Jordan O’Brien proved his worth for Hendriks Motorsport with two impressive outings in Spain for his V8GP debut – This came after securing the deal only five days before the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series season opener
- Jordan O’Brien impressed the paddock in his V8GP debut at Circuit Ricardo Tormo
- The American was a contender for race wins in both Valencia races
- While leading Sunday’s race, mechanical issues forced him to stop
Jordan O’Brien’s start to the 2026 season was nothing short of spectacular, far exceeding the high potential he had already demonstrated by leading laps in the OPEN championship during his part-time NASCAR Euro Series campaign in 2025. Despite closing a deal with Hendriks Motorsport only five days before the official season started, the American made a stunning V8GP debut against Europe’s NASCAR elite. He wasn’t merely solid or good; he was phenomenal. O’Brien was a fierce contender for the podium in both races and even led the field in Sunday’s event before a sudden technical issue forced him to park his car.
O’Brien demonstrated strong potential from the start, qualifying the #50 Ford Mustang fourth in the top-10 Superpole shootout, securing an excellent grid position for his debut V8GP race in Spain. In the first race, he narrowly missed a podium finish, coming in just over a tenth of a second behind third place. He finished among an elite group of drivers: two-time and reigning champion Vittorio Ghirelli (3rd), Junior Trophy winner and title contender Paul Jouffreau (2nd) and 2023 champion Gianmarco Ercoli (1st) — truly top-tier company for a first-time competitor in V8GP.
The second race devolved into chaos. Ercoli, after leading laps, suffered a power steering failure. Due to the intense heat and difficult conditions inside the car, the Italian parked his machine at the end of the start-finish straight after the race. Track personnel immediately checked on him, and he was released from the track-side medical center after receiving treatment. Despite the issues, the Saturday winner managed to finish 12th.
Jouffreau then inherited the lead, but his hopes of winning were dashed by a flat tire. O’Brien took over first place, only to be forced to stop by a technical issue at the rear-end of his car. Reigning champion Ghirelli capitalized on the misfortune, securing his first victory of the 2026 season.
Although O’Brien missed the podium, his performance made a clear statement. “Luckily enough in my amateur career, I’ve been successful enough in races to have some experience leading a race, so I wasn’t too uncomfortable out front,” he said. “I knew that everybody had a plan and a strategy, so it was kind of just letting the race play out. Everybody was saving tires at the beginning, trying to be smart for the end of the race, and I was trying to do the same. I saw the race starting to come to me as the cars in front started to have their issues and I thought I was at a pretty solid spot.”
“The clean air – the car really liked the clean air. It’s pretty much the first time all weekend we’ve been able to have any, so honestly, we felt really good. I think I had the pace to control the majority of the race. I mean, we had an easy podium and definitely a shot at the win, so I would have loved to see how it could have played out. But it is what it is and you can only control what you can control. And now it’s just kind of head down and hopefully we can focus on the next race. At the moment we don’t have anything secured for France, so hopefully we can see you all there.”
“But I definitely want to take a moment to especially thank my main sponsor. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I got this whole deal sorted out five days before the race, and I only met my sponsor 12 days before that. So, to say it was a whirlwind is an understatement. I’m just happy we were able to be here and a huge thank you to them and a huge thank you to everybody. This venue is pretty cool and all the Spanish fans are the best, so we’re happy.”
The 2026 NASCAR Euro Series will head to the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, for the next race weekend. This event signifies the return of the NASCAR GP France, honoring the series’ roots as it was founded in the country by Team FJ, the promoter and owner. It is hoped that a talent like O’Brien will once again be given the opportunity to demonstrate his capabilities in a V8 touring car.
Featured by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
