EuroNASCAR season 2021: 26 cars entered, Belgian top team missing

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series has announced the provisional entry list for the 2021 season – Top team PK Carsport is missing on the list

On May 15-16, the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (NWES) will kick off the upcoming season at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. About a month before the season opener, the European NASCAR championship has announced its provisional entry list of teams. 26 cars have been entered so far, but top team PK Carsport from Belgium is missing.

Stienes Longin, who has long driven the #11 car, has announced a program in a BMW Cup for the 2021 season. The team is planning to race in Zolder but if the Belgians work on more starts and a full NWES season is yet not known. The racing team led by Anthony Kumpen has won a total of four drivers’ titles: three with Kumpen, one with Alon Day in 2020.

Although the #24 and #11 cars are not yet on the entry list, fans can once again expect a packed field – despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The 26 cars will be entered in the races by a total of 13 teams from eight different countries. While some cockpits still have a question mark, some entries have already been confirmed.

The status one month ahead of the start of the season

Academy Motorsport, along with Alex Caffi and Federico Monti at the helm of the team, will field a total of three cars: the #1, #2 and #5. In the #1 seat will sit Vladimiros Tziortzis, who will compete in the EuroNASCAR 2 championship as he did in 2020. The Cypriot has performed well in his debut season and is one of the favorites to win the championship.

Driving the #5 car will be none other than ex-Formula 1 world champion and Indy 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve. The Canadian is already contesting his third EuroNASCAR season. Last year he was still competing with his own team, which was dissolved after just one season. Villeneuve moved to Caffi, who also has Formula 1 experience. It has not yet been decided who will fill the remaining cockpits.

Hendriks Motorsport impressively took the top two places in the team standings in 2020 and won the EuroNASCAR 2 title with Vittorio Ghirelli. The Dutch racing team led by Roy and Joep Hendriks will again enter three cars in the race – the #7, #18 and #50. Tobias Dauenhauer is already seeded in the #50 Ford Mustang for the EuroNASCAR 2 championship, in which he narrowly missed out on overall victory in 2020.

His teammate will most likely be Loris Hezemans again, who celebrated his oval debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2021. Giorgio Maggi from Switzerland is expected back behind the wheel of the #18 car, while Martin Doubek will likely return in the #7.

RDV Competition is back

RDV Competition has taken a break from active racing in 2020 due to the pandemic. The French team around Franck Violas will return to the track in the 2021 season. Already confirmed is Frederic Gabillon in the #3 car, who will possibly contest his last EuroNASCAR PRO season. Other drivers have not yet been confirmed but Ulysse Delsaux is a hot candidate for the second car.

DF1 Racing of Austria plans to run the #22, #44, #66 and #99 cars in the year. The team is also expected to service the Iceboys from Finland, who own the #23 car. Nicolo Rocca, Patrick Lemarie and Justin Kunz are confirmed for the EuroNASCAR PRO Championship, while Simon Pilate will compete for the team in the EuroNASCAR 2 Championship.

42 Racing expects to run two cars again in the 2021 season. The Italians, who missed the second half of the season in 2020 due to positive coronavirus cases within the team, have a top youngster in Francesco Garisto for the EuroNASCAR 2 title fight in their ranks.

Top team CAAL Racing put three cars on the entry list. The Italians have not yet announced who will be driving the #54, #56 and #88 cars. One thing is for sure, the team will give everything to be at the top of both championships.

Marko Stipp Motorsport has three cockpits filled

German team Marko Stipp Motorsport has already allocated three of its four cockpits: Yevgen Sokolovskiy will drive the #48 car in both the EuroNASCAR PRO and EuroNASCAR 2 series, as he did in his debut season in 2020. For the EuroNASCAR 2 championship, Stipp has also signed Miguel Gomes from Portugal, who will take over the #46 Chevrolet Camaro.

Not Only Motorsport from Italy is planning to increase its contingent of cars after just one year in EuroNASCAR. The team has entered two cars, with Davide Dallara again piloting the #89 in the EuroNASCAR PRO championship. The other three spots have not been officially filled.

Then there are a couple of one-car teams: Team Bleekemolen from the Netherlands will probably again rely on the services of Sebastiaan Bleekemolen. Solaris Motorsport plans to bring its Camaro back to the grid, while Mishumotors from Germany and Speedhouse also plan to field one car each. The teams’ drivers have not yet been announced.

The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series makes it clear that some teams are still working on their projects and will soon confirm more drivers. On the part of the teams, too, there is still a lot that can happen between now and the season opener in Spain. How many cars and drivers – 50 have been entered so far according to the series – will ultimately be on the grid, will be revealed at the season opener in Valencia.