Two heavyweights, one championship trophy: Back-to-back V8GP king Vittorio Ghirelli and former Formula One star Nelson Piquet Jr. are ready to settle the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series title fight at Circuit Zolder
- Vittorio Ghirelli leads Nelson Piquet Jr. by 31 points heading into the Zolder Finals
- Ghirelli is chasing an unprecedented three-peat, while Piquet hunts a title in his rookie campaign
- Two double-points races will decide the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series champion on October 17–18
Vittorio Ghirelli and Nelson Piquet Jr. are the two NASCAR Euro Series V8GP drivers everyone will be watching when the season reaches its climax at Circuit Zolder in Belgium on October 17–18. Reigning back-to-back champion Ghirelli is looking to etch his name into the record books as the series’ first-ever three-peat champion, while Piquet Jr. aims to cap off his remarkable rookie campaign by capturing European NASCAR’s biggest prize. It is also an all-out battle between proven powerhouse PK Carsport and Alumitec Racing, a surging organization contesting its first independent season in the championship. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the gloves are off: Who will be crowned the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series V8GP champion?
Ghirelli has been a force of nature ever since debuting in the NASCAR Euro Series back in 2019. The Italian claimed third overall in his rookie OPEN campaign before securing the championship crown one year later with Hendriks Motorsport. Stints with Not Only Motorsport and Team Bleekemolen followed in his early premier-division years before he inked a deal with Anthony Kumpen’s PK Carsport in 2024. The Fasano native elevated his game immediately, capturing the championship in his debut season with the Belgian outfit and successfully defended his V8GP crown in 2025.
Back-to-back titles are rare, but not unprecedented in Euro NASCAR history: Ander Vilarino pulled off the feat in 2012 and 2013, and Alon Day matched it in 2017 and 2018. However, three consecutive titles would be uncharted territory. Ghirelli will leave nothing on the table to cement his legacy with a historic third straight championship ring. He knows precisely what it takes to defend his lead at Circuit Zolder – the home turf of PK Carsport. Still, NASCAR Euro Series racing is notoriously unpredictable, and anything can happen once the V8 thunder rolls through the Limburg woods.
Ghirelli heads into the Finals sitting on a 381-point tally. He has parked his car in Victory Lane three times this season, and even on weekends when he didn’t boast outright raw speed, the 32-year-old former AutoGP champion maximized every point to maintain his remarkable consistency. Eight top-5 and nine top-10 finishes underscore just how potent the Ghirelli and PK Carsport tandem has been all year long. However, a hard-fought battle at Autodrom Most and missed opportunities at Vallelunga proved one crucial fact: the defending champions are not bulletproof.
That is where Piquet Jr. enters the picture. The Brazilian might be classified as a series rookie, but the former Formula One veteran conquered the learning curve in record time and quickly came to grips with the thunderous V8 machinery. The inaugural Formula E World Champion and his Alumitec Racing crew have turned up the heat race after race to emerge as genuine championship threats. Trailing Ghirelli by just 31 points, Piquet Jr. remains firmly in contention with double points up for grabs in both Playoff races.
The 41-year-old Heidelberg-born racer is anything but a stranger to stock car racing. In the early 2010s, Piquet Jr. proved his mettle across NASCAR’s American ladder, running everything from the ARCA Menards Series East all the way to the NASCAR Cup Series. Along the way, he racked up four NASCAR victories on U.S. soil: two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins on the high-speed ovals of Michigan and Las Vegas, a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series triumph on the road course at Watkins Glen, and an ARCA win on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway. Taming a 400-horsepower V8 beast is second nature to one of the most versatile and accomplished drivers on the 2026 grid.
Even so, Piquet Jr. faces a tough mountain to climb with a 31-point deficit to erase at Zolder. If he manages to sweep both weekend races with Ghirelli crossing the line in second each time, he would still come up 11 points short. The Alumitec Racing driver will need speed, execution, and perhaps a lucky break to take down the reigning king. But in the wild world of European NASCAR, nothing is guaranteed until the checkered flag waves. Piquet Jr. has built momentum when it matters most, and with two wins, four top-5s, and seven top-10 finishes on his resume, the Brazilian has laid the groundwork to make a serious charge for the NASCAR Euro Series Tijey Trophy.
Catch all the championship drama at the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series Finals at Circuit Zolder on October 17–18, live on DAZN and global broadcast partners. Visit www.nascar.eu/watch to find your local broadcast and witness one of the most thrilling title fights in international motorsport.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
