NASCAR Whelen Euro Series


The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's three international-sanctioned series, alongside the NASCAR Pinty's Series and the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, and is the most prestigious stock car racing series in Europe.

History

French rally driver Jérôme Galpin conceived the idea of a European-based stock car racing series after he watched a NASCAR race in 2002. His family group, Team FJ, then launched the Racecar Euro Series in June 2008 and announced that the first season would be held the following year as a FFSA-sanctioned series. The first season in 2009 was held on 7 tracks across France, with 16 cars entering the inaugural race at Nogaro. The series was approved as an International Series by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile after the series held a race at the Nürburgring in 2010. The calendar was expanded further in 2011 to include more races in Europe.
Galpin began to make connections with NASCAR after he had contact with NASCAR's Senior Development Business Director, Robert Duvall, in June 2009. NASCAR soon took interest in the series, and later in 2010 the then-Racecar Euro Series champion Lucas Lasserre was invited to enter the Toyota All-Star Showdown.
In early 2012, Team FJ entered into an agreement with NASCAR to sanction the series as part of the NASCAR circuit until 2020, though it remains registered as an International FIA series. As part of the agreement, the series changed its name to the Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series.
With the new agreement with NASCAR, the series became an official NASCAR racing series in Europe. NASCAR rules and standards were adopted in the series. The champion was invited to the NASCAR Night of Champions Gala at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with the rest of the regional series champions, with the 2012 champion Ander Vilariño being the first to attend.
On July 1, 2013, the series was renamed the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series after Whelen Engineering announced an agreement to become the title sponsor of the series through 2018. This agreement was extended on December 6, 2017, after NASCAR announced that Whelen Engineering would continue to be the title sponsor of both the Euro Series and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour until 2024.
On October 4, 2019, the series announced that NASCAR and Team FJ would continue to work together to operate the series until at least 2030. On October 22, 2019, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series announced that the classes would be rebranded from Elite 1 and Elite 2 to EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 for the 2020 season.

Tracks

The following are the tracks which have been used since 2012, currently are in use, and/or are scheduled to be used in the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series as sanctioned by NASCAR:
YearsTrackLocationType
2020–presentACI Vallelunga CircuitCampagnano di Roma, ItalyRoad course
2016Adria International RacewayAdria, ItalyRoad course
2017–2019Autodromo di FranciacortaCastrezzato, ItalyRoad course
2014–2015Autodromo dell'UmbriaMagione, ItalyRoad course
2013Autodromo Nazionale MonzaMonza, ItalyRoad course
2019–presentAutodrom MostMost, Czech RepublicRoad course
2012–2019Brands HatchWest Kingsdown, EnglandRoad course
2012–2014Bugatti CircuitLe Mans, FranceRoad course
2012–2013Circuit Paul ArmagnacNogaro, FranceRoad course
2012,
2014–present		Circuit Ricardo TormoValencia, SpainRoad course
2012Circuit de Spa-FrancorchampsStavelot, BelgiumRoad course
2015–presentCircuit ZolderHeusden-Zolder, BelgiumRoad course
2013Dijon-PrenoisPrenois, FranceRoad course
2017–presentHockenheimringHockenheim, GermanyRoad course
2014NürburgringNürburg, GermanyRoad course
2015–2017,
2019		Raceway VenrayVenray, Netherlands1/2-mile oval
2012–2016,
2018		Tours SpeedwayTours, France0.357-mile oval

;Notes

Cars

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is based around the concept of using NASCAR-style cars on European circuits. The Euro-NASCAR cars are inspired by American NASCAR cars but were built specifically for European tracks. The cars use a V8 engine creating 450 hp. It uses a four-speed manual gearbox, is rear-wheel drive and weighs 1225 kg.
A new generation of car, dubbed as the "Next Level" package, was introduced in the 2016 season. The Next Level car saw the introduction of a new aerodynamic package and a redesigned composite body, and the cars adopted an 8-inch rear spoiler instead of the wing used in the previous generation of cars.
The first Next Level car to be introduced was the redesigned Chevrolet SS composite body, which was unveiled during the 2015 season-ending race at Circuit Zolder. Resembling the body of its American counterpart, the car made its racing debut in the 2015 Race of Champions. The Ford Mustang body also made its test debut soon after. Starting in 2018, the Chevrolet composite body was updated into a Camaro ZL1-based body style, although the SS body is still legal for competition as of the end of the 2019 season.
Outside of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competition, the NASCAR Euro Series cars are used in the Race of Champions.
Starting in 2019, the Euro Series featured General Tire as the exclusive tyre supplier for the series. Previously, Michelin was the exclusive tyre supplier from the inaugural season in 2009 until 2017, while BFGoodrich became the exclusive tyre supplier for the 2018 season only.

Specifications

As manufacturer involvement is limited, model representations are used for aesthetic purposes only. The current models available are the Chevrolet SS, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, and Toyota Camry, with the Dodge Challenger model being available to be used in the past.

Championships

The Euro Series champions and other standout drivers of the series will be honored at the yearly NASCAR Home Tracks Champions Awards at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Until the 2014 season, the EuroNASCAR PRO champion wins entry into a NASCAR race, the UNOH Battle at the Beach, while the Elite 2 champion wins a NASCAR test.
A NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race week is run over three days and includes four races, two EuroNASCAR PRO races and two EuroNASCAR 2 races. Practice is held on Friday, followed by qualifying and the first races of EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 on Saturday, before the week closes with the second races of EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 on Sunday. The only exception to this were the races at Venray after its reintroduction to the calendar in 2019, which was scheduled to run over two days and only included two races, one EuroNASCAR 2 race on Saturday and one EuroNASCAR PRO race on Sunday.

Champions

All-time wins

All-time wins for the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series under NASCAR official sanctioning, starting from the 2012 season; does not include Racecar Euro Series wins. All figures correct as of the 2019 American Festival NASCAR Finals at Circuit Zolder.
Driver competed full-time in the 2019 season
Driver competed part-time in the 2019 season
BoldNASCAR Whelen Euro Series EuroNASCAR PRO Champion
ItalicsNASCAR Whelen Euro Series EuroNASCAR 2 Champion

Elite 1 / EuroNASCAR PRO (ENPRO)

Elite 2 / EuroNASCAR 2 (EN2)