Just 12 points separate Thomas Toffel and Raphael Lessard as the NASCAR Euro Series OPEN title fight heads into a winner-take-all weekend at Circuit Zolder
- 12 points separate Thomas Toffel and Raphael Lessard heading into the Finals
- Sweep the weekend, take the crown: Lessard controls his own destiny
- Circuit Zolder decides the 2026 EuroNASCAR OPEN champion on October 17–18
The 2026 NASCAR Euro Series OPEN championship battle is coming down to the wire at Circuit Zolder in Belgium on October 17–18. The season finale sets the stage for a thrilling, high-stakes duel between the division’s two standout contenders: Thomas Toffel and Raphael Lessard. Toffel has sat atop the standings since the drop of the green flag in the first race of the season, but despite bagging three victories, his points cushion was slashed to just 12 points following the Semi-Finals at Italy’s Autodromo di Vallelunga. Lessard, on the other hand, controls his own destiny: if the Canadian driver sweeps the double-points Finals just as he did in Vallelunga, Toffel will have no defense, handing the title straight to the Alumitec Racing ace.
Rewind to the start of the campaign: Toffel kicked off 2026 in dominant fashion with THT by Race Art Technology, sweeping the season opener at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. He captured his third checkered flag of the year at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France. Eight top-5 and nine top-10 finishes round out a stellar campaign for the former Swiss pocket bike champion. With Toffel a fixture in the NASCAR Euro Series garage since 2022, veteran savvy could prove to be the ultimate edge. Another key ingredient in his championship bid is sheer seat time: by pulling double duty in both OPEN and V8GP in the same chassis, Toffel benefits from extra practice sessions to dial in his setup to perfection.
Toffel’s development has been rapid, making 2026 the finest season of his career. The Swiss driver has stayed out of trouble, avoided on-track attrition, and consistently brought home strong results. While pure speed has never been in doubt, turning that raw pace into week-in, week-out podium finishes was once his Achilles’ heel – a flaw he has emphatically erased this year. Now, the pressure is on at Zolder to keep Lessard in his rearview mirror. Clinching a fourth win would help to secure the title and etch his name into the NASCAR Euro Series record books, but holding off the surging Canadian will be the toughest test for the 35-year-old at the height of his powers.
Lessard, meanwhile, had to weather typical rookie adversity early in the season. A penalty in Valencia, communication missteps under Full Course Yellow in France and a disqualification at Brands Hatch momentarily derailed his championship bid, but the Canadian standout fired back with authority. With five trips to Victory Lane celebrations – highlighted by a sweep of the double-points Semi-Finals at Vallelunga – along with eight top-fives and eight top-10s, he has mounted a devastatingly fast rookie campaign for Alumitec Racing. Locked in on the ultimate prize, Lessard knows the math is simple: win both races at Zolder, and nothing Toffel or anyone else do can stop him from taking the cup.
The Canadian star is no stranger to victory lane on NASCAR’s biggest stages. Lessard owns a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at the iconic Talladega Superspeedway (2020) and boasts 35 starts in NASCAR’s national ranks. Triumphs in the CARS Tour Super Late Models and the NASCAR Canada Series round out a formidable resume – one he is eager to cap with a NASCAR Euro Series crown. Alumitec Racing has set the benchmark for outright speed in 2026, and while Lessard lacks Toffel’s extra track time on race weekends, he can lean on the veteran counsel from his V8GP teammate Gianmarco Ercoli, a proven champion in both divisions.
The climax of the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series season is at hand, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. The technical, punishing confines of Circuit Zolder nestled in the Limburg forest always deliver drama, adding extra fuel to an already volatile championship clash. While Toffel and Lessard command the spotlight, hungry contenders lurk in the wings ready to pounce and shake up the running order. The gloves are off, the championship is on the line, and only one driver will hoist the 2026 NASCAR Euro Series OPEN trophy.
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Bart Dehaese
