPEN division, when Thomas Dombrowski suffered a terrifying accident in the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet, the car he shares with 2024 PRO Champion Vittorio Ghirelli. A front-right suspension issue sent him hard into the wall at Paddock Hill Bend. The car flipped three times and landed upside down in the gravel. Flames briefly erupted, and Dombrowski struggled to exit the car because the driver’s window was blocked by the wall. “It was a big one,” he said. “I knew it was going to happen and I accepted it. I was thinking about how much it was going to hurt. The scariest part was the fire. I had to crawl out the passenger side. It was really stressful.”
But the story didn’t end there. Instead, it became a moment that captured the heart of NASCAR: old-school racing meets modern high-level safety — and the spirit of a team that never gives up.
PK Carsport owner Anthony Kumpen, absent for the first time in the 2025 season, was at a go-kart track with his son when the crash happened. “Carlo Huybrechts, our crew chief, who has been working for PK Carsport for over 25 years, called me and said: ‘It’s done for the weekend. The championship is done.’ I was concerned because I trust what he says,” Kumpen said. “But I told him: we did crazy things in our life with PK Carsport. Please, don’t give up. Try to make it happen. If you can’t, at least we tried.”
And PK Carsport did more than try – they completely rebuilt the car from the ground up in 11 hours. Thanks to the cost-effective and well-designed NASCAR Euro Series car, the availability of spare parts at the track and top-tier safety standards, the team not only restored the car to racing condition but made it competitive again.
“I got a message at 2 a.m.: ‘We’re going to make it happen,’” Kumpen recalled. “And when I woke up at 6 a.m., they told me: ‘We’re going to drive.’ I saw photos and videos of what they did overnight. I was super happy. That was one of the most impressive things they’ve ever done. I was thinking, if Carlo cannot fix it, nobody in the world can.”
Crew chief Huybrechts echoed the passion of the team: “When we start something, we finish it. We never quit even if it seems impossible. We worked all night, and suddenly the sun was up. It was an amazing time with our team and friends – which we consider family. And actually, looking back, it was really fun. No one complained, everyone just did what had to be done. Our physio Luc made sure we had the energy. And of course, we had our good music – it inspires us to work hard.”
The result? Vittorio Ghirelli, the reigning PRO Champion, put the rebuilt #24 machine in P2 in qualifying. And both drivers fought through pain and pressure to score valuable points: Ghirelli took two amazing second-place finishes in PRO, while Dombrowski fought his way to fifth in OPEN, just one day after his crash.
“It’s crazy, because I’m trying to get confidence back with the same car I crashed – and I’m doing it in the rain – but with a dry setup,” Dombrowski said. “Not the best way to do it, but at least I’m here. We saved points today. Huge respect to the team.”
Ghirelli added: “That’s amazing! From a destroyed car on Friday to double P2 and the championship lead – we go to our strongest tracks now. I’m really grateful to PK Carsport for their hard work. I hope we gave the fans a good show!”
The entire NASCAR Euro Series paddock took notice. Messages came flooding in from team managers, Series President Jerome Galpin, and Sporting & Technical Director Joe Balash, all praising the monumental effort of PK Carsport, Kumpen said. Kumpen also said that the fierce competitors on track also congratulated the team for the effort. That shows the great atmosphere in the NASCAR Euro Series paddock.
But that wasn’t the only dramatic moment of the weekend. On Sunday, another crash in PRO shook the crowd as Max Marzorati and Max Lanza slammed hard into the wall at high speed. Both drivers walked away unharmed – a powerful testament to the safety level of NASCAR Euro Series machines, which combine old-school racing action with state-of-the-art crash protection.
As Kumpen summed up: “We did a lot of crazy things in the past, but this was the most impressive. I only wish I had been there to see it.” From disaster to determination to results – PK Carsport’s unforgettable weekend at Brands Hatch was a reminder of what makes the NASCAR Euro Series so special: passion, perseverance, teamwork, and safe, competitive racing at its finest.
“We had a team chef at the race track – his job was to cook great food for the team,” Kumpen added. “Fresh meals, fresh ingredients, also for the mechanics, because they need to perform as well. During the night, while they worked hour after hour, the chef was preparing food at 3 or 4 a.m. so the guys could keep going. That shows how everyone was involved. I have to thank every single one of them. Normally, the chef’s day ends after dinner, but he stayed up all night to prepare fresh meals. That’s the spirit of a championship-winning team. Everyone played their part exceptionally well — even those whose job was technically done, like our chef and our physio.”
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
