Jacob Parry dominated the Rookie Challenge sessions at the NASCAR GP Czech Republic – The driver of the #73 CAAL Racing Ford Mustang topped both timed sessions and secured his second career win
- Jacob Parry was the most consistent driver at Autodrom Most
- Parry clawed back his overall deficit with two top drives in the timed sessions
- Rivals Yann Cristovao and Sandro Kajaia joined the Welshman in the podium
The sight of V8 powered NASCAR Euro Series machines roaring down the technical Autodrom Most circuit signaled the start of the 2026 NASCAR GP Czech Republic. The first round after the summer break kicked off with the return of Rookie Challenge, the home of the aspiring drivers. Jacob Parry arrived at the event with a mission to win and he did so in beautiful fashion: The Welshman scored his second career victory in the regularity division with a dominant performance in the two 30-minute timed sessions.
Precision is the key to win in Rookie Challenge and Parry was spotless in his drives. The driver who idolized Formula One legend Tom Pryce maximized his consistency and collected the least amount of penalties in both sessions. Parry was joined on the podium by his two main rivals Yann Cristovao and Sandro Kajaia. Cristovao finished second and third, while Kajaia grabbed a third and a fourth place result. Their solid drive at the 4.212 kilometer circuit kept them in the hunt for the overall standings heading to the last two rounds in Italy and Belgium.
“It was great!” said Parry, who drives the #73 Ford Mustang for CAAL Racing. “It’s a really fun track, it was tricky in the simulators and the experience was felt in real life. It has some fun corners and the middle section was quite tricky, but it feels incredible when you get it right. It’s good to be back to the podium, let alone the top step. Paul Ricard didn’t go to plan, but hopefully I’m back in the championship fight. I’m looking forward to the next round in Italy!”
Experienced Speedhouse teammates Nuno Caetano and Andreas Kuchelbacher completed the top-5 ahead of Nicole Davidson, who took her season best result of sixth place. Henrik Peters came home in seventh with debutant Bence Varga finishing eighth. A graduate of the NASCAR Recruitment Test program, Varga joined Rehberg + Bremotion Racing for his first appearance in the Rookie Challenge. The Hungarian impressed early with a top-5 finish in the first session, but mechanical problems forced him to sit out the second session.
Maral Ghazarian and Gianni Lasserre rounded out the top-10 positions. Dalibor Gondik finished 11th on his debut, fulfilling his goal to compete in a pure racing challenge. The Czech actor completed his first laps during the build up to the NASCAR GP Czech Republic, where he tested a Hendriks Motorsport machine under supervision by Czech’s two-time OPEN champion Martin Doubek. Andre Lortie completed the final results in 12th.
Parry’s sweep changed the landscape of the standings as the three main competitors are now separated by only three points. Consistency brought Yann Cristovao to the top with 216 points, but Kajaia and Parry are hot on the Frenchman’s heels. The top-5 overall positions are completed by former champion Andreas Kuchelbacher and season rookie Henrik Peters, both lurking from the outside with only 28 and 31 points separating them from Cristovao.
The focus from the NASCAR GP Czech Republic now shifts to the V8GP and OPEN, who are facing the humongous task of collecting as many points as possible before their worst result is dropped at the end of the round. Two practice sessions for both divisions will give all competitors time to familiarize themselves before the qualifying and races on Saturday and Sunday. Stay tuned to the NASCAR Euro Series official website and social media accounts for the latest updates and visit www.nascar.eu/watch to find out your local broadcasters for the event.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
