Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Dombrowski pushed the #24 PK Carsport Chevrolet to the top of Finals practice timesheets – The momentum is in their hands heading to Saturday’s qualifyings and races
- Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Dombrowski completed a PK Carsport sweep in practice
- Ghirelli led both sessions in V8GP, leaving his rivals with a lot of homework to do
- Dombrowski pulled through in the second OPEN session to beat Toffel, Beeusaert and Lessard
The most important practice session in the 2026 calendar is now in the books! All eyes will be placed on the leading competitors at the NASCAR Euro Series Finals, where four exciting double points races are scheduled for the last weekend of the season. It is important therefore to get your setup correctly before Saturday’s skirmish and no team has did it better than Belgian powerhouse PK Carsport, whose #24 Chevrolet Camaro duo led the times in both V8GP and OPEN with Vittorio Ghirelli and Thomas Dombrowski at their home track Circuit Zolder.
Vittorio Ghirelli is chasing destiny: The Italian has a strong chance to become the first three-peat champion in European NASCAR history. For his teammate Dombrowski, he’s acting as the chaser of the OPEN battle, waiting patiently in the shadows to pounce on the leading duo of Thomas Toffel and Raphael Lessard should they make a mistake at the 4.002 kilometer circuit in Belgium. With plenty of superstar drivers fighting for the title and Trophies, the battle is on for a must-watch championship showdown!
V8GP: Can Anyone Match Ghirelli?
Vittorio Ghirelli knew what it takes to win the V8GP title at Circuit Zolder. The Italian was crowned as champion here in both 2024 as well as 2025 and for 2026, the Fasano native is seeking his third. Despite having a 31 point lead entering the Finals, Ghirelli did not rest on his laurels. He was already on fire from the first session, where he beat Garrett Lowe by 0.394 seconds. The 32-year old extended his advantage further in the second session, clocking a best lap time of 1:36.782 to end the opening day with a 0.431 second advantage from Vinnie Meskelis, who finished third and second in the two sessions. The American with Brazilian roots was also the fastest in the Junior Trophy.
Fellow American Jordan O’Brien was third, boosting his confidence as he looks to try and overcome his 42 points deficit to Ghirelli in the overall title race. Thomas Toffel put up a mighty performance to lead the Challenger Trophy in fourth overall, beating Lowe and Paul Jouffreau who completed the top-3 times in the Junior Trophy.
Experienced veterans Sebastiaan Bleekemolen and Fabrizio Armetta were seventh and eighth ahead of a returning driver: Logan Bearden. The Texan might have to miss the NASCAR GP Italy due to a schedule clash with his NASCAR O’Reilly commitments, but he had not lost his touch as he came home ninth overall and second in the Challenger Trophy on his very first visit to Belgium. Thomas Krasonis rounded the top-10 times while Davit Kajaia in 15th trailed Toffel and Bearden in the Challenger Trophy timesheets.
OPEN: Tight Margins for the Leading Pack
The OPEN division is known for its unpredictability and the big names of the division proved that it remains the case for the opening day of the Finals. Raphael Lessard topped the first practice session from Thomas Toffel, the man that he’s chasing for in the overall battle, but neither came out on top. It was another Thomas who topped the times instead: Dombrowski, who followed upon the feats of his V8GP teammate Ghirelli to complete a PK Carsport sweep at the Belgian team’s home track.
Dombrowski blitzed through Circuit Zolder with a time of 1:37.366, which was enough for the Frenchman to beat Toffel by 0.148 seconds in the combined times. Local hero Jens Beeusaert put up a great fight to come home third in both sessions. The Belgian is signaling his intention to fight for not just the podium, but also for the overall victory. Beeusaert also leads the Master Trophy rankings with his feat in practice. Lessard was classified fourth overall with Legend Trophy leader Claudio Cappelli completing the top-5. The Italian with the infamous beard is on the verge of winning the Legend Trophy crown on Saturday: With his great rival Melvin de Groot absent, Cappelli simply needs to start Final 1 to clinch the Trophy.
Title hopefuls Vladimiros Tziortzis and Martin Doubek finished sixth and seventh, matching their respective car numbers. Fabrizio Armetta was eighth on his return to the OPEN division and was also second in the Legend Trophy. The Italian finished ahead of Team Bleekemolen’s dynamic duo of Sandro Tavartkiladze and Beitske Visser. Tavartkiladze was second in the Master Trophy, while Visser was fastest in the Lady Trophy. Florian Richard completed the Master Trophy top-3 in 12th with Michael Bleekemolen doing the same for the Legend Trophy rankings in 17th. Mariam Davitidze and Happinessa trailed Visser for the Lady Trophy battle in 16th and 20th positions.
The margins are tight, the track is challenging and the action is intense: The NASCAR Euro Series Finals is ready to put on a showstopper for fans worldwide. All three titles – V8GP, OPEN and Endurance Teams Championship – are still to be decided, as well as all Trophies that keep the battles interesting no matter where you look. Get yourself prepared for Saturday’s qualifying that will go live at 09:30 CEST, followed by the V8GP and OPEN races at 13:20 and 16:35 CEST respectively!
Featured image by NASCAR Euro Series / Nina Weinbrenner
