NASCAR Whelen Euro Series

Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series logo, 2012 – June 2013

NASCAR Whelen Euro Series logo, June 2013 – 2017

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.[1] 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 (FIA) after the series held a race at the Nürburgring in 2010.[2][1] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5][6] 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.[7]

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.[8][9] 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.[10]

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.[11] 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 (ENPRO) and EuroNASCAR 2 (EN2) for the 2020 season.[12]

Nogaro

Brands Hatch

Spa

Tours

Valencia

Le Mans

Dijon

Monza

Nürburgring

Magione

Venray

Zolder

Adria

Hockenheim

Franciacorta

Most

Vallelunga

Rijeka

Locations of the tracks that have held a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series race. Green dots represent current tracks, red dots represent former 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:

Notes

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.[17]

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.[18][19]

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.[20] Resembling the body of its American counterpart, the car made its racing debut in the 2015 Race of Champions.[21] The Ford Mustang body also made its test debut soon after.[22] 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.[23]

Outside of NASCAR Whelen Euro Series competition, the NASCAR Euro Series cars are used in the Race of Champions.

NASCAR Whelen Euro Series currently featured Hoosier as the exclusive tyre supplier of the series. Previously, Michelin was the exclusive tyre supplier from the inaugural season in 2009 until 2017 while subsidiary company BFGoodrich became the exclusive tyre supplier for the 2018 season only. In 2019, Continental AG signed a six-year contract to become the exclusive tyre supplier of the series.[24] The deal was renewed on January 22, 2021, extending the tyre supply contract until 2027. General Tire was selected as the tyre brand of choice in the 2019 and 2020 season before it was switched to the Hoosier brand for the 2021 season.[25]

Current available models includes the Chevrolet SS (top-left), Ford Mustang (top-right), Toyota Camry (bottom-left), and Chevrolet Camaro (bottom-right).

• Chassis: FIA-certified tubular steel tube frame with safety roll cage.
• Engine Displacement: 5.7 L (5,700 cc) (350 in³) V8.
• Aspiration: Naturally aspirated.
• Transmission: 4 Speed Manual.
• Power: 400 hp (298 kW)
• Weight: 1,225 kg (2,701 lb)
• Height: 1,300 mm (51 in)
• Length: 5,080 mm (200 in)
• Wheelbase: 2,740 mm (108 in)
• Width: 1,950 mm (77 in)

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 before it pulled factory support for all NASCAR series outside of Canada in 2012.

• EuroNASCAR Pro drivers championship – Main championship open to gold/silver/bronze drivers
  • Junior Trophy – For drivers aged 25 years and under
  • Challenger Trophy – For amateur drivers
• EuroNASCAR 2 drivers championship – Restricted to silver/bronze drivers
  • Legend Trophy – For drivers aged 40 years and over
  • Rookie Cup – For drivers making their Euro Series debuts, regardless of age or experience
  • Lady Cup – For female drivers
• Teams championship – Scored by points collected by each car in EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 divisions

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.[26] Until the 2014 season, the EuroNASCAR PRO champion wins entry into a NASCAR race, the UNOH Battle at the Beach (formerly the Toyota All-Star Showdown), 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 race at Venray in 2019, which was run over two days and only included one race each for both classes and the 2020 race at Vallelunga, which was held using a condensed variant of the schedule as part of the sporting regulation changes made as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[27][28]

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 2020 EuroNASCAR Finals at Circuit Ricardo Tormo (December 6, 2020).

Elite 1 / EuroNASCAR PRO (ENPRO)

Driver	Wins	First	Last
Alon Day	24	2015 Umbria 1	2020 Valencia 3
Ander Vilariño	22	2012 Nogaro 1	2019 Valencia 2
Frédéric Gabillon	12	2013 Tours 1	2019 Brands Hatch 2
Anthony Kumpen	10	2014 Le Mans 1	2017 Hockenheim 2
Loris Hezemans	7	2018 Hockenheim 1	2020 Valencia 4
Borja García	5	2014 Nürburgring 1	2017 Hockenheim 1
Eddie Cheever III	4	2014 Brands Hatch 1	2015 Valencia 1
Nicolò Rocca	4	2015 Venray 1	2019 Most 1
Gael Castelli	2	2012 Le Mans 1	2012 Le Mans 2
Yann Zimmer	2	2013 Monza 2	2014 Valencia 1
Romain Iannetta	2	2012 Spa 2	2015 Brands Hatch 1
Gianmarco Ercoli	2	2018 Brands Hatch 2	2020 Vallelunga 2
Stienes Longin	2	2019 Zolder 2	2020 Rijeka 1
Lasse Sørensen	2	2020 Zolder 1	2020 Valencia 1
Javier Villa	1	2012 Brands Hatch 2	2012 Brands Hatch 2
Mathias Lauda	1	2014 Tours 2	2014 Tours 2
Marc Goossens	1	2017 Zolder 2	2017 Zolder 2
Lucas Lasserre	1	2018 Franciacorta 2	2018 Franciacorta 2
Thomas Ferrando	1	2019 Zolder 1	2019 Zolder 1

Elite 2 / EuroNASCAR 2 (EN2)

Driver	Wins	First	Last
Thomas Ferrando	12	2014 Nürburgring 1	2017 Zolder 2
Stienes Longin	9	2015 Tours 1	2016 Zolder 2
Josh Burdon	7	2013 Nogaro 1	2013 Le Mans 1
Lasse Sørensen	7	2019 Franciacorta 1	2019 Zolder 2
Vittorio Ghirelli	6	2019 Venray	2020 Valencia 4
Anthony Gandon	4	2013 Dijon 1	2013 Le Mans 2
Gianmarco Ercoli	4	2015 Valencia 1	2015 Zolder 2
Wilfried Boucenna	4	2014 Brands Hatch 1	2018 Valencia 2
Ulysse Delsaux	4	2017 Valencia 1	2018 Hockenheim 1
Philipp Lietz	3	2014 Umbria 2	2015 Tours 2
Gabriele Gardel	3	2014 Le Mans 2	2016 Zolder 1
Felipe Rabello	3	2017 Venray 1	2018 Franciacorta 1
Guillaume Deflandre	3	2017 Zolder 2	2018 Hockenheim 2
Florian Venturi	3	2018 Brands Hatch 2	2019 Franciacorta 2
Giorgio Maggi	3	2019 Valencia 1	2019 Hockenheim 1
Tobias Dauenhauer	3	2020 Vallelunga 1	2020 Valencia 3
Martin van Hove	2	2012 Nogaro 1	2012 Nogaro 2
Simon Escallier	2	2012 Valencia 1	2012 Valencia 2
Olivier Porta	2	2012 Le Mans 1	2012 Le Mans 2
Neal Van Vaerenbergh	2	2014 Valencia 1	2014 Valencia 2
Denis Dupont	2	2014 Tours 1	2014 Tours 2
Salvador Tineo Arroyo	2	2015 Umbria 2	2016 Brands Hatch 2
Guillaume Dumarey	2	2018 Franciacorta 2	2018 Zolder 2
Martin Doubek	2	2020 Zolder 1	2020 Zolder 2
Vincent Gonneau	1	2012 Brands Hatch 1	2012 Brands Hatch 1
Adriano Medeiros	1	2012 Brands Hatch 2	2012 Brands Hatch 2
Loic Deman	1	2012 Spa 1	2012 Spa 1
Marc Duez	1	2012 Spa 2	2012 Spa 2
Julien Goupy	1	2013 Tours 1	2013 Tours 1
Maxime Dumarey	1	2014 Umbria 1	2014 Umbria 1
Guillaume Rousseau	1	2014 Le Mans 1	2014 Le Mans 1
Florian Renauer	1	2015 Brands Hatch 1	2015 Brands Hatch 1
Riccardo Geltrude	1	2016 Tours 1	2016 Tours 1
Denny Zardo	1	2017 Franciacorta 2	2017 Franciacorta 2
Nicholas Risitano	1	2019 Valencia 2	2019 Valencia 2

• Speedcar Series
• ASCAR Racing Series

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.

• NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Official website
• NASCAR Whelen Euro Series en español
• Racing Reference