Sven van Laere is back behind the wheel of an EuroNASCAR car – The Belgium will race in the V8GP championship with CAAL Racing at Autordromo di Vallelunga, Italy
- Sven van Laere joins CAAL Racing for the 2026 NASCAR GP Italy
- The Belgian will race the #73 Ford Mustang in V8GP
- He will share the paddock with his son Maxim van Laere once again
For many events, Sven Van Laere has stood along the NASCAR Euro Series pit road wall, radio headset tuned to team chatter, watching his son chase glory through turn after turn. He played the part of the veteran mentor to perfection. But for a driver who spent 28 years banging fenders, the intoxicating thunder of a rumbling V8 was never going to let him stay a spectator for long.
When the green flag drops for the Playoffs Semi-Final at the NASCAR GP Italy, the veteran will officially strap back into an EuroNASCAR car. Van Laere is reuniting with CAAL Racing – the powerhouse organization he called home in the past – to run in the V8GP division at the storied Autodromo di Vallelunga.
The decision comes after months of quietly nursing an itch that simply wouldn’t go away while supporting his son, Maxim, who is currently waging a fierce, high-stakes battle for the OPEN division Master Trophy title with Speedhouse.
“Back behind the wheel,” van Laere stated. “After spending the last race weekends following my son Maxim in the OPEN category, I realized just how much I missed being behind the wheel myself. Now, I’m making a comeback with CAAL Racing, the team I raced with for the past two seasons, competing in the V8GP category. Not a full-time return – just enough racing to fuel the passion, while still being there for Maxim every step of the way.”
Van Laere’s journey back to the grid carries plenty of grit. Following the 2024 season, health complications forced him to hang up his helmet, putting a bittersweet cap on nearly three decades of competition. The retirement didn’t last long when van Laere joined the OPEN division in 2025. The competitive spark survived, bringing him off the pit box and back into the hot seat also in 2026.
His arrival in Rome introduces a compelling family dynamic across the garage area. For another time, father and son will share the paddock simultaneously under two different banners: Maxim chasing a crown with Speedhouse, and Sven wheeling under the Italian flags of CAAL Racing.
Because Sven van Laere enters the weekend as a non-championship contender amid the heated playoff hunt, he will not collect drivers’ points. For the Belgian veteran, however, the race is not about the standings. It is about the pure love of the throttle, the roar of the pipes, and sharing the pavement with the next generation of his own racing bloodline.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
