New lap records were set in a spectacular qualifying session that was led by Thomas Krasonis and Thomas Toffel – Eight different teams made it to the Superpole sessions in both V8GP and OPEN, highlighting the amazing parity that the NASCAR Euro Series offers for the fans
- Thomas Krasonis and Thomas Toffel claimed their first Stromwatches.com Pole Award in 2026
- Jordan O’Brien and Toffel shatters the previous qualifying lap records at Most
- V8GP and OPEN both featured eight different teams in the tightly contested Superpole
Qualifying for the 2026 NASCAR GP Czech Republic was one of the best that the NASCAR Euro Series has ever seen! Fans of pure racing were treated with spectacular sessions that had everything. The gladiators pushed the limit of the new Hoosier tires spec at Autodrom Most, leading to not only eight teams advancing to the Superpole shootout in both V8GP and OPEN, but also record breaking speeds that destroyed the existing track records. With a blistering lap time of 1:39.389 and 1:39.635 by Thomas Krasonis and Thomas Toffel in their respective divisions, the Greek and the Swiss contenders were able to secure their first Stromwatches.com Pole Awards of the season in front of the passionate Czech racing fans.
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V8GP: Thomas Krasonis with a Late Surprise
The build up to qualifying witnessed Thomas Krasonis as one of the leading candidates for pole position. After finishing second fastest in Friday’s practice, the Greek quickly got up to the speed in Saturday morning and easily made his way to the Superpole, where he faced the task of beating Hendriks Motorsport star Jordan O’Brien, who led the first two sessions. The driver of the #13 PK Carsport Chevrolet Camaro put up his game face and drove his heart out, clocking his pole position lap time to give him the best seat in the house heading to the first of two crucial, points defining races at the Czech Republic.
“I think the results speak for themselves!” said Krasonis, also the leader of the Junior Trophy. “They were showing some good lap times and they were pushing at the beginning, but we knew where our car stands. We were in this position during the test days and I just have to put the lap together. Finally we have a pole position! I want to thank my sponsors Costamare and my team PK Carsport for making all of this possible. I dedicate this to my coach Alon Day, who was making fun of me yesterday, saying that I’m ‘a snail’ because I have zero Pole Awards, so coach, here’s one for this year!”
Despite missing out on his maiden V8GP Stromwatches.com Pole Award, O’Brien still secured his best qualifying result in the top division of European NASCAR. The American also broke the existing V8GP qualifying lap record: His second qualifying session time of 1:39.245 is the new benchmark for the elite drivers, eclipsing the previous record of 1:39.774 set by Vittorio Ghirelli in 2024.
Long-time on track rivals Ghirelli and Gianmarco Ercoli from PK Carsport and Alumitec Racing trailed in the second row with Paul Jouffreau completing the top-5. The top-5 result by Jouffreau highlighted the potential of RDV Competition; it was a remarkable turnaround of fortunes for the French squad after their pre-race preparation was hampered by an industrial fire that broke out near their facility. Jouffreau was also the second fastest Junior Trophy contender.
Club Competition’s Fabrizio Armetta secured a strong sixth ahead of Thomas Toffel, the fastest Challenger Trophy driver in his #34 THT by Race Art Technology Chevrolet Camaro. Sebastiaan Bleekemolen (Team Bleekemolen), Davit Kajaia (Kolkhi GRT) and Vinnie Meskelis (Team Bleekemolen) rounded out the top-10. Kajaia claimed second place in the Challenger Trophy, while Meskelis was third in the Junior Trophy. Keep an eye out for this mix of veterans and rookies, who will be looking for an outside shot at the victory. 16th place qualifier Giovanni Cartechini completed the top-3 positions in the Challenger Trophy.
OPEN: Championship leader Toffel back on top
Thomas Toffel started his 2026 OPEN campaign with three consecutive wins in Spain and France, but problems in the UK eliminated the advantage that he had built. With the playoffs on the horizon, Toffel came to Most with a mission to score maximum points. Achieving it is never going to be easy, but the Swiss will get to do so from pole position after he clocked OPEN’s record qualifying time in Superpole. The 35-year old handily beat Alumitec’s Raphael Lessard by 0.638 seconds, highlighting the speed that will send shivers down the spine of its rivals.
“I had the advantage to drive the two divisions,” said Toffel after receiving his Stromwatches.com Pole Award. “We weren’t happy with little things in the setup during V8GP, so we adjusted that in between the sessions and the car was really good for the OPEN!”
Jens Beeusaert’s rise in the OPEN division continues to make highlights as well. The young Belgian missed out on his first front row start by just 0.001 second, a statement of the amazing synergy between him and his team Club Competition. Beeusaert also took the top spot for the Master Trophy special classification. Home hero Martin Doubek starts fourth in his traditional #7 Hendriks Motorsport Ford Mustang with teammate Gil Linster completing the top-5.
Claudio Cappelli of CAAL Racing retained his lead in the Legend Trophy with a seventh place finish. The Italian was sandwiched by Team Bleekemolen teammates Sandro Tavartkiladze and Melvin de Groot, who qualified second in the Master and Legend Trophy respectively. Thomas Dombrowski (PK Carsport) and Ossi Pohjanharju (Lux Motorsport) – who qualified third in the Master Trophy – rounded out the top-10 results.
Giovanni Faraonio was third fastest in the Legend Trophy in 17th place, while the Lady Trophy was led by Mariam Davitidze in 13th overall. Despite a spin, the Georgian found the speed that she needed to beat Robin Bleekemolen, who qualified 15th. The top-3 was completed by Happinessa Racing in 18th.
Saturday’s activities in the NASCAR GP Czech Republic continues with two amazing races. V8GP will deliver pure entertainment for the fans with a 17-lap race that will be broadcast live from 14:15 CEST, while OPEN promises an unpredictable competition with their 14-lap race that goes live from 17:00 CEST. All races are streamed live from DAZN, YouTube and various local TV partners. For more details of your local providers, you can find the information from our trusty guide at https://www.nascar.eu/watch/.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
