Nelson Piquet Jr. is now in the spotlight for the V8GP title battle after he completed the Playoffs Semi-Finals sweep – The Brazilian is Vittorio Ghirelli’s closest challenger entering the Finals in Belgium
- Nelson Piquet Jr. completed a full weekend sweep for Alumitec Racing in Italy
- Penalties for title protagonists changed the complexion of the podium battle
- Vittorio Ghirelli exited his home NASCAR GP with the V8GP standings lead intact
Never count anyone out in the NASCAR Euro Series Playoffs! Nelson Piquet Jr. went from a challenger looking from the outside to the bonafide chaser after the Brazilian completed a V8GP sweep to confirm Alumitec Racing’s dominant performance in the NASCAR GP Italy. Starting from pole position after his lightning quick lap in Semi-Finals 1, Piquet Jr. drove away from the field when they fought door-to-door for positions at Autodromo di Vallelunga and took the checkered flag to confirm his chances heading to the Finals on October 17-18.
Prior to Saturday’s race, Piquet Jr. had yet to add a V8GP win to his impressive CV that included Formula One appearances, the inaugural Formula E world championship title and wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series. Now, Piquet has clinched two victories in the span of just as many days. He will be a driver to watch when the Playoffs reaches its climax at Circuit Zolder, Belgium.
“First of all, thanks to the whole team,” said the driver of the #48 Ford Mustang in Victory Lane. “They’ve been working so hard this weekend! It’s thanks to them that we came up from where we started in the championship to where we are now. Thank you to everyone who has believed in me. The car was great. We had a tough beginning of the race. I think we lowered the tire pressure too much, but I think Ercoli in the back got into some door-to-door action that gave me some buffer and that helped me. Thanks everybody, thanks to our sponsors, it’s a great weekend for sure. It’s a great first time here at Vallelunga!”
The battle for the overall podium positions saw plenty of twists and turns that kept the fans at the edge of their seats. Penalties for Paul Jouffreau and Vittorio Ghirelli spurred the two contenders to make a break away from the field. Thomas Krasonis was able to tag himself along, promoting the Greek to a runner-up finish when the penalty was applied. Krasonis also won the Junior Trophy classification for drivers aged 25 and under.
Ghirelli, who was hit with a five second penalty for a false start, was far enough ahead to maintain a third place finish, but Jouffreau – who has a 10-second penalty for gaining a position after making contact – dropped to fifth overall and second in the Junior Trophy.
Fabrizio Armetta gave everything in his home NASCAR GP and came just one position away from his first overall podium in three years. Gianmarco Ercoli banged doors with his rivals en route to a sixth place finish ahead of Martin Doubek and Sebastiaan Bleekemolen, who gained the bonus points after he moved up from 17th on the grid. Garrett Lowe claimed the final Junior Trophy podium spot in ninth with fellow American Jordan O’Brien completing the top-10.
The Challenger Trophy saw a major twist: Thomas Toffel, who was only four points away from overall leader Davit Kajaia entering Semi-Finals 2, was not able to start the race. Kajaia capitalized on the opportunity that was presented to score his first class win since Round 5 at Brands Hatch in 15th place. Giovanni Cartechini and Brenna Schubert joined the Georgian in the podium after finishing 17th and 18th.
With the dust settled at Autodromo di Vallelunga, the home crowd favorite Ghirelli exits the Semi-Finals with the lead in the championship. The driver of the #24 PK Carsport machine has 381 points ahead of his new chaser: Piquet Jr., just 31 points adrift from the reigning back-to-back champion. O’Brien and Krasonis, who became the new overall Junior Trophy leader, are tied for third in the standings, both with a 42-points difference to Ghirelli. Fifth place also sees another tie, this time between Martin Doubek and Garrett Lowe. Jouffreau, Ercoli, Vladimiros Tziortzis and Armetta round out the overall top-10. Kajaia, 15th overall, extended his Challenger Trophy lead to 36 points.
The Playoffs have once again delivered a fantastic turn around of events in the title race, but it is not the end of the story just yet. The NASCAR Euro Series Finals at Circuit Zolder in Belgium is where the closing chapter of the 2026 season is going to be written. There will be tears, there will be action and most importantly, there will be triumphs. Join us for the exciting last two races of the V8GP and OPEN division on October 17-18 for the grand showdown in the elite world of European NASCAR!
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
