Claudio Cappelli leads the Legend Trophy for drivers aged 45 and over, while Sandro Tavartkiladze tops the Master Trophy for rising talent in the NASCAR Euro Series OPEN division – Beitske Visser defended her lead in the Lady Trophy
- Claudio Cappelli cemented his lead in the Legend Trophy at his home track
- Sandro Tavartkiladze took over the Master Trophy lead with stellar drives
- Beitske Visser leads Happinessa and Mariam Davitidze in the Lady Trophy
The 2026 NASCAR Euro Series Playoffs fired off with two thrilling showdowns in the OPEN championship. Beside the battle for the outright European NASCAR crown, the special classifications provided paint-swapping duels throughout a stacked grid. Claudio Cappelli defended his turf at his home track at Autodromo di Vallelunga, building a solid cushion ahead of the Finals at Circuit Zolder on October 17-18. Sandro Tavartkiladze took over the point in the Master Trophy ahead of Florian Richard and Dominique Schaak, while Beitske Visser continues to top the Lady Trophy standings over Happinessa and Mariam Davitidze. With double points on the line, the championships will go down to the wire in the final race of the 2026 season.
CAAL Racing’s Cappelli paced the field and led laps at the Rome venue, but handling issues shifted the balance of the car, sending the driver with the famous, freshly trimmed beard tumbling down the running order. Even so, Cappelli banked crucial points to stretch his lead over fierce rival Melvin de Groot in the #69 Team Bleekemolen Toyota Camry. Heading into the season finale, Cappelli holds sixth overall with a 33-point advantage over the Dutch veteran, who sits ninth. Third in the Legend Trophy belongs to Giovanni Faraonio in 19th, trailed by Federico Monti, Andre Lortie, Kenko Miura, Francesco Leogrande, and Michael Bleekemolen.
In the Master Trophy, the leaderboard was thrown into overdrive: Tavartkiladze seized the top spot with breakout sixth- and fourth-place finishes in the Playoff rounds. The Georgian standout is hungry for more, setting his sights on an overall podium finish and his maiden NASCAR victory. For now, the Team Bleekemolen driver commands the Master Trophy over RDV Competition’s Florian Richard, who trails by 31 markers. BS+BREMOTION’s Dominique Schaak rides in third, just four points further back. Jens Beeusaert and Maxim van Laere round out the top-5, followed by Ossi Pohjanharju, Henri Timonen, Valentino Gambarotto, and Olivier Deschamps.
Visser made the Playoffs switch to Team Bleekemolen, immediately flexing her muscle with a strong eighth-place qualifying run. Mechanical gremlins ultimately held her back from contending for top honors, yet she still commands the Lady Trophy by 23 points over reigning overall winner Happinessa. Davitidze lurks in third, just 34 markers behind the German wheelwoman. Part-time driver and 2026 Lady Trophy race winner Robin Bleekemolen caps off a formidable lineup of female talent this season.
Next stop: Circuit Zolder in Belgium on October 16-17. The NASCAR Euro Series Finals are geared up for bumper-to-bumper, nail-biting action across both OPEN and V8GP divisions, with every title still up for grabs. With double points on the table, a single move could shuffle the standings in an instant. Catch all the action live on DAZN or through your local broadcaster at www.nascar.eu/watch.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
